Chapter 10

When the game time was in the early hours of the morning, Maso, who had completed his training, logged in.

The girls were still asleep, and Maso straightened the blanket that had been kicked askew by Ming'en, then put on his fur robe and slipped out of the room.

The heavy rain was still pouring down. The kitten, wrapped in a waterproof oilcloth, ran to the temple district in the west of the city and pushed open the door of the Temple of the Storm Lord Pain Besides, the deity he worshipped.

"Child, why have you come here in the early hours of the morning?" The one who greeted Maso was a shaman. This elderly man, dressed in a blue-gray fur robe, had a robust build, a pair of cat ears, and a long, thick tail. He was a big cat person—these big cat people lived on the west side of the Central Transverse Mountains in this game world, and together with the small cat people, they had established a vast tribal alliance.

Big cat people were naturally shamans, hunters, and warriors, and they were also excellent barbarians and earth dragon riders. After coming into contact with the grassland elves, some big cat people, due to their naturally high perception, became unnamed priests, paladins, and holy warriors.

During the dark age of the Planar War, a large number of cat people came to the eastern continent to fight through the Dragon Claw Fort in the northern part of the Central Transverse Mountains. Perhaps this old man was a descendant of the first batch of shamans who supported the eastern continent.

"I called upon the surname of the Storm Lord, and it was she who helped me defeat my enemies." Maso took out his spatial bag—this money bag contained 3,200 Asybi Golden Ship gold coins and 4,000 Goldfinch Iris gold coins. "Now, I have come to pay what I owe."

"It's not for me to decide, child. You should seek the answer from our deity yourself." The old shaman nodded and stepped aside, the originally closed door now opening. "The chapel is open for you, child. You have the courage to come here, so you should also have the courage to seek your own answers."

Bowing, Maso silently walked into the corridor.

The walls on both sides of the corridor were full of murals—Maso had seen them long ago. In any temple of Pain Besides, the corridor leading to the chapel had the same murals.

Pain Longxi Nie Besides, a female big cat person player from the Planar War era—this game first opened in 2220 AD, with a 10-year opening period. The game timeline started from 1217 ST to 1220 ST (beta test) before the Planar Invasion, and the public test began in 1400 ST during the Planar War era, ending in 1420 ST. The century-long Planar War era was brought to a close in 1414 by the players and NPCs of the good faction.

In 2230, the game entered a frozen period and was re-released in 2235 after 5 years, with all old player characters being NPC-ified. The second opening lasted 15 years—this time, the game timeline was set in 1507 ST, 87 years after the end of the Planar War, and the timeline stopped in 1537 ST.

In 2250, the game entered another frozen period, and the mainframe began to calculate the next hundred years of the world's development. It was reopened in 2255, and during the third opening, the game timeline was set in 1672 ST. At this time, the nation on the eastern continent, which had been unified by players during the second opening, was splitting due to differences in faith and faction orientation. The 20-year opening period brought the game timeline to 1712 ST, and the divided nations of the eastern continent eventually welcomed peace.

In 2275, after a 5-year frozen period, the fourth opening arrived, set in 1800 ST, the Song people's restoration era. The Song people, who had lived on the Ayarok continent for 500 years, began their epic campaign to reclaim the continent under the leadership of their emperor. In that year, Maso's mother entered the game and met his father... Of course, Maso was not sure if they fell in love, but he knew that two years later, in 2277, he was born.

These murals witnessed the era of the Planar Invasion, the battlefield of the first generation of players. Countless young people of the time chose to fight for their respective factions. Pain Nie Besides and her teammates chose to fight for the living and the good, and the murals recorded Pain Nie Besides' growth—the defense of Dragon Claw Fort, the battle at Selen Fort in the Green Forest Basin... She and her teammates ignited the flame of hope in the floating city, experienced fierce battles in Provence and Poitou... They reclaimed Fontainebleau Town, reclaimed Hatunst Fort, and ultimately reclaimed the ancient city of Asybi from the evil undead army. This final battle lasted two years, like a meat grinder, claiming the lives of 7,920,000 player characters in total.

It was an era that witnessed the fall of countless legends and the rise of countless saints. In the two subsequent generations of players, there were no as many legendary figures and battles as in that era. It wasn't until the fourth generation of players joined the Song people's campaign to reclaim the continent that comparable legendary battles emerged—the one-year defense of the Suzhou-Hangzhou defense circle.

These murals depicted the stories of the Planar War era. In the last section of the corridor, which connected to a garden, only the left side had murals. Maso slowed his pace, wanting to feel the end of the adventures of these predecessors once again—first, a heavily scarred greatsword, the famous Holy Avenger Pale Justice, the first and only legendary weapon to become a divine artifact in the hands of a player.

