Chapter 99: Completing the World (Part 1)
"Princess, it's time for you to wake up."
Qi An was awakened by a very soft and respectful female voice. As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately felt something like a veil covering his face.
Feeling the veil that covered the lower half of his face, Qi An propped himself up to look at the girl kneeling by his bed.
She was dressed like a maid, speaking with her head bowed obediently, seemingly not daring to look at Qi An's appearance. Qi An noticed the girl was holding a very ornate tray.
On the brown tray, a pink puffy dress was especially conspicuous. Thinking of the 'princess' he had just heard, and looking at the maid standing close to him, Qi An fell silent for a moment, then raised his head to look at his surroundings.
The decor here was luxurious. Qi An's cursory glance alone revealed countless treasures. However, this place was clearly a room meant for a girl—this room or rather palace was pink-themed, with many decorative pieces that were quite pleasing to the eye.
"Yes."
The maid was still respectfully kneeling on the ground. Qi An gave a soft "yes," placed his feet on the ground by the bed, and gently stood up. The moment he stood, the kneeling maid also immediately rose. Nimble and efficient, she placed the tray on the nightstand, picked up the princess dress on it, then quickly walked behind Qi An, seemingly wanting to help Qi An into this dress.
"..."
Looking at the composed maid, Qi An's eyes drooped slightly. In order not to arouse suspicion from others, he extended his arms and let the maid dress him in the outfit.
The Survival Game.
This was a special world within the Cross-World Bureau. It wasn't a system-assigned mission, but rather a special mode that allowed crossers to settle their grievances amongst themselves. First, there had to be a crosser who initiated this survival game world. The person who initiated it could select other crossers and pull them into this world. This person must possess very strong permissions. Those eligible to initiate such a mode were extremely rare.
Because of the special nature of this mode, there were no missions within this world. To end this world, one either had to meet the requirements set by the initiator of the mode, or the crossers had to engage in mutual slaughter until only one crosser remained alive. At that point, the mode would automatically end.
Moreover, under this mode, each crosser's transmigrated role was random, and no world background was provided.
Being led by the maid to the dressing table, Qi An silently looked at his reflection in the mirror—he couldn't see his own face clearly due to the veil.
So, after arriving in this mode, it was best to find the person who initiated this world without exposing his identity as a crosser.
"Princess, what do you think of this hairpin?" The maid took out a hairpin from a box filled with jewelry. It was a very beautiful hairpin. Qi An shook his head and walked toward the window.
Based on the maid calling him to wake up, it should be daytime now. But the curtains were drawn.
Although many lamps were lit in this palace, preventing the interior from being too dim, the atmosphere was still somewhat oppressive. These large curtains completely concealed the outside scenery, as if hiding something mysterious.
Qi An glanced at the maid who had followed him, then gently opened the curtains.
Blackness.
Darkness filled his vision. Qi An saw a blood-red moon hanging in the sky.
In the black sky, there wasn't a single shining star—only that blood-red moon radiating an ominous aura.
"The sky still hasn't brightened." Qi An didn't directly ask why the sky was like this, instead using another seemingly casual phrase.
"Yes, the sky still hasn't brightened." The maid softly responded to Qi An's words. "The high priest has already started trying every means possible to find a solution. But there's still no progress. That sorcerer locked in the high tower is simply too malicious—he won't even say the characteristics of the person we're looking for, yet wants us to find that person in this vast sea of people."
"To force us, he actually turned the sky into this color, even..." The maid seemed to have thought of something, and didn't continue her previous words. Instead, she changed the topic. "Princess, His Majesty the King has been waiting for you for quite some time. You should go pay respects to His Majesty first."
To find a person.
Qi An's brow furrowed slightly. He glanced at the maid who had fallen silent, gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, but before leaving, he took another look out the window.
In the vast darkness, Qi An seemed to have spotted the high tower the maid had mentioned.
Because this area was quite prominent. No other structures surrounded it, leaving it bare and exposed, as if the tower were some terrifying beast. The tower's top was pointed, extremely pointed, so tall that one could barely see its end.
"Hey, why does the princess always wear a veil? She doesn't even take it off when sleeping. Is it really true what the rumors say—that the princess is ugly?"
Watching the two figures disappear down the long corridor, a guard newly transferred here couldn't help but ask the person beside him.
"I don't know." The person who answered furrowed his brow deeply, then coldly replied under the curious guard's gaze.
"I don't believe it. You've been stationed at the princess's quarters for so long. Don't tell me you've never seen the princess's face. There must have been times when the princess took off her veil." The new guard said somewhat unhappily. "Just tell me. I promise, absolutely promise I won't tell anyone else!"
"I really don't know what the princess actually looks like." That guard said expressionlessly.
After a long while, seeing that the new guard's expression had started to change significantly, the guard added in an indecipherable tone, "I advise you, don't be curious about this. This is a... taboo."
"What?" The new guard was startled by his tone.
"Everyone who has seen the princess's face... has died."
Qi An was led by the maid to what should be a dining hall. On the main seat, a man wearing a crown was seated there. It seemed he heard their footsteps, and this man gracefully turned his head.
The man should be the king of this kingdom.
"Your Majesty." The maid behind Qi An immediately knelt on the ground to pay respects.
Qi An glanced at the man and was pondering how he should bow when the king's words rang out, "An'an, the reason I summoned you this time is mainly related to your betrothed..."