The Trial Game of Life – Chapter 164

Table of Contents | Character Guide

Chapter 164: Sword of Judgment (11)

Though the long night hadn’t yet ended, Jin Cheng was only a few hundred points away from obtaining 10,000 points for Power of Faith. As the points were growing steadily, the two had time to leisurely walk along the streets illuminated by magic lights.

Tang Cuo was a little tired, so they walked very slowly. Jin Cheng wanted to piggyback him, but what he received was an icy rejection.

“Louis XIV —”

“Do you really have to talk about another man at this time?”

“He fixed the [Sword of Judgment].”

“Didn’t you guys get into a fierce battle?”

This matter wouldn’t take long to discuss. Tang Cuo said: “As soon as I killed him, the sword’s damage was reversed.”

Tang Cuo was sure that this happened after Louis XIV’s death. At that point, he was opening the system panel to check the progress of the dungeon. A thought suddenly flashed by and he decided to check the [Sword of Judgment]’s description. Sure enough, the word ‘damaged’ was gone.

Hearing this, Jin Cheng recalled the scene in the previous dungeon when Tang Cuo drew his sword to destroy the magic transformation. The moment his blood dripped on the rose petals, they glowed. He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly.

Back then, both of them suspected that Theodore might be The Undead Rose.

Tang Cuo also said that when Louis XIV died, there seemed to be a faint light glowing on the sword.

“Perhaps part of Louis’ soul is attached to the sword, just like a sword spirit. So no matter how it was repaired, without the sword spirit, the [Sword of Judgment] will be incomplete.” Jin Cheng said.

Tang Cuo nodded.

The question now was: with Theodore obtaining the [Sword of Judgment], what did it mean?

“My guess is that Theodore had been partially taken by The Undead Rose. If that isn’t the case, why was it that Theodore became the vessel back at the tomb when both Theodore, Peter and Bazz were all there? Also, the [Sword of Judgment] was damaged at that point, which means the sword spirit wasn’t there. It was because he had slowly been influenced by the sword spirit since he started using the [Sword of Judgment].” As he spoke, Jin Cheng remembered those words that were circulated in the continent of Sicilit –

[A thousand years later, The Undead Rose will bloom again.]

“Perhaps ‘a thousand years later’ exactly refers to Theodore. We may even make a bold guess that the Rose Sect was also deceived by Louis XIV. He deliberately released the sacrificial transformation as a distraction tactic, which was, on the one hand, to make the members of the Rose Sect continue their research on immortality, and on the other hand, to protect his true ‘self’ that was Theodore.”

The tired Tang Cuo was more frugal with words, thus it was Jin Cheng who did all the talking. Since there was ample tacit understanding between the two of them, what Jin Cheng said was basically what Tang Cuo was thinking.

Based on a precise timeline, although Louis XIV was stabbed by Nightingale with the [Sword of Judgment], he didn’t die at once. At that point, he might have sensed the coming of divine punishment, so he attached part of his soul to the [Sword of Judgment].

This was the beginning of his plan.

How to avoid the eyes and ears of God and leave yourself a glimmer of hope? That was the very premise of his grand scheme.

The Rose Sect and the [Sword of Judgment] were the light and darkness that would ensure the continuation of his life.

Choosing Theodore was an excellent decision. Given the talent of the White Knight family, it was very likely that Theodore would be a stronger candidate than any random person he might find in the Rose Sect. Then there was Theodore’s identity: he was a core member of the side of justice. Once Louis XIV was resurrected within him, with his intelligence and cunningness, he could destroy the Greenvines Alliance and the White Knight family using minimum effort.

That said, this place was, after all, a continent where gods existed. The power of fate was an invisible hand that drove everything from behind. Not everything could be explained by pure logic.

Theodore in the original story must’ve also known a little bit of the truth, but not all of it. Because in this trial, his [Sword of Judgment] was intact, so he wouldn’t have had the same experience as Tang Cuo.

Which path would he choose?

While thinking, the two walked back to Walling Street. The lights inside the bookstore on the corner were still on, and a beautiful blonde girl was tidying up the counter, preparing to close.

Glancing at Tang Cuo’s slightly pale face, Jin Cheng said “wait a moment”, and ran into the bookstore. Waiting by the road, Tang Cuo stood there watching him talking to the girl for a long time, smiling and pointing at Tang Cuo outside. The girl smiled and brought out a piece of cake.

“It’s the last piece in the store. She didn’t want to sell it at first. I had to talk my mouth off before she was willing to give it to me.” Jin Cheng blinked and quickly claimed credit.

Tang Cuo simply gave up asking him what he had said to the girl since it was definitely nothing proper. But he wasn’t in a rush to get back anyway, so he sat down by the flower bed just like Jin Cheng asked and ate the cake while listening to Jin Cheng talk.

