Chapter 831 One-third of the three paintings
It seems a bit strange.
...Why was there no specific time given when this ceremony began?
This was Aiwass' last thought before he was taken away from consciousness.
But he soon regained consciousness.
However, when Aiwas opened his eyes again, he immediately felt an extremely strange sense of incongruity.
Everything around me seemed too bright and colorful...
...Is it because its "picture quality" is too high that it seems a little less realistic?
At this moment, Aiwass was in a grand banquet, wearing a tan suit and holding a glass of red wine that was only one-third full.
Under their feet was a carpet as crimson as raspberry jam, and beneath it was a three-tiered circular platform as white as a cream cake. The surrounding walls were covered with dark curtains, and a chandelier hung above.
Men and women around were talking and laughing, and the noisy sounds echoed in the center of the dance floor. From time to time, a cheerful or loud laugh could be heard, and in the corner, there was a band playing blues-style melancholic music that was completely opposite to the current joyful atmosphere.
As Aiwass walked forward, glass in hand, the crowded crowd in the center of the dance floor slowly parted to the sides, like the splitting of the sea. They didn't speak to Aiwass, didn't even look at him, their bodies just moved on their own.
——Suddenly, Aiwass realized that something was wrong.
Everyone had a smile on their face, but no one "stopped smiling"!
Aiwass suddenly raised his head and looked at the pure white wall in front of him.
It was a huge deer head statue.
It looked like a candlelighter, but it wasn't a red deer, but a pure white deer that blended in with the wall. It was as white as the cream or icing on a cake, and on its head were many branching antlers, shaped into candlesticks, each holding a lit candle.
Another strange thing was that the "white candle master" also had a very clear smile on his face, the same smile as all the guests.
A deer, but smiling...
Aiwass realized something and took two steps back.
As a result, the crowd still dispersed - or rather, it was not that people were actively making way for him, but that no one was willing to get within two or three meters of Aiwass.
Aiwass observed the smiles on the faces of the people around him and gestured with his hands.
Slowly... he also showed a similar smile.
When his smile adjusted to a certain degree, the crowd around him rushed towards him in an instant. They did not avoid Aiwass again, but danced with him on the dance floor.
A blonde girl with the same smile walked over and stood motionless in front of Aiwas. At this distance, the traces of the oil painting on her face became even more distinct.
Aiwass gradually began to understand the mechanism of this ritual.
This is indeed the interior of a painting.
It was also thanks to him knowing what kind of abilities Janice had after using the Tiansi fragment and losing control...that's why he was able to react immediately.
Aiwass extended his hand to her in an invitation, and the girl put her hand on Aiwass's.
Aiwass had never learned this dance before, but it was not difficult, and the rhythm was very slow, so he could roughly grasp it after watching it for a while.
As the two began to slowly dance, Aiwass paid attention to everything around him.
The front of the ballroom was dominated by a strange bust of a candlelighter... and on the other side were two spiral staircases, one leading up, the other down. Both places were pitch black, and the music seemed to be on an endless loop, as if the people's dance could continue here endlessly, forever.
Suddenly, Aiwass finally heard the childlike voice of Winged Flame:
"You wake up, but you don't know who you are or why you are here. You even forget what era it is.
"You are determined to find the truth and escape from it."
A brief introduction to the plot that basically says nothing.
But one thing is certain - the information that was deliberately hidden may be an important clue in itself!
The task given immediately afterwards confirmed this.
[Necessary Task——]
【Complete a painting (points: none)】
[Escape from the world in the painting (points: none)]
【Additional Task——】
Laughing Friends: Complete the Tower of Joy
Friends Who No Longer Laugh: Completing the Tower of Joy in Another Way
Endless Feast: A Different Way to Complete Tower of Feasting
The total points for "Tower of Joy" are 3000, which will be distributed based on your contribution after completion.
