Chapter 34 Dionysus 12 (End)
Generally speaking, after players enter a dungeon, most people will not take off the player bracelet assigned by the system, unless they particularly do not want to reveal their identity and try to hide their tracks.
After all, in addition to the identity recognition function, this thing also has many basic functions, such as task reminders, physical condition monitoring, etc. If it is disconnected, it will cause some trouble.
Of course, there are people who would disguise the bracelet, such as putting a wristband on the outside.
This is the "Arella" in front of us.
She put a layer of white bandage on the bracelet, so at first glance, outsiders would just think that her hand was injured.
But Zhu Yu is not an ordinary player. She has already been through two dungeons and fought with many players. Her eyesight is no longer comparable to when she first entered the dungeon.
She confirmed once again that the arc-shaped metal band exposed under the bandage was undoubtedly a player's bracelet.
In the game copy, as long as it involves the system or the player, once it is mentioned by the player, the system will block the perception and understanding of all NPCs.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yu squatted down, stared into the eyes of the person in front of him, and slowly uttered two words:
"...Player?"
The woman in the cell suddenly changed her expression, raised her head sharply, and glanced at Zhu Yu's wrist:
"You are a player too? Where is your player bracelet?"
Zhu Yu: "Players don't need to wear the bracelet all the time. If you don't believe me, you can take it off and try it later. You will find that the system does not force you to wear it."
The other party's face changed constantly, and it was obvious that he believed it about 70%.
Zhu Yu did not continue to ask questions, but changed the direction of the question:
"Since we are both players, can you tell me what your main quest is?"
"Eradication of the plague."
"It seems that everyone's main mission this time is to eliminate the plague."
Zhu Yu's tone suddenly changed, and his voice suddenly lowered a few degrees, "Then why did you bribe the priest and secretly replace the beer I sent? Did you know that once the barrel of beer was poured into the altar, everyone in the city would be infected with the plague? What you did is completely contrary to the main quest and increases the difficulty of the game for all players."
"What did you say?!"
After hearing Zhu Yu's words, the opponent's pupils shrank and he froze.
"You mean... there's plague in that barrel of wine?"
Zhu Yu: "You just know it now?"
The opponent player seemed to be really panicked. She opened her mouth and tried to explain:
"I... I only knew that the barrel of wine was fake. Some people said that once the high priest poured the barrel of wine, the ritual would become ineffective. I... I didn't know it would hurt anyone!"
Seeing that the other party's tone didn't sound like he was lying, but he did indeed "backstab" the player, Zhu Yu couldn't help but pinch his brows:
"Okay, then let me ask you, which secret society do you belong to? Who gave you this mission to switch the wine barrel?"
"...Secret Society?" The other party was stunned for a moment, looking confused, "What is that?"
Zhu Yu was stunned, and his brows knitted together:
"Aren't you a wizard? You don't even know about the Secret Society?"
"I'm not a wizard!" Ariella explained quickly, "Before entering the dungeon, I drew a civilian card! That person said...if the truth is revealed, let me lie and say I'm a wizard so I can fool people!"
“…”
Zhu Yu looked down at the panicked girl in front of him who could barely speak clearly. For a moment, he felt his temples throbbing and his head swelling.
The identity of the copy drawn by the other party is an ordinary civilian.
And this so-called wizard identity was just a deliberate lie at the instruction of someone to guide the direction of the Inquisition's investigation.
To put it bluntly, the person behind the scenes intended to shift the blame for the whole thing to the "evil wizard", an enemy image that is easily accepted by the public, if the plan failed.
"Diverting trouble to others, killing people to silence them, and stirring up anti-witch sentiment at the same time?"
Zhu Yu sneered in her heart, and she soon remembered the secret letter that Betty sent from the town of Arce a few days ago.
Betty mentioned in the letter that the mysterious man who was in contact with Archon Abel was likely to stir up trouble during the Dionysus Festival.
It was precisely because she received the reminder early that she and 996 remained vigilant and acted cautiously during the Dionysian Festival.
Now it seems that the people behind the scenes who used Abel Archon to smuggle liquor and control this player who was kept in the dark are most likely the same person or belong to the same organization.
Zhu Yu quickly connected these clues and looked at the girl opposite him again:
"So, why are you helping 'that person' as you call him?"
The player on the other side lowered his head and bit his lip. After a long while, he said awkwardly:
"He gave me a large sum of money... For a civilian like me, it was a difficult amount to refuse. Of course, I didn't agree right away at first, but he was threatening me at the same time."
"Threatened you?" Zhu Yu asked, "How did he threaten you?"
"The other party said he was from the Royal City and had connections and means there. If a civilian like me who had just entered the dungeon and had no one to rely on did not cooperate with him... he wanted me to die in Ilos City without any effort."
