Chapter 51

This was the moment Gu Yi'an and the others had been waiting for.
The small coffin in Gu Yi'an's hand flew out.
Immediately, the coffin lid was pushed open from the inside mid-air, and a small doll flew out of the coffin, charging straight toward the monster emerging from the screen.
The doll rapidly expanded, turning into a massive, hot-air-balloon-shaped monster.
The three players stepped back, making space.
The hot-air-balloon-shaped monster opened its mouth, bit down on the ghost still crawling out of the screen, and gave a sharp tug.
The ghost was dragged out of the screen and flung into the room.
The ghost and the hot-air balloon tore into each other, locked in a fierce struggle, shaking the entire room as if it were trembling.
The student was forced to shrink into a corner, clutching a chair and trembling uncontrollably.
Gu Yi'an and Tang Jiu stood by the wall, their expressions grave and unmoving.
The battle between the two ghosts left little room for human intervention.
Only the occasional loud crashes echoing through the room testified to the intensity of the fight.
The hot-air balloon grew larger and larger, completely gaining the upper hand.
It seemed to know when to stop, just as the opposing ghost's form began to destabilize, the hot-air balloon poofed back into the small doll.
The ghost, seemingly aware of its impending disappearance, let out a furious roar, as if preparing for a final, desperate struggle.
"Strike while the iron is hot."
Seizing the moment, Tang Jiu was the first to leap forward, throwing a punch at the ghost's body.
However, her fist sank into it.
"Fists don't work?"
As she spoke, Tang Jiu switched to a new tool, a longsword.
The sound of slicing air mixed with the sword's hum, its blade gleaming brightly.
The ghost's charging attack was forcibly interrupted.
In the next moment, it shattered into pieces, unable to reform.
Seeing this from behind the chair, the student realized there was no need for him to step in, the ghost had already dissipated into nothingness.
The small coffin spun back into Gu Yi'an's hand.
Witnessing the little girl retreat at the last moment of the battle, Gu Yi'an worriedly pushed open the coffin lid and glanced inside.
Inside the small coffin, a petite little girl with a bulging belly was looking at her guiltily.
Gu Yi'an silently closed the coffin lid.
So she had eaten too much and hurried back to hide.
Tang Jiu, the Student, and Gu Yi'an regrouped.
Before the three players, everything in the room suddenly vanished, replaced by streams of data falling from the sky.
They floated, watching countless numbers cascade down.
The process lasted less than half a second, so brief it felt like an illusion.
A new environment appeared before Gu Yi'an and the others.
They found themselves in a small tavern.
They knew it was a tavern because a sign at the bar counter displayed two characters: "Tavern."
The tavern was very small, with only a bar counter and a square table beside it, where two people were already seated.
It was the Doctor and the Dancer.
The Student excitedly ran over to them.
"Doctor, Dancer, were you waiting for us?"
The Doctor remained cold and ignored the Student.
In front of the Dancer was a glass of water, and she replied softly, "I've been here for a while."
The Student said excitedly, "Dancer, you have no idea, Sage and Miss Warrior took down that ghost in an instant. That ghost was super weak, well, no, I mean, it was very weak compared to Sage and the others. After killing the ghost, all three of us made it through. Doctor"
He turned to the Doctor.
"You haven't been here long, right?"
The Doctor's expression was icy as he glanced at the Student.
Wasn't this guy stating the obvious?
The Dancer looked at the Doctor, then at the Student, and said, "The Doctor just arrived as well. What ghost are you talking about?"
The Dancer seemed confused.
She was the first to clear the stage and didn't know what had happened in the room after she reached the endpoint.
The Student immediately explained to her.
While they were chatting, Gu Yi'an and Tang Jiu were talking to the tavern owner.
Behind the bar counter stood the tavern owner.
A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, with a beer belly and a thick beard covering his chin.
He had been watching the newly arrived Gu Yi'an and the others without any surprise and asked casually, "Newly arrived warriors, would you like to order any drinks?"
Warriors?
The term immediately caught the attention of Gu Yi'an and Tang Jiu.
