Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 511 The Challenge from the Sea of ​​Cherry Blossoms

A sea of ​​cherry blossoms, a tide of falling blood.
A letter of challenge,
It is both a challenge and a reckoning for blood debts.

—The Chronicles of the Tower of the End: Cherry Blossoms Chapter

The stairs creaked as Si Ming slowly descended.

The tavern's main hall remained brightly lit, filled with a mix of noise and heat.

At the long table, patrons clinked glasses and chatted, while in the corner, a musician sang, creating an atmosphere like a banquet that never ends.

He quickly spotted two familiar figures in the crowd.

Xiao Jinyan waved his hand and shouted loudly as if calling out to an old friend, "Over here, over here!"

Xiao Lianyin simply sipped her wine, nodded slightly, her eyes still cold, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible relaxation.

Si Ming walked over, casually pulled out a chair and sat down, his smile behind the mask as playful as ever: "Running into some old acquaintances?"

Xiao Lianyin raised her eyes indifferently: "An old friend that you and I both know." She paused, then added in a low voice, "But we couldn't keep up with him."

Si Ming tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, a faint glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He understood.

She was referring to that person.

He may also be one of the creators.

However, it's not appropriate to say such things in this hall.

Si Ming didn't press further, just smiled, picked up his wine glass, and acted as if nothing had happened.

The three were chatting casually when a gust of cool wind suddenly blew in from the tavern entrance.

Calvino pushed open the door and entered, his long, silvery-white hair gleaming coldly under the light. He was still wearing a long robe in the style of the sea, and his steps were steady.

Lilia, standing beside him, held a small wooden violin case, a gentle smile on her face, but her eyes were fixed on Siming.

“Perfect timing, you are here.” Calvino said bluntly.

Si Ming put down his wine cup and smiled, "It seems you've come with a story."

Calvino walked to the table and bowed slightly:
"It's about the Deep Sea Nightmare. We're preparing for the next round of the dungeon challenge, but we need your help."

“You don’t need anyone,” Si Ming said casually, swirling his wine glass. “Why are you looking for me?”

Lilia then spoke, her voice soft yet firm: "Because we can't trust anyone else. Calvino recommended you to the Deep Sea Nightmare."

Si Ming said "Oh," his eyes behind the mask flickering with a half-smile.

Calvino didn't beat around the bush; he continued, "This isn't a random instance, but a designated instance challenge. It's a faction-versus-faction instance, massive in scale—expected to require thousands of participants."

"The crowd is quite large." Si Ming tapped the table. "Where are the prizes?"

Calvino's lips curled into a slight smile: "An entire points prize pool. Huge, unprecedented. If we clear the level, it'll be enough to make all the participants a fortune."

The heat in the air seemed to freeze at that moment.

A huge pool of points—an irresistible temptation for any Starscrambler in the Tower of the End.

Calvino put down his glass, his gaze calm: "Two months ago, the Cherry Blossom Sea of ​​the Six Flowers Sea rejected the Deep Sea Nightmare's claim to ownership."

The noise of the tavern seemed to fade away in that instant, and everyone's attention was firmly held by his words.

"They claim to have a master to whom they are loyal," Calvino said, his tone neither fast nor slow, yet carrying a hint of sharpness.
"Then they sent a challenge letter... and a dungeon key."

Si Ming raised an eyebrow slightly: "A challenge?"

Lilia nodded, took out an image scroll from her bosom, and gently pushed it onto the table.

The ink-black characters emerged on the scroll, cold and neat:
'This is the designated instance of the Tower of the End. This key can open it. The Flower Blossom Intendant welcomes challengers in this instance. If you win, the Sea of ​​Cherry Blossoms is yours to command. If you lose, you must acknowledge the independence of the Sea of ​​Cherry Blossoms and compensate for its losses.'

The last line of signature is clear and sharp:
The Primordial Eye's subordinate, the Onmyoji Headquarters.

The air suddenly felt heavy.

Si Ming tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

The Eye of the Primordial... He remembered Ruoli mentioning that this force was at odds with the Mystic Masters Guild.

"Xu Long was furious upon hearing this," Calvino's voice drew everyone's attention back.

"But he didn't act rashly. Instead, he said, 'Since it's a challenge from the end, we should respond with the rules of the end.'"

He paused, then slowly said, "Therefore, two days from now, Xu Long will personally enter the tower."

The atmosphere at the dinner table froze completely.