This divine artifact was the legacy of her teammate, the crusader Ronaal Dain. This legendary paladin was mortally wounded in the final battle. On the brink of death, he abandoned the glorious path to divinity offered by the grassland elves and ultimately died in the early hours of Asybi's liberation. However, some people cited the legend of a mysterious paladin across the continent, saying that this paladin did not truly die, and his noble and holy soul still protects all the good and innocent in the main plane.

The second mural showed only a bandage and a broken Yangguo katana—these were the legacies of Qingye Zhen, the wine-drinking monk, and his brother, the Yangguo swordsman Qingye Lin, from the Dragon and Beauty team. They died in late September during the Asybi campaign, during a surprise attack by the evil faction on a field hospital. A team of human players, including the brothers, volunteered to stay behind to cover the retreat of the wounded. Afterward, the reconnaissance team found only these two relics on the battlefield and later confirmed that the remains of the brave duo had been turned into undead warriors by the evil army and were purified by their teammate Ronaal Dain in the final battle. They were buried in Ronaal Dain's tomb at the Asybi Sacred Cathedral.

The third mural depicted two battle-worn round shields, two medieval one-handed dwarf battle axes, and a long-barreled musket—these were the equipment of the two dwarf shield guards and the musketeer Vassily from the Dragon and Beauty team. The dwarf war band and a company of virtuous paladins all died in the final battle to cover the legendary virtuous paladin Prince Thorp's purification of the Asybi Sacred Cathedral. The dwarves were anointed with holy water before the battle, and most of them were eventually transported back to the Holy Shield Guard Cemetery at Dragon Claw Fort for burial. Meng Jinglei, Anzi, and Vassily were buried according to their wishes in Ronaal Dain's tomb at the Asybi Sacred Cathedral.

The fourth mural showed two short-barreled muskets and a Holy Prayer Book—these were the legacies of the steadfast paladin Qiancheng and the dragon lineage mage Sali. Qiancheng died in the battle to reclaim the Asybi Sacred Cathedral, and the dragon lineage mage Sali exhausted his life to retrieve his lover's body from a divine bone lich. They were buried in Ronaal Dain's tomb at the Asybi Sacred Cathedral.

The fifth mural showed a length of rope and two short swords—these were the legacies of the first team leader of the Dragon and Beauty team. He died during a reconnaissance mission in enemy territory. To stop the enemy's pursuit, the fearless gnome team leader ignited all the explosives on his body, destroying the only quick pursuit bridge and taking a group of enemy players with him. Ronaal Dain's tomb at the Asybi Sacred Cathedral contained a cenotaph for this brave hero.

The sixth mural showed four parallel world tree staves—these were the legacies of the four grassland elf mages from the Dragon and Beauty team: the female mages Aina Saharin, Dika Longxi, and Wei Longxi, and the male mage Bazuka Saharin. The four mages survived the war and lived out their lives over the next three centuries. They all chose not to become grassland elf liches and were buried according to their wishes in Ronaal Dain's tomb at the Asybi Sacred Cathedral.

The seventh mural showed a Song-style Tang sword, a druidic staff, a druidic wooden hammer, a gemstone staff, and a druidic world tree crown—these were the representative equipment of the Song quick swordsman Lu Baoyue, the druid Lu Xingcheng, the druidic treasure hunter Indiana Jones, the mage Lian Na, and her brother, the druidic dreamer. The five survived the war, and Lu Baoyue was the first to pass away. Her lover, Lu Xingcheng, gave up his legendary status, and the two were buried together with their teammates. As for Jones, the legendary treasure hunter, he is still alive but missing. The mage Lian Na, to find Ronaal's soul, ultimately chose to become a neutral good lich. As a legendary figure, she is now missing. As for her brother, the wild druid, he is still alive and teaches new druids at the druidic altar outside Asybi.

The eighth mural showed a pair of grassland elf maidens with gemstone-encrusted golden crowns—priestess Juyue and May. In the final battle, May sacrificed herself to save her sister's life. Juyue survived the war and, as a legendary unnamed priestess, attained divinity and became a demigod. She now trains new players in the grassland elf department of the Asybi Sacred Cathedral and continues to search for her sister's soul, which has not reported to the unnamed deity.

The ninth mural showed another simply dressed grassland elf maiden—priestess Yin. This was Ronaal Dain's closest lover, who died on the city walls, using her last life stone to shield Ronaal Dain from a fatal javelin. She was a remarkable comrade, thought the kitten.

