Beating Instances through Words Left by the Dead

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Clippings and Hidden Side Quests

As soon as dawn broke, Wu Chang left the post office and followed the map to the police station.

The police station was located on the western side of the small town, while the post office was on the far eastern side.

Heading to the police station meant crossing almost the entire town, which gave him a chance to observe it.

Briff is both an island and a town.

Only one-third of the island is flat land; the remaining two-thirds consist of mountains, forests, and beaches.

The township area of the town is concentrated on the one-third flat land.

The small town was established twenty or thirty years ago, and with the townspeople’s diligence in upkeep, the town is clean and orderly by day.

As they pass each other, the townspeople will stop and greet one another.

Even though their greetings seem a bit stiff, like some kind of programmed setting, they ultimately appear harmonious.

As an outsider looking in, one might truly feel that Briff is a tranquil and serene island town.

The buildings in the town are mostly two-story houses, each not very large, primarily wooden structures with simple designs.

Standing at one end of the street looking to the other, the houses on both sides look as if they’ve been copy-pasted from the same template, with only different colors and house numbers to tell them apart.

There are three landmarks in town that are the most striking.

First is the Great Cathedral in the residential area of the town, standing nearly fifteen meters high, made entirely of white marble, with a massive and beautiful presence that’s impossible to ignore.

In a town of simple, low houses, it indeed stands out.

The second landmark is Count Jemaine’s Manor; if the Great Cathedral is something you can see by looking up, then the Count’s Manor is seen by craning your neck.

The manor is built atop Sea Bird Mountain in the western mountain area of the island, the highest point on the island.

Every evening, the setting sun aligns with the grand main house of the manor, as if the manor were built within the sun.

That kind of view is unforgettable once seen.

Unfortunately, ever since Count Jemaine disappeared, strange occurrences have been frequent within the manor, leading to its abandonment now.

The last landmark is Briff Port.

As a transit point on maritime trade routes, merchant ships dock daily to load and unload goods.

Yet for some reason, the frequency of ships coming and going has been decreasing lately.

It seems as if Briff Island is being forgotten by the entire world.

The police station and the Great Cathedral are located on opposite ends of the same street, and you pass by the cathedral on the way to the station.

In front of the cathedral’s marble square stands a faceless statue of a woman.

The sculptor of this statue poured emotion into it; even without facial features, the posture alone conveys her compassion and mercy.

But after a few more glances, Wu Chang sensed a different kind of implication.

It’s a feeling that can only be assessed through inspiration, impossible to articulate specifically.

In the resentment of the previous mailman last night, the bronze statue witnessing the mailman’s death also had this sense.

In front of the statue, Spirit Fox, dressed in a nun’s outfit, was sweeping the fallen leaves.

Even without the help of cosmetics, Spirit Fox’s looks could still hold, though lacking refinement, showing the dark circles typical of a working person, and her complexion dulled a bit.

Coupled with the shock of inadvertently entering a C-Level instance, she seemed quite dejected at the moment.

When Wu Chang walked by and greeted her, he asked, ”How was your night?”

Spirit Fox yawned and complained, ”It was awful. The people here seem not to sleep at night; an old nun over fifty dragged me into a night-long chant of prayer rituals.”

Wu Chang shrugged, ”I was about the same. Last night, nearing three o’clock, there were still townspeople queuing to collect mail.”

He pointed at the statue and asked, ”Did the old nun tell you what’s up with this statue?”

Spirit Fox tried hard to recall and said, ”The old nun mentioned she’s called the Great Saint Mother, a patron deity of the suffering.”

”Then why doesn’t she have a face?”

”It’s said the sculptor died midway through the work, and since no one on the island switched to being a craftsman, the face was left incomplete.”

With no corresponding workers for the job, the work stalls, neither moving the statue nor thinking to complete it.

Such is typical of Briff.

After a brief chat, realizing no more information could be gathered, Wu Chang waved goodbye to Spirit Fox and was about to leave when she grabbed his wrist.

Spirit Fox was so close that only he could clearly see her expression.

