e-booksonline Chapter 129: Room 107 - The Gate Room, The Fourth Trial (20)
Chapter 129: Room 107 - The Gate Room, The Fourth Trial (20)
Chapter 129: Room 107 - The Gate Room, The Fourth Trial (20)
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 46
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 107 (Gate Room)
Sage's Advice: 2
- Han Kain
We just learned the astonishing fact that we’ve returned to the past.
I spent quite a while organizing the notes left by the “past me” in the Status Window.
Although it was unclear at the moment, it seemed I wrote these notes in a very urgent situation.
The notes weren’t neat. They seemed more like a chaotic collection of jumbled thoughts if anything.
Ahri sighed as she listened to my explanation.
“It feels like you wrote it just as you thought it.”
“I must have been in a huge rush. The handwriting is almost flying off the page. Let me summarize what I understand. Somewhere on this ship, a wicked ritual using humans as sacrifices is ongoing. Grandpa Mooksung was taken to this place and passed away. Elena used Justice to kill all the staff and passengers, and then the demon reversed time, bringing us to the present.”
“The ritual requires information regarding our age and birthplace?”
“Yes, and there's a clock at the ritual site that currently points to 1.”
“What determines the movement of the clock’s hand?”
“It’s vaguely written, so I’m not sure. It seems even the past me wasn’t certain.”
Elena spoke up after listening for a while.
“I think I roughly understand the situation. Let’s follow the instructions left by the past Kain for now. It seems there are two main tasks.”
“Yes. First, it says the dinner party in the evening is their reverse scale, so we should try to crash it. The staff have guns though, so be careful.”
“How are we supposed to crash it when the staff has guns? Now that Grandpa is gone, we don’t even have a gun—”
“A gun?”
“We do.”
Ahri pulled out a gun from her waist, looking confused.
Why does Ahri have the gun?
Regardless, it was fortunate.
I continued speaking, “Second, there is a place resembling an underground prison on the ship. We should check it out.”
Songee tilted her head.
“An underground prison... That’s not a place you’d expect on a ship. And we don’t even know how to get there.”
I conveyed various other pieces of information from the jumbled flow of thoughts from my past self.
As I suspected, I asked Elena for confirmation.
“Can you use Justice now?”
Elena shook her head as if it were obvious.
“No. I’ve never felt like this before, it’s weird. It’s not about lacking evidence or anything, but it seems like the power itself has dried up. Normally, it feels like a water bottle was full but hard to open, but now it feels like the bottle itself is empty.”
“Is it recovering? If so, when do you think you can use it again?” Ahri asked with concern.
“It is recovering, but it’ll take at least two or three days.”
Two or three days is an eternity in the context of the Gate Room.
It seems we won’t be able to use Justice for the Fourth Trial.
There were two terms in my notes that I couldn’t understand: “Wild Bees” and “Senior”.
What do those mean?
We all puzzled over them as we stepped out of the cabin.
Outside the cabin, two things changed.
First, Perro flew in from somewhere.
According to the notes, Songee had sent him out, so it seemed he was safe.
Did Perro not get affected by the time reversal?
Maybe he was just outside the ship.
While Perro and Songee reunited joyfully, rubbing their cheeks together, the scenario was updated.
Most of it was a general description of our current state, but there was one significant detail.
The staff and passengers of the Esper Ho were terrified when the hand of the “Clock of Contracts” moved.
Observing the people around us, I understood the meaning of those words, we observed the people around us.
The staff and passengers were too busy talking among themselves with extreme anxiety to pay attention to us.
It was quite amusing to see several men showing visible jealousy towards Stevenson.
As we tried to enter the party hall, a staff member appeared.
“It’s not time for the dinner party yet. You can’t enter.”
“I know the time. I just heard so much about how splendid the hall is. Can’t I have a look?”
Despite my earnest expression, the staff member didn’t budge.
“Lady, I’m sorry. We aren’t finished preparing yet. Around dinner time—”
“Is it really not possible?”
Now, I gazed at the staff member with the eyes of a young doe.
The flustered staff member stepped back, ready to refuse again.
This guy’s tough. But I have another card to play!
I turned to Stevenson.
“Is it so hard to see the party hall once? Why can’t we even step outside the cabin? Should we return to the cabin?”
It was strange.
The staff member didn’t say anything about going back to the cabin.
But it was enough for the man next to me.
“You! Step aside! I don’t understand why you’re making such a fuss over a simple viewing. Move!”
It worked as expected.
This is why I put my heart into getting dressed.
The staff and passengers of this ship weren’t ordinary, and there were sinister relationships hidden beyond their appearances.
I did my best to dress up, thinking I’d become about 70% angel, and as soon as I came out, people gathered around me.
Among them, the man who confidently spoke to me must hold a high rank in this wicked group.
As expected, at Stevenson’s words, the staff member stepped back, looking flustered, unlike when he was dealing with me.
The party hall was already splendid.
Since it wasn’t party time yet, there were few people.
Stevenson, who came in with me, started boasting about his business.
I humored him for about ten minutes, then asked to look around alone, and he left.
He probably thought we were engaging in some form of flirtation.
Whatever, now it was time for the plan: Make a noise in the east, then strike in the west!
I’ve lived in Korea for quite a while, but I’m still not used to these strange Chinese phrases.
Why does Korea even use these odd Chinese words?
Make a noise in the east, then strike in the west?
How about shortening it to Feint East, Attack West?
Or Shout East! Punch West!
Thinking such nonsense, I took out the lighter.
Time to make some noise in the east.
***- Han Kain
As we lingered near the stairs, a commotion began.
“Fire!”
“The party hall is on fire!”
The past me left a piece of advice: “The party is their reverse scale.”
Indeed, that advice was correct.
As soon as Elena set the party hall on fire, the entire ship erupted in chaos, with everyone rushing to the party hall.
Songee voiced her concern.
“Will Elena be alright?”
“Don’t worry about her.”
I wasn’t worried at all.
I’d already witnessed Elena’s incredible acting skills on the doppelganger train.
Even if she gets caught, she can just cry a little and say she didn’t know it would turn out this way, and they’d probably let her off.
In fact, we’re in more danger than Elena.
After taking a quick look at each other, the three of us started descending the stairs to the basement of the Esper Ho.