The tenth mural showed a grassland elf maiden—priestess Yuchang. After the war, the Watcher Lady gave up her divinity and was reborn by the unnamed deity. She then took the Watcher Lady's divinity and became a goddess, overseeing love and vigilance. She continues to search for Ronaal Dain's noble soul, which has not reported to the Lord of Steadfast Knights.

The eleventh mural showed a young storm warrior (a hidden advancement of the guerrilla knight). This young guerrilla knight, named Sapang, the Son of Steel, survived the war and became a legendary guerrilla knight. Both the God of Warriors and the God of Barbarians favored him greatly. He was Ronaal Dain's close friend and, in the final battle, took the banner of the living from Ronaal and planted it on the top platform of the Asybi Palace. This legendary figure still teaches new players in the Asybi guerrilla knight corps how to become a storm warrior who fights for the innocent. Only the most fearless and brave players, who always adhere to the good faction, can achieve this hidden advancement.

The twelfth mural showed another grassland elf maiden holding tarot cards—Red-White Maiden Lu Enlai. She survived the war and inherited the mantle of the time maiden Hishime. Now, the Red-White Lady uses her only divine avatar to wander the cities of the eastern continent—some say she is following in the footsteps of her lover, Ronaal Dain.

The thirteenth mural showed a pair of small cat person maidens—Sefantis and her sister Sevantis. These small cat person arcane enforcers survived the war and successfully attained divinity. Their divine avatars now wander with Enlai.

Maso stopped in front of the final mural, looking at the warhammer and sword depicted there and smiled with a sigh—most players did not know what the sword and hammer in this mural represented. Some said it was Ronaal Dain's world tree sprout and the will of the zealot, while others said it was the weapons used by the Storm Lord Pain Nie Besides in the later stages of the game.

Maso knew who they represented. These were the legacies of two animated corpse priests—Silent Hand of Fear and Qinghai Ink Seal. In the game history of Ayarok Chronicles, they were the most famous pair of animated corpse priests in the Planar War era. They were the first players to advance to animated corpses and the only pair to complete the redemption quest. They participated in the Mogus Blood Night operation of the evil faction, the Poitou operation, and the Haen Valley operation. They repelled fifteen human assaults on the walls of Hatunst Fort, fought their way through the streets of Paronst, and in a two-on-two duel on the Asybi square, killed the Grand Master of the Steel Ambition, Tian Xingjian, and his deputy, the dwarf chanter Kogen Wash. They bore their sins until, in the human assault on the Asybi Sacred Cathedral, they opened the back door for the living and helped them capture the central area of the Asybi Palace.

The unnamed deity decided to forgive their sins, but Silent and Qinghai still chose to transcend themselves. They were ultimately purified by the unnamed deity and, according to their wishes, were buried in the unnamed cemetery at the ruins of Bern.

Maso also knew they had a relationship with the Dragon and Beauty adventure team, but he did not know the details—Maso felt that no one except the parties involved could know this sealed history.

Finally, Maso withdrew his attention from the mural and entered the chapel. He knelt on the cushion for worshippers, looking at the statue of the Storm Lord with its faint white light, and devoutly took out the wooden box, placing it on the ground and then taking out the pair of knuckleblades.

"You have finally come." A light, sweet voice, characteristic of a female cat person, echoed in the empty chapel.

"To hear your words, my lord, truly moves me, a mere mortal. I believe you must have been aware of the previous battle." Maso looked up at the ceiling—through the translucent glass, he could see the flowing rain, indicating that the sky would be dominated by the water element for some time.

"Yes, my child, I observed your battle. It was a flawless series of kills. Your remarkable talent with the crossbow reminds me of an old friend." The Storm Lord paused, "My child, you are a Dain... Tidrella Su Dain is your mother, is she not?"

"Yes, you... know my mother?" The deities in the system have excellent memories, but it's not easy for a deity to remember the name of a mere mortal, so Maso asked curiously.

"I know her, Tidrella Su Dain, the Grand Duchess of the Storm Sea, a mysterious female pirate with countless legendary experiences in the eyes of mortals..." The Storm Lord seemed to be reminiscing... or perhaps recalling, "Your mother had a good nature, but in the final days of her adventure, she took a wrong step. She and her companions were controlled by greed. While they obtained the treasure, the pirate ship 'Flying Henanese' became their eternal prison, and they are now undead pirates. It is a regrettable end."

The outcome that Maso's mother often mentioned made the kitten feel a bit awkward—only a failure of such magnitude could make a deity remember a mere mortal.

"Alright, forget the unpleasantness. Now, my child, let's talk about the set of equipment from Lovanta and Dain." The deity smiled, "You did well, child.