Naturally, they had nothing specific in mind to ask. They were more curious about what this tavern was for and why they were being called warriors.
Could it be that the new level of the game had assigned them new identities?
Tang Jiu stepped forward with a grin and asked, "Uncle, why do you call us warriors?"
Upon hearing this, the tavern owner replied, "I've seen too many warriors like you teleporting in. Your questions are always pretty similar. Let me explain it all at once."
Tang Jiu and Gu Yi'an exchanged glances, both sensing the same question in each other's minds.
Were those teleported warriors, like them, players in The Game of the Gods?
The tavern owner introduced himself, "I'm the owner here, responsible for welcoming passing warriors and offering them their last beer in life."
"Warriors are those who defeat the evil dragon and rescue the princess."
"If you're planning to set off right now to save the princess, turn right after leaving the tavern, and you'll reach the dragon's lair."
"Oh, and we don't provide any items here. If you want to trade goods, turn left after leaving the tavern, and you'll find the exchange."
The tavern owner acted like a guide, telling them the tasks they needed to complete and the locations without them even having to ask.
After listening, Tang Jiu leaned close to Gu Yi'an and whispered to her.
Tang Jiu said, "This sounds like the fairy tales we used to hear. The warrior defeats the evil dragon, marries the princess, and gets rich. But how are we, as women, supposed to marry the princess?"
Gu Yi'an replied, "It feels like a standalone mini-game. Our identity is the warrior, and defeating the evil dragon will let us clear the level."
She speculated, "It seems like we've cleared one mini-game only to enter another. I suspect that if we complete this game, we might just move on to yet another new game instead of truly finishing this round of The Game of the Gods."
Tang Jiu, hearing this, said, "If that's the case, what likely awaits us is an endless series of games."
Gu Yi'an said, "It's just a guess. But we need to break this cycle of constantly entering new games."
She thought of something and asked Tang Jiu, "Do you remember the scene right after you killed the ghost? Did you see the data streams around us?"
"I saw them."
Tang Jiu understood Gu Yi'an's idea and her eyes lit up, "You want to enter the data stream and delete our data?"
Gu Yi'an nodded.
"If I'm not mistaken, we're currently like a few sets of anomalous data inside a gaming console. The console stores many games, and we, as anomalous data, have accidentally entered the storage locations of those games, which is why we keep exiting one game only to enter a new one."
Tang Jiu had pretty much guessed the same as Gu Yi'an and strongly agreed with her idea.
Tang Jiu said, "Then we can only wait for the moment the data stream appears after clearing this level and seize the opportunity to enter it."
Gu Yi'an nodded; that was exactly her plan.
Gu Yi'an said, "Let's first figure out how to clear this level."
The immediate priority was to understand the situation in this game and clear it as quickly as possible.
Gu Yi'an and Tang Jiu separated, no longer whispering to each other.
This time, Gu Yi'an stepped forward to question the tavern owner.
Gu Yi'an asked, "Boss, did all the previous warriors who tried to rescue the princess fail?"
The tavern owner recalled, "It seems so."
Gu Yi'an asked, "Boss, you don’t know for sure?"
The tavern owner said, "I do know. The wandering poet came by and said all those warriors failed."
Wandering poet?
Was it the same wandering poet whose identity as a non-player had been exposed by Tang Jiu in the previous level?
Gu Yi'an’s focus shifted to the wandering poet. She asked, "Boss, where can I meet the wandering poet?"
If the wandering poet was the one she knew, then he definitely had a lot of information.
In the last game, he had even said they would meet again, perhaps he had calculated that players would enter this mini-game after clearing the previous level.
Unlike Gu Yi'an, Tang Jiu’s focus was on the fact that all the warriors who went to slay the evil dragon had failed.
Tang Jiu asked, "Boss, did the warriors really all fail?"
She was skeptical.
The tavern owner looked at both of them.
Tang Jiu said, "She asked first, so answer her question. The wandering poet is probably the one we know."
She guessed that the wandering poet was the same lovesick fool they had encountered before.
The tavern owner looked at Gu Yi'an. "The wandering poet... Let me think."