"But fortunately..." She took a breath, "Later, I met another player. After discussing with him, I originally planned to cooperate with him to complete the surface tasks first, and then find a chance to escape. My player companion has already negotiated with several jailers. After I successfully escape from prison, I can meet up with him and escape from Iros. As long as it is successful, I will give him half of the money."
After listening to this, Zhu Yu just raised his eyebrows slightly.
What a "gang robs gang" jailbreak plan.
Zhu Yu: "Then do you know the true identity of that person?"
The player on the opposite side hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and then slowly nodded.
"We met offline once before," she whispered, "but the man was fully armed and had his face covered so tightly that I couldn't see what he looked like."
She paused, then raised her eyes: "However, my companion has tracking skills, and secretly left a mark on him when we met."
"In fact, we were able to locate the other party a long time ago." She said with some regret, "It's just that we didn't want to cause trouble. We just wanted to run away and avoid it if we could."
Zhu Yu looked at the other person's anxious and self-blaming expression, sighed, and ultimately said nothing more.
The law enforcement officers present at this time saw the two people talking in a low voice for a long time, but they did not find anything unusual.
Since the words involved "players" and "systems", to outsiders, the conversation between the two was just an ordinary interrogation process.
"She's not the mastermind,"
After the exchange, Zhu Yu said to the law enforcer standing at the door, "There are deeper implications in this matter. I want to personally guarantee her and take her out first."
"Miss Draka, but..."
One of the law enforcers looked hesitant.
Zhu Yu showed the badge of the Knight of Light to the other party: "The current situation is very urgent, and I will be responsible for the safety and whereabouts of this criminal."
Several law enforcement officers looked at each other, but finally ordered someone to open the cell door.
…
Arila was temporarily taken out of the cell. Zhu Yu put a cloak on her shoulders and took her back to her residence.
"Are you sure you can still contact your companion now?"
Zhu Yu asked while walking on the road.
"He's been waiting to hear from me." Ariella said with a hint of nervousness, "I'll have him come find us."
The two arrived at the hotel where Ariella was staying one after another. Not long after, there was a hurried knock on the door.
After the door opened, a hooded young man flashed in.
As soon as he entered the room, he quickly took off his hood, glanced at Zhu Yu's face vigilantly, and his hand quietly grasped the dagger at his waist.
"Who is she?" he asked coldly.
"Don't be nervous, I'm a player too."
Zhu Yu calmly raised his hands and said in a soothing tone, "And we are on the same side."
She briefly explained what had happened, including the barrel of wine that had been swapped, the danger of the plague, and clues to the mastermind behind it.
"Now I need your tracking skills to help me locate the mysterious man." She continued, "Don't worry, after I catch him, whether you want to stay in the city or run away to other places, I will not interfere with your subsequent plans."
The air was briefly silent.
After a moment, the young man nodded, walked to the table, stretched out his right hand, and a circle of light blue light appeared in the palm of his hand.
He closed his eyes and sensed with great concentration.
After a few seconds, he suddenly opened his eyes and his face darkened.
"Not good, the target is moving quickly."
Zhu Yu's eyes darkened slightly: "He realized that the plan had failed."
The young man nodded: "It should be. The mark I left on the target had been static, but now it has suddenly become active, which means that he has begun to escape."
As he spoke, he flipped his palm and spread a map-like phantom projection on the table.
In the faint light, a moving route emerged clearly, eventually pointing to a hidden alley on the outskirts of the city.
Zhu Yu stood up:
"Let's go and stop him."
***
As night fell, the streets of Ilos seemed a little deserted after the festival fever.
Zhu Yu and his group hid in the night and approached the target location silently.
"We're here." the young man whispered.
The three men surrounded the enemy separately, and Zhu Yu went in from the east.
As soon as I turned the alley, I heard the slight sound of bottles colliding ahead.
Zhu Yu signaled with his eyes, and the young man approached quietly with the short blade in his hand unsheathed.
The next moment, a black shadow suddenly rushed out from the corner of the street. Zhu Yu was prepared. She raised her hand and swung the bow. The arrow flew past the opponent's leg, forcing him to stagger and fall.
Ariella rushed forward and subdued him, while Zhu Yu walked forward quickly and noticed that the heavy long bag behind him opened up, and several peculiarly shaped alchemical bottles and crucibles rolled out of it. One of the small bottles broke, and a trace of gray-black residual liquid flowed out, emitting a familiar smell of corruption.
"It's alchemical residue." The young player came over to take a look and frowned, saying, "This person is an alchemist."
Zhu Yu bent down, picked up the intact bottle, and shook it gently. On the bottle, there were alchemical symbols similar to those on the smuggled liquor in the West District.
"Finally I caught you."
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