Had it been a few hours? Maybe even half a day? Shouldn't it be dawn already? What was the deal with this place?
He stared at the moon and wondered whether it was artificial. Was he in some enclosed space? He hadn't met any Players either. He stared for a few seconds before shaking his head.
No matter.
He continued his journey, but he hadn't left the graveyard for long before he saw streams approaching the area from different directions.
A stream suddenly stopped and landed gently in front of him, revealing herself to be the veiled woman.
The other streams landed behind her, turning into her group. Then, to the group's surprise, the leader cupped her hands and bowed; the group hurriedly followed.
"□□□□□□□."
SV blinked and cupped his hands in return. "I have no clue what you just said, but your voice sounds nice. Say more."
The woman was stunned for a moment and turned to her group. Seemingly understanding her dilemma, they shook their heads.
The woman frowned and signaled the others. The group bowed to SV once more before dispersing, each of the four floating gracefully as if gliding, surveying the land.
As SV wondered what they were planning to do, he heard the woman say something, "□□."
"What?" He inquired as he turned to her.
She turned sideways and made a please gesture. "You want me to follow you?"
She nodded gently, somehow understanding his question.
SV was noncommittal and headed ahead of her. She followed him a step behind. SV frowned and looked at her.
This woman clearly had high bearing. Her walk was poised and calm, her pellucid black eyes revealing dignified tranquility. Her white dress flowed on her frame until it swept the muddy ground but remained unstained, its wide sleeves gently swaying and covering her hands. Her grey overrobe added a layer of guard against the world's filth, adorned with fine embroidery observed only when looked at closely.
Her black hair was tied into a simple bun held in place by a wooden hairpin, the only accessory she sported. Finally, there was her veil, a black opaque piece of silk that hid her face from the world, only revealing her eyes.
SV didn't understand the treatment he received from her. He was just a random nobody, a level zero scrub. Why would this high-level NPC treat him with such courtesy?
No matter.
He turned away from her and kept walking. A minute of awkward silence later, he turned to her again, "are we heading in the right direction?" He pointed forward.
The woman nodded.
"How far are we going to walk?" He inquired again, making the motion of two people walking with his fingers and then making the palms of his hands face each other, closing and distancing them from each other to imply distance, and then raising his palms upward and spreading them to signify a question.
The woman stared for a moment before she understood. Her eyes crinkled with a smile as she pointed forward. SV looked ahead but couldn't find a damn thing or the place that she pointed to.
"Ah! No matter," he complained and kept walking.
The mood was lightened by the absurdity shared between the two; at least SV didn't feel so awkward anymore.
Another minute later, SV felt himself crossing some barrier, having no recollection of it existing before. Just then, the woman called to him.
He turned around, "are we finally here?"
The woman nodded gently and moved slightly away from the barrier, retrieving a long sword from under her sleeve, making SV wonder how a sword half her height could fit there. She began inscribing something on the ground with it.
SV squatted beside her, looking at her work; he commented randomly. "Are you drawing a Universal Translation Forma—I mean, the Myriad Languages Formation?"
"□□□," she said, then thought for a moment before turning to SV and pointing to her mouth, then wagging a finger.
"Are you hushing a child?" SV nodded speechlessly. The woman looked somehow pleased with herself and continued drawing her formation.
A minute or two later, SV got tired of squatting and simply sat there, uncaring for the mud. He boredly browsed the forum.
The woman glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and then ignored him. Stopping occasionally to ponder, other times frowning in thought, as if to try and recall something.
SV would occasionally observe her work as he browsed the forum to see her progress or gaze at the flying cultivators in the distance, seemingly working on a grand formation. It wasn't until two hours later that the woman finally finished, putting the sword back in her sleeve.
"□□!" Her gentle call prompted SV to look up from the shitpost. "Finally done?" He said as he got up.
The woman nodded again, making SV wonder if she'd just nod to everything.
"What now?" He said, spreading his hands in a questioning gesture.
The woman pointed to the other end of the formation while she sat on the opposite side, her hands on her lap. Curious what she was up to, he sat where she pointed.
She formed a few hand signs as the formation began to light up, making SV wonder whether the NPCs needed to make gestures to activate their abilities too.
The formation was a complex web of lines that gathered at two extremities, where the two of them sat.
"Can you understand This Yun, Benefactor?" She probed.
Hearing her speak the unfamiliar words but somehow managing to transmit the meaning across, SV raised a nonexistent eyebrow before saying seriously, "Yes This Yun, I can understand you."
She stared at him blankly for a second before shaking her head. "Benefactor likes to joke. If it displeases you, This Yun will refer to herself as I."
And she conceded to him once more... It was SV's turn to blankly stare at her. "Are you in love with me?"
The woman frowned, her posture straightening slightly. "Please be mindful of your words, Benefactor. This Yun will not hold it against you this time, but there will not be a next time."
Sensing the threat, SV was even more confused. "Then what's your deal? Why are you being so courteous to a nobody like me? Are you planning on sacrificing me to some deity for blessings so your idea of kindness is to treat me well before the final act?"
The woman blinked once, her eyes looking at him strangely. "That is a very specific scenario..."