As he thought, he smiled and gave Gu Yi'an a meaningful glance.
It was unclear what the tavern owner had noticed about Gu Yi'an, but his gaze was filled with implication.
"The wandering poet appears randomly. If you want to find him, you won’t be able to. It all depends on whether you’re lucky enough."
The tavern owner teased, "But if a pretty girl like you wants to see him, he might just show up soon."
Gu Yi'an was used to such teasing. She replied, "So, boss, you don’t know when he’ll appear either."
Is it all up to chance to meet him?
Tang Jiu’s focus was still not on the same wavelength as Gu Yi'an’s.
After hearing the tavern owner’s words, she asked, "Boss, are you saying that as long as there’s a pretty girl, the wandering poet will appear?"
The tavern owner wouldn’t admit to that. He said, "Little girl, don’t twist my words. Look at that pretty girl over there."
The tavern owner’s gaze shifted to a woman sitting at a square table nearby, it was the dancer.
"That pretty girl has been sitting here for so long, and the wandering poet still hasn’t shown up."
Tang Jiu asked the owner, "What about the warriors failing?"
The tavern owner said, "As for the warriors, why don’t you wait for the wandering poet to show up and ask him? I already told you, but you don’t believe me. The poet wanders everywhere and brings back many rumors about the evil dragon. He’s the poet who knows the most. You should believe what he says."
Gu Yi'an and Tang Jiu, upon hearing the tavern owner's response, realized they wouldn't be able to extract any useful information from him.
They thanked the owner and went over to join the doctor and the others.
Seeing that there were five of them, the tavern owner kindly provided an extra stool.
When the student saw Gu Yi'an and Tang Jiu approaching, he enthusiastically called out, "Sage, Miss Warrior, please sit here."
He moved his stool over to squeeze in next to the doctor.
The doctor gave him a cold stare.
Undeterred, the student stubbornly squeezed in beside him.
After taking her seat, Gu Yi'an glanced around at the players present, her gaze settling on the dancer.
"Dancer, do you have any ideas?"
The dancer shook her head and shared her recent experiences with the group.
"I pushed open the door at the finish line and found myself in this tavern. The door I came through vanished completely. Only the owner was here, with no one else around. He called me a 'brave warrior' and said warriors should go to the dragon's lair to slay the dragon."
"I didn't dare go to the dragon's lair alone, so I waited here, thinking the rest of you might show up."
Tang Jiu asked, "Then do you know about the wandering poet?"
"Wandering poet?"
The dancer looked around at the players present and asked in confusion, "Why didn't the poet come with you?"
She was unaware of what had happened to the poet.
The student slapped his forehead. "I forgot to mention it. Dancer, after you entered the finish line, Miss Warrior discovered that the poet isn't actually a player. He's either a ghost or some other kind of non-human entity that infiltrated our group."
Hearing this, the dancer seemed momentarily bewildered. She glanced at Gu Yi'an beside her.
Gu Yi'an had always been calm, sometimes so calm it seemed almost emotionless, as if nothing could truly affect her.
Noticing the dancer's gaze, she showed little reaction and simply added, "Our clue for clearing this stage is related to the wandering poet."
She said this to elaborate on Tang Jiu's question, explaining why Tang Jiu had asked about the wandering poet.
The student scratched his head and asked, "Are we going to meet the poet again?"
Gu Yi'an replied, "Unclear."
The dancer seemed to have just processed the information. Hesitantly, she said, "Gambler. If the poet isn't a player, then his actions must have a purpose."
Tang Jiu rolled her eyes. "He's just a lovesick fool."
The dancer covered her mouth, her eyes curving into a smile.
After laughing, she lowered her hand and recited softly, "The moon is but a reflection in the water, the person a celestial being in the sky, visible yet unattainable."
Her voice was gentle but carried a hint of melancholy.
It seemed the dancer was lost in memories of the past.
The others noticed this and remained silent.
Soon, the dancer snapped out of her reverie and asked, "Could it be that the poet's verses are actually hints?"
