Translator: Mukyuu
Editor: Mikyuu
Wang Xiaoming looked up at the sky above him.
He had just glanced at the scene below them. The bottomless black hole seemed to stretch out to infinity. Nevermind encountering such a scene in reality, even in TV shows or movies this kind of scene had always made his heart tremble. But this time it was different. The strong arms that held him tightly seemed to be the firmest and safest of walls in the world, creating an impenetrable world for him to relax in instead of worrying about the storm raging outside.
Baal suddenly flew downward.
Wang Xiaoming blinked. “Are we there?” Why was it so short? He felt like it wasn’t half as long as the slide had been.
Baal landed on one of the dark dots. There was only an area about two basketballs wide for him to stand on, just enough for him to put both feet down.
Wang Xiaoming noticed that Baal had retracted his wings and was staring intently ahead, so he asked anxiously, “Did something happen?”
“There are Kindreds watching us on the other end,” Baal answered.
Wang Xiaoming turned his head over to look.
All he could see was a sea of grayness. Forget about the Kindred on the other side, he couldn’t even see the other side.
“Then what do we do?” Wang Xiaoming was worried.
Baal’s smirked and he answered, “Such a simple game. It’s practically an insult to my intelligence.”
Wang Xiaoming hesitated and discovered that the scenery in front of his eyes seemed to be constantly changing. After about two seconds, he realized that Baal was using instant movement.
Of course, from a certain point of view, instant movement was just like extremely rapid movement, just rapid to the extreme.
Compared to flying, clearly instant movement was faster.
It only took three or four minutes before Baal arrived at the other bank with Wang Xiaoming in his arms.
Wang Xiaoming clambered off of Baal and looked in amazement at the giant forest that appeared in front of his eyes. “This is…”
“An illusion,” Baal answered with a frown. He still didn’t understand why so many people liked using illusions. As soon as the trick to those things was revealed, they didn’t have any actual effect.
Wang Xiaoming remarked, “Purple and yellow colored trees. How pretty.”
Baal continued, “… That’s all they’re good for.”
Wang Xiaoming asked, “Are you telling me all of these are fake?”
“Not fake, but they didn’t look like this originally,” Baal said. “Should I explain each and every one of them to you?”
“No need,” Wang Xiaoming replied. “A lot of movies are fiction but I still enjoy them.”
Baal answered in a foul mood, “That’s why lying to themselves is part of human nature.”
“It’s an enjoyment,” Wang Xiaoming retorted quietly.
Baal shrugged. “Whatever.”
“That’s right,” he suddenly lowered his voice, “didn’t you say that there was someone on the other bank? Where?”
“Forest.” Baal smiled coldly. “I am curious how long he’s prepared to hide before coming out.”
“Do you think he’s trying to ambush us?” Wang Xiaoming was nervous, but mixed in with the nervousness was battle fever. After all, deep in every boy’s heart hid some small desire for adventure.
Baal squinted his eyes and smiled coldly. “I am so looking forward to it.”
Wang Xiaoming, “…” Ever since he had Baal by his side, he had to donate half of his pity to Baal’s opponents.
Just as they were about to move toward the forest, a woman with long, dark brown hair wearing a hunting outfit walked out. Her remarkable bust and those slender long legs made her exude the same chilly confidence as autumn wind. She also held a hunting rifle in her hands, but the barrel was pointed at them. “I didn’t think you’d get through the first four challenges so quickly. What a remarkable feat.”
Wang Xiaoming responded with a smile and asked, “May I ask who you…”
“My name is Michelle, from the Giovanni clan.” She stopped in front of him. “Before you came in Elder Singh had already introduced you to us. We welcome you to join us and sincerely hope that you will fight alongside us, all the way to the Bloodnight Mountain.”
Wang Xiaoming said with a smile, “Thank you.”
Michelle glanced at Baal and a trace of admiration flashed across her eyes. She reached out a hand. “I hope we’ll have a pleasant partnership.”
Baal was too lazy to give her a look. “I don’t need a partner.”
“You will.” Michelle’s voice was filled with confidence. “I have to admit that your jumping just now was very… remarkable. But here, you need the trust, help, and cooperation of companions. Even if not for you, then out of consideration for the human next to you.”
Baal pressed his lips together tightly.
“Elder Singh told us that there is some bad blood between you and the Torredo clan. The Torredo clan belongs to the Camarilla. As for your McAvery clan, you’re the only one here. Judging from the current situation, you can only work with us for the time being.” Michelle’s bright red lips lifted slightly. “The ‘we’ refers to Giovanni, Ravnos, and the Sabbat’s Tzimiscpe and Lasombra.”
Baal frowned severely.
MIchelle immediately said, “Of course, I understand, as a Camarilla, it’s hard to work with a Sabbat. But I think that the McAverys never bowed to any rules. Besides, it’s most important to elevate yourself. If you really get promoted to a fourth generation, even your elders won’t scold you. They’d only praise you. By then, nevermind Yanuk, even if Daniel came again, you won’t have to fear him.”
