031 The Choice

Ever since they entered the forest, Duan Qing had imagined the final outcome of this journey countless times.

They might find the uncle named Trick and return home happily, or they might encounter strange events on the way back—monsters, desperate situations, pursuit by mysterious organizations, or perhaps even discover that Trick was the leader of some evil cabal. Of course, it was also possible that they would find nothing at all—a realization that dawned on them only after a series of setbacks. In such a vast forest, searching for one person was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. This possibility had grown increasingly likely as they ventured deeper into the southeast, wandering aimlessly. If they were to run out of food and water, this quest, which relied entirely on fate, would likely end in a hollow failure.

He had even foreseen that the person they were looking for might already be dead, or perhaps someone who never existed at all. But he had never expected the ending to be like this.

The woman in the blue robe had presented a possibility regarding the person's whereabouts as the final chapter of their story, but this possibility was completely outside of Duan Qing's expectations.

"That person is Trick, if I am not mistaken..." the blue-robed woman said.

Duan Qing felt a chill run through him, as if ice water had been poured into his veins. The young girl, who seemed naturally afraid of ghosts, grabbed the sleeve of the man next to her, her face turning pale. A-Niu, on the other hand, remained as oblivious as ever.

"Isn't that a living person? He even shooed us away. Don't think you can fool us..."

Duan Qing did not speak; he merely looked at her, waiting for her answer.

"You did indeed see him, but that person was merely... a phantom of Mr. Trick."

*Are you kidding me?* Duan Qing screamed internally, but on the surface, he dared not show any reaction—the person before them was a high-ranking figure from some council or another, and he didn't want to be flash-frozen on the spot.

"That image has appeared in many places throughout this forest. As long as your luck isn't terrible, you should have encountered him," the blue-robed woman, who called herself Christine, said, indifferent to whether the others trusted her. She continued to explain, "Though I don't know for sure if you have encountered him, and I don't have concrete evidence, but..."

"Based on my observations, that person... should no longer be among the living."

The soft voice articulated something difficult to grasp. Sensing that Meng Zhu was gripping his sleeve even tighter, Duan Qing grimaced and replied, "Is... is that so? Truly worthy of a Grand Magus of the Magic Council..."

"I told you, this is just a guess." Christine winked at the cowering Meng Zhu, a hint of mischief in her expression. "At least until now, I haven't been wrong."

"In fact, you..." she gestured toward Xue Linghuanbing, "or those others, are not the first group I have saved these past few days. Things like what you just encountered happen in this forest all the time. I just happened to be there, so I lent a helping hand."

"In that case, I should represent everyone and thank you for your generous assistance," Duan Qing bowed to Christine. "And I also thank fate for its favor."

"May fate be with you as well," the blue-robed woman nodded. "As for me, I am always happy to help. Oh-ho-ho-ho..." She grew cheerful again. "If only those other people were as polite as you..."

"Er, if I may be so bold, I think that as fellow adventurers, they were likely just like me..."

"No, no, no. They were all very rude. They either stared directly at me or tried to get too close... How could I not tell what their intentions were..."

The atmosphere around them seemed to turn cold again. Duan Qing chuckled and offered a forced smile, his mind racing to find a way to shift the topic, when a cold female voice suddenly rang out from behind, cutting through their friendly exchange.

"Wait a moment."

Duan Qing turned back to see that it was Xue Linghuanbing who had spoken.

The cold-tempered woman looked at this mage who represented the power of ice and snow as if she were looking at the giant tiger from earlier. She had removed her hood, and in her black pupils, white mist seemed to be rising.

"You didn't say the most critical part." The frigid air seemed to condense into her voice. "That previous one... let's assume it was an illusion as you said, but that doesn't prove he was Trick."

She scanned the others. "Don't you find it strange? This person suddenly appears, says the person we are looking for is dead, and identifies that phantom as him—why is that person Trick? Why did he die? Why did the dead Trick become like that..."

"Why would someone who has been missing for so long become a phantom that just happens to appear before us?"

"There are too many illogical points. And the most important one—" She pointed at the indifferent blue-robed figure, her tone filled with the confidence of a successful deduction. "Why do you know a person I don't even know? We, the ones who accepted the commission, don't even know what Trick looks like—how tall he is, what he wears, what his features are... I thought from the beginning that these people were acting recklessly, taking a quest like this, but that doesn't matter now..."

"You! An outsider who doesn't live here and is even more of a stranger than I am, how did you link the name 'Trick' to that shadow just now?"

Her words were like ice: "No matter how you look at it, it makes no sense! Therefore—"

An arm under her cloak lifted, and a pale finger pointed forward: "You are lying!"

