Chapter 177: Western Fantasy 41: A Big Pot of Stew
"You're not a toy."
"Everything we experienced together was real, and my feelings for you are real too. I just want to take you away..."
Let's go to a place where there's no one else and live our own lives, okay? "
Jon's voice slowed down, pleading and humble.
"I really regret taking you away when I was no longer able to do so. As a result, you were dragged into all this, and I was unable to protect you."
Although he was a man in armor, his straight back suddenly bent down, revealing an almost absurd and pitiful fragility.
Lu Huai had an illusion. Even if he put one foot on Qiao En's shoulder, Qiao En would just crawl and hold him, without any resistance. Of course, such a strange idea would come from a straight man like him.
"Don't...don't take all the responsibility on yourself. It was my own choice, I can't blame you."
Lu Huai was just thankful that he could still control his facial expression, otherwise his face would have been as funny as an overturned seasoning dish.
He tried to remain calm and refute someone's self-deprecating remarks.
"It's all your fault, you stinky little nine." Lu Huai chirped in his heart.
0359 in the sea of consciousness did not have the energy to eavesdrop on Lu Huai's thoughts all the time, but suddenly sneezed at this moment.
It felt that the skin given by the Lord God was really spiritual, and even its intelligence could have physiological reactions.
Listening to his words, Jon's dim eyes seemed to rekindle the flames.
He shook his hand and said excitedly:
"Lu, come with me, please. I can protect you. I've found a way to get out of the city. If you come with me, we can escape everything here."
"Protection?" Lu Huai raised his eyebrows, his eyes sweeping over the faintly visible family crest on Jon's armor - that was the logo of Fengyu Technology in the real world. Only then did he recognize that this familiar set of equipment issued by the Holy See contained a secret.
"Depend on 'it'?"
"I don't know what's true and what's false anymore. What can I believe anymore?"
"I can be trusted."
Jon's eyes darkened, and a dark emotion surged in his eyes. He held Lu Huai's hand, which was struggling to pull it away, tightly again and placed it on his heart.
He took a sudden step forward, trapping Lu Huai between himself and the wall. The cold touch of the armor could be felt through the fabric, creating a strong contrast.
"I won't trade you for anything." His voice was low and dangerous, filled with unquestionable possessiveness. "But I won't let anyone else take you away from me. Lu Huai, you are mine, and only mine."
Lu Huai could feel the dark aura emanating from Jon. The word "paranoia" should have been difficult to associate with him, but now it was not the case.
He felt the burning body temperature and the young man's lively heartbeat.
She tilted her head slightly to avoid Jon's burning gaze, but her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably as she tried to change the subject:
"Jon, you have to understand. There is no such thing as one belonging to the other between us. I am not yours, we are friends."
"Just friends." Lu Huai sighed.
"Also, dirty, don't get so close to me,"
"Just friends?" Jon's hand caressed Lu Huai's cheek, his fingertips calloused with the lightness of battle, yet his movements were unusually gentle, as if he were handling a rare treasure. "But why do I want to kill Amodia just because he touched you?"
An ambiguous atmosphere permeated the air between the two of them, and Lu Huai's heart skipped a beat. He recalled having experienced similar throbbing sensations in other worlds before. Those blurry figures seemed to overlap with the figure before him, leaving him somewhat dazed.
"Because I am your good friend," he answered tentatively, showing just the right amount of shyness.
"No, it's because..." Jon opened his mouth and hesitated when a burst of footsteps outside the door interrupted the special atmosphere of being alone.
Lu Huai thought of the white dove and hurriedly pushed the person away, "Let's get out of here quickly."
"But I..." He hadn't finished speaking.
The next second, Biles, holding a martial law order and leading a group of Cavaliers players, forced the door open.
Fortunately, Jon had used the teleportation scroll he had obtained while exploring the secret realm and had vanished without a trace. Only Lu Huai was left sitting at the table, feigning composure, trying to deal with him.
Seeing that there was no one around, the Knight Commander led his men to pay their respects and turned to leave.
