Nightmare Despair

Chapter 118 Old Tales of a Small Town
The twenty [Memories of Some Value] that shared the same item slot shimmered with a flickering afterglow. As soon as Zhou Kai's gaze fell upon them, the comments section appeared.

[Can be synthesized]

"If we accumulate enough quantity, we can merge them? This can't be a scam by Gabe Newell, right?"

If items can be combined... then what about skills?

Especially martial arts of the same type.

Zhou Kai once again thought of those twenty-one third-rate Qi-inducing martial arts.

If we could really collect, combine, and upgrade them...

Perhaps, he might be able to forge a completely new path of true martial arts.

Of course, this is something.

One must eat one bite at a time, and Rome must be built one day at a time; let's solve the immediate problem first.

Zhou Kai had previously processed several of these fragmented memories, but the value of what he obtained was decreasing, and the information was mostly repetitive.

It always gives people a feeling of being stuck in the middle, like scratching an itch through a boot.

Now that it can be synthesized, it might be a good thing.

If the quality improves, you might reap unexpected rewards.

"synthesis."

With a thought, Zhou Kai deducted two experience points instantly, and the original twenty memories began to merge.

[You consumed 20 'Memories of Some Value' and 2 Universal Experience Points, and you gained: Old Town Tales - The Beginning]

The synthesized memory fragments transformed into an old, yellowed envelope with some blurry writing on it.

How does it differ from ordinary memory...?

Anyway, no matter how long you browse through memories, the actual time is only a fleeting moment, like a dream spanning a thousand years. With this question in mind, Zhou Kai chose to open and use it directly.

And the instant it was opened.

More than a dozen rays of light drifted out from the envelope and entered Zhou Kai's body through all seven orifices.

Then, Zhou Kai felt an illusion, like a camera lens going out of focus; everything in front of him had just faded to black and white, then suddenly brightened up again.

Switch perspective.

The stench of damp rain, the stench of earth, and even the pungent ammonia smell of fermenting excrement...

Smell, touch, hearing... sight.

All five senses are activated.

Zhou Kai glanced around, observing the scene around him, his expression becoming increasingly tense.

"It can actually move this time? Not watching a movie, but... role-playing."

Zhou Kai tried to search his memory, but after a moment, he found nothing. He clicked his tongue, shook his head, pushed open the creaking, broken door, and walked out of the cramped little house that could barely fit a few more people.

Now that we've entered the so-called "Old Tales of the Town," let's start exploring.

Although I don't know if there's a time limit, it's best not to waste time.

As soon as I stepped outside, icy rain hit me in the face.

At this moment, the bone-chilling cold gave Zhou Kai a feeling similar to that in his nightmare.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Postman."

A dozen meters away, a woman carrying a wooden bucket called out to Zhou Kai through the gray rain curtain.

Zhou Kai's expression remained unchanged, trying his best to maintain his persona.

Good day, Madam.

After saying that, Zhou Kai had an idea and decided to take this opportunity to scout out the manor first, in order to prepare for his actions in the nightmare.

Just as he was about to leave, the lady put down the wooden bucket with a clatter and chased after him in a few steps.

"Mr. Postman, where are you headed...? Has communication with the outside world been restored?"

Zhou Kai was also unsure about his current situation and how the town was doing, so he could only go along with the lady's words and say, "I'm afraid not, madam."

"I just wanted to walk around and see what it was like; this rain is getting on my nerves."

The lady wore a regretful yet strange expression, half advising, "Didn't Mr. Kaylan from the church tell us to avoid going out as much as possible? Especially... when the rain is about to stop."

"Go home early, Mr. Acso."

The postman... Acso?

Remembering his place, Zhou Kai nodded repeatedly: "I'm just wandering around, I'll be back soon."

The woman, however, refused to back down.

"Mr. Accso, if I remember correctly, you're from out of town, aren't you?"

She lifted her clothes, revealing her ample, snow-white upper body.

"I also live alone. If you don't mind... why don't you come with me?"

Zhou Kai got goosebumps.

"Please have some self-respect, ma'am."

After that, he turned around and left.

After walking about a hundred meters from home, his hurried steps slowed down.

With a doubtful look in his eyes, he glanced back.

"Outsider..."

I always felt that the woman's expression was a little off when she used the word "outsider".

This brings to mind the mess the Adams brothers made, and the things recorded in the texts in the mansion.

Do you think I'm an idiot?

Zhou Kai was 100% certain that this bad woman had no good intentions.

I guess after luring me into the house, they dismantled me into pieces to use as firewood.

"Although subduing her isn't difficult... let's not create any unnecessary trouble."

Zhou Kai accidentally discovered that his control panel was still there and could be used normally.

This means that even in this kind of role-playing, Zhou Kai can still unleash some of his own strength.

The price, however, should be the end of the journey of memory.

