Chapter 52

Now the players understood, they had been tricked by the Tavern Keeper.
He had told them they were warriors on a mission to rescue the princess.
But he never mentioned that the princess would be one of their own.
And he certainly hadn’t clarified that the "evil dragon" was actually the wandering poet, who was a dragon rider.
And just like that, their team leader, the Gambler, had been snatched away by the evil dragon.
"Brave warriors, go and save the princess."
The Tavern Keeper clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely strolled back into the tavern, looking utterly carefree.
The remaining four players exchanged glances, then looked at each other.
From the expressions in their eyes, it was clear that none of them had anticipated this.
Everything had happened too suddenly. Tang Jiu and the others had been watching from the sidelines, assuming the poet would tease the Gambler as usual or perhaps recite a few more lines of poetry for her.
No one expected the poet to cross the line this time.
Even the Gambler herself probably never imagined the poet would be so bold.
They had all been deceived by the poet’s gentle and handsome appearance, never suspecting he was capable of such an outrageous act!
The poet had actually ridden in on a dragon and taken the Gambler away.
Tang Jiu gritted her teeth in frustration. "So this is what a 'lovesick fool' means."
The Student was taken aback, then suddenly understood. "So 'lovesick fool' means the poet is actually the evil dragon, and he’s the one who kidnaps the princess!"
Once he grasped this, he couldn’t help but complain, "Who could have guessed that?"
Who would have thought that the character introductions from the first level of the game were actually hints about the roles in the second level?
Tang Jiu stared at the dragon soaring in the distant sky. "Let’s go after them. Right now."
Her voice was filled with urgency.
"Miss Warrior, shouldn’t we wait a bit?"
The Student was shocked. "Let’s make some preparations first."
Were they really going to set off just like that, with nothing?
"Or should we wait until it’s too late to do anything?" Tang Jiu retorted irritably.
"It can’t be that bad, right? It’s just a game. Would he really harass the Sage?" The Student didn’t believe the poet was that kind of person.
After all, the poet had recited poetry to the Sage, someone who expressed affection so subtly wouldn’t do something so absurd.
Tang Jiu snorted coldly. "Who knows what he might do to An'an? We all thought he was a gentleman who wouldn’t lay a hand on anyone. But just now, he snatched An'an away right in front of us. What are we waiting for? Let’s go after them now."
She took two steps before realizing she hadn’t asked the other players for their opinions. Going alone would make it difficult to rescue the princess.
Tang Jiu turned to the Dancer and the Doctor. "Are you coming? If not, I’ll go ahead on my own."
If she could have teammates, great. If not, she’d charge forward alone.
The dancer also glanced at the distant dragon and said, "We don’t need to worry too much about Gambler. Poet won’t harm her."
Tang Jiu frowned slightly and replied, "His target is her."
The dancer seemed puzzled.
Hesitating for a moment, she spoke softly, "Miss Warrior, judging from this round of the game, the poet is merely playing the role of the evil dragon, taking away the person in our team who can be considered a treasure by the evil dragon, our leader, Gambler, to fulfill the condition of the princess being abducted."
"Miss Warrior, perhaps you’ve encountered Poet outside this round of The Game of the Gods? Is there some other entanglement between him and Gambler?"
After listening to the dancer’s analysis, Tang Jiu retracted the leg she had been about to step out with and walked over to the dancer.
She patted the dancer’s shoulder, praised her a few times, and then said, "Dancer, how about you try taking on the role of leader next? This is my first time meeting the poet, and I’m just too worried about An’an."
She explained casually, as if making small talk, "It’s mainly because An’an is my best friend, so I’m a bit concerned about her."
With that one sentence, Tang Jiu glossed over the real reason for her worry.
The dancer smiled, shaking her head slightly but firmly, and said quietly, "I can’t. I’m not capable of it."
The dancer knew very well that everyone had previously agreed with Gambler’s decisions because she would clearly explain her intentions to the players, allowing them to decide whether to follow her lead. She never forced the other players. Moreover, Gambler was very gentle and cared more about the players’ lives than they did themselves.
Although the players never explicitly said it, they largely acted under Gambler’s leadership, including the taciturn doctor.
Thanks to Gambler’s presence, the atmosphere among the players in this round of the game was particularly harmonious.
The dancer was aware that she couldn’t be as open and transparent as Gambler, so she couldn’t earn the trust of the other players either.
With the dancer’s analysis, Tang Jiu was no longer overly worried about Gu Yi’an’s situation.
She asked, "So, for now, we won’t chase after An’an and the others. What do you all want to do in the meantime?"
The student scratched his head. "I don’t know what to do. Sage said earlier that she wanted to gather information at the exchange, but now she’s been taken."
The dancer pondered silently without speaking.
Tang Jiu said, "We don’t have anything else to do anyway. Our only path is to rescue the princess."
After all that discussion, it still came down to saving the princess.
It was then that the doctor spoke up.
He had remained silent until now, and his rare words immediately drew the attention of the other players.
The doctor glanced at the exchange behind him, his tone cold and detached.
He said, "I plan to kill everyone inside."
The student was stunned. "Huh?"
Tang Jiu looked at the scene inside the exchange and seemed to anticipate something. Those inside were likely not real people.