SV ignored her gaze and said, "you haven't answered my question yet."
The woman remained silent for a moment before starting, "Benefactor, would you believe This Yun if she said that she cannot tell you the reason?"
"And why can you not?"
"The secrets of Fate cannot be divulged," she said softly.
SV narrowed his perpetually angry eyes, his gaze boring into her. She held his gaze calmly. "This Yun has no reason to deceive you, Benefactor. As you have stated, you are a nobody."
Lamenting that his intimidation wasn't working as expected, he brought a hand to stroke his beard. "I am a nobody, but whatever this secret is, it compels you to be courteous to me, to leave a good impression?"
She remained silent.
"You did a divination on me back in the cave, didn't you? What did you see?"
She shook her head, her expression turning slightly pale, a panic budding in her eyes. "Please, Benefactor, stop at this. Deduce it no more."
SV remained silent before shaking his head, "no matter. So what's the point of this formation anyway? I don't think we have much to talk about."
"Originally, This Yun wanted to answer some of your questions, but alas, man proposes, Fate disposes. This Yun is now afraid to answer your questions." She sighed then turned to SV, her gaze firm. "Benefactor, This Yun owes you a favor for your help in the cave. Would you be so kind as to let this favor wait? This Yun will repay you handsomely if we leave—if we meet again."
'Huh, she's afraid I'll discover something, so she wants to end the call?' How did this divination business work anyway? No matter, she just wanted to run away without giving me anything? Fat chance! SV remained silent for a moment before rubbing his hands together. "Actually, you don't need to wait so long; just give me a few skills and potions, plus several artifacts. A cheap price for your lives, wouldn't you say?"
The woman's eyes crinkled with amusement before shaking her head, "Benefactor, you haven't crossed the Mortal Tribulation yet. You wouldn't be able to use them even if This Yun were to give them to you."
"What's this Mortal Tribulation thing now?"
She thought for a bit, "You should be more familiar with the term Class Change. It is when one awakens to their Mana."
SV frowned then thought of something, "at level 10?"
She nodded, then thought of something and pulled out a bottle out of her sleeve. The bottle floated towards SV, "although a bit short, please accept this for now. Each pill is enough to bring you to the door of tribulation."
SV took the bottle and pulled the stopper. A refreshing fragrance immediately spread from the mouth. He could see a dozen or so pills inside.
"Benefactor, please keep it sealed lest the pills lose their efficacy. Also, please remember not to cross the tribulation without enough preparations."
SV put the stopper on and looked at her, "why? Is it difficult?"
She shook her head. "No, it is not difficulty that should concern you, Benefactor. You should strive to raise your attributes and acquire as many talents as possible. The better your foundation, the better your class will be."
Hearing a cultivator speak about gaming terms sounded odd, but SV looked past it. He nodded, "okay, thank you for telling me. Anything else?"
She rubbed her thumb against her skirt, her eyes wavering slightly. "Benefactor, please remember this. No matter what happens, I hold no ill will against you."
SV smiled and shook his head. "I know, I know."
"No benefactor, please take this seriously." She cut him off.
SV stroked his beard for a moment and nodded, "Okay. I'll remember that."
He then got up, uncaring for the mud on his pants. He stared at the woman and cupped his hands, turning to leave in the direction of the town.
The woman sat in her place, watching his back get further away without stopping him.
Then SV suddenly turned back and sat opposite her again. Before the woman could question him, he said, "Can you somehow give me a language skill or talent or even just directly impart me the knowledge?"
The woman's eyes crinkled, and then she shook her head. "This Yun is helpless. Otherwise, This Yun would not have needed to set up this formation here."
SV visibly deflated. "Is it truly not possible?"
The woman softly explained, "there are methods, but they would take too long, and those which take little time are not something your attributes can bear."
SV ventured to ask, "how high does it need to be?"
"At least 50 in spirit and intelligence."
SV opened his mouth, but all the words turned to a sigh. He got up and cupped his hands again, turning to leave for real this time.
The woman watched his back disappear, only for it to come back again.
The woman's eyes crinkled, "did Benefactor need anything else?"
SV ignored her teasing, "I didn't catch your name."
The woman was stunned for a moment, "Yun Jierou, Benefactor. Yun Jierou."
SV nodded, then heard her say, "and what is yours, Benefactor?"
SV chuckled, "don't you know already?"
Yun Jierou shook her head, "Benefactor likes to joke. This Yun refers to your real name."
SV shook his head. "That's my real name. Remember, they call me Bandit Emperor."
He got up and left.
Yun Jierou chuckled as she watched his back disappear for the third time. This time, however, he didn't turn back.
Just then, a woman from the group stopped her work and landed behind her, opening and closing her mouth.
Yun Jierou chuckled, sensing the one behind her without turning around, "Speak your mind."
The woman hemmed and hawed before finally biting the bullet. "Young Lady, if I may be presumptuous. Why is it that you treat that Extraterrestrial so kindly?"
Yun Jierou remained silent, her gaze never leaving the spot where SV was. "Fate is ninety-nine lies amongst one truth. This Lady is only searching for that one truth."
She stood up and joined the rest of the group, leaving the woman standing there confused.