"Your Highness, I have acquired the Source Fragrance flower."
After pretending to finish his rice dumpling, Chun Hei approached the Prince again to report his findings.
"Oh, so it was in the Fallen Caves, as expected?"
"Yes, deep within the Fallen Caves."
"Is that where the Source Stream converges? Well done. By the way, my investigation has also made progress. I've learned what new incense materials are needed."
"And what is that?" Chun Hei asked.
"The blood of the Dragon Heir Prince, that is, my blood."
The Prince's blood?
"That shouldn't be possible, should it?"
"Indeed."
The Prince nodded. "All Dragon Heir Princes are like this. However, in Kenichiro's living quarters, I found Jō's manual. It seems there's a way to make him bleed."
He handed Chun Hei a small booklet. It contained Jō's confusions and veiled speculations, mentioning the need for "that," but without specifying what "that" referred to.
However, it was worth noting that there was a method after all.
After bidding farewell to the Prince, Chun Hei went to Emma, who was guarding the main hall. He figured she might have some information.
As expected,
Upon learning of Chun Hei's purpose, Emma said calmly, "Using normal methods, it is indeed impossible to make the Dragon Heir Prince bleed. However, you already have that method."
I already have it?
Glancing at the crimson blade that had recently appeared in his hand, he asked, "The Immortal Blade?"
"Yes. Please look at this."
[A Paper Severing the Dragon Heir
Part of the Book of Severing the Dragon Heir, left by Jō
If I possess the Immortal Blade, my blood shall flow
The flowing blood will complete the incense, allowing passage to the divine realm, thus achieving the severance of immortality]
"So this is what Jō left behind," Wolf murmured.
"If it's the Immortal Blade..."
Emma hesitated, "it could wound the Dragon Heir Prince and make him bleed. This would be another step towards severing immortality..."
Wolf did not seem to grasp Emma's underlying concern. Chun Hei, however, did. But from his god-like perspective, he could only watch Wolf report to the Prince and extract crucial clues from their conversation.
"What's the verdict? Did you find anything?"
"If it's the Immortal Blade, it can be done," Wolf replied truthfully.
"Is that so? If the Immortal Blade can make me bleed, shall we give it a try?" The Prince seemed eager. It was clear that his determination to sever immortality was unwavering.
"The Immortal Blade is originally a blade that cannot be drawn carelessly. It might have some side effects. I think... it would be best to do it during the incense burning," Wolf said. Although he often acted like a bloodthirsty weapon on the battlefield, he retained a considerable amount of reason when it came to the Prince.
"Yes, if you say so, then that's how it shall be." The Prince did not insist.
The conversation concluded, and Chun Hei prepared to move to the next quest objective.
However, he didn't go far. After a brief stroll, he stealthily pressed his ear against the door.
Eavesdropping!
In Sekiro, one of the essential little tricks one must learn is eavesdropping. It allows one to glean a lot of hidden information from the NPCs' mumblings.
"Just... a little bit more... until... what I must do is complete."
The Prince was secretly cheering himself on. He had something he needed to do, and his attitude was resolute, from every angle.
The eavesdropping concluded, and Chun Hei prepared to head to the next location – the Water Folk Village.
As he passed Emma, she called out to him, "In Jō's records, the word 'suicide' is mentioned. Severing immortality might also involve the Prince's life."
"What?"
Chun Hei stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at Emma.
"If we continue on the path of severing immortality... we must use the Immortal Blade to... end the Prince's life," Emma said with a troubled expression. "Severing immortality is the Prince's wish... I understand that very well."
"However..."
Her pleading eyes fixed intensely on Chun Hei. "Lord Wolf... is there no way to accomplish this without killing the Prince?"
This question completely stumped Chun Hei. He had initially only intended to complete the main quest of severing immortality to fulfill the Prince's wish, content to be a mere tool for collecting items and crafting.
Now, halfway through the mission, he was suddenly told that severing immortality would cost the Prince his life.
Although his time spent with the Prince wasn't very long, this young boy had genuinely captured his heart. If possible, he truly didn't want the mission to conclude with the Prince's life lost. What would be the point of severing immortality then?
Of course,
Faced with such a choice, each player's feelings would differ, and their decisions would vary accordingly.
"The Prince's life?"
At the same time, on the Shark platform, Lao San Yu, faced with Emma's plea, scoffed, "What does that brat's life or death have to do with me? I just want to clash swords. I crave worthy opponents!"
