Chapter 155 118: I'll Cut Some Fruit for You (2)

Afterward, he gleefully entered the underground space, ready to put his cheesing strategy to the test.

But his expression quickly froze.

'What the hell? Where's my boss?'

'That huge Lady of Tyranny and her dogs? Gone?!'

Niuniu couldn't believe it.

He had just reset this dungeon a short while ago, and it had cost him nearly one hundred Wax Oil.

'Doesn't this mean I'll have to spend more Wax Oil to reset it and run through it all over again?'

'Damn it! No wonder they compensated me with 100 Wax Oil!'

Niuniu's previously joyous mood instantly turned miserable. With this whole mess, he couldn't tell if he had lost out or just broken even... but he definitely hadn't profited!

...

[Bros, I ran into a Firewood Gatherer again today! This one was a naive kid, and I got a lot of info out of him. Come get the tea and let's analyze!]

[...]

On the Spirit Candle Forum, a post attracted a ton of attention the moment it was published. For some unknown reason, the admins even quickly stickied it.

Then again, the content was arguably worthy of the honor.

"Holy shit? The Campfire's Firewood Gatherers burn their Souls for Resurrection? Man, that's tragic. Isn't that just Spirit Candle Lite?"

"High EQ: Lite version. Low EQ: Nerfed version."

"That poor Firewood Gatherer, cooped up in such a tiny place, unable to communicate with others like him. If he dies too much, his Soul gets erased. My god, talk about getting the short end of the stick!"

"Oh, come on. No matter how bad he has it, at least he has a Dagger Witch with him, right? I'd be willing to burn my Soul too if they gave me a Dagger Witch!"

"Hey, that's not fair! We have Lady Noxia!"

"Don't get me started, that just pisses me off. There are so many of us Candle Spirits, so how come there's only one Candle Guardian Witch? We need a thousand more! Ten for each of us!"

"Wake up, dude. The Candle Guardian Witch isn't even ours. She was assigned to the Candlekeeper by the admins."

"That damn Candlekeeper! Brothers, charge into the caverns with me! Let's take that bastard's spot! How great would that be! (angry)"

"Screenshot. I'm gonna go tell on you to the Candlekeeper."

"No, bro, please... I was just playing to the crowd..."

"..."

The group of players, who were passionate about browsing the forums to "better themselves," immediately dove into a heated discussion.

As the game's popularity and player base grew, and with the addition of Storyteller's videos and recently leaked high-quality photos and footage, the Spirit Candle Forum saw more and more traffic.

This naturally drew many players in, making them yearn to play Spirit Candle. Even those who hadn't secured a spot in the game became intimately familiar with its terminology and lore.

Of course, aside from the players who were just there for the memes, surreal humor, and general entertainment, there were also those who were serious about discussing the plot.

Brother Miao Won't Fail the Exam: "Faraway, what do you think? @Poems and the Faraway Place"

Poems and the Faraway Place: "Haven't finished reading it yet."

Brother Aotian: "No low-effort replies!"

Brother Wudi: "No banning low-effort replies!"

...This group of players was prone to derailing the thread, but thankfully, someone had actually read the whole thing and was ready with a serious analysis.

Storyteller: "This relationship between the so-called 'Campfire' and the Firewood Gatherers is almost identical to the one between us Candle Spirits and the Spirit Candle. But I get the feeling... the Campfire doesn't seem to care that much about the Firewood Gatherers..."

Crafty Frog: "It assigned them their own Witch. How is that not caring?"

Storyteller: "It's hard to say... It's just a gut feeling; I don't have any proof. We still have too little information. This Firewood Gatherer, Klemo, is obviously too green. Everything the Witch told him went in one ear and out the other, leaving only a faint echo of her words rattling around in his head..."

Storyteller: "We should bookmark the name 'Fire Element Divine Hall.' It's probably going to be very important."

Storyteller: "There must also be a reason why the Firewood Gatherers can't meet one another..."

Storyteller: "Sigh, I actually have a theory, but I don't know if this is the right time to share it..."

Battle Bliss: "Spit it out! And type faster, will you?"

A moment later.

Storyteller: "Hehe, if you wish to know what happens next..."

Having reached the crucial point, Storyteller was clearly up to his old tricks again, stopping his explanation halfway. He loved watching everyone squirm, desperate for an answer they couldn't get.

