Three Towers Game

Chapter 427 The Game of Good and Evil
rest area.

Wen Xishu had noticed something: the shouts in the rest area were no longer limited to the first ten floors.

Many people who were asking for walkthroughs are now asking for walkthroughs for floors 12 and 13.

In a small area near the Tianyuan position, there are even people on the twentieth floor who are more famous than him.

The reason is simple: Wen Xishu's tower climbing, no matter how high the level, is reasonable. Everyone has been shocked for more than half a year and has long been numb to it.

But others are different.

Anyone else who climbs to the tenth floor becomes a big shot.

The twentieth floor is home to a genius among geniuses, the next legend.

This is similar to how, after Lü Bu's death, people would describe anyone who is even slightly capable as a reincarnation of Lü Bu. Similarly, after Messi and Ronaldo, anyone who is even slightly capable is marketed as the successor to the King of Football.

Of course, in everyone's hearts, the Tower of Ghosts' number one ranking is already unshakeable. No matter how much people argue, they can only ever fight for second place.

Wen Xishu's Scorpion Knife function this time is "played by a passerby".

This is an interesting ability, but Wen Xishu doesn't know if it will be useful on this journey. Simply put, Wen Xishu can forcibly switch identities to an unimportant character; as for what constitutes "unimportant," or what that means...

We'll only find out once we embark on the journey.

The dice rolls for this "madness" were unremarkable—1, 2, 5.

This is a number that has never been rolled before, but unfortunately, it did not unlock any new options.

However, a new achievement was unlocked – all alone.

Yes, this time the Dice of Madness has only one option: the number combination 125, which perfectly avoids all other options, with only one possible combination being a quality upgrade.

Wen Xishu had no choice but to choose quality upgrade. That is, the quality of the rewards obtained after completing the challenge will be improved.

The description of being all alone is as follows: You're really lucky; the solitary option is a perfect match for you.

As for whether this achievement will have any practical effects after being unlocked, Wen Xishu doesn't know.

Because the description of the effect is also vague: the dice also want to work hard, and the dice are also anxious.

He felt like he had been tricked by three dice.

but……

"Perhaps there will be some unexpected surprises next time we throw it?"

Wen Xishu is without the three phases this time, so many sequences are unusable, and Scorpion Knife does not provide direct combat power.

However, this mission is indeed quite special.

This mission... is to play cards.

That makes perfect sense. After all, in the world of Witcher, you can play a game of cards when things are really urgent. If you've saved the world to level 60, being asked to play a game of cards is perfectly reasonable.

[Task Level: 68]

[Task Description: How resilient are you? Was the start of your life the worst you've ever experienced? If you could live your life again, with a bit of randomness added, do you think it would be better?]
Challenger, you will face the great 'Judge', who will work with you to complete the trial of several 'lost' individuals.

You can choose between the "good" and "evil" camps, but the judge will always be on the opposite side.

I wish you a good hand in this game of good and evil. But remember this advice: the cards you get aren't the most important thing.

Several missing persons?
It seems that this is not what I initially thought.

When Wen Xishu first saw the description "you", he thought it was another special phantom tower targeting him.

But clearly, this time it seems to have turned into a normal Tower of Desire journey, the kind where you can go to the Tower of Desire by invitation.

Wen Xishu checked other information—

[Based on the guide's assessment: The probability of survival in this instance is 0.315%.]

In terms of survival rate alone, it's more than ten times that of the last one. So it seems that this mission is definitely not the kind of numerical mission.

Wen Xishu continued reading:

[A message from the guide to the Tower of Ghosts: Choosing the evil faction will make it easier for you to win; choosing the good faction... will be much harder, but the rewards will be much higher. Of course, regarding the theme of good and evil, if you choose good and we assume you actually succeed in returning... then you will inevitably offend that person. Choose evil; this mission might be able to repair your relationship with that person.]

Wen Xishu knew perfectly well who that person was.

It's Aquarius, of course.

Wen Xishu seemed to understand that he and the "judge" would have a card game, a game that could determine whether the lost ones would become good or evil.

If you choose evil, the cards you draw will ultimately lead you to turn the lost into a villain...

In this way, you can win the favor of Aquarius.