He was perfectly clear about his purpose in entering this role-playing situation.

The purpose was to understand the town's past and to explore the manor to lay the foundation for further exploration in the nightmare.

Unless force is absolutely necessary, Zhou Kai does not want to end his past prematurely.

……

The fog is getting thicker... What could be inside the fog?

"Perhaps the caravans know, perhaps some of those outsiders do know; haven't they all tried to go out before?"

"I don't know what the adults are thinking now. Since yesterday, even the road to the church has been blocked by fog, and many brothers have gone missing..."

"Everything will be alright once this year's festival is over."

Shh, someone's coming.

In front of the manor, fully armed plate-armored guards chatted idly.

When they saw Zhou Kai approaching, they all fell silent, turning their heads in unison and staring intently at him through the gaps in their helmets.

"Go back now, you outsider! Do you want to die?!"

Facing these still-alive Soraka guards, Zhou Kai's pupils constricted slightly.

When he also became the inheritor of the chariot engraving, he could naturally feel the aura emanating from these people.

These beings, who will be transformed into swordsmen after death, are all owners of second-tier engravings.

After being shouted at by them, Zhou Kai's vision went black for a moment, as if he had been rammed head-on by a phantom-like warhorse.

"We'll leave now, gentlemen!"

Zhou Kai paused, chuckled awkwardly, and left the main entrance, heading in another direction.

His gaze remained fixed on the manor environment, which was not yet shrouded in mist.

But after walking for a short while, Zhou Kai was stopped again.

Tread.

Armored warhorses blocked Zhou Kai's path, their gleaming lances cutting through his way.

Four knights, each over two meters tall, surrounded Zhou Kai.

“This guy is suspicious… Captain Webber, what should we do?”

The tallest knight in the lead looked down at Zhou Kai, his eyes cold yet filled with pity.

"Take it back and sacrifice it along with the others." ...

Zhou Kai had originally intended to resist, but upon hearing that the four knights were going to lock him in the dungeon beneath the manor, he lost all will to resist.

Just what he wanted.

Of course, resistance is probably futile... Based on reasonable speculation, these knights are probably at least third-tier marks.

And the captain, Webber Soraka, might be even stronger.

"Fine, if I was going to be tortured by you monsters in my nightmare, it's no different here. This is really..."

Zhou Kai obediently got tied up like a rice dumpling and, under duress, "visited" the small gate on the south side of the manor, the vineyard, the small winery, and the tower.

Finally, we arrived at the main area of ​​the manor, a building that is about four stories high, half castle and half Western-style building.

Zhou Kai saw many people along the way. The Soraka Guard included armored soldiers, swordsmen, knights, and another type who held a shield in their right hand and a hook in their left.

As for ordinary people, Zhou Kai saw some who resembled tenant farmers or servants.

Without the fog obstructing his view, Zhou Kai took a deep breath as he surveyed the entire estate. It occupied nearly a quarter of the town's area, not to mention the private lake beside it.

Soraka Estate is a completely self-sufficient semi-small town.

“It’s quite extravagant, but it would be strange if a reclusive family didn’t have such resources.”

Observing his memories along the way, Zhou Kai was eventually led by the three swordsmen to the dungeon beneath the manor.

The dungeon led directly to the lake, and half of it was a water dungeon, but since they didn't intend to kill Zhou Kai, they imprisoned him in a normal dungeon.

……

While in prison, escaping was inevitable, but before escaping, Zhou Kai felt it necessary to observe the surrounding cells.

Since it's related to sacrifice, the people here who are offered as sacrifices must be very valuable.

Maybe... Evelyn is here too?

Unfortunately, there was no sign of the little girl. Zhou Kai was imprisoned in the same cell as an old woman with gray hair and a wrinkled face.

She huddled in the corner, muttering in a hoarse tone, "This is the sin sent down by the Father. The time has come for you outcasts to be punished... The fog is a sign."

"No one can leave here. The nightmare is coming, the eternal night is coming..."

Zhou Kai tried to talk to her, but she didn't react to his presence at all. Her eyes were cloudy, as if she were talking to a wisp of air.

Perhaps it was because Zhou Kai's voice mingled with the old woman's, making it extremely annoying, that someone across the cell said impatiently, "Shut up! Wouldn't it be better to just wait to die quietly? Why do you have to make a scene with this crazy woman!"

But after the reprimand, the person on the other end seemed to realize something.

"Huh? Acso, how did you get arrested too?"

Zhou Kai squinted and looked into the darkness. By the dim light of the torches on the wall, he could see two figures bound by iron chains, one of whom he had never seen before.

I do know another Zhou Kai.

"Jeff... what's wrong with him?"

There was a pale-faced man there, his cheek pierced by iron nails; he was the first Wanderer that Zhou Kai had killed.

