Chapter 165 - 125: So Hard to Deceive

Taking it all in, Li Miao became lost in thought.

Soon, he continued forward.

The Spirit Candle’s guidance appeared once more.

After lighting the Milestone Spirit Candle, Li Miao walked a bit further before suddenly stopping and crouching down.

On the ground, a line of red text appeared in his line of sight.

[DO NOT GO TO THE WELL IN THE CENTER OF THE RUINS!]

[—LE TI]

The red writing seemed to have been left with something like charcoal; the marks were similar, just a different color.

’Don’t go to the well in the center of the ruins? What does that mean? What is this guy up to?’

Li Miao looked around suspiciously but found nothing.

He didn’t trust Le Ti to begin with. With this guy leaving a message here, he was almost certain Le Ti had ulterior motives.

However.

Li Miao was definitely going to that well.

He wasn’t about to get so scared by a single line from an NPC that he wouldn’t even dare to explore the map.

The only thing that made him curious was whether this guy, Le Ti, actually wanted him to go or not.

’Whatever, I’ll find out when I get there.’

Li Miao stopped overthinking it. As a player, the one thing he didn’t fear was death.

If it weren’t for the precedent of players suffering major losses after being taken away by the Pottery Men, he wouldn’t even be contemplating such a question.

...

After clearing out a large number of regular mobs and Elite Monsters, Li Miao finally entered the central ruins.

The area seemed to have been ravaged by a great fire. Charred, crumbling walls were everywhere, but not a single corpse could be seen.

He searched his way through, encountering quite a few Low Level or Ember Level Ghosts, but he either dealt with them or avoided them one by one.

As he ventured deeper, the number of monsters he encountered rapidly decreased.

Eventually, Li Miao discovered that there wasn’t a single Ghost around him anymore.

His gaze, which had been scanning the area, suddenly froze on one spot.

In a clearing in the center of these fire-torn ruins, there was a well!

’Looks like this is most likely the well mentioned in that warning.’

’Could it also be the cause of the Casa Peninsula being overrun with Ghosts?’

A few thoughts flashed through Li Miao’s mind, but he quickly set them aside and began to observe his surroundings.

The surrounding ruins seemed peaceful. Not even Ghosts appeared here. It looked as if there was no danger.

He didn’t see Le Ti either.

Li Miao didn’t rush forward. Instead, he waited quietly for a moment, observing.

But just as he was observing intently, a voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

"Mr. Wei, what are you doing here?"

Le Ti, his arms crossed and his body covered in wounds and blood, walked out from the side and asked in a low voice.

He clearly mistook the nickname "Brother Wei" for Li Miao’s real name, which made the address sound odd.

"I told you not to come here. There’s a terrifying creature here, and we’re no match for it!"

"Take this. It should help you avoid that thing."

As he spoke, Le Ti handed something to Li Miao.

Li Miao’s brow furrowed slightly. After taking the item and pausing for a moment, his eyes turned dangerous.

[Acquired: Monster-Attracting Incense Block ×1]

[Monster-Attracting Incense Block]

[Type: Special Items]

[Effect: The scent it emits is fatally attractive to monsters that have lost their sanity.]

[Explanation: What exactly is this made of?]

Seeing the information on the item Le Ti had handed him, Li Miao’s eyes narrowed.

"Le Ti, did you say this thing can be used to avoid monsters?"

"That’s right." Le Ti nodded. Seeing Li Miao’s expression, he added anxiously, "Take it and go, quickly! Oh, and whatever you do, don’t go into that well. Inside..."

SHINK!

The Frost Riding Spear, burning with brilliant Warfire, pierced through Le Ti’s chest, cutting his words short.

The next moment, Le Ti’s expression froze, and his body began to dissolve into Ashes.

Li Miao snorted coldly and retracted his Lance.

’This guy... he was actually playing me for a fool.’

It was obviously an item for luring monsters, yet he claimed it was for avoiding them. He was clearly trying to get him killed.