Just as Lu Huai was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard someone whisper to him, "You can't hide it."
His face suddenly turned pale.
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On the other hand, everything is changing with each passing day.
Players who were originally immersed in exploring the new world gradually discovered some things were wrong, such as feeling numb and itchy on their heads when they woke up in the morning, finding that they had grown horns when they looked in the mirror, and people who were originally weak suddenly being able to shoot three-pointers.
If it is just a coincidence, it is just like making a joke. I suspect that it may be a human setting the pace or generated by AI.
However, as more and more people reported the incident to the authorities, the forum became paralyzed, allowing this anxiety and novelty to spread more widely in the form of urban legends.
In addition, one day a "space carrier" appeared in the sky above City Z, pushing everything to the top.
It turned out that Nocas had learned his lesson and decided to leave his permanent residence and go out to find his "wife".
After all, he and Lu Huai had signed an incomplete contract, and he could vaguely sense that he was heading towards the familiar lair of his old rival.
The thought that it was that damned thing Amodia who possessed his treasure made the resentment even harder to quell.
The dragon crossed the deep forest, passed through the plains, and came to a brand new realm.
Accompanied by a long dragon roar, the huge figure swept past, covering the clouds and sunlight wherever it passed, and the sky above the lower world darkened for a moment.
Inside the high-rise building made of reinforced concrete, everyone's eyes reflected this scene that made them almost doubt whether they were dreaming, and their hearts were filled with disbelief.
From a distance it looks like an "aircraft carrier", but up close it turns out to be an extremely large animal. Its shape alone is almost as magical as the disaster movies or game CGs you've seen.
Isn't the dragon a creation of the virtual world? How did it break through the dimensional wall and appear in reality?
After rubbing my eyes again and again to confirm that I was not dreaming, this disbelief turned into an uncontrollable panic of an unknown force.
Where did it come from? What was it doing? What was it going to do, destroy their world?
Nocas had no idea that a simple display of his presence had caused such a shock to the people of the lower realms. He simply followed the route he remembered, flying towards the Central Continent, but everything along the way seemed a little unfamiliar.
But He wasn't so easily suspicious.
After all, the painful lesson of the past was still fresh in their minds. A half-blooded bastard who had an affair with an elf had actually used the power of the gods to become a lackey of the Church and the key to the liquidation of the dragon clan. The rebellion plan was aborted, and they also suffered heavy casualties, including the death of many of their own clan.
To preserve the dragon race's flame, they followed the teachings of their elders, who had already migrated to the northwest abyssal rift valley, and remained there for nearly a hundred years. Ambition, when one lacks ability, is not a problem.
He avoided the Vatican's attack and never ventured out of the miasma-ridden forest in the neutral zone. Even as his magical power grew stronger, he never considered stirring up trouble.
He and the outside world should have been at peace, but a thief stole his partner, becoming his enemy and doing something that the dragon could not tolerate. There was no need for him, a "coward," to remain in this state.
At the same time, everything that was almost unconnected before coming into contact with the game was reproduced in reality one by one.
Why is this world rated S? Perhaps this fusion crisis is a major source of difficulty.
In the original plot line, the information Lu Huai was able to obtain at the end did not explain whether the barriers of the world had been completely broken.
After all, as the most powerful person on the continent, Amodia is extremely sensitive to the atmosphere of impending storm.
Perhaps they had anticipated something and specially arranged a "parade" to take some people away from the royal city of Atuo, and Lu Huai, who was not trusted, was one of them.
Following the Vatican's convoy, Lu Huai arrived in Elton, known as the "City of Hope".
Elton lives up to its reputation and is full of exotic charm. Houses of different styles stand on both sides of the street, including Gothic buildings with pointed roofs and Byzantine-style buildings with domes.
The air was filled with the aroma of spices and bread. However, before Lu Huai could enjoy the trip, he was forced to stop due to an unexpected situation.
There were many twists and turns along the way, and as soon as the convoy entered the main city gate of Elton, a strange atmosphere enveloped it.
