Rebirth Of The Noble Mage Behind The Scenes
Chapter 202 Signs of the End

Chapter 202: Chapter 202 Signs of the End

"No?"

Anvis furrowed his brow, looking at the slim tavern keeper before him.

"Mr. Tavern Keeper, this joke isn’t funny."

With those words, he raised his hand and placed the black copper key with a tag on the solid wood surface of the bar counter. Jom, standing beside him, did the same.

"Here’s the deal. If you are willing to tell us the exact route of the black sailboat that brought myself and other travelers here, then we will forego the rest of our room fees—"

On one side of the bar counter, a fish oil wax candle on a wooden support pillar was lit, its flickering flame casting slanted light upon the two keys on the countertop, creating somber, sinister shadows.

"Black sailboat?"

The tavern keeper, looking down at the two keys, had a dead gaze with a strangely pallid complexion, showing no change in expression.

"Sorry, the three of you, there has never been any black sailboat, nor any travelers from the Continent."

"Perhaps, you just had a dream, and everything you saw was in that dream, who knows."

A dream?

Suddenly, Anvis understood where that subtle sense of incongruity he had felt had stemmed from.

The current environmental state seemed to share some vague similarities with the Dream World.

And listening to the tavern keeper’s words, he suddenly felt a chill, recalling a detail that he had not paid much attention to before.

In the days following his arrival on the island, aside from the Bishop, he really had not seen any of the others who had come with him on the boat—

Gazing at the lonely and deep tavern hall under the dim candlelight, as well as the sinister shadows on the despicable tavern keeper’s face, which inexplicably stirred up annoyance, Anvis suddenly did not want to wait here any longer.

Hurriedly leaving the Dormant Sea Demon, the three of them stepped back into the stormy night.

Just now, at Anvis’s hint, Jom extended his spiritual power to explore the guests in the entire tavern.

They were all the original inhabitants of the island, not a single outsider!

At the same time, as time passed, Jom also began to sense other anomalies.

An oppressive and stifling aura over the surface of the island was gradually rising.

.........

Boom! Boom! Boom!—

Accompanied by the constant thunderclaps that never ceased, the ferocious storm continued to beat against the transparent crystal windowpanes with loud, crisps pattering sounds.

In the luxurious building at the center of the Anomaly Zone, Xia Ye Yinghuo, in worn leather armor and with a rusted iron sword hanging at her waist, curled up next to the fireplace radiating with orange flames, the posture reminiscent of a vigilant hamster.

On her way here, she had noticed the night’s strange changes in the town.

It wasn’t that she had seen something specific, but rather an additional negative status appeared on her panel: [Oppressive Aura]

Because her level wasn’t even ten, the negative effect reduced all her attributes by five percent. The description was also bizarrely brief: The end is nigh.

By the window, the little girl Lorna with black hair and eyes was still sitting in that oversized chair, her profile facing Xia Ye Yinghuo, resembling an exquisitely crafted doll whose posture never changed.

After days of communication, Xia Ye Yinghuo learned that, unlike her who could freely run around outside during the day, Lorna couldn’t leave the vicinity of the house.

Learning this, Xia Ye Yinghuo felt a surge of deep empathy for the seemingly young Lorna. Motivated by mutual understanding, she would narrate her daily events to Lorna every night upon returning.

"...so, today I found two more cats, killed five, six, seven big crabs! I learned a new skill, and found this defensive armor! I’m awesome, right?"

Despite her submissive posture, Xia Ye Yinghuo’s mouth was indefatigably chattering, refusing to accept defeat.

Crack!—

At that moment, a loud clap of thunder erupted. Instinctively the girl shivered, her body curled on the sofa shrunk tighter again.

"...Impressive."

Lorna silently nodded while looking at the Half-Elf girl curling herself up into a ball, reluctantly nodding in praise.

As the two of them grew more familiar with each other, Lorna was no longer as indifferent as in the beginning, instead occasionally responding.

"But seriously, it’s so dark in here, even though there’s such a big Crystal chandelier! Since this damn house has trapped us, there’s no need to save electricity... or whatever it’s supposed to be saving, right?"

Xia Ye Yinghuo began to cast blame on the darkness of the house, feeling a bit embarrassed by her own behavior, and even made a funny face by the end of her complaint.

"...There are no Demon Crystals."

Lorna looked at the Half-Elf girl with a calm expression and spoke succinctly.

"Uh..."

Xia Ye Yinghuo choked for a moment, not sure how to continue the conversation.

For a time, the room returned to its previous quiet. The only sounds were the crackling of the faint fire in the hearth, and the thunder rumbling outside the window, accompanied by the rain lashing against the Crystal panes.

In this strange silence, Lorna looked once again at the painting on the wall.

Unbeknownst to them, the spot where the two people in the painting stood had quietly changed from a gentle beach to a precarious sea cliff.

The orange hues of the setting sun were replaced by the ethereal blue of twilight, with the Purple Moon faintly visible in the sky, casting a cooler tint over the colors in the painting.

The silhouettes of the two people became slightly blurred, while the gloomy and indistinct shadow in the dark blue depths of the sea became increasingly defined, as if it were about to break its seal at any moment.

"..."

Turning her gaze back towards Xia Ye Yinghuo, who reflected the light of the fire in her pale green eyes, Lorna’s lips parted slightly, her hesitation evident.

After a moment of silence, the young girl spoke softly.

"Vivian, you’re, going to die."

Despite her still calm demeanor, the girl’s gentle tone carried a nearly imperceptible hint of sorrow.

"You’ve held on for a very long time, but tonight, you’ve truly reached your limit..."

"...Yeah."

Looking at the negative status "[Dream Erosion III]" on her panel, Xia Ye Yinghuo nodded in frustration.

She had just reached Level Four, but after tonight, the amount of life to be deducted exceeded her maximum Life.

Fortunately, there was only a little bit over her Experience bar, so the loss due to death wouldn’t be substantial.

Who knew that in this game, where resurrection chances are limited, just wandering around in the newbie zone, you could stumble upon a death-certain instance?

She had already decided that once she logged off, she would definitely give a piece of her mind to those dog planners who, in their eagerness to sell Resurrection Stones, designed game plots that were utterly conscienceless!

Watching the girl who, upon learning of her predicament, seemed as calm as usual, Lorna tilted her head in confusion.

"Aren’t you, scared?"

"There’s nothing I can do about it if I’m scared. If I die, then I die."

Hearing Lorna’s question, Xia Ye Yinghuo didn’t give it much thought and casually replied.

"...You’re so brave."

Hearing Xia Ye Yinghuo’s carefree statement, Lorna’s lusterless black eyes widened slightly. Despite feeling downcast, she couldn’t help but admire the Half-Elf girl’s open-mindedness.

"Lorna, do you know?"

"Actually, my biggest dream since coming to this world has been to be able to fly freely through the sky—"

After a pause, Xia Ye Yinghuo suddenly started speaking on her own.