Not Planning to Compensate You

The secret chamber was indeed very small—so small that it could barely hold five people standing.

There was nothing inside it except a shrine, roughly half a meter high, nailed to the wall at the far end.

Two eternal lamps glowed dimly on either side of the shrine, casting an uncertain light over the golden Buddha statue between them.

The statue was not as benevolent as traditional Buddhist statues. Or rather…

Zhu Yan could not even be sure whether this thing counted as a Buddha statue.

Its head was round and completely devoid of a nose. Two enormous glass eyeballs, each containing an obsidian core, were embedded in its eye sockets and rolled around restlessly.

Because of those obsidian cores, no matter how the thing moved its eyes or how the light reflected off them, its “gaze” always remained fixed straight ahead. The sight was deeply unsettling.

Its mouth was set very close to its two eyes. Its upper “lip” was split like a harelip, while the corners of its mouth stretched all the way to its ears, exposing every tooth and bit of gum inside.

For a moment, Zhu Yan could not tell whether this was an exaggerated depiction of a skull or simply a skull covered in a thin layer of skin.

The thing was wrapped in gray cloth fashioned after a monk’s robe, and it held a basin of lotus flowers in its hands.

Cult Voldemort.

That was the nickname Zhu Yan had given the thing in his mind while standing in the courtyard.

Inside the secret chamber, the puppet stepped forward and saw the tiny name engraved beneath the shrine—

Lord of the Charnel Grounds.

“Offerings.”

A tiny voice suddenly rang out.

[Fog] could not help making the puppet look around the chamber, but the voice sounded again. This time, [Fog] was certain that it had come from inside the shrine.

“Put down the offerings.”

The voice spoke again.

“You are not one of our believers, so leave at once. In return for your contribution of offerings, may you become a close friend of death!”

Zhu Yan felt that sentence was extremely ominous.

But the useful information was obvious enough.

What did it mean by “believers”?

He had happened to read about the Lord of the Charnel Grounds in a book before.

It was an entity that had come from the snowy regions and did not exist in native Buddhism.

Did “believers” refer to those who had converted to these terrifying beings from the snowy regions, or…?

How had that “Ji Xiting” managed to form a connection with such an eerie creature and make them work for him?

Was this the power behind him—it?

Zhu Yan wanted to say something, but a force like sludge suddenly squeezed into the puppet’s chest. A faint stench wafted up toward his nose, making him gag.

“Leave!” the voice suddenly shrieked in madness.

Zhu Yan symbolically took two steps back.

“If I wanted to become a believer,” he immediately asked, “what would I have to do?”

The secret chamber fell into an eerie silence.

The strange statue rolled its eyes around and around. Nearly two minutes later, it finally spoke again.

“You need a sponsor.”

What kind of bizarre thing was a sponsor?

Zhu Yan silently considered the matter.

His ultimate goal was simply to kill Ji Xiting, take over his kitchen, and then see whether he could climb a little higher in [Carnival Paradise].

“Becoming a believer” was merely a way to start the conversation. Zhu Yan had no interest in the matter itself.

If it was too troublesome, he could forget it and find another way to ask about Ji Xiting.

“Some players are believers. Once the game descends, those people can obtain considerable protection.”

The Lord of the Charnel Grounds no longer showed Zhu Yan any overt hostility.

The word “believer” seemed to function like a switch. Instead, it began explaining things to Zhu Yan in a slow, conversational tone.

“If a player was already a high-ranking believer of our faith before the game began, and had spent a great deal of money and time participating in dual cultivation, sacrifices, and the construction of mandalas, then after [Carnival Paradise] descends, they will be given a job.”

Oh?

That was rather interesting.

Zhu Yan immediately thought of Ji Xiting’s restaurant.

If even the Lord of the Charnel Grounds was one link in that man’s supply chain, could those players choose to work in restaurants?

“What kind of job?” Zhu Yan asked the statue, pretending to bow. “I heard from another [Hunter] that the service areas on the highways in the human world have all become restaurants belonging to [Carnival Paradise]. Is that the kind of job you mean?”

The Lord of the Charnel Grounds replied, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Service areas? High…way? Still, that’s right. We do have jobs in restaurants.”

In the wavering candlelight, it actually opened its mouth, revealing layer upon layer of neat teeth inside its “oral cavity.”

“Jobs in restaurants are generally very high-ranking, and difficult to obtain.”

“An ordinary player who enters a restaurant will never have any chance of coming back out.”

Zhu Yan operated the puppet and made it nod to show that he understood.

Thus, the Lord of the Charnel Grounds offered a relatively amiable summary.

“It is still the same requirement. You must become a devout high-ranking believer. First, you need to find a sponsor whom we recognize, someone who will introduce you and lead you into the faith!”

“Finding a sponsor depends on fate. Unless you happen to meet a player who is willing to tell you that they are a believer of our faith.”

What a hassle.

So there was no way through this stage, was there?

Zhu Yan silently committed all this information to memory.

Still, it was not particularly difficult.

If he went looking as a player, he would probably have to search for a long time. After all, the [Human Alliance] explicitly forbade such behavior.

Even if he asked Qiu Lingkai for help, it would probably take considerable effort.

It would be easier to find a way to join the [Court of Many Performances] first, then figure out how to put on the skin of a high-ranking terrifying creature. After that, he could invite Ji Xiting out alone and set a trap for him.

“Thank you for your guidance.” Zhu Yan bowed to the Lord of the Charnel Grounds once again. “Now that all eight offerings are here, may I leave?”

The Lord of the Charnel Grounds’ eyes stopped moving. They stared fixedly at the people behind Zhu Yan.

“Hurry up and go,” it said. “Do not interfere while I nourish their filthy souls.”

…

Under Zhu Yan’s control, the puppet left the secret chamber without looking back.

Before he had even reached the courtyard, a woman’s voice rang out cheerfully, echoing in both the puppet’s ears and Zhu Yan’s own!

“Congratulations, my dear [Hunter]!”

This was Zhu Yan’s version of the voice. The woman sounded even more exuberant and spirited than usual.

“In this instance, you were successfully carried by Hunter No. 3. By working together with your colleagues, you have successfully completed your [Hunter] mission!”

“This time, we are extremely pleased with your performance.”

Zhu Yan could only force his mind to go completely blank.

He absolutely could not let the woman’s voice read his thoughts at a time like this…

Otherwise, all his efforts would have been wasted.

“We regret to inform you that you sacrificed a newly commissioned puppet. We have decided not to provide you with any bone coins as compensation!”

What?

Zhu Yan scratched at his hair.

What the hell?

Why bother specifically announcing something when you weren’t going to provide compensation?