Wen Xishu smiled. It was strange, though. Aquarius was definitely a very dangerous character, but for some reason, after meeting her in person... Wen Xishu just couldn't feel too much "fear" of this kid.

I always feel a strange sense of superiority when I'm around Aquarians.

This time, Wen Xishu did not choose to "force a retreat from the tower".

Since it's a card game, a contest of tactics, he wasn't afraid of anything.

……

……

Many of the tower mystery scenarios begin with darkness.

But this time, what Wen Xishu felt was an unsettling, dim yellow hue, like an old photograph forgotten in the cracks of time.

Silence is the loudest background noise here.

It was not pure silence, but an endless white noise woven from countless of the subtlest human whispers, suppressed sighs, and unformed screams.

When the Wenxi tree listened intently, the animals quietly retreated, as if they could sense the Wenxi tree's attention.

All of this is made up of cards.

An endless, boundless deck of cards.

They covered the ground like marble tiles. Most chilling of all were the patterns on the cards.

Those weren't hearts or spades, nor were they the King or Queen. Every single card depicted a human face.

They are living, breathing human faces, moving and changing. They seem like real, living beings, imprisoned within the cards.

As Wen Xishu walks by, the cards at his feet will all turn their eyes and follow his steps.

Some of the cards depict crying babies with flushed cheeks and open mouths, yet unable to utter a sound.

Some were grotesquely laughing, their eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, but there was no joy in their smiles, only madness.

Some cards change slowly; for example, a beautiful face will gradually rot, and a kind old man's face will become twisted into a venomous one.

In the center of this hall is the gambling table.

Wen Xishu's opponent—the "Judge"—sat right across from him.

The judge, draped in a long red robe, stood out starkly against the dim light. His face was also concealed by a red mask, revealing only his swirling, vortex-like eyes.

Wen Xishu had seen the vortex symbol far too many times in the Tower of Ghosts.

It is often a symbol of some kind of depravity and calamity.

The judge was not surprised by Wen Xishu's arrival:
"Welcome to the Good and Evil Card Game, Mr. Wen Xishu. Do you see those two cards?" The judge suddenly pointed to a certain spot, and Wen Xishu looked in the direction the judge was pointing... and saw two familiar faces.

Those are the 4 of spades and the 5 of spades.

It was a couple trapped in the mahjong tiles.

“I’ll grant you one privilege: you can make them both part of our game, and through the game, you can turn their fortunes around. Perhaps this can make up for your regret.”

At this point, the judge looked at Wen Xishu:
“I don’t usually give people this kind of opportunity, but I appreciate you.”

The man and woman trapped in the four and five of spades are none other than Wen Xishu's adoptive parents from another life.

These are the two who were killed by Wen Xishu and perished in the sea of ​​fire.

Wen Xishu found it hard to imagine that such two people could be seen in the Tower of Ghosts.

These two people clearly do not belong to this world.

The judge seemed to be trying to see a hint of surprise in Wen Xishu's eyes.

But Wen Xishu was no pushover and was not intimidated by the judge's power.

Wen Xishu didn't believe that the Ghost Tower had such an ability. He believed more that it was the judge's method, that the judge could see through one's own heart and find the source of one's dark side.

In other words, from this moment on, the game between the two has begun.

This is a rare level where you can face the Great Demon King right from the start.

In the past, it usually took some effort for Wenxi Tree to reach the final boss.

Wen Xishu walked to the judge, on the other side of the gambling table.

He has already sat down:
"Tell me how to play this hand. As for those two, I have absolutely no interest in them, so don't waste my time."

"Let's begin. What is a loser? What are the rules of the game? What happens if I lose?"

The judge was slightly surprised, not expecting Wen Xishu to let go of the past so calmly, and he was also very patient.

“The lost are the ones we must fight for. Before we begin, Mr. Wen Xishu, you must first choose between good and evil.”

"I suggest you choose evil; at least that way, you'll be able to get back alive."

Wen Xishu said:
"Thanks for the suggestion, then I'll choose good."

The judge paused for a moment, but a hint of disdain quickly appeared in his eyes:
"I'm glad you chose the most difficult way to play."

Wen Xishu shook his head:
"I just feel that the right thing is often not easy to do. But I don't like to choose the wrong thing."

