My portable grandfather refreshes every week

Although the death of the half-elf had left the small group in a state of panic, they still wanted to look for clues during the day, at least clues that would give them some peace of mind.

However, Xue Dinglu simply watched all of this silently, like a cold-blooded animal.

"Why not tell them the truth? You're not the kind of person who enjoys seeing others fall into fear, are you?" The Mimic King seemed to have started again, beginning his philosophical critique and interrogation of human nature.

Xue Law really thinks that this Mimic King might have been invincible for too long, so he has nothing better to do than to come up with some crazy topics like the trolley problem, the questioning of humanity, and the dark future.

Although He always followed the path of revering the king, He seemed to have become somewhat neurotic from contemplating philosophy.

"There's no particular reason, it has nothing to do with human nature, it's simply unnecessary. If we don't say it, they'll continue on their original trajectory, but if we do, various unpredictable events might lead to an unforeseen future," Xue Luding said, looking at the Mimic King.

“I think you’re just bored. Only someone with nothing better to do would think so much. When you’re so busy that you don’t even have time to think about things, when even a second of hesitation or indecision could kill thousands of people, when you have to choose between a bad future and an even worse one, it seems like you wish you could be a second faster so you wouldn’t have time to think about these trivial matters.”

Xue's words plunged the Mimicry King into deep thought.

Despite his somewhat far-fetched arguments, the Mimic King did not argue back this time.

"However, this is somewhat cruel to them," said the Mimic King, looking at the somewhat anxious Baron and the noble lady.

“Maybe I did something wrong, but I’ll make sure it has a good ending. They’ll all survive in the end; it’s just like playing a super realistic immersive horror game,” Xue said, beginning this seemingly meaningless search for clues.

"The joy of surviving a disaster, like a dreamlike experience, may help them regain their confidence in the future."

The three of them decided to take a walk around the island to look for any clues.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The four veterans could hear everything they did, including their conversations, through a mirror.

This is their power, obtained through previous death missions, including a large number of rule-level items. Even some seemingly terrifying demons, capable of destroying the world, can be affected by these rule-level items.

However, each of these props contains a "mysterious creature" sealed within it, and each time they are used, they are one step closer to the creature's permanent release.

The half-elf was instantly transported from the castle to the sea using an item called "Sea Vortex," which they obtained during their third death mission. The strange occurrence that time wasn't a specific monster, but the entire ocean.

They survived countless near-death experiences, with all the newcomers dying and nearly half of the veterans perishing, before finally completing that mission and obtaining this rule-level item.

It can instantly teleport any unit to the nearest sea, where it will be entangled by a strange phenomenon called "sea vortex".

In order to ensure that the deaths corresponded to the order of the prophecy, they took out all the items they had obtained in the previous nine missions and used them at all costs, regardless of whether the eerie things inside would resurface.

After all, this was their final mission. Once it was over, they would return to the real world and no longer have to struggle and live in fear every day in this strange and demonic world.

The death rate on this third mission was so high that they were all terrified. So they started using new recruits as bait to survive mission after mission until the last mission, when the captain died at the hands of the butcher, giving them a final chance to return home.

And now, they've even started to dream about their future after returning to their hometown.

“My home is by the sea, where our fish-people’s village is. The whole sea is black, but it’s full of resources. I think it must have been a long time ago.” The fish-man with three rows of teeth said, thinking of his hometown.

Although it was an ignorant and backward place, and many people there actually looked more like fish than people, he was the only one who looked most like a human.

"Haha, me? After returning to my hometown, we plan to keep in touch, find each other, and then get married." The other man laughed. He was now the captain of the team. Originally, he was just the second-in-command, but after the captain died, he automatically became the new captain. "At the same time, I'll see if I can fulfill my dream."

The woman in his arms thought, "I can't let him find me, let him know that I'm a woman who rose to power by selling my body... even someone who survived so many deadly missions by selling my body..."

The last woman, who resembled a secretary, simply said, "I see. Congratulations on your marriage."

She also thought a lot: how was her empire doing these days? What about her father and brother? How was their attack on the neighboring empire going? Had any of them died outside?

If I die, that would be wonderful. I could even use the abilities I brought out of here to usurp the throne and become the first queen.

She thought this, but didn't show it, still wearing that sweet smile.

The four veterans—a princess, a courtesan, a fishman, and a final idealist—though worn down by nine missions, unite in this final mission to return home, unleashing their last vestiges of survival.

"We will definitely succeed."

"Yes, it will definitely work..."

……

“No wonder this place is called ‘Wraith Island’…” the baron murmured, holding a round iron medal in his hand. Although the design was different, he could tell the problem at a glance.

This is a standard medal that only the military can have, and it is usually awarded to young soldiers after they have made meritorious contributions.

He knew this thing all too well; in fact, his family had made their fortune this way. His ancestors had earned titles through meritorious service, and they still kept their ancestral medals enshrined in their home.

"What's wrong?" Xue Dinglu asked.

“This island may have once been a battlefield. My description may not be very clear, but this should have been the territory of a nobleman, and that castle was the nobleman’s fortress. However, they encountered an invasion by a foreign race or a large pirate group. The nobleman began to think of resisting, perhaps with the army of the great lord, and a long battle was fought here…” the baron explained his speculation.

Although many things here seem to have disappeared under the rules, the occasional discovery of noble awards, some broken weapons, and traces of battle all testify to his conjecture.

