Love is not as fun as World of Warcraft

"Without accurate cognition, there's no way to make accurate inferences. If I can't help you, then what's the point of me? Am I just going to sit in that ward and be a burden to you? I don't want that."

Jiuzhong Mozi, who firmly believed that everything in this world started from interests, knew very well that the young man in front of her didn't need her to do anything for him, but she couldn't accept this fact. If she could only watch Shirasaka Tsune take risks alone from the sidelines, she would never be able to accept it.

"..."

Shirasaka also looked at the girl, and then found that he could not persuade her with words, so he could only fall into silence. Finally, he sighed deeply and walked forward to hug the petite and fragile girl.

"But I don't want anything to happen to you. The church, the monsters, and even the answer are not important. Your safety is the most precious thing to me. Do you understand?"

As he spoke, Shirasaka rubbed Kunou Mozi's little head, combed her soft silver short hair, and then continued to look into her eyes.

"Just tell me if the result is good or not."

Unfortunately, the girl was obviously frozen by Shirasaka's action. Even though she had already submissively let Shirasaka caress her head, her mouth still maintained a tsundere mode and she was unwilling to make the final concession.

"Moreover, this place is the same as the location of the cult ritual you encountered before. They are just some small sacrificial sites. Since those guys only sent one person to perform the ritual, there are only two possibilities."

"One possibility is that this ritual is unimportant, but it's obvious that they've gone to such great lengths to not take it seriously."

"Then there's only one possibility left. That's because the church you mentioned is understaffed. And the reason for that shortage of staff is that they have many more sacrificial sites like this planned."

As if to hide her weak side in front of Shirasaka, Kunou Mozi began to speak out the result of her reasoning that had just been kept secret. Only in this way could she continue to maintain a calm mind.

And Shirasaka just looked at her silently, waiting for her to answer the questions one by one.

"Then, to confirm this, I asked my family to go to the authorities to retrieve the information you told me about the people the kidnappers had kidnapped. As a result, the common points hidden in them were discovered."

Jiuchong Mozi continued speaking while taking out a piece of information from the wheelchair next to her.

"These people disappeared within a week of each other, but without exception they were all confirmed dead, though the manner of death was different."

"The first person who died was struck by lightning due to electrocution from metal. The next person who died was pierced through the heart by a wooden railing. The people who died after that were killed by accidental falls into the water."

Kunou Mozi narrowed her eyes, tapped the armrest of the wheelchair lightly with her fingers, then raised her head and looked at Shirasaka.

"If we push the timeline back further... we'll come to the source of all this that sparked your investigation. I think you should be clear about how Mr. Nanashiki Ieka came to his death."

After giving Shirasaka enough clues, Kunou Mozi knew that with Shirasaka's ability, he could probably guess a little bit of the other party's intentions.

"You mean, the order of the sacrifices of the False Words Church follows the order of the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth?"

Shirasaka also fell into deep thought. With these hints from Jiuzhong Mozi, he was not a retard, so of course he figured out a certain pattern from it. According to the key information of the causes of death of the previous people, combined with the death appearance of the last person who was buried alive, it just fits the law of the five elements.

After hearing Shirasaka's answer, Kunou Mozi nodded, showing a teachable look, and then took out another document from under the wheelchair.

"Although I haven't studied the occult, the actions of these people do fit the profile of a cult. Furthermore, based on my investigation of recent disappearances of innocent people throughout Neon, the fanatic you encountered is clearly more than just one person."

When Jiuchong Mozi looked beyond Shenbin and across the entire Neon area, she saw much more.

"In general, that is. In the past three months, there have been at least forty known instances of rituals like this throughout Neon, and each one has basically followed this sequence and pattern."

When Jiuchong Mozi said this, a smile appeared on her lips for some reason, and she snapped her fingers lightly, like a detective who had accidentally found the answer.

"I have to admit that the people behind this conspiracy at the False Words Church were quite clever. They even left a backup plan, transforming the victims into monsters, which only further sheds light on their purpose."

"At the same time, according to what you said, the constant darkness generated when a monster is born will also repel the entry of ordinary people, which provides them with the best cover."