…
When had he ever been afraid?
Baal found the nagging woman in front of him very, very annoying.
Wang Xiaoming had been with Baal for so long that he was the most sensitive to changes in Baal’s mood. He noticed the muscles in Baal’s arm tensing and hurriedly tried to smooth things over. “We’ve been talking for so long that it’s almost dark. Let’s go into the forest first and then we can talk.”
…
Michelle explained with a smile, “This amusement park is a space that Lord Cain created. The sky won’t get dark here.”
No wonder.
A scornful smile slowly appeared on Baal’s lips.
Before Wang Xiaoming walked into the forest, he thought the forest was made up of purples and yellows. But after he walked into the forest, he discovered those trees could change colors.
The trees that appeared purple slowly faded when they walked in and then turned into a translucent shade of azure. There were even some glinting dots of light that encircled the trees.
“What is that?” Wang Xiaoming stretched out a hand in curiosity and wanted to grab them.
Michelle answered, “We don’t know either. I heard the elders say that they’ve been here since forever ago, but nobody knows what they are.”
Baal said disinterestedly, “They’re imitations.”
“Imitations?” Both Michelle and Wang Xiaoming gave him puzzled looks.
Baal pressed his lips together but didn’t explain.
Michelle changed the conversation topic. “Let’s find a place to rest first. Andy is currently looking for food… Andy is the representative from the Ravnos clan. We can have a little welcome ceremony.”
Wang Xiaoming asked, “Will the ones from the Sabbat come?” He didn’t understand how the Camarillas and Sabbats were divided; he simply thought the Sabbats sounded more dangerous than the Camarillas, especially since some of them could even change their features.
Michelle answered, “No. Most of the time we do things on our own, unless we’re challenged by the Camarillas.”
Wang Xiaoming asked, “So what’s the challenge here?”
Michelle looked at him in surprise, “Did Mr. Edward never tell you?”
…
Because Mr. Edward didn’t know either.
Wang Xiaoming lowered his head and struggled to not let his gaze drift over to Baal.
Baal arrogantly raised his head to indicate that he found it beneath himself to answer that question.
Michelle had to take over explaining the mission. “The last two challenges are Elimination and Acceptance. So-called ‘Elimination’ means that if there are more than ten challengers left, we have to voluntarily take care of the extras. As for ‘Acceptance,’ it means that we can continue eliminating opponents as long as we don’t want them to enter the Bloodnight Mountain, even if there are only ten left.”
Wang Xiaoming asked in shock, “So we’re staying in the forest to…”
“To hunt and chase.” Michelle raised her gun.
Baal suddenly wondered in amusement, what would that guy do if he swept all ten Kindreds out of this battle? Really… it was fun just thinking about it.
Of course Michelle didn’t know that Baal was entertaining the thought of capturing all of them. She continued to do her duty and explained, “But that kind of thing rarely happens. Because after the elimination, the remaining Kindreds would usually also have taken some hits and if they continued to hunt each other, nobody could guarantee that they’d be the last one standing.”
Wang Xiaoming recalled Singh’s words of caution before this and cried out in a low voice, “Oh no.”
“What?” Michelle asked.
“I remember that Elder Singh said that before we joined, there were already ten Kindred here?” Wang Xiaoming recalled that only ten could enter the Bloodnight Mountain. “Doesn’t that mean there’s one more now?”
Michelle looked at him strangely and then slowly shook her head.
… Could it be that he and Baal didn’t count?
Wang Xiaoming relaxed. He and Baal were outsiders. If another Kindred were kicked out because of their selfish desires, he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
“Not one extra, but two,” Michelle answered.
Wang Xiaoming paused.
Michelle laughed and said, “You didn’t actually think that you’d be able to enter the Bloodnight Mountain just because you are Edward’s Blood Slave?”
Wang Xiaoming said in surprise, “But I’m not human1The translation is accurate but neither the translator nor the editor know why Wang Xiaoming does not consider himself a human at this point..”
“So, are you trying to become a Kindred?” Michelle smiled lightly but there was an undeniable question in her eyes.
Wang Xiaoming had never been good at lying, much less when faced with someone intense. He instinctively shrank back and took half a step back.
Displeased, Baal swept him into an embrace. “I don’t care how many slots there are, or whether other Kindreds can get to the Bloodnight Mountain. In the end, he and I have to get there.”
Michelle wasn’t the slightest bit surprised by his arrogant words. “I think, that can be our mutual goal.”
Wang Xiaoming pulled on Baal’s sleeves and batted his eyelashes at him.
Baal raised an eyebrow at Michelle.
Michelle understood and walked away to the other side.
Wang Xiaoming waited until she had walked away to quietly ask, “Do we really have to borrow two spots?”
“Borrow?” Baal had a strange look on his face.
Wang Xiaoming replied, “After all, we aren’t Kindreds and it’s probably bad for us to kick out other Kindreds.” Because he had experienced the previous challenges, he knew how hard those challenges were. Even Baal had been kicked off the first challenge so many times, so it wasn’t hard to imagine what the other Kindreds had experienced.
