The Righteous Player(s)

“I’m going crazy.” Following “Elle”, Wandering Child couldn’t stop complaining, “As soon as I woke up, there was a beautiful woman with blond hair saying that I’m her husband… But before I could do anything, she is asking for money without saying anything.”

“That isn’t all. It’s reasonable to give money to my wife. But she also said the casino has held up my son again. She wants me to bail him out this afternoon. Have I lost my mind? If my son was gambling, I’d break his damn legs! And you’ve taken two hundred thousand from me and you’re not even planning to bail him out? So, what the hell are you planning to do with the money?”

“So, guess what happened next? My daughter came home. Blonde hair, blue eyes, so pretty… She just doesn’t look anything like me.”

“Then she brought her friends over to hang out… I took a glimpse. There are seven guys. I thought about it and decided not to judge, kept my mouth shut… But then, get this, one of the guys — probably in his thirties or forties, old enough to be my uncle — said my daughter told him he could come to ask me for a job.”

“Alright, I said yes. I figured this is just a dungeon anyway, it’s not my real money, so I’ll give however much. But this older guy was at least polite about it; he came to discuss it with me.”

“But then, two young guys showed up. Right off the bat, they tried to extort me. They claimed my daughter owed them over a hundred grand and that they had evidence of me evading taxes that she gave them. What the hell? What’s wrong with these punks?”

“I went inside to see what was going on, and man, what a sight — they were playing a CD and drinking in my house. It was like one of those KTVs with a disc player, with them kissing and stripping… My blood pressure shot through the roof!”

Wandering Child kept complaining, “Just as I was about to throw those idiotic young punks out, I got a call. It seemed to be from a mole I planted around my wife, probably her driver or some servant… He said he saw my wife entering a hotel, all cozy with two men. Man, what a sight to behold, and not in a good way.”

“Is this some kind of twisted fate? The plot twists here are just too damn crazy, aren’t they? Boss, is this a nightmare? When am I going to wake up?”

“Don’t panic. This is just a nightmare.” Annan didn’t know what to say for a moment, so she could only comfort her in a low voice, “Then, what happened?”

“Then, you’re here.” Wandering Child said, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down, “I want to see how this nightmare can unfold.”

Annan was also taken aback by the unexpected turn of events that had befallen the Wandering Child.

Out of everyone, you seem to have gotten the worst of it. Even the pace of your storyline is more intense than the others. No wonder you lost it the quickest.

If Annan had come any later, the Wandering Child might have lost his temper and flipped the table due to the pressure.

“In this nightmare, you would go crazy for not playing a given character?” After listening to Annan’s description of the nightmare rules, Wandering Child repeated.

“Elle” nodded pitifully.

“…But I feel that if I continue to act according to the character, I will also go crazy.”

“But the good news is that now that I’m here, we have the possibility to escape the situation.”

“Elle” narrowed her eyes, “As a rich man and a renowned collector, it is reasonable for us to discuss business, right?”

“Yeah, reasonable.”

“Then it makes sense for us to buy something, right?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“I’ll write you an order. As a significant client and the daughter of the artist Amos, I’m specifically requesting that you personally gather these items for me, in exchange for one of Amos’s most precious paintings. I’ll need them delivered to this martial arts school — and by the way, the Delicious Wind Goose is here. Since Amos’s artwork is a renowned masterpiece, doesn’t this seem like a fair deal for a major collector like you?”

“Yes, everything makes a lot of sense!” Wandering Child cheered.

As long as he could reasonably leave this hellish place, even work would make him feel comfortable. But every time he wanted to go out, he would be called back by a phone call due to an emergency at home.

But this time, it was the extremely important “business”.

“But, you know…” Elle said, drawing out her words.

“But?” Wandering Child exclaimed.

“As a wealthy man, isn’t it just typical that people are trying to blackmail you with evidence, regardless of its authenticity? Given your status and your love for your family, it doesn’t make sense for you to abandon your children and wife.”

“Elle” casually remarked, “However… hiring mercenaries to help sort this out would also make a lot of sense, don’t you think?”

“Of course — in order to rescue the hostage, the mercenary accidentally injures the hostage and causes the hostage to be injured and faint. Naturally, it is a helpless and necessary sacrifice. You must feel pain and sadness for her coma.”

“But where can I find a mercenary…” Wandering Child was startled halfway through his words.

He glanced at Celecia and reacted immediately.

“Not Celecia.” Annan said with a smile, “She is just an ordinary, Gold Rank transcended student.”

“But Delicious Wind Goose is no problem. Imagine a master swordsman owing you a favor for some reason, deciding to handle some of your dirty work… including rescuing people, silencing loose ends, and taking revenge on a cheating wife. That seems plausible too, doesn’t it?”

“Got it.” Wandering Child nodded and said solemnly.

Before Annan finished speaking, the Wandering Child grasped the logic of this nightmare.

To put it simply… you must find a reason for each of your actions in your own “identity”.

The Child was no longer afraid.

He was different from Delicious Wind Goose.

Suppose Delicious Wind Goose was an outstanding and serious profession card game player. Then, the Wandering Child was a card game player who was good at talking nonsense.

“Back when I had hair, I was also quite the card player… I get that!” Wandering Child’s eyes suddenly lit up.

He asked in a deep voice, “What about the order? Without further ado, I’m ready to set off now.”

What he was implying was, given some more time… who knows what kind of tricks those rascals might pull on him. It was better to leave sooner than later.

Celecia, who was nearby, also seemed lost in thought.

She probably understood how to help her crew members.

Soon, Annan wrote the order and gave it to the Wandering Child.

“Black male sheep horns, black male goat horns… Are these ritual materials?” Wandering Child confirmed, “Are there any other requirements? For example, it must be a cursed material or something?”

“I have specifically noted the parts that require curse materials in the list.” “Elle” stood up with a smile and said, “Then, I will go to Delicious Wind Goose to wait for you. Let’s say goodbye here, Miss Celecia.”

[Huh…?]

Elle’s doubtful voice sounded in Annan’s heart.

[Didn’t you say that you can’t hold upright deities’ rituals here?]

That’s the problem, Elle.

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