Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 337, Section 84: The Dagger of Forgiveness

Deep in the Cairngorms, in the Scottish Highlands, in a forest.

This place isn't particularly ancient; before the 19th century, the forest cover had fallen below 5%, and many of the trees were restored later.

However, many centuries-old Scots pines still remain, towering high, their morning mist filled with damp, decaying leaves and a tranquil atmosphere.

At dawn, it was pitch black under the tree canopy.

Legend has it that this place was once a sacred site for Celtic druids and a secret realm where elves and dwarves roamed.

However, it's clear that Shinichi Higashiyama didn't encounter any legendary creatures here.

In a relatively open clearing in this forest, Shin Higashiyama's figure quietly emerged, as if he had stepped out of nothingness.

He casually placed the person he was carrying in the center of the open space, letting her sit against the thickest, oldest Scottish pine tree with bark like dragon scales.

Higashiyama Shin took a few steps back, his eyes flashing with a ring of fire as he carefully observed the other's condition.

Hirosue Eri was leaning against a tree trunk, fast asleep.

Her posture was not peaceful; her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were resisting some kind of inner pain. But what was most striking was the change in her body.

The emerald green lines that had previously only meandered on her arms had now spread like vines all over her body.

These patterns are not simple lines; upon closer inspection, they resemble miniature leaf veins, roots, and petals, pulsating slightly beneath her fair skin and emitting a faint but continuous fluorescence.

The final point where the patterns converged was on her left chest, near her heart, where they intertwined and blossomed into a lifelike, eerily beautiful spider lily pattern.

On this flower, the patterns turn red, but not consistently; the color changes from time to time, like a breathing light, as if it were the final battlefield where her own life force merges and contends with the power of the other shore.

Her signature golden pigtails were now loose, cascading down her shoulders and onto the grass like a waterfall.

The gold at the ends of the hair was tinged with a gradient of emerald green.

These characteristics combined to give her a peculiar blend of the eerie and the beautiful.

However, beneath this beauty lies a life hanging by a thread.

Shinichi Higashiyama could clearly sense that Eri's vital signs were extremely weak. Her heartbeat was so slow as to be almost stopped, perhaps only a few beats per minute, as if it might go out completely at any moment.

Her breathing was barely perceptible, and the rise and fall of her chest was almost invisible. She was like a glass doll covered with exquisite patterns, about to shatter, repeatedly teetering on the edge of life and death.

This was retrieved from the ruins by Shin Higashiyama before he left the London battlefield.

At that time, after being swept by the giant's terrifying wave of resentment, she was already in this state, with one foot already on the Bridge of Helplessness.

The backlash from overexertion, the forced fusion with the power of the spider lily, and the final, substantial energy shock pushed her body and soul to the brink of collapse.

The physical injuries were easily treated by Higashiyama Shin, but the internal fusion conflicts were completely entangled and not so easy to deal with, so she had to rely on herself.

Shinichi Higashiyama has always been quite interested in this extraordinary ordinary man.

He observed her like an interesting experimental subject, never intervening, wanting to see how far she could go.

But now, she seems to be eroded by the power of the other shore to the point that she can no longer bear it.

It's not quite accurate to call it erosion; it should be called fusion.

However, this fusion is extremely domineering and depends on talent. Those with slightly less talent will turn into withered wood during the fusion process and then vanish into thin air.

The previous user of the Higanbana, which is officially called the Divine Flower, also transformed into a giant tree-man, blocked the Kyoto Giants for a while, and then died.

Eri's situation is somewhat similar to the former.

Despite the fact that England is much stronger and has even found a more gentle way to integrate them.

But this time, things took an unexpected turn.

Britain is her motherland. Faced with the calamity of London, she will not shout any slogans, but will only mutter a complaint, "What a nuisance," and then return home to help without hesitation, even knowing that the consequence of overusing power is self-destruction.

She could have weathered this storm more smoothly with her innate charisma and the methods she had learned, but the unexpected situation in London forced her to take desperate measures, leading to her current predicament.

His gaze drifted to the side. The little snake was carefree, coiled on a moss-covered rock, occasionally rubbing its slightly swollen belly with the tip of its tail, making chirping sounds that were a mix of grievance and urging.

He looked like he was "too full to feel comfortable and in a hurry to go back to the underworld to use the toilet."

He didn't care whether Hirosue Eri, who could theoretically be considered half an apostle, was alive or dead.

Dongshan Shen calculated her destiny with his fingers, and his brows twitched slightly.

Good luck.

It seems that misfortune has turned into a blessing in disguise.

It was at this moment that he could sense a faint but pure natural life force emanating from the soil beneath Hirosue Eri, centered on her body.

The first thing to appear was a small, unidentified, pale blue flower that trembled as it peeked out from the humus beside her.

Immediately afterwards, a second and a third flower appeared, as if in a chain reaction. Within a few breaths, a scene of blooming flowers quietly unfolded on the ground around Eri, with the ancient pine tree she was leaning against as the center.

