Chapter 158 The Prophet

Chapter 158: The Prophet

The notification for the first asset settlement arrived last night, Fog City time. As of today, Su Bai and the other players have been in Fog City for exactly three months. This makes it easy to deduce that each asset settlement cycle is three months, or one quarter in Fog City time.

From another perspective, if fewer than ten players possess assets exceeding 100,000 in this settlement, if fewer than ten players attain the "Brave" identity, and if players fail to discover the locations and ignition methods of all ten Everlasting Lamps by tomorrow, then they will absolutely be unable to dispel the fog. They might even be forced to wait another three months for the subsequent asset settlement!

Should they have to wait another three months, all players would continue to face ostracization from most Fog City residents and struggle to earn money. This outcome is likely the most intolerable for Tuniu and his like-minded companions.

In Su Bai’s estimation, being unable to leave Fog City is merely one of the less severe consequences.

Su Bai's concern is that, beyond himself, others will undoubtedly acquire the "Brave" identity during tomorrow's asset settlement. However, there's no guarantee that these unknown "Braves" will choose to light the lamps.

Any player who carefully heeded the administrator's words upon entering the game should realize that only by lighting all ten Everlasting Lamps simultaneously can the potential losses to players in this game be minimized!

What would unfold if there are fewer than ten Braves, yet someone independently proceeds to light a portion of the Everlasting Lamps after the asset settlement?

The administrator stated at the game's outset that time in Fog City is almost static compared to other parts of the Nightmare World and the real world. As long as the dense fog persists, even if Su Bai and the others reside in Fog City for a year, only ten minutes might have elapsed in the real world upon their return after completing the game.

However, once some Everlasting Lamps are lit, a portion of the dense fog will dissipate. At that point, Fog City's previously stagnant time will begin to resume. Yet, no one can predict how rapidly time will pass in Fog City during the months leading up to the next, or even the subsequent, asset settlement. Perhaps after three or even six months, when all players leave Fog City and return to the real world, they might discover they've been missing for half a year, their entire lives thrown into disarray!

To avoid disrupting their lives in the real world, they should strive to ensure all ten Everlasting Lamps are lit simultaneously. Only then can they prevent wasting real-world time in Fog City and preserve the illusion of peace in their real-world lives.

However, Su Bai also understood that disappearing from the real world is not a major concern for a significant portion of Nightmare World players. Many have long anticipated their departure or even death, and thus may have already prepared for it. But in Su Bai's estimation, the resumption of time flow in Fog City might not even be the worst consequence of players lighting the Everlasting Lamps without authorization.

The gravest consequence should be the uncertainty of what other changes might occur in Fog City, beyond time resuming its flow, once a portion of the fog disperses.

After all, Su Bai firmly believes that in this accursed Nightmare World, the "unknown" is the most terrifying entity!

Since Su Bai can conceive of these possibilities, he believes many players share similar thoughts. Upon hearing last night's asset settlement notification, many players should be eager to become "candidate Braves" with assets exceeding 100,000. For players at this moment, there can be more than a hundred "candidate Braves," but absolutely no fewer than ten!

More is acceptable, but fewer is not! The ten Everlasting Lamps must be lit simultaneously!

Therefore, Tuniu and his group's urgent actions are, in a way, not entirely incomprehensible. Su Bai neither likes nor condones Tuniu's forceful methods, but he can certainly understand why these players would resort to any means to complete the game. After all, the Nightmare World has never been a place where kindness guarantees survival.

Someone like Tuniu, provided he avoids offending formidable individuals in the Nightmare World, is actually well-suited to be a cunning yet survivable player. In contrast, someone like Qiu Lei, who has yet to enter society and still harbors naive, innocent, and kind ideals, is more prone to stumbling in the Nightmare World, or even falling and never recovering.

Qiu Lei’s teammates are also right—this is merely a game.

No one understands better than Su Bai how to survive in the Nightmare World by any means necessary. As long as certain lines are not crossed, nothing is more important than preserving one's life in the Nightmare World.

Thus, in Su Bai’s view, Tuniu and his group's biggest blunder was targeting the wrong person.

It's worth noting that while Su Bai once sold a painting for 100,000, he is, after all, merely a new artist who has been in Fog City for just over two months. Not all customers are as generous as Mayor Bai. Therefore, even with the daily profits from the general store, Su Bai's assets are only sufficient for him alone to become a "Brave."

This implies that after tomorrow’s asset settlement, Su Bai will likely know the location of one of the Everlasting Lamps, the method to light it, and even gain a deeper understanding of how the game in Fog City operates.

But if Su Bai were to transfer his assets to Tuniu, then Tuniu would become the wild card Su Bai predicted—someone who might recklessly light the Everlasting Lamps, disregarding the larger picture and disrupting the situation.

Although Su Bai has been living comfortably in Fog City and wouldn't mind staying longer while time is stagnant, in this life, Su Bai has many ties to the real world. He hopes to return to the real world safely, hopes that not too much time has passed when he returns to his mother’s bedside, and hopes he doesn’t miss the college entrance exams.

Rather than entrusting his assets to Tuniu and making him an unpredictable factor, Su Bai would much prefer to retain the "Brave" identity himself.

"There’s one thing I’m curious about," Su Bai asked, genuinely puzzled. "Compared to Meng Wei’s direct threats last time, Mr. Tuniu’s approach this time seems much more roundabout. Clearly, you could have simply stormed into my shop, locked the door, held a knife to my and Miss Qiu Lei’s throats, and threatened us. The outcome would likely be no different from now."

"Why did Mr. Tuniu choose such a convoluted method this time, orchestrating through Miss Qiu Lei’s friends to have her abducted? It seems rather inefficient, doesn't it?"

"Among all the kidnapping targets I’ve encountered, Boss Bai, you’re not only the calmest but also the most talkative," Tuniu remarked, clearly no stranger to kidnapping. "You're actually concerned about our efficiency?"

"Our boss now has a secret weapon. Everything we do is executed with maximum efficiency," another player sitting nearby boasted with a smug grin. "You Fog City residents could never comprehend the power of **that** secret weapon."

"That 'secret weapon'?" Su Bai’s eyes showed none of the fear or panic Tuniu and the others expected. There wasn't even the disdain Fog City residents typically held for outsiders in his gaze—only a serene, almost limpid calm.

Tuniu frowned, seemingly displeased by Su Bai’s composure.

"You're asking too many questions," Tuniu said, apparently unwilling to elaborate.

"But Mr. Tuniu said this is a transaction. Since you wish to acquire my assets, wouldn't it be reasonable for me to use these assets to purchase some information that Fog City residents supposedly cannot know?" Su Bai shrugged helplessly.

"Fine, telling you doesn’t matter. It’s information that means nothing to you anyway," Su Bai’s words seemed to sway Tuniu. He gestured to one of his subordinates. "Bring our secret weapon here."

After the subordinate departed, Tuniu looked at Su Bai with a smirk. "A few days ago, someone with the power of prophecy joined our team. He is exceptionally skilled at predicting the outcomes of plans. It was he who prevented us from storming into your shop and holding a knife to your necks. Although that plan would have perfectly suited our team's style, the prophet declared the result would be 'disastrous.'"

A prophet?