As a player, can you be normal?

Chapter 754 Changing Character Design
The thatched cottage stood askew behind the sea of ​​flowers, the straw on the roof rustling as the wind swept through.
Cha Bai stood in front of the house, wearing slippers, a linen dress, and her white hair was tied up, looking like an ordinary village woman.

"what happens?"

"I used a mouth double."

Li Nuo first gave a concise explanation, and then elaborated on it.

“I was in prison, and those guys were interrogating me about my past. I made up a story on the spot using my mouth. I said I was in Yharnam, but there is no Yharnam here. But it is still Bloodborne. The prison I was in is the territory of Bayer Kinworth. Then I said that my wife and I used to live in a small village, and that's how I came back here.”

As Li Nuo spoke, he walked into the house. The small wooden house smelled of fruit, and there was a box in the corner of the house.

He opened the box; his and Cha Bai's equipment were inside.

"Ah...that's great."

Li Nuo took out his equipment from the box: his cane, Maggie, box, clothes, and most importantly, his thermos.

He quickly opened his thermos and took a sip of tea to soothe his throat.

"So, we're going to have to start all over again?"

Cha Bai closed the door and walked over, still puzzled.

"It's not about starting over, but about filling in the gaps in the past, which will definitely affect the future."

Li Nuo took a folding stool out of the box, sat down casually, tilted his head, and relaxed completely.

"Now I'll set a timeframe."

He picked up a yellowed calendar from the table.

While in prison, he paid close attention to time, which was very important.

"We entered the script on January 2, 1888."

He unfolded the calendar.

This calendar is very interesting.

Although it appears to be a product of the steam age, the images on the paper move, showing that magic had been incorporated into everyday life in this world.

The little man in the picture takes off his hat and pulls out today's date: November 15, 1887.

[Doll Calendar]

[Quality: Garbage]

[Effect: Turning to any page displays the current time; the paper contains "movie playback magic"]

[Brief description: Hmm... Phew...]

Cha Bai: "This 'brief description'..."

Both she and Li Nuo seemed hesitant to speak.

The staff member responsible for typing the summary was probably asleep. There's nothing that can be done about it; after all, their staff are from Cairo now.

Cha Bai stood in front of the box, thinking about what she had experienced.

“I am in the Northern Undead Asylum, where there is a statue of Bulma. It is said that she came from another world and returned to another world.”

With just a simple translation, the entire grand worldview emerges.

The world, originally confined under the gaze of the "Ancient Gods," became docile after the appearance of Bulma, the scientist from Dragon Ball. During the trial, Li Nuo saw that the "Capsule Refillable" capsules from Dragon Ball had become tools for high-ranking personnel, reflecting that this place had already entered an era of advanced technology.

While he was talking to Cha Bai, he turned on his headset and contacted everyone.

Except for Malger, who was silent, everyone else heard Li Nuo's account.

Soren immediately said, "Don't contact us. You'll definitely drag the story into a situation that will implicate everyone. I have important things to do here, don't drag me into this."

"What about the strategy guide?" Li Nuo asked.

The signal hissed a few times.

Soren's voice came again.

"As soon as you arrive at a new place, just have Captain Ma contact me."

The main quest involves paintings in the "Painting World," and Sauron can access a walkthrough that provides a general route.

"Several major organizations in this world are connected to the painting. 2B, use the robotic arm to play the image I sent you."

Cha Bai hurriedly raised his left arm, and the spliced ​​metal cracks opened, projecting a shadow.

……

[Main Quest Walkthrough]

Five paintings, involving five different factions.

[“Bayer-Kinworth Academy”, “The Healing Church”, “Cain Hearst”, “The Northern Undead Asylum”, “Bulma Trading Company”]

……

Apart from the "Bulma Trading Company", the other four are regions or organizations that exist in Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

First, we need to establish a premise: the existence of "ancient gods".

Byrgenworth: The academy that first discovered the secrets of the ancient gods, now an organization that studies "Arcane".

The Healing Church: A worshipful will with blood, a researcher of blood healing techniques, and madmen spreading plague.