The Deep Sea Nightmare is gathering enough manpower to prepare for the battle.

Calvino stared at Si Ming, his tone steady yet tinged with a hint of probing: "So, I'm asking you—are you interested?"

Si Ming originally just picked up his wine cup, intending to casually laugh it off.

He wasn't particularly interested in the so-called "large-scale dungeon challenge." Such conflicts were commonplace in the Tower of the End, and even the most lucrative points were just bargaining chips to him. But when Calvino uttered the name "Xu Long," Si Ming's expression suddenly changed.

Beneath the mask, his gaze sharpened like a blade, and he lightly tapped the glass with his fingertips.

He turned to look at Xiao Jinyan, his gaze only flashing for a moment.

"Ah, I get it!" Xiao Jinyan immediately shouted, his smile beaming, "Of course I'm going! Count me in!"

Xiao Lianyin glanced at her younger brother with a cold look in her eyes, but did not object.

The atmosphere seemed to freeze subtly at that moment.

However, the silence was broken by the sudden sound of footsteps.

A suppressed panting came from the stairwell of the tavern.

Shinobu Mijinin, supporting herself on the handrail, slowly descended the stairs. Her face was still deathly pale, her steps unsteady, and her voice hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.
"And I!"

All eyes were on her.

Siming frowned slightly: "Your celestial calamity is insufficient right now, why force yourself to endure it?"

Nobuna gripped the katana tightly, her knuckles turning white. She shook her head, her eyes as resolute as the blade.
"Even if I burn out the last 200 points of Star Calamity, I will not regret it."

She paused for a moment, gritted her teeth, and spoke in a low voice that struck like thunder:
"It was the Flower Garden who caused the deaths of my people!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere around the table suddenly shifted.

Xiao Jinyan and Lilia were both stunned, and even Calvino narrowed his eyes slightly.

Si Ming simply watched her quietly, remained silent for a moment, and finally sighed.

"Ok."

He turned to Calvino and said calmly, "The rest of us are participating. You make the arrangements."

At this moment, the betting game officially began.

Si Ming looked at Xin Nai quietly, then suddenly smiled, his tone slightly teasing: "But now, you not only owe me a life, but also several thousand points."

After saying that, he stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and casually tossed out a sentence: "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Shinobu was taken aback, a look of confusion flashing in her eyes. She opened her mouth, but didn't ask any further questions.

Xiao Lianyin, however, seemed to have expected this, and sneered, "This spendthrift gambler has gone to squander money again."

Calvino simply smiled and didn't reply, instead engaging in casual conversation with the group, recounting anecdotes and stories about the Sea of ​​Dreams:
A ghost ship that never sinks in the storm, a lost soul whispering in the tides, a nightmare whale that devours the shipping lanes.

Xiao Jinyan listened with great interest, occasionally interjecting with questions and laughing continuously.

Only Nobuna was always absent-minded.

Her fingertips gently tapped her knees, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.

She vaguely guessed what Si Ming was going to do—to exchange for the Golden Fruit.

It was a precious item that could greatly restore the power of the Star Calamity, so precious that it was almost beyond measure in words.

A conflict churned within me:
She longed for the redemption that the golden fruit could bring, yet felt she already owed too much.

Life, points, fruits... she simply cannot repay these things.

She bit her lip, her eyes gloomy.

Time is but a stick of incense burning.

"Wow—"

Footsteps echoed down the stairs, and Si Ming reappeared.

He walked leisurely to Nobuna, slowly took out a small wooden box from his pocket, and opened it with a snap.

Inside the box lay a golden fruit, its peel covered with tiny eyeballs that shimmered with a faint light, as if the entire fruit was watching everyone, eerie and dazzling.

Si Ming sighed, opened his palm, and said with a slightly annoyed expression, "Damn it, my points have been reduced by half."

He changed the subject abruptly, then smiled, a familiar smirk in his eyes: "But it should be enough to help you recover a little, right?"

Shinobu stared blankly at the fruit, her Adam's apple bobbing slightly, her chest heaving rapidly.

She abruptly turned her head away, suppressing the emotions welling up inside her, her voice cold and hoarse:
"In the next instance, whatever it may be, no one will be able to touch you before I die."

Golden Fruit

More than just redemption,
It is also the seed of debt and vows.

In a sea of ​​cherry blossoms
A battle of blood and fire.
It's unavoidable now.

—Preface to "Chronicles of Deep-Sea Nightmares"

(End of this chapter)