She readily agreed, "Fine. That suits me perfectly."
The dancer nodded lightly.
And so, the bloody prelude began.
Time rewound to when the poet had just abducted the "princess" and brought her onto the dragon's back.
Perhaps noticing the princess's indifference, the poet carefully set her down once the dragon reached a high altitude and asked with concern, "Did I scare you?"
The "princess," Gu Yi'an, did not answer the poet.
She had already calmed down from her initial shock.
Gu Yi'an had long guessed that the poet had a purpose in coming and would inevitably cause trouble.
Even if he did something more outrageous, she wouldn't be surprised.
When the poet carried her onto the dragon's back, she instantly understood the role she was playing in this game.
She was now the "princess."
And this wandering poet who kept a dragon was undoubtedly the "evil dragon."
The dragon spread its wings and soared, but Gu Yi'an on its back felt no airflow at all, as if they were standing on solid ground.
"Gambler?" The poet tried to catch Gu Yi'an's attention.
In truth, he was such a large presence standing right beside her that it was impossible to ignore him.
The dragon weaved through the clouds.
White mist swirled around them, but through the gaps in the clouds, they could glimpse the golden rays of the sun shining down from above.
Gu Yi'an turned to look at the poet beside her.
He had a handsome appearance and eyes that seemed to hold deep affection.
When he looked at someone, it felt as if he were whispering sweet nothings.
This guise bore no resemblance to Lu Zize.
The god had too many disguises.
In a single world, He had more than one.
Gu Yi'an had no idea just how many disguises the god possessed.
However, every one of the god's disguises loved to tease people.
Gu Yi'an recalled how, when the poet had carried her up earlier, the dragon had tilted sharply into the sky, and she had unconsciously leaned closer to him. At that moment, she seemed to have brushed against an item he was wearing.
She wondered if it was the item she suspected.
Gu Yi'an wanted to verify her guess.
She suddenly took a step toward the poet.
She moved closer to him.
This action of hers surprised the poet.
In his eyes, the usually aloof beauty had suddenly taken the initiative to approach him. Regardless of her reason, the act itself brought him joy.
The poet smiled, waiting with pleasure for the beauty's next move.
Then, the beauty suddenly raised her hand.
It was a very beautiful hand.
Her nails were neatly trimmed, fair and lovely, her fingers slender and elegant, making one's gaze unconsciously follow the movement of her fingertips.
Her fingertip landed on the poet's collar.
The poet's eyes lit up, his voice gentle and laden with strong implications, "You want to do it here?"
Even if the beauty didn't understand the meaning behind his words, his expression made it clear that what he had just said was far from innocent.
A faint blush colored her cheeks as she shot him a reproachful glance, tinged with a hint of thinly veiled anger.
She rarely got angry, always maintaining an aloof demeanor. So when that coldness vanished because of someone's actions, it was especially captivating.
The poet liked what he was seeing.
But the beauty was clearly annoyed by the poet's words. Her fingers quickly hooked a string from inside the poet's collar.
As the string was pulled out, a jade pendant came along with it.
The poet's romantic thoughts fell away the moment the jade pendant emerged.
His expression remained unchanged, still smiling gently at the beauty before him.
But the beauty paid him no mind, completely ignoring the poet's flawless acting at that moment, and focused solely on the jade pendant in her hand.
The texture of the jade wasn't particularly fine, not as smooth as the beauty's hand.
Gu Yi'an looked at the jade pendant and thought, So it really is this one.
It was a jade pendant Gu Yi'an was very familiar with.
She had specifically arranged for someone to exchange it as a prop so she could enter the game with Tang Jiu.
When she started this round of the game, she had wondered why the jade pendant was missing.
After all, if the Gambler card and the little girl from the coffin could follow her in, there was no reason the jade pendant couldn't.
Of course, she was surprised that the Hanged Ghost hadn't followed her in.
She planned to investigate why the Hanged Ghost couldn't enter after this round.
Could it be that the Hanged Ghost didn't want to follow her into the game?
Gu Yi'an pondered for a moment but dismissed the idea.
The Hanged Ghost seemed to quite like her as its "Ghost Queen."
Gu Yi'an's thoughts shifted back to the jade pendant itself.
The fact that the jade pendant was here, worn by the poet, and that the poet was almost certainly another incarnation of the God, these three conditions pointed to a certain possibility.
That persistent notebook had used the jade pendant prop to follow her into the game and had assumed the identity of a wandering poet.
Or perhaps not, maybe it had just merged with another one of its incarnations.
Gu Yi'an looked up at the poet, who wore an innocent expression.
The poet's disguise was seamless, not a hint of panic in him.
He smiled and asked curiously, "Do you like my jade pendant?"
"Would you like me to give it to you?"
Who wants you to give it to me?
Gu Yi'an released the jade pendant and took half a step back. Then, her cool voice rang out, "Lu Zize. I think I need an explanation."
"Why did you follow into this round of the game?"
Upon hearing this, the poet looked somewhat confused.
His eyes, which seemed to hold deep affection, gazed gently at Gu Yi'an as he asked, "Who is that? Is he someone Gambler likes?"
Gu Yi'an: "..."
What should she do? She felt like hitting someone.