"But unfortunately, they certainly didn't expect that someone would have the leisure to compile the locations of all these victims. After all, compared to the manner of death, the locations of these people's deaths are somewhat random, and most people would not think about them in this way."

Jiuchong Mozi shrugged. Obviously, she was the exception.

"And you're not an ordinary person, are you?"

Following Kunou Mozi's meaning, he praised her and then shook his head. At least from the current point of view, even though Kunou Mozi said so much, he was still confused.

"Hehe, that's natural. I haven't studied mysticism, but that doesn't mean I haven't studied astrology. These seemingly chaotic locations might be invisible to the average person, but if you connect them together, you can clearly see that this is a constellation map originating from the sky."

"And the main star position is right here."

She took out a map and passed it across the diagram that had already marked the death locations of the deceased. Jiuzhong Mozi's slender fingers finally stopped at a remote area not far from Shenbin City.

——Aokigahara.

Shirasaka was not familiar with this name. To be honest, he had never left Kamihama City in his life. But since Kunou Mozi gave such an answer, it meant that he had to visit this place no matter what.

"I don't know why that church you mentioned did so much and killed so many people, but in the end, they absolutely cannot avoid this destination. If you really want an answer, then perhaps you have no choice but to go here and find out."

After saying the final answer in one breath, Jiuzhong Mozi rubbed her brows a little tiredly. She hadn't thought about a problem so frequently for a long time. It was Shirasaka who raised this matter, otherwise she would not even take a second look at such a question that had nothing to do with her.

"Also, I know what you want to say. Don't worry, I won't ask you to take me with you here. If I go, I will just be a burden to you. I'm not that stupid."

As if she had guessed what Shirasaka was going to say, Kunou Mozi gave him a reassuring smile and then explained obediently.

Chapter 76: My Problem

Even after sending Kunou Mozi back to the hospital and walking on the way home, Shirasaka still kept his head down, lost in thought, and almost bumped into the street lamp on the way home.

According to the reasoning of Doraemon, many of the mysteries that were previously incomprehensible now have answers, but more mysteries are now placed before him.

According to Jiuchong Mozi, the people of Xuyan Esoteric Cult must want to do something with Aokigahara, but what is inside that requires them to go to such great lengths to perform these sacrificial rituals, and what the final results of their rituals will be, are things he does not know.

Ultimately, one has to go there and investigate more personally to know the truth behind this matter shrouded in mystery.

As for his idea of wanting to destroy the sacrificial ceremony of the Xuyan Secret Sect, it seems that it is not so easy to implement at the moment. Just like the scene that Jiuchong Mozi took him to see today, even if he stopped them from attacking Nanase Mio, those guys quickly found other substitutes and quickly dealt with them and settled them down.

According to Jiuchong Mozi, there are probably three or four guys like the fanatical cultist active in Shenbin alone, and the location of sacrifice is not completely fixed. The choice of location for the secondary star position is much freer.

Moreover, judging from the final method of burying alive, the ritual of the Kyon Esoteric Cult is probably coming to an end. Even if Shirasaka stops these rituals in Kamihama City and expands the scope to the entire Neon, he will still be powerless.

However, this does not mean that Shirasaka has gained nothing. On the contrary, if we exclude the truth of this case whose final outcome is still unknown, the information he has obtained alone is enough for Shirasaka to make a fortune.

You know, according to Jiuzhong Mozi's meaning, every place of sacrifice will most likely be accompanied by a monster. This is a completely bad omen for other people, but for Baisaka, it becomes a godsend.

I don't need to bother Ichinose to take me there anymore, as each of these places are extremely precious treasure hunting spots.

What's more, the monsters transformed in this way seem to become stronger, but Shirasaka has always accepted all of them. Being stronger means giving more experience, and maybe the equipment dropped will be better. Aren't these all good things!

Although the more he thought about it, the more it felt like hell, Shirasaka had to thank the people from the Church of False Words. Without them, he would have lost so much experience.

Taking out the map that Jiuzhong Mozi had left for him from his arms, Shirasaka looked at the densely marked locations representing the star positions. When he thought that each of them might hide a monster waiting for his favor in the dark, Shirasaka inexplicably felt a sense of happiness.