The originally bustling streets suddenly became much quieter, and the composition of the pedestrians was extremely strange - indigenous people in coarse robes were running around in panic, holding clay pots, as if they had encountered something, and their eyes were full of fear and anxiety.
Players were holding holographic cameras and filming everywhere, with excitement and curiosity on their faces, and they kept saying something to the camera; some people stood still, a little dazed, not knowing whether they were in the game or in reality.
Their eyes were fixed on the mighty procession, waving the golden holy emblem, as if they were watching a spectacle. Lu Huai sat in a magnificent carriage, surveying the city through the window, but a vague sense of unease gripped his heart.
I don’t know if it was an illusion just now, but I seemed to see the player’s real body wearing modern clothes and with a confused look in his eyes.
When I rubbed my eyes and looked again, everything seemed like an illusion, no different from before.
"Look, everyone! The Holy See of Light has finally arrived! I heard that our Lord Lu Huai is also on the carriage. Please like and follow us, and we will immediately give you a God's perspective to feast your eyes!"
A female player with short pink hair stood on the roof of a street corner, stepping on a wooden board she had picked up from somewhere, holding up the anti-shake gimbal and shouting excitedly.
Her livestream was buzzing with comments at a rate of dozens per second, with gift effects flashing non-stop. Several players gathered around, their phones raised. Some frantically took screenshots, while others reported on the game live on the channel.
Lu Huai suddenly had an urge to call on them to watch the monkeys in a civilized manner.
Until he turned his head and looked out the window in the distance, he saw that the distant skyline was indeed shimmering with dark purple magic, like solidified blood, slowly flowing in the sky. Wherever it passed, the air seemed to become sticky and cold;
The light elements mobilized by the Holy See of Light were like golden swords, stubbornly resisting the invasion of demonic energy. The two forces intertwined and collided with each other, emitting a dull roar.
From deep within the clouds came the roar of a giant dragon. The sound was like an ancient war drum, making the stained glass on the carriage buzz as if it would shatter at any moment.
What is even more shocking is that with the collision of the two forces, the buildings on both sides of the street began to fluctuate unstably, sometimes revealing the ancient style of the Middle Ages, and sometimes flashing the neon lights and shadows of the future city.
It demonstrates the vision brought about by the integration of the world.
"They're about to start again," Lu Huai said softly, his words expressing neither joy nor anger, only helplessness. He leaned back against the soft cushions, closed his eyes, and tried to block out the outside noise, but the constant clashing of energy and the roar of the dragons pierced his ears like a spell.
This was the third time this week. Ever since the world began to fall apart, these gods and humans had disdained even the semblance of peace.
In the past, they would still consider their respective identities and reputations, maintaining a delicate balance on the surface. But now, this balance has long been broken. In order to compete for him, they almost unscrupulously display their strength and ambition. The accelerated integration of the world has made their fighting even more unscrupulous.
On the surface, this trip was simple, with only a few carriages and a small number of guards. In fact, Aimaudia deployed a triple guard at his side in the name of "protecting the Son of God."
The first layer is the most elite Knights Templar of the Holy See, headed by Byers. They are dressed in heavy armor, holding spears shining with holy light, with eyes as sharp as eagles, and are always alert to everything around them; the second layer is priests who are good at magic. They hold scriptures in their hands, chant to themselves, and set up layer after layer of defensive barriers around the carriage.
The third layer is the confidants secretly raised by Amodia. They hide in the dark, guarding the carriage like ghosts, and will immediately appear if there is any disturbance.
Meanwhile, Senor, brimming with the power of faith, was intent on causing trouble. He seemed to always be able to pinpoint the guards' weaknesses, summoning the dark elements to spawn various mutant plants.
Those plants had strange shapes, some had sharp barbs, and some emitted poisonous miasma. They were like crazy poisonous snakes, entwining the guards' bodies and making them dizzy.
Once, a huge black vine even broke through the defensive barrier set up by the priests and entangled the wheels of the carriage. If the knights had not reacted quickly and cut the vines with holy light, the consequences would have been disastrous.
