"Brothers, let's briefly discuss my thoughts on the Divine Waters."
With his thoughts clarified, Chun Hei explained to the still-puzzled audience: "Divine Waters, as the name suggests, refers to the water from the Divine Realm. Its effect is to grant immortality, but the effect varies with concentration."
"For instance, the capital's water, this river we are in now, is closest to the King Fish's remains and has the highest concentration. Those who drink it will transform into fish. Yes, those outside with octopus legs, those lustrous nobles who suck vital essence. In a sense, they have achieved eternal life."
"Analyzing from a geographical perspective, the Divine Realm is located at the highest point, with Senpou Temple a bit below. Therefore, people in Senpou Temple would definitely be greatly affected. Flowing downstream is the Sunken Valley. Actually, the Sunken Valley is quite far from the Divine Realm, but its geographical location is special; it's a place where water accumulates, the source of the Divine Realm's water. Hence, the cave behind the Guardian Ape sprouted the Mibu Breathing Flowers with the scent of the Divine Realm."
"The Guardian Ape, drinking water there for a long time, was also affected and became immortal. Finally, at the end of the water source is the Mibu Village. The concentration there is even lower, so it couldn't achieve a good immortal effect. Therefore, the villagers of Mibu Village all turned into those frenzied, immortal beings."
"Immortality, immortality."
Sighing, Chun Hei lamented, "The main storyline that runs through the entire game revolves around immortality. How should I put it? The immortality caused by the Prince's bloodline seems the cleanest and most convenient, but this power is too great, reversing life and death, acting as the King of Hell on Earth, rewriting the Book of Life and Death. The resulting curse, Dragonrot, will gradually consume those around the immortal, commonly known as borrowing life."
"It is foreseeable that once the number of immortals reaches a certain extent and all mortal lives are borrowed, the world will eventually be populated only by immortals borrowing life from each other, until the involution is complete and all of humanity is extinct."
"Whether it's the Prince's bloodline or the immortal carp king, their immortal power originates from a dragon somewhere in the Divine Realm."
"So, it is understandable to sever immortality and return the world to its proper course. I agree with the Prince's philosophy. Now, only the final step remains. I am preparing to slay the dragon and obtain its tears!"
With that said.
Chun Hei swiftly ascended, leaving the lake and reaching land, continuing to explore deeper into the Divine Realm.
He didn't know where the original dragon was, but as long as he turned the Divine Realm upside down, he was bound to find it.
The audience was also trying to digest the plot information Chun Hei had provided, growing increasingly apprehensive.
'The designer is a bit daring.'
'The streamer is risking their life, is this something that can be said??'
'I can only say awesome, cherish this, it wouldn't be strange if it was censored someday.'
'Don't overinterpret, this is just the game's main storyline.'
...
Using the grapple rope to climb upwards, the scenery was as beautiful as a painting, but the nobles' visages were very ugly.
Chun Hei, with no intention of admiring the scenery, upon seeing the disgusting half-fish, vital essence-sucking nobles, proceeded to give them a fierce beating!
Pushing open an ancient door, Chun Hei once again saw a scene that made his scalp tingle:
A group of vital essence-sucking monsters dressed in red were vying to devour a half-fish noble vital essence-sucker dressed in blue!!!
Having come this far, Chun Hei had only killed blue-robed nobles. This was his first time seeing this upgraded version of red-robed nobles.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
The old woman wearing a white sash fiercely stabbed the red-robed corpse, saying resentfully, "How could they, how could they use such a scheme!"
"What nobility! What eternity!"
"Give me back my father... Give me back my father!"
"Wuu, wuu, wuu wuu wuu wuu..."
Seeing this, Chun Hei let out a heavy sigh, "Ai!"
"They all deserve to die! They all deserve to die!"
Anger burned through the heavens, and Chun Hei's hand trembled as he held his sword.
This world was too sick, he could not tolerate it any longer!
Similar incidents to the old woman were rampant throughout the Divine Realm: blue-robed nobles oppressed commoners, and red-robed nobles consumed blue-robed ones.