When it came to Souls-like games, Lao San Yu consistently adopted a brainless charge-through strategy. He would save or skip as much of the story as possible, only stopping if he needed to accept a quest.
As a result, even though his skills weren't as formidable as Chun Hei's, Chun Hei's early game progress was gradually catching up.
The reason for this was simple:
He skipped too much time spent on story dialogue. In other words, he had no understanding of any NPCs in the game, nor was he drawn to the character designs crafted by the developers. Right from the start, he had tried to duel the Sculptor, but unfortunately, Sekiro does not allow for attacking NPCs. Otherwise, there probably wouldn't be anyone left in the Dilapidated Temple.
After all, he was the kind of person who would dare to duel the Fire Keeper.
Lao San Yu's way of playing also had its own reasoning. Among the game streamers across the internet who dutifully followed quests and engaged in dialogue, his style of blindly trampling over everything had become a refreshing stream of clear water.
With so many people online, there would always be a small segment who enjoyed straightforward, fast-paced, hack-and-slash progression streams.
It wasn't that he wanted to cultivate a "brainless streamer" persona. It was just that the competition in the spiritual realm's gaming industry was too fierce. Without a distinctive streaming style, one would inevitably be outcompeted by the homogeneous mass of peers, leaving no livelihood.
Clang!!
He swung a blade at Emma, triggering her defense mechanism. Lao San Yu left in frustration.
"Don't let me see you again, you slut. Otherwise... the Immortal Blade will serve you!"
......
"The Dragon Heir's power is extraordinary. Perhaps it can be dealt with in an unusual way."
Chun Hei, his consciousness returned to Wolf's body, was still conversing with Emma, seemingly trying to devise a plan to save the Prince.
His approach was diametrically opposed to the extreme one taken by Lao San Yu. In any game, he preferred to fully experience the local customs and traditions of every corner of the world, cherishing every easter egg and every hidden foreshadowing left by the developers.
Consequently, he couldn't help but develop strong friendships with the NPCs. He had never treated NPCs merely as NPCs; instead, he saw them as original inhabitants of this bizarre world, finding amusement in every interaction with them and joy in gaining knowledge and experience.
Among them, his favorite was definitely the Sword Saint, Isshin Ashina, after a few drinks. He shed all pretenses of a Sword Saint, acting as boisterous as an old confidant not seen for years.
He also liked the Prince, this seemingly frail yet inwardly resolute and powerful defiant young boy. To fulfill his wish of severing immortality, Chun Hei was willing to die repeatedly in this perilous world and rise again to gather all the materials for him.
Then there was the Sculptor, who, when drunk, occasionally revealed a hint of sadness and regret, but otherwise remained silent. The stories and hardships etched upon him could be felt like a jar of aged wine, with a flavor that was both spicy and long-lasting.
As for Genichiro, this fierce individual willing to sacrifice everything for his nation, Chun Hei also admired him greatly. In reality, Genichiro was a royal descendant, of noble blood. Even if he did nothing, he would still live a life of wealth and honor. Yet, he chose the most arduous path to save his country. Had it not been for Wolf, the ostentatious protagonist of fate, Genichiro might have actually accomplished some things.
As for Miss Butterfly... Ah, Miss Butterfly... *slurp*... Thinking of the delicate Miss Mimi under the candlelight, exuding a milky fragrance, Chun Hei couldn't help but wear a lecherous expression. If possible, spending a lifetime with Miss Mimi in this chaotic world would also be a good choice. Mimi's fragrance, so good to pet!!
"If that's the case, Lord Wolf..."
Emma's voice jolted Chun Hei out of his delirious state. She looked at him, her expression sincere, "Could I ask you to help me find a way... to not kill the Prince?"
[Agree, I want to save the Prince's life / Refuse, severing immortality is the master's command.]
A prompt suddenly appeared, and Chun Hei's eyes lit up.
......
(My biological clock is so hard to adjust!)
(Yesterday, I was a bit sleepy at ten o'clock and lay down to sleep, planning to wake up early. But then I woke up twice at two in the morning, and after a trip to the bathroom, I was completely awake and ended up reading until seven or eight in the morning. Feeling drowsy, I naturally woke up at three in the afternoon... Damn!)
(I'm staying up all night tonight. To hell with my biological clock!)