The moment the vines broke, the players saw a flash of data turbulence in the air.
"What the hell! What was that just now? The vines broke and there was code?" The female player who was exploring on the roof suddenly screamed, and the camera shook violently.
"Did my family see that? This special effect is too real! My phone is starting to get hot!" She reached out to touch the hot camera, but suddenly felt a sharp pain at her fingertips - the wall that had just been swept by the holy light was actually so hot that it could burn the skin.
The livestream room was instantly buzzing with comments: "This isn't a special effect! My real-life curtains just glowed!" "Oh my god! My cat breathed on the screen and it seemed like it could see the magic going on!"
Even Seno dares to show his head.
Lance, who was hostile to him, naturally could not remain indifferent. Troubled by the pollution, he appeared in a shadow wearing half a mask, and sent down oracles to warn Seno and the people belonging to the Dark Church.
Declare his sovereignty over Lu Huai to other forces.
But as a Warcraft, Nokas does not side with any one side.
All I know is that these two seemingly righteous gods are rivals, so I will attack the one that looks more powerful first.
He seemed to be going against Lance. When Lance gave the oracle, he would spit out dragon breath at night to help the poisonous creatures controlled by Xeno break free from their confinement.
These men, humans and gods, fought fiercely for him, but no one asked him what he wanted.
Lu Huai watched them coldly. They seemed to regard him as a rare treasure, a trophy that could demonstrate their strength and status, or a fuse to intensify the conflict. So even if they beat him up and left him covered in bruises, he would not be moved.
But Jon, who is much weaker than them, seems to be the most desperate one.
"Huaihuai, Jon just withstood Byers's Holy Light Slash on the dragon in order to meet you alone. His back must be injured."
0359's tone rarely softens towards a character.
"Actually, if he hadn't turned evil, it wouldn't be bad for Huai Huai to keep him as a pet."
Lu Huai's heart moved slightly. How could he not notice the dent in the armor behind Jon? It was clearly the mark left by a hard hit.
Jon used teleportation again, but he was unlucky and fell directly into the battle range. However, he did not hesitate at all and rushed directly towards Byers' Holy Light Slash.
As the Knight Commander's unique skill, Holy Light Slash contained a powerful force, enough to split mountains and cut through waves. Although Jon blocked it with his own strength, he was also seriously injured. A complex emotion arose in Lu Huai's heart.
"Lu Huai!" Jon's voice interrupted his thoughts, with a hint of urgency, "Come with me, go now! It will be too late if we don't leave!" He had broken through the many obstacles and came to the front of the carriage. His armor was covered with dust and blood, and there were a few scratches on his face, but his eyes were extremely firm, like burning stars.
He reached out to pull Lu Huai, but was blocked by the sudden appearance of a golden wall of light. The wall of light had a strong repulsive force that bounced him back half a step.
Jon stumbled for a moment, then steadied himself. He reached out his hand again and slapped the light wall vigorously. "Lu Huai, believe me, I will definitely get you out of here!"
"Look at that player! He can actually withstand the NPC's attacks?"
A male player suddenly noticed something was wrong. "His health bar isn't decreasing! This doesn't match the game settings!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw blood from the corner of Jon's mouth dripping onto the stone road when he was bounced back by the wall of light. The blood slowly seeped into the ground, spreading a small dark red patch on the asphalt road in the real world.
The male player's face turned pale instantly, and the camera in his hand fell to the ground with a clang - he had just climbed onto a real lamppost in order to take a clear picture, and at this moment, the lamppost was strangely twisted into the shape of the knight's weapon in the game due to the fluctuation of magic.
Lu Huai had never imagined that something so terrifying would appear before his eyes. He looked out the window at Jon's fearful figure, and at the constant collision of holy light and magic in the sky, and felt dizzy.
He was like a small boat caught in the center of a whirlpool, and under the pull of forces from all sides, it could capsize at any time.
And he became the core of this melee.
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The author has something to say: [dog head]
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