Day of the Mole: Complete The King on White Horse
Snow Queen: A different way to complete The King on White Horse
Animal World: Completing The White Horse King in Another Way
The total points for "White Horse King" are 4500, which will be distributed based on your contribution after completion.
Ouroboros: Complete "Stay with Me"
A Thousand Years Later: Completing "Stay with Me" in Another Way
Goodbye: Completing "Stay With Me" in Another Way
[The total points for "Stay with Me" are 6000, which will be distributed based on your contribution after completion]
...This was the first time Aiwas had seen a mission of this style.
Unlike all previous promotion ceremonies, all tasks do not give clear completion goals, but there are no tasks such as "unnecessary killing" that encourage killing each other.
In Aiwas's experience, the Scaled Feather Lord's mission style was the most clear. He always gave clear objectives like "where to go," "what to kill," and "how many to kill," which was more like Aiwas's impression of a "mission."
The Silver Crown Dragon and the Snake Father tend to give out extremely difficult but highly rewarding tasks to encourage those who are promoted to take risks; the Twin Mirrors like to have fun, and their tasks are all the kind that are not afraid of big troubles; Wei Zhe's tasks are the most extreme, and the tasks themselves will serve as hints and misleading, and seeing through the puzzles of the tasks themselves is also part of the task.
At present, Sizhu seems to be the most compassionate and the most enigmatic one among them.
However, although the task itself is a bit of a riddle, the rules of "what should I do" are extremely clear. This is also very magical - although the language is complex and has a threshold, the specific steps are clear and easy to understand.
Although there is no side quest to kill people for points, the positions of the promoted people are conflicting.
It is obvious that they are in the world of the painting.
There are three paintings here in total, and Aiwass doesn't quite understand how to switch back and forth between the paintings.
Needless to say, these side quests are obviously conflicting with each other - that is, each painting has three possible changes, and it will eventually be completed as a certain "possibility".
All those who choose this possibility will receive points based on their contributions.
As for those who chose other possibilities for promotion, they obviously could not gain points from this possibility - because they made no contribution at all, and it was considered merciful of Sizhu not to deduct points for being a drag.
To achieve their desired goals, there was a conflict between the promoted players who had chosen the same painting. They would tend to destroy each other to force the painting to complete in their own direction. This way, they could monopolize more points.
However, this conflict is not absolute - they can change the direction of their completion at any time. And if someone dies early, because the soul cannot be destroyed, their actions will be less restricted and the task will be completed faster.
The weak are not without a chance of victory... These slain souls can even unite and use their numbers to divert the killer's painting in the process of completion to another direction. If the painting is successfully diverted, the killer will also be unable to complete his task.
If too many people united, they would become weaker—they would inevitably rank low after dividing their points, meaning they were bound to lose. But since they were already determined to lose, why not just surrender and admit defeat?
If you want to complete the ritual, you must want to win... and the two people who survive to the end must complete at least one painting to be considered a winner.
If both of them failed in their main quests and someone else successfully redirected their progress, they wouldn't be considered winners. The final winner would instead be the one who rose again thanks to [Holy Resurrection]—the only one, and the one who earned the most points.
"If you want to win..."
Aiwass pondered: "There are really only two strategies.
"Either you complete the main quest—finish the painting and escape from the world within it—and survive until only three people are left, then choose one of three and survive to the end; or you get the highest score after death.
"Simply staying alive is useless. You must complete at least one painting, otherwise you'd be worse off dead. But if you're unable to complete a painting even after death because you're hindering each other, then you won't get any points at all, and everyone's points will be zero. It's even possible that no one will be able to advance in this ceremony... and those who die are truly dead."
In other words, violent conflicts are bound to occur among those who are promoted.
But this conflict can turn into cooperation and game at any time, and even death cannot completely end it...
...Is the ceremony from level four to level five so difficult?
After sorting out his thoughts, Aiwass had a clear goal:
First, we need to determine how to complete the painting... Secondly, we need to find other promoted people, preferably Aleister.
Update completed!
(End of this chapter)
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