Silence returned to the forest, and then the laughter of a queen rang out from the direction of the blue robe: "Oh-ho-ho-ho..."

The blue-robed woman laughed even more exaggeratedly, her torso even bowing forward. Sensing something, Duan Qing began to lead Meng Zhu backward. A-Niu, who had been skeptical of this suddenly appearing beauty, now realized it too: "She really didn't say it before..."

The laughter stopped abruptly.

The staff appeared suddenly in front of Christine and was driven into the ground. Her golden hair seemed to fly up for a moment, then gradually softened and fell back as she stopped moving.

"I thought you were all obedient little brothers and sisters..."

Xue Linghuanbing drew her sword with a *shing*. "Finally showing your true colors, are you... Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?"

The blue-robed mage looked toward the black cloak and suddenly asked, "If it were the children here, I could understand, but with your strength, you should have heard my name..."

***

"The Council of Seven is the highest body within the Magic Council, composed of seven renowned Grand Magi who jointly decide on major issues both inside and outside the council. Each member is a mage capable of standing alone; their reputation, strength, and character must be beyond reproach. Rumor has it that their power is sufficient to make them embodiments of the elements, both in name... and in strength."

Facing the inquiry, Xue Linghuanbing's voice remained steady, even conveying a sense of composure. "As far as I know, the member of the Council of Seven representing the water element is the water mage, Christine."

"The water mage Christine, known as the 'Fiery Ice'."

*Tsk, tsk, tsk. She really does have a big background,* Duan Qing thought.

"Since you know of me..."

"I have only heard the name 'Christine'; I have never met her in person, so of course... I do not know you." Xue Linghuanbing continued to take the initiative. "I will not make the mistake you just made."

"So, you need me to prove who I am? That I am indeed Christine? Otherwise..."

"Otherwise, everything you said just now was a lie, right?" the blue-robed woman finished. "I, an imposter with some ulterior motive, am trying to lure you somewhere, right?"

She smoothed her hair. "Do you know that doing this..."

"...is questioning the dignity of a Grand Magus."

Everyone froze. The air seemed to turn cold again. Duan Qing smiled bitterly, pulled Meng Zhu aside, and put on a harmless expression. However, the movement caught the blue-robed woman's attention—she kept combing her hair while turning her face toward them.

"We’re just passing through, passing through. You two go ahead, go ahead..."

Christine understood Duan Qing's meaning, and a gentle smile returned to her face. "I seem to have... frightened others..."

"Very well, I won't dwell on such trifles with you anymore." Christine looked back at the woman who was confronting her. "Let's talk about the coincidences. You think this is a coincidence..."

"From your perspective, there is indeed a large element of chance in what you are experiencing now. But as I said, I have encountered many such cases over the past few days and have saved quite a few people. Among them... that frantic figure has appeared several times as well."

"Want to know where these things happened?" The blue-robed woman winked playfully. "They... are scattered almost all over the Emerald Forest."

"This is hundreds of *deli* away from Greenstone Village. The range is vast. Do you think an ordinary person who cannot use magic could appear in so many places at the same time?"

"Don't ask me why I know he isn't a mage," Christine added immediately. "That's like asking why one plus one equals two."

"So what?" Xue Linghuanbing retorted. "This is just your side of the story..."

"I have tried my best to use methods you can understand to prove that the shadow is no longer a living thing. If you don't believe me..." Christine's emotions fluctuated slightly, but the next moment, she returned to her gentle persona. "If you don't believe me... there is nothing I can do."

"Let's assume we believe you," Duan Qing interrupted the black cloak's continued questioning. "However, I want to know more..."

"Why is the person we are looking for the same person you saw?"

"Why? That's simple..." The blue-robed woman smiled.

"I saw that little boy before."

*I knew it...* Duan Qing bowed his head and sighed.

"I heard little Benny's story and his plea. So, although I came here for other purposes, I was aware of the matter regarding Trick."

"Unlike you reckless little ones..." The blue-robed woman toyed with the staff planted in front of her. "I asked him specifically about his father's characteristics... Hmm, let me see."

"His father carried many tools needed for forest adventures: axes, ropes, wood saws, hammers... and a shovel, if I recall correctly."

Christine tilted her head and began to shake her finger, with golden hair strands dancing around it. This gesture, coming from such a mature woman, made her appear quite... confident.

"Of course, I have more evidence. For instance... I asked the boy if there was any token that could help me identify his father. He said his father wore a wooden necklace his mother had made for him, strung on a red cord..."

Xue Linghuanbing's expression turned grim.

"If I saw correctly, that person's neck had such a necklace."

"Was there really a necklace on that person's neck just now?"

The young girl had recovered from her tension and asked the others in a low voice.

