Chapter 117 - 98: Lady of Tyranny, Mad Fallen Lord

However, the duo’s exploration of the left passage was anything but smooth.

They encountered quite a few monsters along the way, but they were generally weak and only caused them some minor trouble.

After continuing forward, the two finally reached the end of the left passage. It was a spacious Storage Chamber. The tables and shelves were filled with books, various documents, some sculptures, tools, blueprints—all sorts of miscellaneous items.

In front of a desk, an unknown Array was even drawn on the floor, looking very strange and indecipherable.

After searching for a moment, they found several books and papers that displayed information.

[Acquired: The Star Family Genealogy]

[Acquired: Rumors - The Curse Master]

[Acquired: An Inquiry into the Curse]

[Acquired: Jottings - Curse-Related Rituals]

[Acquired: Antonista’s Accusation]

"Oh my god, so much text. Aren’t the developers’ brains going to explode?" Mushroom said, astonished.

Niuniu also discovered that besides the texts marked by the Spirit Candle, some of the other books on the shelves could also be opened and read, and their contents were surprisingly detailed.

"They made it so detailed..." Niuniu was a little surprised, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Let’s just give them a quick look," he said, a bit resigned. He couldn’t possibly spend all his energy just reading, so they could only focus on the important parts.

Mushroom nodded.

But even though they specifically focused on the key points, it still took them a considerable amount of time to understand what was going on.

It turned out that Antonista’s masochistic personality wasn’t because he was a pervert, but because of a Curse on the Star Family.

A long time ago, an ancestor of the Star Family was cursed by a "Curse Master" for some reason.

The Effect of this Curse was that everyone with the Star Family bloodline would, to some degree, suffer from a strange mental illness...

For example, persecutory delusions, schizophrenia, extreme narcissism, mania, hallucinations, and so on...

The Curse was deeply rooted in their bloodline. Although not fatal, it caused the entire Star Family immense suffering.

Among his brothers, Antonista’s symptoms were considered the mildest. He merely had masochistic and subservient tendencies. As long as his wife, Jona, "tamed" him periodically, he could remain normal.

And this hidden underground room was built by generations of the Star Family as a place to find a way to break the Curse.

"..."

Niuniu and Mushroom couldn’t help but exchange a look, a peculiar expression in their eyes.

"This Curse Master is pretty vicious..." Niuniu rubbed his chin, then said something Mushroom never expected: "It’d be great if this was a playable class."

Mushroom was speechless. Niuniu’s brain was just wired differently from a normal person’s.

"I’m done reading. Let the lore-keepers handle the rest."

After stashing the documents, Niuniu and Mushroom retraced their steps, arriving at the entrance to the right-hand passage right under the noses of the Gray Wolf Followers.

Along the way, he even tempted fate by waving his hand in front of one of the Gray Wolf Followers, making Mushroom’s heart pound with fear.

But the creature remained with its eyes closed, resting, and paid him no mind.

Seeing this, Niuniu grew even bolder, looking like he was about to repeatedly jump side-to-side in front of it.

But Mushroom pulled him back in time. "Don’t mess around. Let’s finish exploring the other side first."

At this, Niuniu could only leave reluctantly.

’If only the Spirit Candle had some kind of timed-detonation Magic. I’d hit this Werewolf with something big,’ Niuniu thought.

"Oh, holy shit!"

Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from Mushroom up ahead. He froze in his tracks, his body trembling as if he’d seen something unbelievable.

Seeing this, Niuniu was just about to ask what was wrong when he, too, saw the scene before them, his pupils contracting.

"This is..."

"No wonder there aren’t many townspeople left..."

Before them was a lake formed entirely of blood. Poles stuck out from the lake’s surface, each one with the corpse of a townsperson tied to it.

Without exception, each corpse had at least three knives stuck in its head. Their flesh was gnawed by insects, rendering them unrecognizable.

And yet... they didn’t seem to be completely dead.

The duo could faintly hear neurotic, quiet laughter coming from the townspeople, and some were even writhing on their poles.

They were all [Sacrificial Living Corpses].

Blood dripped from their bodies, converging into the Blood Pool.

Along the edges of the Blood Pool grew moss and unknown fungi, also blood-red. The entire scene was a powerful visual shock...

Niuniu scanned the area, his gaze stopping at a certain spot.

On the left side of the Blood Pool was an opening, channeling the blood into a deeper area.

Above the opening, some patterns were carved, flickering with a faint, blood-red light.

The opening was very narrow, looking like it could only fit one person at a time.

"There’s a Spirit Candle here."

Mushroom once again felt its guidance. After approaching the Spirit Candle and touching its flame, some of his unease dissipated.

But when he turned back, he found that Niuniu had already stepped into the Blood Pool and was heading for the opening.

This gave Mushroom a fright. "Holy shit, what are you doing? Why’d you just go in? What if there are monsters down there?"

"It’s fine. The blood’s just a little past my knees. It’s not like I can drown..."

SPLASH!

Before Niuniu could finish his sentence, his foot found no purchase, and he plunged headfirst into the Blood Pool, sending up a huge spray of blood. GLUG GLUG GLUG.

Mushroom stood there, dumbfounded, then hurried over, calling out Niuniu’s name.