"My story is about a child eting elves in the forest..."
"My story is about a beautiful angel..."
"My story is about a beautiful candy house..."
Noel Agnini sat on an ivory seat, a soft red blanket covering his knees, sipping strawberry juice.
He gazed at the passionate contestants in the Creator Conference, then turned his eyes to the sky - like blood, the red rain continued to fall, turning from a drizzle into a downpour.
The scent of the rain was like blood; this was clearly an unusual downpour.
"I’m contestant 87, Xi Ge, my story is about a girl from the Rose Clan who defeated the evil Old Nobles and reached Abyss Island away from the Continent." On the high platform, a girl in a red dress raised her arms: "The protagonist is called Nora. She has a friend nad Carlo Blo, a knight who shouldn’t fall in love with the heroine, but I love this identity conflict..."
She passionately introduced her story, smiling with satisfaction, showcasing her concept to a world audience.
Below, many audiences should be sitting, focused on listening.
However, the open-air auditorium was snaking with red streams, only fallen bodies, torn clothes, disorderly shoes, and hurried footprints remained.
This red rain was too intense; those without strong physiques couldn’t withstand it, and one after another, people collapsed into unconsciousness, including nobles, commoners, and other contestants.
Less than one-tenth of the people remained conscious.
This was the rain welcoming the "Dream Patrol Family."
However, even though contestants knew this sudden red rain was unusual, none fled. They cherished their chance to compete and continued to passionately tell their stories to the unconscious audience. This chance to alter their destiny might only co once; facing such sudden upheaval, what’s the harm? If they missed it, no one would care about their stories anymore.
The World Tree hasn’t called for a stop; a champion must be decided.
"...The heroine and the knight faced the Church’s pursuit, kissing under the moonlight. Knight Licamond shed his heavy helt for the first ti, black roses grew in the armor. From then on, his loyalty shifted from the Deity to her..."
More people kept collapsing.
Bodies lost consciousness, laying together like spilled pellets.
"...To protect the heroine, the knight barely survived. The heroine took him to Abyss Island, ho to an ancient Deity, Abyss Lord Leto Sully... He heard the heroine’s story and decided to show kindness, transforming the dying knight into an eternal Blood Clan. The heroine’s tears finally stopped, her beloved was saved."
The red rain fell ceaselessly.
Sounds of wailing, confusion, murmuring.
Contestants feared the sudden red rain while numbly listening to the high platform’s stories. Their eyes showed fear and disorientation, but they refused to give up their contest qualification.
The number of unconscious people increased exponentially, and the once-noisy auditorium beca eerily quiet.
Tens of thousands of unconscious bodies lay on their seats, as if still listening to the poignant stories from the high platform.
"...However, the heroine realized the knight gradually suffered, unable to accept living on blood and unable to see his old friends again, wishing for death, yet Abyss Lord Leto Sully’s eternal blessing prevented him from dying. Finally, he resented the heroine who forced him to beco Blood Clan, grievances accumulating with ti, until... a silver dagger pierced the heroine’s heart."
"Thud."
A muffled sound.
On the high platform, contestant 87’s body fell heavily, her voice ceased at the story’s end.
In the open-air high platform environnt, the red rain fell unshielded on her, and after barely finishing her story, she couldn’t withstand the red rain’s scour.
The World Tree’s phantom stretched its branches, emotionlessly evaluating:
"Plot score 72, Characterization score 72, Logic score 71, Philosophy score 65, World Mystery Disclosure score 40, Ending score 81."
"Overall score 66. Currently ranked 23rd."
"Next."
Contestant 88 bit his lip, gazing at the open-air high platform, opening an umbrella.
However, even with an umbrella, he couldn’t keep the rain in the air away. He took a deep breath, knowing he was risking his life, yet his eyes glead exceptionally bright:
"My story is about..."
At this mont, he seed to enter a selfless state, forgetting the danger, the fear, desiring only to tell his story to the world.
This is the Creator Conference attracting the world’s attention... Even with inexplicable red rain, so what? If you retreat, there’ll be no chance, a life spent regurgitating your story in a dim corner, returning to an ordinary life.
"...Thus, they experienced long storms, gripping each other’s hands in a jolting carriage. The detective promised the girl they’d return ho together, never leaving her behind..."