Battle Bliss: "? DAMN IT! What's the theory?! Say it, say it!!!"

Brother Miao Won't Fail the Exam: "This damn Storyteller, at it again with his old tricks, huh?"

My hamster's name is Guagua: "Ugh, Storyteller, you're so annoying!"

The Most Beautiful Spring Courtyard Moon: "Where's Brother Aotian? Brother Wudi? We need a justice intervention here!"

In response, the two "great emperors" seemed to have a silent agreement to stay out of it.

Luo Ge, who had been lurking and reading the players' discussion, felt his eyes narrow dangerously.

But in the end, someone took action.

Crafty Frog: "?"

Crafty Frog: "Bros, don't you worry. I'm gonna pay the kid a visit and... cut up some fruit for him. @Storyteller (smile)(smile)(smile) [Image]"

Seeing the picture Crafty Frog posted—of himself holding a cleaver—Storyteller, who had been smugly enjoying everyone's desperate replies, suddenly felt his hand tremble.

'He couldn't speak for others, but he knew this guy, Wa Zai, all too well. Not only did Wa Zai know his address, but he was a man of his word. He probably wouldn't *actually* get chopped up, but a good thrashing was definitely on the menu...'

At this thought, Storyteller started to panic. He scrambled to shout toward the entrance of his studio, "Fan! Fan! Close the door! Lock the iron gate downstairs! Quick!"

"Huh? Okay."

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP... BANG!

"Lock what door?" Crafty Frog said, shoving the main door open and flashing him a "friendly" smile...

...

Storyteller: "Ahem. Bros, I swear, I will never leave you all hanging again."

After that simple guarantee, he swiftly laid out his theory.

"Actually, my theory is just speculation based on a single premise. Let's assume that our Spirit Candle as players and the Firewood Gatherers' Campfire are creations of the same tier."

"The original poster also mentioned that this Firewood Gatherer can absorb Power and Weapons from defeated monsters."

"Given that, the Campfire's method of burning a Soul to create a Reshaped Body seems strange compared to our Spirit Candle, which just consumes Wax Oil for Resurrection."

"It's also extremely weird that the Campfire prevents the Firewood Gatherers from meeting, since helping one another would obviously make them all stronger."

"So, based on this premise, I have only one conclusion—"

"If the Firewood Gatherers are the ones carrying a heavy burden, then someone else must be the one enjoying a comfortable life..."

In other words, some 'one' is profiting from their suffering.

"Of course, if the premise is wrong, then this is all moot. The Campfire could just be purely lacking in Ability..."

Although it was just a hypothesis, his speculation undoubtedly had some merit.

Of course, it all hinged on the premise being true.

Battle Bliss: "Makes sense. I think so too."

My hamster's name is Guagua: "Wow, Storyteller finally grew a conscience and stopped with the cliffhangers! (crying)"

My Son Failed, But I'm On Shore: "Hehe, Storyteller better not act up. Wa Zai's knife was just sharpened."

Brother Miao Won't Fail the Exam: "Just saw the pic in the group chat. So satisfying. Forget Brother Aotian and Brother Wudi; they've got nothing on my man, Brother Wa."

Brother Aotian: "I only just saw the message. Stop with the baseless slander."

Bron Really Not Deaf: "Maybe we could ask the Candlekeeper?"

...

'What's the use in asking me...'

After reading the discussion on the forum, Luo Ge was lost in thought.

He had, of course, posted that thread using an alternate account. The whole point was to pique the players' curiosity and see how they would react.

And now, it seemed they had indeed provided him with a few viable leads.

Luo Ge had already prepared for this possibility.

The Small Candle he had given Klemo was part of that preparation.

The item functioned as a tracking device. As long as Klemo carried it, Luo Ge could receive a faint feedback signal through the Spirit Candle's senses.

If the entity behind the Campfire was stronger than the Spirit Candle, it might have detected the tracker.

'But from the looks of it... it hasn't been detected?'

Although Luo Ge couldn't pinpoint its exact location, he could still vaguely sense the Small Candle's presence through the feedback.

'It wasn't detected?'

'Could I be overthinking this? Is the Campfire just weak in its Ability?'

Luo Ge's brow furrowed. He summoned Noxia again. He had to tell her about this; perhaps it would awaken more of her memories.