——It’s like a hardcore Souls player knew in advance that the Elden Circle DLC was full of blessing points.

These are all experiences and props!

Thinking of this, Shirasaka couldn't help but take out the item that the Yamababe had just dropped from his arms. It can only be said that his previous guess about the high rate of monsters dropping treasures was correct. Isn't this another good thing?

[Artist's Mask: Increases your mana recovery speed by 50%.]

It was not the kitchen knife that was snatched away, but an ordinary-looking mask that appeared in Shirasaka's hand.

This mask only has one simple attribute, but the improvement it brings in the game is huge. After all, it is a violent 50% increase based on the total value. For some power-type players who lack mana, this is equivalent to soaking in a fountain of mana.

However, when it came to Shirasaka, he felt a little unhappy.

How should I put it… 0.4% mana regeneration is certainly nice, but the problem is, he only has 50 intelligence points! It only regenerates per second, so what's the point of adding %?

It only becomes 0.6 per second. It would be better for Shirasaka to get a lowest level headband with +1 all attributes.

Although Shirasaka is nominally an all-round hero, the bonus of intelligence to him is obviously the least, not to mention the mana recovery. He only has so much mana, and no matter how fast it recovers, it is only enough for him to throw out one skill in a short time. There is no such thing as a cool combo.

Even if there is, we have to wait until he can support his attributes later.

"Oh, it's okay. This is my problem, not the equipment's. Anyway, it's good as it's shipped."

After mumbling to himself to comfort himself, Shirasaka silently put on the white mask with strange patterns on his face. No matter how thin the mosquito legs are, they are still flesh. What's more, doesn't this perfectly solve the problem of hiding his identity?

When the time comes, once he puts on the shadow cloak and the artist mask, Shirasaka doesn't believe that anyone will be able to recognize him.

After all, this mask completely covers the face, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

After carefully experiencing the feeling of wearing the mask and adjusting it so that it would not be thrown away even if he moved drastically, Shirasaka put it into his backpack with satisfaction and turned to look at the map in his hand.

Although he really wanted to go to the nearest spot to try and see if he could dig up treasures, considering that it was already this time, in order to be in better condition the next day, Shirasaka gave up the idea and instead walked back to the direction of his rented apartment.

As midnight approached, the entire apartment was quiet. Except for the lights in Asano Chiya's house on the third floor which were still on, indicating that this late-night pig had not fallen asleep yet, the entire apartment seemed exceptionally quiet.

Shirasaka stood at the door and suddenly realized that, apart from Chiya Asano, he seemed not to have seen the other two tenants for a long time. They were obviously neighbors, so why did he seem to have an extra good relationship with this pig?

Perhaps this is the charm of a beautiful girl. No matter what, being good-looking does give you extra advantages in various aspects.

Shaking his head silently and sighing, Shirasaka was about to drag his tired body to bed to rest, but when he was about to step onto the stairs of the apartment, he suddenly stopped.

Shirasaka needs to retract his evaluation of the improvement in intelligence. After the value of this thing is high, his observation and intuition have obviously improved significantly.

Just like now, as soon as he stepped into the door of the apartment, he clearly felt a hint of blood in the air. Although it was so faint that it was almost unnoticeable, he still smelled this unusual scent.

Yamaubade's kitchen knife appeared in Shirasaka's hand in the blink of an eye. He knew very well that he had provoked a huge organization.

According to what Jiuzhong Mozi said, this Xuyan Secret Sect not only has a part of the power in the entire Shenbin, but even affects the entire Neon. Just the tip of the iceberg that has been shown is enough to make him sigh at the other party's powerful strength.

He estimated that he had been on the other party's observation list for a long time, and Shirasaka had already made plans for a conflict with the other party. The only thing he didn't expect was that the other party would come so quickly.

Shirasaka carefully looked around with half-closed eyes. After making sure that there was no one hiding nearby, he glanced at the small map next to him and once again confirmed the safety of the surroundings.

Then, Shirasaka followed the smell of blood that was about to dissipate, and soon came to a corner.

Well, it’s the alley where Shirasaka first encountered the hungry ghost.

"What? Can a hungry ghost come back to life?"