Actually, he had a tiny, very tiny speck of hope that time would stand still. He wouldn’t have to think about the dungeon and wouldn’t have to care about Yong Ye City. It would be just him and Jin Cheng going through their days leisurely.

Such a thought was quite refreshing.

But it wasn’t very fitting for a tough guy like him.

So a while later, Jin Cheng suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, and when he turned his head, he caught Tang Cuo sleeping on him. Under the soft light, fatigue was obvious on his face.

Jin Cheng looked down: he had finished the cake, and there was still a little chocolate powder on the fingertips of his right hand. Jin Cheng took out a handkerchief, held his hand and wiped it for him, and then, as though he had discovered something new, he began to study the lines on Tang Cuo’s palm.

As the study went on, ten fingers slowly intertwined.

Tang Cuo wasn’t actually asleep; he was just tired and wanted to close his eyes for a moment. Jin Cheng also knew that he wasn’t asleep, and since they both understood each other, no one said a word.

Time passed and the hustle in the distance gradually faded away, and Jin Cheng’s goal for Power of Faith was almost being reached. Hearing the sound of horse hooves coming from the corner of Walling Street, Tang Cuo opened his eyes to take a look.

The carriage with a Chinese rose pattern painted on it was Edwin’s vehicle.

The coachman of Edwin’s horse-drawn carriage was a calm-mannered knight. Recognising Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng, he pulled the reins to stop the carriage. Edwin lifted the curtain and looked out to speak in a soft tone: “I was just about to go find you.”

The two men stood up: “Brother / Your Excellency.”

Edwin nodded, his eyes falling on Tang Cuo: “I have to go on a long trip. I’m afraid we won’t be able to meet again anytime soon, so I came all the way to see you.”

Noticing his light outfit and the silver-white cloak he was wearing, he asked: “Brother, where are you heading to?”

Edwin: “Yorkshire.”

That name sounded familiar, but Tang Cuo couldn’t remember where he had heard it before. Edwin saw his frown and immediately offered words of comfort: “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be back soon. Theodore, when your brother is away, you will listen to Uncle Roger Reeds, won’t you? Although Uncle Roger Reeds is a bit strict, he’s a benevolent man. When the time calls for it, you may even act like a spoilt kid in front of him.”

Tang Cuo: “…”

Edwin smiled and shook his head. The gentle duke seemed to be in a good mood because he had managed to play a joke on his brother. He then looked at Jin Cheng: “The performance tonight was great. I look forward to seeing you next time, Mr. Lancelot. Moonlight Castle welcomes you.”

Jin Cheng returned the pleasantries: “It’s my honour.”

Edwin gave Tang Cuo a few more words of guidance before bidding them goodbye and taking his leave. Amid the clatter of horse hooves, the carriage moved further and further, gradually disappearing away from the city.

Tang Cuo finally remembered where Yorkshire was.

“July Rose.” His voice turned a tad deeper.

“You are right, that’s where the July Rose incident happened.” Jin Cheng also remembered it and realised something else: “Lin Yandong said that July Rose was the last battle of a certain knight, and that knight was Edwin. We may not be able to go through a dungeon where Edwin is the protagonist.”

In other words, July Rose might not be a part of the [Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight] series. Perhaps it was just a background event.

The meeting just now was their farewell.

Even though Edwin was only an NPC who appeared for a short time, this feeling wasn’t exactly nice. Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng were no longer in the mood to continue their date. At this juncture, Jin Cheng’s Power of Faith had been fully gathered, and the familiar sound of the system announcement came again.

“Ding!”

“Congratulations to the player for successfully completing the fifth round of the serial mission [Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight]: Sword of Judgment. Difficulty: Hard. Rating: A. Character points to be earned: 120.”

“For personal rewards, please check the system panel by yourself.”

“Welcome back to Yong Ye City!”

After being ejected from the dungeon, the two returned to their home in Zone E.

Jin Cheng was surprised by the ‘A’ rating, then he looked at Tang Cuo. Tang Cuo won with only a 25% chance of winning, so getting an A seemed just about right, but he felt that he shouldn’t reveal that to Jin Cheng. Moreover, Jin Cheng’s performance wasn’t something that any ordinary person could do, so half of the ‘A’ had to be attributed to Jin Cheng. Tang Cuo felt that he needn’t try to explain any further.

Even though it wasn’t his effort entirely, Tang Cuo decided to hold his chin up high still.

Jin Cheng was helpless; there was nothing he could do. He glanced at the system panel. The rewards given by the system this time were quite generous, and Tang Cuo’s were even more generous.