"Could it be that the so-called 'strange' things are actually those who died here?" the noble lady said.

"Perhaps..." the baron replied casually, handing the rusty piece of iron to Xue Luding. Xue Luding looked at it; he hadn't actually recognized it as a noble's medal or anything like that, mainly because he wasn't very familiar with the nations and civilizations within the warp.

Let alone the barrier of the real universe separating them, even on Earth, the cultural customs of two civilizations separated only by a strait are completely different. They even have a look of utter disbelief when they see the customs on the other side.

Not to mention the differences in civilization here.

"This baron seems to have something special; his mind is sharp enough, unlike this... 'princess,' whose thinking is rather rigid and inflexible," the Mimic King commented.

"This is normal." Xue Dinglu didn't feel anything was wrong; he just thought, isn't this common sense?
The group continued searching for clues, but instead of finding any trace of the veterans, they discovered many stories about this "Island of Vengeful Spirits".

The island has a flowing freshwater lake, which is also home to a large number of "marine" creatures that live in freshwater.

The island might even be the result of an extinct volcano rising up, with the freshwater lake being the crater from which lava once erupted. The entire island is a small basin that became a freshwater lake due to excessive water accumulation, flowing into the sea through several fissures.

This place is truly a treasure. The soil here is even suitable for farming, and with the addition of fresh water, a lord can easily support dozens of people on this island by cultivating the land. To support more people, one would need to rely on material aid from outside the island.

It is clear that a war took place here, a battle involving hundreds of people, which proves that the island was invaded.

They even discovered a collapsed underground passage and found the body of a soldier wearing leather armor and carrying a wooden shield.

"Indeed, this island was destroyed in the war." The baron began to analyze. "It's really strange here. Normally, the soldiers would have collapsed and surrendered, but they seem to have fought to the death until the entire army was wiped out."

"Perhaps the other side is the kind of guy who doesn't accept prisoners and has a bad reputation, which is why they chose to fight to the death," Xue Dinglu said casually.

The sun was about to set, but today they had only found these clues, without any trace of other senior figures or the steps to break the ritual. They could only return to the castle with solemn expressions.

"There seems to be something over there," the Mimic King casually remarked.

Xue Lude broke away from the group and teleported directly there, where he found a diary in the cellar.

[Obtained the cursed "Pseudo-Noble Phantasm - Bloody Princess's Diary"]

【Bloody Princess's Diary (D-rank pseudo-Noble Phantasm): It can induce everyone around it to go berserk, greatly enhancing their physical abilities and combat awareness.】

Note: The diary states, "I didn't want to marry this good-for-nothing who only stays on the island, so I had a courtesan take my place and thus married him here..."

Xue Law: "..."

Wow, that's a lot of information...

He might have sensed that the ritual he was experiencing was related to the story that took place on this island. After all, it was too coincidental that three people appeared in the diary's notes, which could be identified as "princess," "prostitute," and the last one was unknown whether he was a martyr or a monster.

This has been made clear.

Xue Dinglu even felt that he had understood a lot of things. He was always the type of person who could make bold guesses with just a little bit of information and then carefully verify them.

It's highly likely that the princess was betrothed to a nobleman on this island, but she looked down on the island's lord. So, on the day of the betrothal, she switched her identity with a courtesan, making the nobleman believe he had married a princess when she turned out to be a courtesan.

Then the princess started to expose the matter and used it to cancel the engagement. The kingdom even sent a small army to negotiate and try to resolve the issue.

However, for some unknown reason, a fierce battle broke out during the negotiations. The two sides fought a life-or-death struggle, which resembled a riot, and in the end, the entire force was wiped out.

Judging from the fact that this treasure can drive those around her into a frenzy, it's likely that the Blood Princess intended to take the opportunity to kill this nobleman and escape her arranged marriage. However, she seems to have overplayed her hand, and she herself died here.

Even with only this much information, Xue's Law can roughly piece together the key points.

Regardless of whether it's right or wrong, at least we have an explanation that seems reasonable on the surface.

This corresponds to the requirement of four people in the ritual.

Princesses, courtesans, martyrs, and monsters.

In this story, the princess and the courtesan are clearly defined, but the martyr and the monster are less clear. Perhaps the lord of the island is a monster in human skin, and the leader of the kingdom's army is a martyr, which is why the princess refused to marry him even at the cost of her life, and why the kingdom's army discovered the secret of this place and launched a relentless monster extermination campaign.

Xue's Law roughly outlines its key points.

"Things have come to this, it's getting dark, let's go back and rest." Xue Dinglu put away the diary and said this.

……

After a simple meal of bread and water, the atmosphere among them was quite quiet, but this time there was no commotion or hysteria.

At this moment, the second "princess" who was about to die seemed to have accepted her fate. She sat silently next to Xue Dinglu and said, "Thank you, Father..."

If only I were... a pure and innocent princess...

As she thought this, she silently made herself a little distance away, because she knew that she was incredibly filthy right now, the kind of filth that would be burned if placed in the sunlight.

"Um……"

She then fell silent, the light of the Holy Light Orb still illuminating her, and drowsiness slowly crept in.

In the middle of the night, she suddenly heard music. She was very familiar with the music; it was the music that her mother often played when she was still a princess. It was so familiar and so ethereal.

She felt as if she were still dreaming, her body moving uncontrollably as she rose and took steps, one after another, towards the castle's attic... (End of Chapter)