Baal replied, “You can think about this question when they become your comrades.”
…
By then, what would be the difference between considering and not considering the question?
Wang Xiaoming sighed.
Half a night passed and the sky really didn’t darken.
If Wang Xiaoming hadn’t worn a watch, he would never have known so much time had unknowingly passed by.
Andy finally brought food back. It was a kind of animal that he had never seen before.
“What is that?” He examined it curiously.
The animal had the head of a reindeer but a lion’s body and a wolf’s tail.
It crouched low and looked at them guardedly.
Andy took out a little knife from his waist and cut its throat with one stroke. Then he placed a bowl below its neck and let the blood drip into the bowl. The animal didn’t even struggle before its eyes closed.
Though Wang Xiaoming couldn’t bear the sight, he knew it was the way others survived. Besides, he wasn’t a vegetarian himself.
After the blood finished dripping, Andy easily peeled the skin from the meat with a practiced hand.
Michelle divided the blood into three bowls and handed one over to Baal.
Baal simply looked elsewhere.
Michelle was slightly surprised. The highest ranking Kindreds really didn’t have to drink raw blood, but very few Kindreds would refuse. Especially at a time like this when raw blood could strengthen their physique and make sure their bodies remained in a perfect battle-ready condition at all times.
But she very quickly thought of a reason for him. Either he was used to drinking Wang Xiaoming’s blood so that he couldn’t drink anyone else’s blood, or it was because Wang Xiaoming was still a human and Baal didn’t want to frighten him.
Michelle thought about it and split that bowl of blood between the other two bowls and drank it with Andy.
Andy very quickly finished dividing the meat and skewering them with branches, brushing on some seasoning, and roasting them over the fire.
The fragrance of the meat quickly permeated the air.
Wang Xiaoming smelled the delicious fragrance and looked at the fatty meat and then gulped involuntarily.
Baal also discarded his original plan of sneaking out with Wang Xiaoming to eat the sandwiches that Louis had prepared for them.
Waiting was a painful thing, especially during times of hunger. When too much pain was mixed together, they would easily cancel each other out. When Andy handed them the meat, Wang Xiaoming thought he was too hungry to feel anything. But one bite of the meat and his hunger reappeared.
Michelle and Andy feared that Wang Xiaoming minded the way they drank blood and made a special effort to carry the bowl a few steps away.
Wang Xiaoming sucked on his finger and asked quietly, “What kind of meat is this?”
“Pork,” Baal answered.
“… How is that possible?” What kind of pig in the world looked like a reindeer, a lion, and a wolf, but not a pig?
Baal replied, “What you saw was just an illusion.”
Wang Xiaoming stated in stunned surprise, “You mean it doesn’t actually look like this.”
Baal nodded.
Doubt filled Wang Xiaoming’s face as he sneaked closer to the reindeer head that had been cut off and set to the side. He poked those two giant branch-like antlers and wondered, “But I can touch them.”
“An illusion you can see but not touch is a basic one. Given Cain’s abilities, he would not make such a mistake.” Baal put the meat inside his mouth.
Wang Xiaoming asked, “So what you see and what I see are actually different?”
“It can be the same or not,” Baal answered. Suddenly his expression turned dark and he yanked Wang Xiaoming to his side.
Michelle walked back with Andy. Behind them came another tall young man with long hair wearing a Peter Pan collar.
Michelle noticed Baal’s guarded expression and hurried to introduce the man. “This is Sean. He’s a Lasombra.”
Sean slowly walked out from behind Michelle and Andy. His small and elongated eyes quickly swept over Baal and Wang Xiaoming like a sharp sword, and then he cracked a smile. “Hmmm, I sense a powerful force. How interesting.”
Baal’s answer was simply an eyeroll.
Wang Xiaoming said with a smile, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”
“A human who can’t fight back.” Sean’s eyes darkened slightly. “To bring a human like that to the Forest of Shattered Illusions… You really are so confident it’s nauseating.”
Michelle saw Baal begin to frown and hurriedly changed the topic. “Sean, what are you doing here?”
“Carlos said a new friend joined us, so I came to see.” Sean tilted his head and his smile was filled with an indescribable devilish charm. “A combination of a pleasant surprise and a disappointment, how interesting.”
A storm was brewing in Baal’s eyes. He stood up and said coldly, “Since we have two extra contestants, why don’t we start the clean up process with you?”
A strange expression flashed across Sean’s eyes and then he suddenly leaned back and burst into loud peals of laughter.
More and more anger gathered in Baal’s eyes.
Michelle noticed and could only keep giving Andy looks.
Unfortunately, Andy acted like an old monk in meditation; nevermind accepting her hints, he didn’t even seem to see the drama that was happening in front of him.
Sean’s laughter finally stopped. “Let’s not. There are so many interesting things here. We should take our time and enjoy them. Why skip ahead to the ending scene?”
