When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 309: Guardian of the Fountain

Chapter 309: Guardian of the Fountain

"Fuck!" The male player with thin stature and buzz cut on the sides of his dyed hair couldn’t hold back a curse as he swept the water bottles off the table, his eyes red in agitation. "I almost fell for that fucking faker’s trick!"

Qiuqiu gasped and leaned against the wall, clutching her chest in fright. "T–Thank you..." she conveyed her gratitude to the male bespectacled player who had stopped her earlier. If not for him, she would have broken the rule for sure! Who knew what would happen to her afterward?

While the other players were cursing Momoko, Jin Jiuchi paid them no heed and focused on the pale and sick jade doll in his arms. "Nian’er, are you okay?" He gently rubbed Shen Nianzu’s back in a comforting gesture. "Are you feeling sick? Do you want to vomit?"

"Don’t talk," Shen Nianzu spoke through gritted teeth. "Just... just give me a moment."

He buried his nose into the crook of Jin Jiuchi’s neck and took a few deep inhales, finding solace in the man’s familiar scent. Now he seemed to understand why Jin Jiuchi was obsessed with sniffing him whenever he was nauseous. There was just something oddly magical about his natural body odor that alleviated the discomfort in Shen Nianzu’s chest. Jin Jiuchi, he realized, smelled very much like warm sunshine and dew. Perhaps it was the reason why so many animals flocked to him?

Shen Nianzu exhaled softly, straightened himself up and offered a reassuring smile to Jin Jiuchi, "I’m okay now."

He looked around in surprise. He had been so overwhelmed with dizziness that he had not gotten a proper look of the surroundings. And now he discovered that they were still in a corridor similar to the one before, just that this time it was branched into three different paths, each with their own arrows and signs.

On the left: Echo of the Past – 500 meters; Mirror Dimensions – 2000 meters

Middle: Drinking Fountain – 300 meters; The Unfinished Universe – 1000 meters

Right: Gravity Shift – 800 meters; Frozen In Time Realm – 1500 meters

This place was finally starting to look more like a maze. Not only that, they also discovered the appearance of the item which had often been mentioned in the brochure – the emergency button. It was planted on the wall, round and bright red in color, impossible to overlook.

Grandpa stroked his chin and contemplated, "If I press it, can we summon the real tour guide?"

The eyes of the other players lit up when they heard that. That’s right, it was worth a try! They had gotten fed up with the pressure and uncertainty that loomed heavily with Momoko’s presence. If they could replace her with their real tour guide, then the subsequent journey would definitely be smoother! It was the best outcome they could hope for!

"You try," Ying said, straightening up from the wall and proceeding down the middle path without hesitation.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Grandpa asked in a haste, to which the woman responded by pointing at the drinking fountain sign. It was the only place where they could safely quench their thirst, and the timing was just right; they needed a short break after the dizzying attraction they had gone through earlier. Grandpa shrugged helplessly and suggested, "Oh well, let’s grab a drink first, shall we?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and they walked for three hundred meters until an open space was revealed before them. It was a circular area with a high ceiling adorned with an antique chandelier. In the center stood a fountain, featuring a marble statue of a young boy pouring water out of his jug, his expression soft and serene.

"Where is the guardian?" They looked around, but the area appeared desolate save for themselves. There were no signs of the guardian stated on the rules.

As they approached the fountain, the gentle sound of trickling water echoed beside their ear, and a subtle refreshing fragrance enveloped their senses. It was like their fatigue was being soothed with only one whiff, not only physically but mentally as well.

"Hmm!" Jin Jiuchi leaned closer and took a deep breath, his eyes sparkling in delight. "I’ve never smelled water this sweet before. It will taste good for sure!"

The players felt their mouths go dry. Somehow, the sight of the crystal-clear water in the pool looked extremely enticing, and they could already imagine how refreshing it would feel. Perhaps it was the influence of the fountain, or perhaps it was due to the fact that they had not gotten a chance to rest since the first crimson beam fell from the sky. The visceral urge to scoop the water in their hands and take a sip to moisten their throat coursed through their bodies. If not for the fright they had received from Momoko, they might not have been able to resist the temptation.

"Hello?" A player decided to call out, his voice echoing throughout the space. "Is the guardian here? We’d like to take a sip!"

"The guardian?" Puzzled, Jin Jiuchi pointed at the statue of the boy. "Why are you looking around? He’s right here, isn’t he?"

The buzz cut player thought Jin Jiuchi was making a joke at first, and he let out a scoff. "Why are you still joking arou— motherfucker!" He cried out in shock when the statue suddenly opened its eyes and stared directly at him. Flabbergasted, he pointed at its face, slightly hysterical. "I–It just moved! It looked at me!"

More and more players fixed their focus on the statue, and their jaws hung agape when they saw it blinking and parting its lips. "Welcome to the drinking fountain," it spoke gently in a smooth and velvety voice, sounding like that of a sweet and well-behaved boy. "I appreciate that you’re adhering to the rules, and I hope you can maintain it until the end. Please, feel free to take a sip and quench your thirst."

In the presence of the smiling statue, the players dared not rush forward like a pack of ravenous wolves. Instead, they lined up in an orderly manner and took their turns to drink. When the cool water flowed down their throat, their eyes instantly lit up. Delicious! So sweet and refreshing! It felt like all the accumulated fatigue and tension in their bodies had been swept away!

Jin Jiuchi, ever the greedy, couldn’t help but ask, "Can I take more so that I can drink it along the way?"

But the statue merely gazed at him in silence, his smile unwavering, and Jin Jiuchi deployed his most pitiful expression. "Please? I won’t take much. Just a little bit, okay? Just a liiittle..." He pinched his thumb and index finger together to emphasize his point.

Shen Nianzu: "..." Amazing, he could even haggle with a statue.

Sighing, he face-palmed and was ready to drag this greedy husky away, but then the statue blinked and answered sweetly, "Alright."

Everyone: !!!

Let alone the others, even Shen Nianzu had not expected the statue to agree so easily. Jin Jiuchi happily summoned an empty container from his prop storage and filled it with water from the fountain. Witnessing this, the other players also scrambled to ask, "Esteemed guardian, may I also take a little of your water with me?"

"Me too! I will only take a bottle– no, a cup, I promise!"

"I want some too!" Gu Luoxin thrust his hand into the air and pleaded sincerely, "Please grant me a little water!"

However, this time, no matter how many words the players said or how many promises they uttered, the statue remained silent as though it had reverted into an ordinary rock. As a result, they could only look on with envy at the blissful Jin Jiuchi and gnashed their teeth in frustration. Why didn’t they move faster and be a little more shameless?!

Grandpa had his arms crossed as he observed the interaction from the side, when an inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind. "Guardian, could you please tell us about the tour guide in this labyrinth, and how we can meet them?"

Everyone snapped to him in astonishment. T–This... this could also be done?!