"Thud!"
"Contestant 89."
"My story is about..."
"Contestant 90."
"I’ve written my story half a life; I hope you like it. The story starts from a wooden cabin covered in snow and wind..."
"Contestant 91."
"This story’s inspiration ca from my daughter. She once folded a colorful origami crane for ..."
"Thud, thud, thud."
Conscious people dwindled.
Gradually, more people fell on the high platform, later ardents had to move their bodies to stand and tell their stories.
Fear and hope intertwined, confusion and eagerness stretched on.
It all seed absurd, like a vividly colorful oil painting, a surreal long film.
——Finally, a figure stood up.
He calmly glanced at the magnificent stage, then decisively turned away, leaving behind the splendor.
"...Contestant 5, are you withdrawing voluntarily? You’re currently ranked 7th, enough for a lifeti of glory and wealth. If you leave now, your ranking will be void..." Another contestant tugged his sleeve.
Su Liujin silently shook his head, leaving this place.
Noel Agnini noticed Su Liujin’s departure but was quickly distracted by another event.
"——Last contestant, Bai Qiu, please take the stage." said the World Tree.
Bai Qiu’s number wasn’t the last, but the World Tree seed to favor him, calling his number even when it had passed.
Everyone thought Bai Qiu wouldn’t co; after all, a few dozen minutes ago, after Noel Agnini showcased his story, Bai Qiu vanished from the seats.
Yet, unexpectedly, soone did co.
He didn’t look like Bai Qiu but had black hair, dark eyes, wearing a simple white robe like a walking swath of snow. Strangely, his back seed connected to sothing transparent, like unseen branches.
"Is that Bai Qiu?"
"Why has he changed his appearance, even his deanor..."
"What’s connected to him? Can’t see clearly, seems to erge from the ground..."
He walked calmly, calmly t the crowd’s gaze, calmly ascended the high platform. He crouched, took out a clean red blanket, moved the contestants onto the blanket, wiping the dirt from their faces with a white cloth.
The scarlet rain fell upon him, without affecting him at all.
By now, so Dream Patrol Family had successfully claid the unconscious bodies, opening their eyes, so unfamiliar with Su Ming’an on the high platform, laughed mockingly:
"What is he doing? Working as a janitor?"
"The stories those people just told made laugh; they’re too ridiculous. Only the World Tree likes such stories, and those people treat them like treasures, as if they really wrote sothing worthwhile."
"What’s the use of telling them so well? We’re here anyway."
"There are always NPCs who think they can change their destiny as long as they try hard enough, but they can’t even withstand a single rainstorm."
Su Ming’an folded the white cloth, stood up, and calmly looked at the audience below.
Under his gaze, those voices gradually fell silent.
"My story is about..." Su Ming’an began:
"A story of an ordinary person among ordinary people."
He narrated the story of himself and other players, the journey he had taken, and the story known among the Dream Patrol Family as "Welco to the World Ga."
He didn’t tell the story he had written for a long ti, the story of the War God Dragon King Jellyfish Emperor. At this mont, what he uttered was his own story.
The mbers of the Dream Patrol Family gradually showed shocked expressions; many of them had heard this famous internal collective story of the Dream Patrol Family. As they speculated about Su Ming’an’s identity, Su Ming’an looked at the phantom of the World Tree:
"...Finally, my companions and I adventured all the way here, reached the culmination stage expected by the Supre Lord, and ca before the World Tree to tell this story."
"At the end of this story, World Tree, please rate it."
The ti was very brief, and he spoke extrely succinctly, without any words to evoke emotions. Anyone listening would find it dry.
However, the World Tree cooperated by giving an evaluation:
"Plot Rating: 99, Character Rating: 99, Logic Rating: 99, Philosophical Rating: 99, World Mystery Unveiling Rating: 99, Ending Rating: 99."
"Overall Score: 99. Currently ranked 1st."
—An absurdly playful rating.
An absurdly playful result.
Shouts of astonishnt rang out, and whispers of disbelief floated around.
Ranked second was Sique, with an overall score of 93. He sat in his seat, unreactive to the result.
Ranked third was Noel Agnini, with an overall score of 87. He stood up and applauded, praising the inexplicable result:
"It’s a wonderful story, a wonderful score."