"From that far away, how could I see clearly... but there seemed to be something vaguely there..."

Amidst the hushed discussion, the black-cloaked figure began to tremble slightly. The blue-robed woman picked up her staff and adopted a serious tone. "I can swear in the name of the Council of Seven—Water Mage Christine—that the person just now was a phantom. Although I have not yet figured out how it was created, but..."

"That was definitely not a living person." She slung the staff onto her back. "So, I conclude that the boy's father, Trick Ozichi, has met with misfortune. Do you think this deduction... is acceptable?"

***

"What is... your choice?"

"We accept this result." After a brief silence, Duan Qing exhaled. "In other words, our quest..."

"...is finished."

The sky was dim, and the wind in the forest began to turn cold. As if hearing a death sentence, or perhaps because a weight had finally been lifted from their hearts, the players who had formed the temporary party stood there, letting the cold wind blow past them.

*Finished... is it?* Days of forest adventure, searching, fighting, all sorts of things... and it just ends like this?

"Since you have chosen to believe my words..." Christine walked toward them with a charming smile on her face. "I can provide some magical assistance to send you out of the forest and back to Greenstone Village to report to the little boy."

She smiled, her voice becoming mysterious. "I guarantee... you will receive a generous reward."

*We already got it, though I’m sorry, the boy seemed to trust us too much...*

Duan Qing smiled bitterly internally, then said solemnly, "That... would be wonderful. Thank you again, Grand Magus."

"Oh-ho-ho..." The pleasant laughter rang out again as Christine walked past them with ease. "I like you all, so... no time to lose."

"Follow me." She walked away without looking back.

The group looked at each other, intending to follow. Only the black-cloaked figure stood in place. "Wait... wait."

The footsteps stopped.

"Do... do you really trust that woman? Even if she is the real Christine, even if everything she said is true, there are still many strange points in the middle..."

The black cloak's voice carried a tremor. "Even if that phantom is real, it doesn't mean the person is dead... Maybe he's still alive... Maybe we could still find something..."

"I choose to believe," Duan Qing said, turning around, expressionless. "I think I... already said that."

Xue Linghuanbing’s body shook violently. Her gaze swept over the man, and then she forced herself to remain calm, continuing to persuade them: "Are... are you really going to give up like this? We've come so far, is it all going to be for nothing? Think about what you've experienced these past few days, think about the effort you've put in, think about... the teammates who have already died..."

"Shut up, woman." Duan Qing's face darkened.

"Since we have accepted this fact, the quest is finished." His tone turned cold. "The quest is over. Going back and reporting is what should be considered now, whether for the sake of the boy or our teammates, in every sense."

Meng Zhu looked at the uncle. In the days they had been together, this was the first time she had felt anger radiating from him.

"Put away your pointless ideas. Now is the best opportunity—the opportunity to end everything." He composed his emotions and turned away again. "We won't be used by you. I... said that before, too."

"Take care of yourself."

Meng Zhu timidly looked at the woman's livid face and then hesitantly turned to follow. A-Niu, who was confused, hesitated for a moment, then shouted "Wait for me!" and followed. Behind them, Xue Linghuanbing slowly closed her eyes. She knew deep down that she had been driven into a corner.

*Freedom World* was so realistic, and her gaming experience had taught her this time and again. The fact that the party she led had been swallowed by the forest was yet another lesson. When she met Duan Qing and the others, she had planned to cooperate with them while also igniting a spark of hope.

Even level-ten novices were a force to be reckoned with, and with their knowledge of the area, she might have been able to go further with their help. Conversely, if they left, there would be no hope at all; relying solely on her own experience and ability, even surviving here would become a luxury. So, in her calculations, regardless of the quest outcome, these people would definitely stay to help her, especially Duan Qing—although his attitude was poor, he could see through her intentions; this man was definitely not simple.

So, beforehand, she had made up her mind to keep them, even using forceful means if necessary... but now, even that final option was off the table. Because of the blue-robed woman's presence, she could no longer use her own strength to enforce her will.

She... would become the biggest loser.

That man probably saw this too, which is why he was in such a hurry to leave... Well played, that "Moshang Qingshan"...

In the distance, the sound of Duan Qing and the others' footsteps was fading. Vaguely, she could hear him talking to the Grand Magus.

"A Grand Magus is truly an expert at adventuring. Your keenness for detail and awareness in finding clues are much higher than ours... I hope you can spare some time to teach us..."

"Of course, if I have time..."

Her vision blurred, and a roar filled her ears. Her body trembled, and she slowly sank to the ground. The sky seemed to grow dark along with her collapse—a sign that the sun was about to set.

From afar, the whistling wind sounded like the forest was sobbing in silence.