After silently complaining in his heart, Shirasaka did not stop his pursuit. Almost without a pause, he walked into the depths of the alley.

There was no permanent darkness inside, which denied Shirasaka's guess about the hungry ghost returning to life. But when he walked to the corner, he heard the same rustling chewing sound as before.

"Haunted?"

Shirasaka had no idea what was going on at the moment, so he could only accelerate and go around the corner, and then he saw the culprit of all this.

It was a ball of darkness like gel. Shirasaka couldn't describe what it was, but judging from the fact that its root was connected to a piece of torn void, it was definitely not an ordinary thing.

At this moment, the darkness seemed to have condensed into a big mouth, wrapping a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man inside. The rustling chewing sound came from here. It was obvious that the man wrapped in it was the food of this thing.

As if it had not expected Shirasaka to appear here, the ball of darkness that was chewing the man in its mouth was stunned for a moment, and then, like a cat that was discovered eating, it suddenly swallowed the man who had been crumpled into a ball, and did not care about the tiny tentacles around it that were still exploring and licking the blood around it, and directly retracted into the void behind it.

The darkness moved even faster than Shirasaka had imagined. It disappeared from his sight in the blink of an eye, as if it had never appeared.

Shirasaka stared blankly at the place where the darkness disappeared, his mouth twitching twice before he finally came back to his senses from the scene.

Looking at the alley that had become clean again, Shirasaka suddenly understood why Kagamihara Ichinose could never find the body after he killed someone.

No, what kind of person has he provoked?

Chapter 77 Impossible, Absolutely Impossible

Full of doubts, Shirasaka looked around again. After confirming that the guy had indeed left, he stood at the entrance of the alley and scratched his head.

First of all, his previous speculation about things like zombies can probably be declared bankrupt.

Putting aside other things, just from this meeting, Shirasaka's intuition and cognition were reminding him frantically that the guy in front of him was not someone he could challenge at this stage. If it were in a game, this guy would have to have a huge red skull logo on it.

But then again, even though it was physically much stronger than himself, Shirasaka didn't sense any hostility from it, which was an even more bizarre feeling.

You have to know that this thing just ate a living person in front of him, but even so, in the end, Shirasaka felt that the thing was more like running away, like a cat that was caught stealing food.

It was incomprehensible just thinking about it. Shirasaka was certain that judging by the speed it had at the moment it disappeared, he would be no different from a hungry ghost in front of it. Killing it was just a thought.

If that’s the case, why is the other party hiding from me?

and……

Shirasaka looked at the ground where the swallowed middle-aged man disappeared. There was a thin layer of gray dust on it, which he was very familiar with. The kind of stones that the Xuyan Secret Cult liked to use would leave this kind of thing after losing their effect. In other words, the man who was swallowed was most likely a spy from the Xuyan Secret Cult.

This guy is still protecting Nanashiki Mio and Asano Chiya while I'm away?

Having come to this conclusion, Shirasaka narrowed his eyes and became more curious about the strange creature.

What he was certain of now was that this creature did not seem to be the form of any monster he had ever seen, and its ability to hide in the void did not seem like something that could exist in a mythological background like Neon.

And it can be easily observed by himself, which means that this thing can most likely be ruled out as a suspicion of an evil spirit. Then what else can it be? Shirasaka really has no idea.

If he hadn't been almost certain that this thing had no hostility towards him for the time being, Shirasaka might have really broken out in a cold sweat. After all, it was too terrifying to have such an elusive and unreasonable thing lurking around him at any time.

"Tsk, I don't understand."

Shirasaka looked around again and confirmed that the thing seemed to be really gone. Then he walked into the apartment with a face full of confusion.

Since I really can't figure it out, I can only put it aside for now.

After all, if you don't care what this thing is, then its appearance is actually a good thing for Shirasaka. You know, Shirasaka was still worried about what to do if the people from the Hypothesis Cult targeted Nanashi Mio and the others. Now that he has this thing, at least he doesn't have to worry too much about this.

Of course, out of caution, Shirasaka still went upstairs and knocked on the door of Asano Chiya's house, trying to make sure the safety of the two guys.

If that thing wants to eat two more desserts before eating the people from the False Words Sect, wouldn’t these two guys be in trouble?