No one responded, and nobody cheered.
Under the red rain, the audience was silent.
The audience mostly fell into a stupor, and on the silent world stage, only a few scattered individuals watched, as if the vast world had shrunk into a little corner, with only them there.
In this absurd silence, the World Tree announced that "Bai Qiu" won the Creator Championship.
At the sa ti, Su Ming’an heard the task completion prompt.
...
"Ding-dong!"
[You have won the championship, completing the "Bai Qiu" identity role-playing task.]
[You have received a reward: the ability to change your own faction in the night phase.]
...
"Congratulations on winning the championship." Noel Agnini jumped down from his seat, walked onto the high platform, and seemingly unintentionally stood behind Su Ming’an.
This was a positioning they were very familiar with since their battles; Noel stood to the rear of Su Ming’an, effectively preventing any surprise attacks from behind.
However, Su Ming’an suddenly twisted his body, not exposing his back to Noel, and walked straight toward the World Tree’s phantom.
"...?" Noel blinked, puzzled by Su Ming’an’s cold deanor. He moved his fingers as if inquiring. However, Su Ming’an completely ignored his sign language.
As a sliced fragnt of the Light Side Noel, Noel had always been the Strawberry Alliance Leader in the Disciple Ga, and had no mory of betraying Su Ming’an. He squinted his eyes, feeling sowhat confused... What happened?
A golden wheat-crown, shaped by the World Tree, slowly descended toward Su Ming’an’s forehead.
—This is the champion’s crown of the Creator Championship, and the bearer is the "first creator in the world."
However, Su Ming’an waved his hand to refuse the wheat crown.
His true self was still beneath the World Tree; this was just a body connected to the World Tree’s roots.
The World Tree’s roots spanned Luowasha, so when Su Ming’an "symbiosis" with the World Tree, manipulating the roots of the World Tree at the Red Tower to climb up to the surface was equivalent to being another self.
He made use of his connection with the World Tree to have the World Tree declare him the champion, to complete the mission. Historically, the true champion was Sique. The wheat crown, Su Ming’an would not forcibly claim it, nor was he interested.
He stood in the drizzling red rain, on the platform where everyone was unconscious, beneath the silence of the world, and looked at Noel.
"Noel Agnini." Su Ming’an’s gaze turned to the distance.
"Hmm?" Noel turned around, with his back to Su Ming’an. He followed Su Ming’an’s gaze, seeing only a misty expanse, with bright red raindrops like the apocalypse descending, pierced only by a few strands of light cutting through the rain-mist.
"After the World Ga ends, Zhai Xing and Luowasha will be saved. I’ll beco the World Master of the small world. Where do you want to go?" Su Ming’an said.
Noel was slightly stunned by this abrupt topic shift; they were still standing on the Creator’s stage, under nurous live broadcast caras—is this the right mont to ask this? Yet perhaps Su Ming’an had a deeper aning. Noel replied:
"I should try to further contact the Deity and the High Dinsions’ domain, then go to the Outer Realm."
"The starry sky is beautiful, the Universe vast; there are many places worth seeing. Even if you beco the World Master, the small world will still have many unsolvable problems. I venture into the Universe, perhaps I’ll find solutions."
His eyes held a yearning, a gentle smile on his face.
"So even though you can accept becoming the World Master—why choose to aid the Master of the End of All Things, doing everything to stop ?" Su Ming’an suddenly said.
His tone rose slightly, as if foreseen, yet tinged with slight sorrow.
Noel’s pupils quivered, seemingly trying to comprehend Su Ming’an’s words. The concept of opposing paths was entirely blank to him.
The next mont, he unexpectedly spat out a mouthful of blood.
A long sword stabbed into his back, piercing through his heart and erging from his chest.
Blood dripped, staining the blue rose on the cane red.
Su Ming’an’s expression remained unchanged, rcilessly twisting the blade, grinding Noel’s heart to pieces like crushed mud.
He heard a voice ringing in his mind.
...
Ding-dong.
You have triggered "Soul Ferry," allowing you to read so of the other party’s mories, emotions, abilities.
...
"Swoosh—"
The heavy rain completely descended at this mont, dyeing the sky and earth crimson.
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