His name is Jeff, and his identity is the same as the body Zhou Kai is currently inhabiting—he is also a postman.

"What else could it be? He offended Lord Westchester, spoke ill of the Church, and insulted that person who cannot be spoken of... This is punishment."

However, the elderly woman next to Zhou Kai had a different opinion.

She spoke in that flat, monotone tone:

"On the second day, tell all living beings with signs to close their eyes..."

"On the third day, silence all creatures that can speak..."

"On the fourth day, let all living things that still breathe..."

Zhou Kai felt dizzy for a while, and the panel changed.

[You have come into contact with some things from the past that shouldn't exist. Mysticism experience points +2]

Subsequently, Zhou Kai temporarily lost control of his body and could only watch everything in front of him flash by at breakneck speed.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

He, along with the townspeople and outsiders who were imprisoned, were dragged out of the dungeon by naked guards wielding shields and hooks, who used iron hooks to pierce their collarbones.

They were able to see the light of day.

……

Zhou Kai knelt in front of the scorching flames, his mouth tightly bound with thick iron wire, and steel nails piercing his cheeks.

He struggled to turn his head and look around; there were several other people also being held captive in front of the flames.

Some of them had their eyes gouged out, their eye sockets empty and bleeding; others had their ears cut off, blood dripping down their chins.

The two who had lost their sight were already delirious and disoriented, their bodies trembling violently, their lives hanging by a thread. Compared to them, Jeff, Acso, and the two who were deaf were in a better position.

As he watched the flames, Zhou Kai's occult experience points continued to rise.

[You have come into contact with some things from the past that shouldn't exist. Mysticism experience points +1]

Not far from the six sacrificial offerings, each with missing parts, stood two priests in black robes.

Zhou Kai vaguely heard them say in hushed tones, "Sullivan Augustus actually committed suicide... even though he didn't find anything."

"Heh, perhaps the imperial mark hidden in his bloodline gave him some inspiration, but it doesn't matter."

“We don’t need anyone from the Augustus family this time.”

"No power is more worthy of being sacrificed to the heavens than the remnants of the saints..."

Zhou Kai's physical strength seemed to have been completely stripped away, leaving him with only his vision and hearing under control.

Another moment passed.

The townspeople gathered around, and Zhou Kai could see them out of the corner of his eye... He strained his eyes to look again, and sure enough, he saw the clock tower.

This should be the town square, the place where he broke his sword and died.

Zhou Kai was feeling incredibly frustrated.

In the same place, he was surrounded and killed by monsters in the darkness, and then sacrificed by humans in the light.

Ironically, the light is not always bright, and the monster was once human.

Time passes slowly.

Zhou Kai's figure was gradually enveloped by a huge shadow.

A giant wicker doll appeared behind them, dragged along, casting a distorted and eerie shadow under the leaping flames.

Zhou Kai saw the burly man pulling a cart loaded with willow branches.

Bald head, with a full beard.

It is [The Silent Puppet Master Adams]

A moment later, the priests stepped forward with pale human bone daggers and slashed the ankles of the six sacrifices one by one, letting the hot blood soak into the ground.

These priests were as kind to the Soraka family as they were to these outsiders who were to be sacrificed.

The willow figure standing beside the fire was charred black, eerily and strangely sucking the blood from the ground, as if it had come back to life.

Zhou Kai's perspective gradually shifted from Akuso to the Willow Man.

Unable to move, they could only watch as the six bodies were thrown into the flames.

Also noteworthy is that the lady who had once tried to seduce Acuso screamed and rushed out to stop the priest from cutting his ankle to bleed him, but was held down by Adams, whose face was as stiff as a stone statue, and dragged back.

After the body was completely burned, the flames changed color.

Soon, the next part of the sacrificial ceremony will begin.

The townspeople's faces lit up with joy, and they eagerly stuffed grains, fruits, vegetables, bread, and even dried meat into the gaps between the willow people.

His face then turned fervent, as if the object before him was incomparably sacred.

Praying for good fortune, praying for a bountiful harvest, praying that the fog will dissipate soon.

They prayed that the eternal night of prophecy would come later.

In the penultimate segment of the ceremony, Westchester Solaka, impeccably dressed, walked out of the crowd, surrounded by guards.

He carried a box, climbed up the scaffolding himself, stood on the scaffolding, opened the box, and took out a wriggling, blood-red, soft object.

He personally placed it in the position of the willow twig figure's head.

The harvest ceremony has now reached its final stage.

Westchester 'gently' pushed the wickerman.

Hey~
With a crisp sound, Zhou Kai seemed to see two golden cups colliding in mid-air.

Then, the willow figure, weighing over a ton, was casually tossed into the fire by the refined middle-aged man.

Boom boom boom!
The flames were raging.

The subsequent chapters were also combined (two chapters in one).

(End of this chapter)