Hearing this, the student exclaimed, "Yes, yes! Dancer, you guessed right! They really are hints. It turns out our world is actually a data world, it's fake."
The dancer froze, looking at the other players for confirmation.
The student opened his mouth but gave up. "I can't explain it well. Sage, Miss Warrior, you two should explain it."
Tang Jiu didn't want to explain everything again, so she said, "We've already discovered that this world is fake, and even we are just pieces of data. What we need to do next is to clear this current game of saving the princess. While doing so, we must find the weak point in this data world, go to where our data is stored, and then delete our data. That's how we can clear this round of The Game of the Gods."
The dancer seemed to understand but not fully. She said, "I'll follow your lead. What do you plan to do next?"
Tang Jiu looked at Gu Yi'an.
Gu Yi'an said, "For now, we should still go check out the dragon's lair. It should be about defeating the dragon and saving the princess."
The student was puzzled. "Do we really have to save the princess? We don't even know who she is. Besides, is there even a princess in the dragon's lair?"
As they spoke, the tavern owner stood behind the bar, watching their table without saying a word.
Gu Yi'an glanced at the other players and said, "The game mechanics for this level require us to play the role of warriors, defeat the dragon, rescue the princess, and achieve clearance. So, we must save the princess."
"But before rescuing the princess, we can first visit the exchange here."
The student felt this might not be necessary.
He suggested, "Why not skip it? It seems like a waste of time. The items there might not even be as good as the tools we already have."
The players' tools were either hard-earned from previous games or taken from other players, each with its own special use.
This place was so simple and crude; it was unlikely to have any good items for exchange.
If they traded, it would have to be through bartering. Trading away their valuable tools would be too painful.
Ignoring the student's words, Gu Yi'an looked at the others and said, "Let's go to the exchange and see if we can gather any other information."
Since Gu Yi'an had spoken, no one objected.
The five players left the small tavern.
Opposite the tavern was a desolate plain with withered, yellow grass.
The sun hung to the side, like a setting sun, gentle but not scorching.
The clouds were brilliantly colorful, like a painted scroll.
They glanced to the left of the tavern and noticed a building adjacent to it, with a sign bearing three characters: Exchange.
The players then looked to the right. At the far end stood a low hill, which might be the dragon's lair the tavern owner had mentioned.
Gu Yi'an took the lead, heading toward the exchange on the left.
The ground was a tightly packed dirt road.
The players walked without making a sound.
The exchange was built of stone bricks and looked rather crude.
Its doors were wide open, allowing players to see three people inside, each occupying one side and setting up stalls.
At the very back was an emaciated old man.
The old man's voice was hoarse and aged. "I see new warriors. Come in quickly, warriors. The items I have here are both cheap and useful."
On the left was a plump middle-aged woman. Her eyes lit up when she saw the players. "Warriors, come over here. I have the most affordable and high-quality food."
On the right was a muscular middle-aged man who glanced at the players but didn't greet them.
The student scanned the items laid out in front of the three. In front of the old man were some bones, the woman had food, and the man had iron tools.
He wasn't very keen on going in.
Tang Jiu looked around and said, "They're probably like the tavern owner, some things they won't reveal a word about."
Gu Yi'an said, "How will we know if we don't try?"
She was about to step into the exchange when suddenly, a surprised voice came from behind her.
"The evil dragon! There's a dragon flying over!"
The student, who had no intention of entering the exchange, had been looking elsewhere and was the first to spot the dragon in the sky.
Gu Yi'an turned to look.
From the direction of the low hill, a giant beast with wings, resembling a massive dinosaur, was flying toward them.
On the beast's head, there seemed to be a person standing.
Gu Yi'an thought that figure looked somewhat familiar.
Could it be the poet?
It wasn't just Gu Yi'an who noticed the figure.
As the giant beast flew closer, Tang Jiu's voice rang out, "The person standing on that dragon's head, isn't that the love-struck fool?"
The dancer said, "It's Poet."
Tang Jiu complained, "Isn't he afraid of the strong wind up there? What if he falls?"
The student, however, was envious. "It looks so cool."