Cain Hearst: A member of the vampire clan.

The Undead Asylum in the North: a remnant from Dark Souls, now an asylum.

Bulma Trading Company: A trading company established by Miss Bulma after she traveled to this world. It is now the largest technology research and development company on the continent of Sumeru.

……

If you collect all five paintings, something special will happen.

……

Before that, you need to break through to level 99.

Immediately afterwards, Sauron unleashed a powerful attack.

"There is a player here who is level 99 or higher."

"Hmm... that guy used a blocking skill, I can't see his data, it seems like he did it on purpose."

"Anyway, be careful. I have other things to do, so don't contact me unless it's absolutely necessary."

Sauron hung up without hesitation.

While taking off her clothes, Cha Bai asked, "What do we do now?"

After she changed into all her gear, Li Nuo still didn't say anything, and it was clear that he had given up on thinking.

Li Nuo looked at the thermos in her hand.

"How about... we settle down and live here?"

……

"stop!"

……

Xiao Wu interrupted Li Nuo's past once again.

His consciousness returned to the northern prison of Bayer Kinworth College.

In the cold courtroom, Blackie, Lennie, and Piek all looked at Li Nuo with strange eyes.

"What did I just say?"

Xiao Wu glanced at him: "You said you and your wife live in a small house and plan to continue living like that, just sitting around waiting to die."

Li Nuo suddenly realized.

He won't reveal the details of the past here.

For example, he wouldn't reveal anything about his contacts with Sauron and others, or about the players.

A voice rang in my ears.

This is the whisper of the Cairo aliens.

[Regarding "mouth doubles," you've already experienced it; what you've gone through in the past will only be described in outline.]

[Regarding the experiences of the other players, because of the existence of the "mouth substitutes," they have all returned to the past. Their consciousness will not return here, but you cannot leave. If you leave the audience now, it means there are no listeners left, and the listeners must be "high-ranking and powerful" individuals, since this group can fabricate a person's past.]

Returning to the other players' questions, until you connect the story to the present, they can't attack you, but it's possible someone could interfere with you using the same type of thing.

[Similar to a "news broadcasting mishap"]

I'm going to eat. You can play by yourself.

Li Nuo looked at Xiao Wu.

Why did you pull me back from my memories?

Xiao Wu winked, meaning "I've also gone back to the past," but the main perspective still unfolds from Li Nuo's side.

"I really became a prostitute."

"congratulations."

"But no customers have ordered me..."

Do you want me to give you some advice?

"Speak quickly."

Blackie interrupted the two frivolous guys.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Instead of answering directly, Li Nuo posed a question: "Can you let us go now?"

“No way.” Blackie answered readily: “You are death row inmates. I’m only giving you a chance to be reported as ‘Dream Hunters’ because you two are good fighters. But we need to know the general situation of your past, otherwise who would dare to use you recklessly?”

Moreover, the two of them wrecked the prison, so they have to pay compensation.

Xiao Wu asked very seriously, "What if we use force?"

Blackie tapped on the table.

The back door opened, and a large-headed fishman walked in. This guy was over two meters tall, with a strong upper body and a slender lower body. He had smooth, gray-blue skin, gills, and small eyes. He was gnawing on a large loaf of bread with sharp teeth and seemed to have some intellectual problems.

But Li Nuo and Xiao Wu were immediately stunned.

A powerful figure emerged, ranking below the king and on par with the elders and a host of administrators.

"This is the 'Shark Alien' left behind by Miss Bulma. I heard it has some kind of 'Cosmic Emperor Gene'. Although it has some mental issues, if something happens in the prison, it will eat up the troublemakers along with us."

The big-headed fish-man nodded like an idiot: "Mmm~ Eat it~"

Blackie: "You can go back now." "Okay."

The big-headed fishman didn't forget to bow to everyone to say goodbye, and even closed the door when he left, showing great manners.

Sister Hei said helplessly, "Do you understand? We didn't want this either, but our system is very chaotic and has many loopholes."

For Li Nuo, there was no other way out. He couldn't resort to tricks now, so the best option was to travel back and forth between the past and the present, guiding the past story towards a present that was in his favor.