The magic taught to him by Roger Reeds, a knight’s sword-fighting skills given by Edwin, et cetera, were all part of the rewards, not to mention that he also obtained a fully unlocked version of the [Sword of Judgment].

All of these were expected. The only unexpected reward was [Secret Recipe of Old William’s Milk Tea].

Jin Cheng smiled and joked: “Take this secret recipe and wait for Yong Ye City’s next Civil Servant Assessment. Maybe you can even become the owner of a milk tea shop. It’ll surely be very popular.”

Tang Cuo: “No.”

While the two were talking and laughing, a new round of surprises was unfolding inside Yong Ye City’s game hall.

Ever since Lin Yandong suddenly topped the two lists, many players have developed the habit of glancing at the charts from time to time for fear that there would be shocking changes at any point in time.

The same thing happened today. Someone just subconsciously stole a glance and saw a player’s number soaring like a rocket.

“What the hell! Those numbers, again! It’s them again!”

“Who is K27216? Why does this number look so familiar???”

“Gosh, Jin Cheng!”

“It’s Jin Cheng’s man!”

“He’s moving into the top 30!”

“The top 20…”

“Is this The Red List? Is this still The Red List I know? Did it become just a piece of paper?!”

“F**k!!!”

“10th!!!”

Unlike Lin Yandong’s unanticipated appearance, this time, everyone saw Tang Cuo rise to the top with their own eyes. The excitement and thrill were simply jaw-dropping.

Even though Tang Cuo’s number stopped after reaching 10th place, that was the 10th place in the entire city, and Tang Cuo was a player from a low-ranking zone!

“What on earth did he do? How did his strength increase so much in just a few days?”

“Did Jin Cheng help him cheat???”

“Where’s Mr. Crow? Where’s Mr. Crow? Is there anyone who can come out and explain?”

“Too fierce. What kind of person is this…”

“……”

There were so many different opinions that the ceiling of the game hall was almost blown off by the noise. After about ten minutes, a sharp-eyed player finally spotted a clue from another list that usually didn’t change much and never received much attention from people.

That list was the weapon ranking list, also known as The White List. Xiao Tong’s baton, Jin Cheng’s mechanical bow, Rong Yi’s pocket watch, et cetera, were all on this list.

And now, a new weapon had appeared on the list, and it was in a very prominent position.

Third place: Sword of Judgment (Legendary)

A legendary weapon, plus a sudden rise in The Red List ranking. The owner of this sword must be Tang Cuo. Everyone could easily figure out the truth, but, what would that mean?

The sword belonged to Tang Cuo, and Tang Cuo belonged to Jin Cheng.

They took another look at Jin Cheng’s ranking.

“How the hell did this bastard run ahead of Leng Miao!?”

Everyone was so focused on Tang Cuo that they didn’t notice the changes in the top five on The Red List. If one didn’t look at it, it wouldn’t matter much; but if one did look at it, he would be shocked. Scarlet had disappeared from the list after her death, and Jin Cheng squeezed out Leng Miao, so he was now — third on The Red List.

“Look again, look again…” Some players covered their hearts with their hands, their eyes continuing to wander around the list. They had no idea what else they wanted to look at; they just felt like they wanted to look at it again.

Upon closer inspection, there were indeed other changes.

“J90007, isn’t this Black Lolita? I remember this number. Is it her?”

“16th…”

“Wasn’t she kidnapped by that Vaccine Research Institute into the dungeon? Wasn’t she kidnapped into the dungeon? How come she didn’t die but ascended to Heaven instead???”

“What happened in the dungeon?”

A massive amount of confusion and astonishment once again swept across the entire game hall. One player spoke out everyone’s thoughts: “These people, are they going to dominate all the lists and become kings of Yong Ye City?”

Isn’t it?

Tang Cuo, Lilith, Jin Cheng… aren’t they all in the same group? And they were not just temporary allies; they were all in the same boat. Two of them were even said to be sleeping in the same bed.

Everyone then frantically searched for Wen Xiaoming’s number on the list, and only when they saw that he was still staying in his original position did they let out a sigh of relief.

Look, there’s still a normal person here.

When normal person Wen Xiaoming, who had just come out of a dungeon, heard the comments from the players around him, he couldn’t help but feel sad. He covered his chest and frowned, as though he could faint at any time.

Yong Ye City was really unfriendly to support staff like him. One day he would build a piece of magical equipment to top The White List and shoot all these gossipers.

This genius was so angry he could die.

But then, Wen Xiaoming was even more excited because of Lilith. He had been checking the list from time to time, but since Black Hat shortened the time for the forced dungeon to be triggered, he had to rush through a dungeon first. As soon as he came out, he heard good news.

Since Lilith’s ranking had risen, it meant that she was in good condition inside the dungeon. At least her life was in no danger.

This called for a celebration.