The judge continued:

“There is more than one loser, and there is more than one game between us. If you win, you can change the side of a loser and reverse his good and evil.”

"If you lose, then part of your good and evil will be reversed; this is the bargaining chip. But no matter whether you choose good or evil, as long as you lose to me, your good and evil will be reversed."

"If you lose all your chips, you will become a complete villain. At that point, you will not be able to return to your original world, and you will no longer belong to yourself."

The process of turning from good to evil is what empowers Aquarius.

Wen Xishu asked again:
What is your relationship with Aquarius?

The judge said:

“You are not in a position to ask me questions, Mr. Wen Xishu, unless you have become a villain, or you win every match in the upcoming duels, which is impossible.”

Judges have a very direct connection with Aquarians.

Wen Xishu was already convinced of this.

It seems that this is a similar level to the one I faced when dealing with Libra. In the Libra Tavern, I will eventually face one of Libra's key figures.

Although everything inside the Tower of Ghosts has no impact on reality, certain resources can be obtained by using the Tower of Ghosts.

When Wen Xishu ordered Sagittarius to kill Libra's generals, Sagittarius gained a sense of power and received a reward in return.

When I go to the Three Towers battlefield in the future and face Libra, I will be more confident.

The same applies now.

Wen Xishu was certain that if he won, it would be much easier to control Aquarius in the future.

"I've made up my mind, I'll choose good. Please continue explaining the rules."

The judge shrugged, accepting Wen Xishu's behavior with amusement.
"Why don't we start the first game right away? From now on, I'll tell you who lost in the first game."

Wen Xishu began to listen attentively, searching for clues.

The judge said:

"The first person to be lost was named Ning Shu."

"She was a person who felt hopeless about life. There were not many possibilities left in her life. Her past was unknown, but her present was certain. She longed to die and wanted to end her life."

"Before she was completely disillusioned with the world, she received an invitation to a game."

"The rules of this game are simple—do ten things that netizens want her to do, anything at all."

"As long as it's within our capabilities, we will fulfill any request. Netizens are made up of countless ordinary people from her era, and we will select the option with the most votes for Ning Shu to complete."

"We will also witness Ning Shu complete the entire process of these ten things."

"If after doing these ten things, Ning Shu changes her suicidal thoughts and decides to embrace life again, then you win this round. If she feels that the world has become more disgusting and chooses to die, or abandons her inner goodness... and begins to fall into depravity, then I win this round."

"And Mr. Wen Xishu, our first round of cards begins here. You and I can play corresponding cards at key points in the round to influence Ning Shu and even some passersby."

"You should have chosen evil. But it's too late now."

The judge let out a sinister laugh.

Wen Xishu understood.

Interestingly, he actually encountered such a case in real life (Note 1). Undoubtedly, choosing the good side... is an extremely difficult game.

It's important to understand that Ning Shu, the Lost One, must be a real person existing in some reality within the Three Towers world, and the timeline she experienced was most likely around the time of the apocalypse...

The world is far more distorted than Wen Xishu's previous life.

If a stranger agreed to do ten things for you, anything she could do, would you try to get her to do something strange?

Would you use her to satisfy your personal desires?

Wen Xishu suddenly understood: this was a true game of good and evil. The cards themselves were divided into good and evil, and so were the environment and the lost souls.

A suicidal person goes to do ten things for a stranger, anything at all...

In a betting game like this, it's definitely easier to choose the wrong option, right?

Wen Xishu's expression gradually became serious:
"Deal the cards."

At the same time, the huge wall made of countless playing cards began to change its image, which showed the lost Ning Shu.

From this moment on, the life of young Ning Shu will begin to change.

The first round of the Good and Evil card game has officially begun.

(Note: While researching, I discovered that such a thing actually happened. I found it interesting and felt that this theme resonated with Aquarius, so I decided to temporarily include it in the book. Readers looking for something to read can also check it out. It's about a girl who conducted a social experiment, fulfilling ten requests from netizens. She genuinely did ten things… some were disgusting and bizarre. The girl's initial intention was that people would ask her to do ten heartwarming and socially beneficial things, but the result… she experienced immense malice, including sleeping with men, eating feces, and self-harm—all real cases.)
(End of this chapter)