’Niuniu was right. Some NPCs just need a good thrashing with a weapon.’

Li Miao retracted his Lance.

Though he didn’t know what faction this Le Ti NPC belonged to, he was disappointed to find that killing him didn’t drop any loot.

’Is it because the game doesn’t want players to kill NPCs?’

’Or maybe the game intended for this NPC to be part of the storyline from the start, so they didn’t design any drops for him?’

Li Miao felt that was highly likely. This game world was too open-ended; faced with the same event, players could theoretically make an infinite number of choices. The freedom was immense.

At this thought, he couldn’t help but feel a little conflicted.

’He seemed like an NPC from a dynamic questline, right? Will killing him affect the major events and plot development to come?’

Thinking of this, Li Miao even felt a pang of regret. He should have left him alive to see what he was really up to.

After all, he had infinite Resurrections if he died, but this NPC might not...

However, just as Li Miao was lost in thought...

A faint cry suddenly came from the well.

"Help... save me..."

It sounded like a child’s voice.

Li Miao was a bit surprised. He pushed aside his thoughts, scanned his surroundings to confirm there was no danger, then cautiously approached the edge of the well.

This time, the voice was clearer. Someone was indeed crying for help from the Bottom of the Well.

’Are there other story characters?’

The question had just risen in Li Miao’s mind when the ground suddenly began to tremble violently. At the same time, another Monster-Attracting Incense Block landed at his feet.

But Li Miao didn’t notice it; he only saw the monster charging toward him from the front.

[Giant Arm Cleaner]

[Tier: Molten Slag]

[Level: 21]

[Talent: Hard Giant Arm]

[Skill: Clearing Dual Arms, Giant Arm Sweep, Giant Palm Slams the Ground, Strong Shield]

[Explanation: A Giant Beast used by powerful individuals to clear away filth. Its hard arms are its greatest asset.]

RUMBLE!

The Giant Arm Cleaner’s arms came straight for Li Miao like a bulldozer.

Li Miao instinctively turned to dodge, only to discover another Giant Arm Cleaner behind him!

A pincer attack from front and back!

No.

Li Miao quickly realized it wasn’t just in front and behind. To his left and right were more Giant Arm Cleaners, all converging on him in unison.

He was surrounded!

"Hey, big brother up there, get down here, quick!"

At that moment, the child’s anxious warning came from within the well.

’Should I go down?’

In this situation, Li Miao’s mind raced. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to listen to the voice from the well. Instead, he raised his Law Knight’s Shield, Warfire blazing, and prepared to Block the incoming Attack.

Of course, this meant he would likely be attacked from the rear and sides.

Even so, he still chose not to go down the well. No one knew what was down there, and he couldn’t be sure if the child’s voice could be trusted. Rushing down would be a mistake.

However, as it turned out, he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.

CLANG—

BANG!

Two short sounds rang out in quick succession.

Although Li Miao seized the perfect moment to raise his Shield and Block the oncoming Giant Arm Cleaner...

...the three Giant Arm Cleaners behind him interrupted his stance, grabbed him with their massive hands before he could react, and violently threw him into the well.

"Holy shit."

"Aaaah—"

The scream faded into the distance, finally ending with a THUD.

After throwing Li Miao in, the eyes of the Giant Arm Cleaner that had tossed him cleared up, and it quickly started fighting with the other three over the Monster-Attracting Incense Block on the ground.

From the shadows of the ruins, Le Ti’s figure slowly emerged, letting out a sigh of relief.

"He wouldn’t go down even with all that. This kid is really hard to fool. Made me go to so much trouble."

Le Ti glanced at the well, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Then, his expression suddenly turned disgruntled.

"What’s with that tone? Never mind if the methods were crude or not, just tell me: is he in the well or not?!"

After some idle chatter...

A smile suddenly crept onto his lips.

"Indeed. Those gullible Firewood Gatherers are nothing compared to guys like him."