Lenny interjected, "Can you continue? You said you and your wife were planning to live an ordinary life, and then what? How did you become terrorists?"

Xiao Wu gently stepped on Li Nuo's foot, then spoke to him in the universal language.

Sign language.

It means: "Since you've already gone back in time, why not give yourself a powerful identity that suits the circumstances? Or an identity that allows you direct access to top secrets, like the five organizations Soren mentioned!"

Li Nuo shook his head, frowned, and replied in sign language, "I'd like to, but my experience has to fit the setting. Even if I say you're a man, you can't possibly become a man in the past, etc..."

Conforms to the settings...

Li Nuo tried to say, "I have cooperated with the 'Healing Church' with the aim of killing higher-dimensional demons."

The black church robe that Li Nuo always wears is one of the uniforms of the "Healing Church" in Bloodborne.

Besides, he did kill the high-dimensional demon while wearing the clothes of the "Healing Church," and there are lie detectors here; he wasn't lying.

Moreover, the "Healing Church" is related to the "World in the Painting".

"What if this setting works?" he thought to himself.

But the words just fell.

[Completely ruined]

The voices of the Cairo aliens tolled a death knell.

Li Nuo's gaze returned to the thatched cottage of the past.

Cha Bai lay in a pool of blood.

Li Nuo was stunned. He immediately picked up Cha Bai and saw a steel dagger stuck in her chest, which he found unbelievable.

"What kind of dagger is this...?"

I can hardly believe it, how could a dagger have managed to hurt Cha Bai?

The dagger was ordinary, with a familiar-looking symbol engraved on it.

"Cainhurst?"

[Steel Dagger (Vampire Weapon)]

【Excellent quality】

[Effect: Possesses the power of piercing magic to absolutely penetrate everything. It is a piercing technique from the vampire grand duke. It is said that this piercing technique was a secret technique found in a region called "Shadowlands". It is destroyed after one use. Creatures pierced by it will bleed to death and cannot be cured.]

[Brief description: Ah... I'm awake now, this thing... um, phew...]

"Why would the people of Cain Hearst target Cha Bai...?"

Li Nuo frowned deeply; he already knew the answer when he asked himself the question.

He had just told Blackie and her group that he was a member of the "Healing Church," a statement that changed his past. Cain Hearst might have a grudge against the Healing Church, but he was wrong about that.

But the most pressing issue at hand is not Cainhurst.

The key question is why Cha Bai was suddenly attacked.

Cha Bai gritted her teeth, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She raised her hand to touch his face and said tremblingly, "I... how could I have been stabbed with a dagger in an instant..."

[Idiot! Someone's interfering with the progress!]

The voice of the Cairo aliens appeared.

Li Nuo asked in confusion, "What progress?"

I don't know! But someone else used a similar item to yours.

It's roughly similar to adding some dramatic elements to an otherwise mundane story.

That kind of thing probably has usage restrictions.

In short, you have to bring your wife back to life.

"what!"

Cha Bai collapsed into Li Nuo's arms.

……

Li Nuo's consciousness returned to the courtroom.

Xiao Wu looked at him with surprise.

"Big brother, you let Cha Bai die?"

Li Nuo immediately asked, "What is the relationship between Cain Hearst and the Healing Church?"

"Shouldn't you know better than us?" Blackie asked doubtfully, but still said, "It's a cooperative relationship. The vampires donate blood to the Healing Church, and you black-clad priests help spread the blood and create a plague."

Li Nuo then asked, "What thing or organization does Cain Hearst hate?"

Blackie glanced at Lennie, who seemed to know more about it.

Lenny shook his head: "I don't know. We don't know much about that vampire clan. They are too mysterious. They haven't appeared in front of the public for more than a hundred years."

Li Nuo opened the panel and saw no information about Cha Bai's death, indicating that the situation could be reversed.

"I found a cyborg doctor and turned my wife into a android."

……

Inside the thatched hut.

Cha Bai sat on the floor, hugging her knees. She was alright, but she looked at Li Nuo with bewildered eyes.