The doctor watched coldly without saying a word.
"Ah, the wandering poet is here," a middle-aged man's voice chimed in.
The tavern owner had left the counter and come to the tavern's entrance, joining the players in gazing up at the sky.
The tavern owner looked at the dragon in the sky and remarked, "The poet's dragon has gotten a bit fatter."
His words puzzled Gu Yi'an. She withdrew her gaze from the sky and turned to ask the tavern owner, "Boss, is the evil dragon the poet's subordinate?"
From the tavern owner's tone, it seemed the dragon was raised by the poet.
Since the dragon was flying from the direction of the low hill, it was highly likely that it was the evil dragon the tavern owner and others had mentioned.
If the evil dragon was merely the poet's subordinate, then why was it kidnapping princesses?
Could it be that the poet was behind it all, pinning the blame on the dragon?
The tavern owner said, "What? I'm old and hard of hearing. I can't make out what you're saying."
Gu Yi'an watched as the tavern owner blatantly lied, realizing she wouldn't get any information from him.
The student said, "Is that dragon going to land? It seems like its target is us?"
The tavern owner said, "The poet is a regular at the tavern."
The players watched as the dragon slowed its flight and swooped down.
A gust of wind stirred the players' clothes, and the sky darkened momentarily.
When their vision cleared, the dragon's body had landed in front of the tavern, while its head rested at the entrance of the exchange.
Coming face-to-face with such a mythical creature, the players couldn't help but stare at the dragon.
Gu Yi'an's gaze, however, was fixed on the person standing atop the dragon's head, for the way that person looked at her made it impossible to ignore.
The figure standing on the dragon was tall and slender, with handsome features, a gentle expression, and eyes that seemed to hold a hint of affection, it was the wandering poet.
The poet effortlessly leaped down from the dragon's head.
This time, he was dressed in knight's attire, looking even more dashing than before. As he landed, he didn't stir up any dust, as if he were entirely pristine.
"We meet again, Gambler."
In the blink of an eye, the poet had moved from the dragon's head to stand right in front of her.
The poet looked at her with a smile in his eyes.
His words seemed to carry a subtle undertone.
Gu Yi'an had known she would see the poet again, so she felt no particular emotion about this reunion.
The poet was surely here to stir up trouble.
On guard, Gu Yi'an glanced at him and calmly asked, "What brings you to us?"
Her voice was cool and detached, instantly dispelling the atmosphere the poet had tried to create.
The nearby players shifted their attention from the dragon to the poet and the gambler.
They watched the scene unfold with the kind of curiosity one might have for gossip.
Gambler was beautiful yet aloof, while the wandering poet was handsome, gentle, and passionate.
The two of them standing together made for a rather pleasing sight.
Given Gambler's standoffish demeanor, the poet didn't stand a chance.
After Gambler inquired about the poet's purpose, the players quickly heard his reply.
Gazing at Gambler, he said softly, "I've come to fetch you."
His voice was smooth and pleasant, seemingly imbued with affection.
But upon hearing this, the players felt an uneasy premonition.
The next moment, the scene they dreaded unfolded.
The poet murmured an apology, but his actions were anything but hesitant. With one arm, he wrapped it around Gambler's waist and, before she could react, lifted her up and soared onto the dragon's back.
The dragon spread its wings, and due to its swift movement, a strong gust of wind swept across the players' faces, stinging slightly.
The players saw the sky darken for an instant before brightening again.
The dragon soared into the air, charging toward the horizon.
The players could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything, for it was already too late.
What did the poet do?
He snatched away the Gambler!
Tang Jiu was the first to react. Fuming, she exclaimed, "That lovesick fool has taken An'an!"
The Student looked up at the dragon circling back in the sky. Unable to see the people on its back, he asked in confusion, "Why would he take the Sage?"
The Tavern Keeper, however, chuckled as he watched the four players. Pointing at the dragon flying toward the low hill, he said, "Brave warriors, the princess has been taken by the evil dragon. Go and rescue her."
So this was the "princess" and the "evil dragon."
The players turned to the Tavern Keeper, speechless.