Her listlessness and lack of energy were just a protective color; her face was full of fear, anxiety, fatigue, and anger at that moment.

The instance hadn’t targeted her yet her will had already dropped a lot.

Her voice trembled as she softly asked, ”Aren’t you afraid?”

Wu Chang shook his head, ”No, I’m not.”

”Why aren’t you afraid? I remember you’re only Level 7, the lowest among us,” Spirit Fox didn’t understand.

Wu Chang said expressionlessly, ”Not afraid means not afraid.”

He wasn’t just unafraid; he even felt a bit like laughing.

”Am I too weak? You, too, and Hamster, I really envy how you all withstand this pressure.”

Spirit Fox’s tone weakened, her head lowered further, completely hiding her expression as she released Wu Chang’s hand.

Wu Chang initially wanted to let Spirit Fox be quiet by herself, but he caught a glimpse of the faceless statue from the corner of his eye, vaguely feeling a contour forming on its face, and it was looking at Spirit Fox.

Tsk, is Spirit Fox’s will too low, or has she violated some condition making this ghostly thing fixate on her?

Spirit Fox was both a colleague and a partner in clearing instances if she could gather crucial religious intelligence as a nun.

From the standpoint of identity or functional consideration, as long as Spirit Fox wasn’t dragging them down, he had no reason to leave her hanging.

He quickly gripped Spirit Fox’s shoulders with both hands and shook her hard.

Suddenly being grabbed by Wu Chang rendered Spirit Fox at a loss, temporarily pulling her out of her negative emotions.

Her face flushed slightly, and she exclaimed, ”What are you doing?”

Feeling the statue’s gaze disappear, Wu Chang took a breath of relief, looking down at Spirit Fox, eyes meeting hers, speaking with utmost seriousness:

”Listen, as a survival-type player, I have extensive experience in surviving within instances. Maintaining a stable mental state, keeping your will unaffacted is paramount.”

”With a veteran player like Sword Star around, you don’t need to worry about fighting. Just focus on surviving as best as you can. I assure you, as long as you do your nun duties and don’t break any rules, everything will be fine!”

His determined gaze, combined with high resolve, exuded a powerful sense of security.

Even though Spirit Fox knew that the man in front of her was weaker than her, she instinctively chose to trust Wu Chang.

”I understand, you can let go now.”

Wu Chang lingered a bit longer, ensuring Spirit Fox’s mental state was stable, before sending her back to the Great Cathedral and continuing to the town police station.

With a population of only a few thousand, the town’s police station wasn’t large, comprising four people including the sheriff.

Upon Wu Chang’s arrival, Morena instructed the new recruit in the evidence room to take out a mail bag, the recruit being Hamster.

As Spirit Fox mentioned, Hamster’s mental state seemed fine, still full of energy.

Morena handed the mail bag to Wu Chang personally, advising:

”The postman is indispensable for the town. It’s been over a month since your predecessor’s suicide, quickly deliver the letters in the bag to everyone, they must be anxious by now.”

Wu Chang took the mail bag, unsure where to start venting his grievances.

To say the townspeople aren’t anxious about receiving mail wouldn’t be right, given they visit the post office in the middle of the night urging the postman to work.

You’d think they were eager, yet the mail bag sat in the police station for over a month without being claimed, waiting for the next postman to deliver instead.

The zipper of the mail bag was warped and deformed during his predecessor’s assault, making it necessary to remove the lockhead to open the bag, yet, over a month later, the deformed lockhead still remained.

Indicating no one opened the package or inspected its contents.

In the minds of Briff’s townsfolk, it seemed only postmen could operate a mail bag.

Returning to the post office, he removed the lockhead, finding five letters and clippings made by the late mailman before his death inside.

Just as he was about to close the mail bag, a sudden inspiration struck, leading him to reach inside and explore the bag’s interior.

He found a hidden compartment inside, from which he drew out an envelope sealed with wax.

As soon as he got the letter, his Title ”Perfectionism” reacted.

A hidden side quest was triggered.