"I'm almost going to have a mental breakdown."

"After I returned to the future, did your subconscious mind go to the future?" Li Nuo asked.

“No…” Cha Bai replied, “I’m stuck in this era.”

This means that only the area where Li Nuo tells the story exhibits the phenomenon of time alternation, which does not require further investigation.

At that moment, Marger came in from outside. The instant Li Nuo saw Marger, he knew why the guy hadn't spoken when they first contacted each other.

Marger's head is gone.

It was stated from the beginning that when players arrive in this world, they will either lack equipment, be missing limbs, or have lost organs.

Marger is headless, but he is still alive, thanks to the inherent strangeness of this world.

Brother Ma took out a wooden sign from his white coat, which read: "Where's my boss?!"

The thought that they wouldn't have to hear "humming" anymore made Li Nuo and Cha Bai feel relieved.

The equipment has been retrieved. Chen Shou has made contact and said he will go to find Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu and Li Nuo can communicate in the future. The two must split into two routes. They are both super-level players and do not need to stick together. So they will split into two groups.

Cha Bai installed a "portal" on the thatched hut, made a wish, and found the place closest to the main storyline's answer.

The sound of brown birds flapping their wings in alarm echoed through the woods. The thatched cottage transformed into a thatched castle, enveloped in a sea of ​​flowers, shattering the void and soaring into the sky like Ultraman.

Inside the house, Li Nuo contacted Soren and recounted all the problems she had experienced.

"You want to just look at the walkthrough? I don't have one."

There was a lot of noise coming from Soren's side; who knows what they were doing?

Li Nuo walked towards the kitchen, carrying the cured meat he had brought from the thatched hut.

"No, what I want to know is, what can invade a rule-based item like the [Mouth Substitute]?"

Just like the Cairo aliens in the working group said.

Someone used a certain prop to suppress Li Nuo's [mouth substitute]. For example, the story he created was a farming game, which is a normal route, but suddenly the insects in the field mutated into monsters, adding some dangerous elements to the farming game.

It's not that troublesome, but it needs to be prevented.

"Props such as rule notes."

Soren answered very quickly.

“I used to have a book that was a tool that could suppress the abilities of the Focusers, but it wasn’t that magical. For example, take your case. You said you were a member of the Healing Church, so as long as you wrote in the notebook, ‘Something is going on with this priest of the Healing Church,’ it would automatically filter out organizations or people who are related to you or your idiot and have a grudge against you. They would suddenly get involved in your story.”

Li Nuo roughly understood, and at this moment he was looking for a cutting board to prepare to cut the cured meat.

"But why was Cha Bai suddenly killed with a single slash... there should have been a process."

[Because you, you idiot, changed the settings!]

The voice of the Cairo aliens appeared.

[You clearly said you were a villager, but suddenly changed your story to claim you're from the Healing Church. Your 'silent double' has only just started to take effect, and everything is still unstable. If you change the settings now, they'll take advantage of the situation!]

In short, don't add or subtract settings arbitrarily in the future; it's best to stick to your established framework.

Li Nuo's face darkened, and he slammed the cured meat onto the cutting board.

"Okay, thank you. Soren, you can hear Cairo, right?"

“We can all hear you, but don’t worry, those rulebooks are very restrictive and applicable to all players. The user won’t just target you; they’ll definitely target other corridors as well.”

"That also feels like having greenbottle flies swarming in your face."

"I'll tell you how to crack it."

Soren paused, then let out a lewd laugh.

"You can eliminate the greatest danger and minimize the harm the rulebook can do to you by making yourself completely different from yourself."

After hanging up the call, Li Nuo pondered deeply.

To make himself different from himself... He chopped the cured meat in half with a single stroke.

……

Consciousness returned to the courtroom.

At that moment, Sister Hei was typing on the keyboard of her tablet. When she saw Li Nuo pause, she looked at him.

"Well, continue. You used a teleportation spell to search for a secret treasure. And then?"

"Let me add another setting."

Li Nuo took a deep breath.

"I am actually a kind and good person."

(End of this chapter)