The suffering was always borne by the exploited lower class!
Unconsciously,
Chun Hei walked up to a tall old man, entirely bathed in a faint blue glow.
"Ho...nourable... fish... is... the King Fish... feed... it... must... ring... bell..."
His throat felt as if it were stuffed with half a salted fish that had rotted for months. The old man's voice was strange, mechanically repeating mission-like words.
"To feed the King Fish, one must ring the bell. Is this the father of the old grandmother with the red sash?"
Chun Hei suddenly had an epiphany. He walked to the nearby bell and drum, "King Fish, eat shit!"
Clang clang——
Whoosh!
The bell chimed, and a head, more than half a meter wide, with red, white, and black colors, emerged from the swift current.
The King Fish had appeared!
【Give Precious Bait / Leave】
Upon seeing the prompt, Chun Hei reached into his pocket and grabbed a handful of precious bait he had scavenged from the bottom of the water. It had never been used before, but today it found its purpose.
He scooped up a handful of precious bait and casually tossed it into the water.
The King Fish, like a hippopotamus, opened its mouth, contentedly enjoying the gift from the heavens.
Awooo~~ Awooo!!
It was evident that the King Fish had a long lifespan. It had two long whiskers and a senile appearance... If it weren't for the rule against spirits manifesting after the founding of the nation, Chun Hei would have no doubt that this creature could transform into a human.
After eating two portions of bait, the King Fish leisurely swam away.
Chun Hei returned to the old man, who continued to speak intermittently, "King Fish... it... honourable... very good... very good... give you... reward..."
The old man gave Chun Hei two Divine Carp Scales. "Fish... get... fat... must... be moderate..."
"Ai."
Shaking his head, Chun Hei turned to leave.
Divine Carp Scales weren't of much use, only for the Pot Noble, who would reveal a little information to the player.
Chun Hei had also encountered Pot Nobles in the Divine Realm, two of them. One was the genuine doll, Chun Nagato, who gave Chun Hei a portion of high-grade bait, openly revealing his ambition to poison the King Fish and replace it.
Because there was only one immortal carp king, and the previous one had died, other Pot Nobles would collect enough Divine Carp Scales to take its place.
The other Pot Noble, named Wei Sheng, was a hypocrite. Although he, like Chun Nagato, gave Chun Hei a poisoned high-grade bait, he maintained an air of righteousness and loyalty.
Finally, Chun Hei fed Chun Nagato's bait to the King Fish. The next time the bell was rung, the King Fish was nowhere to be seen. Chun Nagato evolved into the new King Fish, breaking free from the pot and transforming.
The other, Wei Sheng, withered and died in his pot, unable to compete with Chun Nagato.
In the lake of the Sunken Valley, Chun Hei found the remains of the previous King Fish.
It must have been washed down from the Divine Realm. This was where the Divine Waters converged. Beside the dead King Fish, Chun Hei found the King Fish's white whisker.
The white whisker symbolized the King Fish's eternal lifespan; its detachment indicated the King Fish's complete demise.
Returning to the old man who fed the fish, Chun Hei handed him the King Fish's white whisker.
The old man collapsed, "Ah... ah... ah... King Fish... is dead... wuu... wuaaah..."
A moment later, the old man finally found peace, "Finally... finally... accomplished... mission... gratitude... boundless..."
The old grandmother, wrapped in a red sash, arrived shortly after. Holding her deceased father's hand, she murmured softly, "You worked hard, Father."
"Even if there is no eternity, my sister and I will always be with you... So, rest well, Father..."
After speaking, she rested her head on her father's hand and breathed her last.
Thus,
The old grandmother, the old man, and another old woman seen earlier.
A family of three, all dead.
The narrative showcased warmth, naturally evoking reflection.
Witnessing this scene, tears welled up in Chun Hei's eyes.
"Hoo...!"
"Ai, this is a bit tragic."
Taking a deep breath, he composed himself, his eyes fixed ahead, a sharp glint flashing within:
"My task here is done."
"It's time to go to Senpou Temple and slay the dragon!"
...
(Alright, preparing for a new game)