There were delicate white daisies and purple Scottish thistles. They did not grow haphazardly, but rather seemed to be guided by some invisible force, clustering around Yingli to form a natural flower bed.

The fragrance of flowers, mixed with the scent of forest grass and trees, permeates the air.

The appearance of these flowers is not merely for their beauty. They are also exchanging energy with the patterns on Yingli's body, infusing her nearly depleted body with pure natural vitality, while gently guiding and balancing the restless and domineering power of the other side within her.

"Oh?" Higashiyama Shin's eyes gleamed with even greater interest in research. "So... in this world with its sparse spiritual energy, he achieved a breakthrough? He forcefully weathered the most dangerous period of fusion collapse and reached a dynamic equilibrium?"

After calculating again and pondering for a moment, Dongshan Shen concluded that, according to the ranking of the Star Masters, it was roughly equivalent to breaking through from no stars to one star.
It's better than nothing, but in this environment, without any cultivation techniques, it's truly not easy to find a path to advancement from scratch.

However, everything is built on the power of the other shore. If the power of the other shore lent by the divine flower is lost, her body will immediately collapse.

Although Hirosue Eri's vital signs are still weak, they are no longer fluctuating as drastically as before and are becoming more stable.

The color of the spider lily pattern at the heart no longer flickers; it has become a fixed pink instead of red or green.

“Indeed, she is a very good research subject.” Higashiyama Shin nodded slightly.

The current Hirosue Eri can be seen as a rare example of the successful coexistence of the power of the afterlife and the power of natural life. From her, Higashiyama Shin gained some inspiration.

For example, the side effects of fanaticism on the other shore, such as the fanaticism of believers, have somewhat hindered the expansion of faith. Although Shin Higashiyama does not currently rely heavily on the power of faith, it would be a good thing if this could be resolved.

Whether something is easy to use or not is a different matter from whether he uses it or not.

Now that the sample has stabilized and demonstrated new value, Shinichi Higashiyama does not intend to linger any longer.

He casually took out a set of casual clothes he had bought for free in London from his storage space, and with a flick of his wrist, the clothes were neatly folded on the flower bushes beside Yingli. Then, with the little snake from the other shore, his figure seemed to blend into the air, silently disappearing into the forest without leaving a trace.

After a while.

The angle of light in the forest shifted slightly, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the gaps in the branches and leaves, falling on Hirosue Eri's face.

Her eyelashes began to tremble slightly, and after several attempts, she slowly opened her eyes a crack.

My pupils were initially dilated, adjusting to the light, reflecting the intertwined branches and sky above. Consciousness returned slowly, like the tide.

She sat up straight, slightly dazed, her movements still weak and stiff. Her gaze fell on the unfamiliar clothes beside her, and she stared blankly, seemingly trying to piece together the chaotic and fragmented memories in her mind.

There was a silence of about ten seconds, accompanied only by the forest breeze and birdsong.

She looked down at her own body.

When she saw the emerald green patterns that covered her entire body and had already taken shape, especially the spider lily on her chest, her expression became slightly complicated.

She stood up, her steps still a little unsteady. She reached out and gently placed her hand on the rough bark of the old Scots pine tree behind her, then closed her eyes.

A wonderful resonance came through the palm of my hand.

It was no longer the feeling of needing to communicate deliberately; instead, it was as if she herself had become a part of this forest.

The breath of the trees, the pulse of the soil, the moisture of the stream—countless subtle natural cues flowed into her senses naturally.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, a look of understanding flashing in them.

"Cairngorm. I'm in Scotland."

She muttered to herself, confirming her location. She knew perfectly well that there was no way she could have been blown to Scotland in that kind of explosion; the distance was simply too far.

In addition, the clothes next to him were clearly left behind by someone.
“Someone brought me here,” she murmured, but she had no memory of her rescuer.

Who is it? What is their purpose? She didn't have many clues. These questions remained unanswered for the time being.

She silently put on the well-fitting clothes, her movements returning to their usual nimbleness. Then, she gently raised one hand, her mind subtly shifting.

In an instant, all the trees in the surrounding forest seemed to come alive.

Countless emerald green leaves, not blown down by the wind, but as if summoned, fluttered off the branches, gathered in the air to form a green vortex, and finally flowed gently into her palm like a gentle stream, condensing into a vibrant green sphere of light.

Now, with the power of the divine flower at its core, she can draw power from the entire forest and even the wider natural world.

Moreover, the margin for error is much higher, so there is no need to worry too much about the erosion of the divine flower's power.

After carefully experiencing this state, she regained her composure and headed out of the forest.

Inside the new Huangquan.

After dealing with Hirosue Eri's matter, Higashiyama Shin casually sent away a few of the fattest fish in the Sanzu River to the other side of the river, and the latter happily went to the forest to relieve itself.

Only then did he have a free hand to consider the reward.

This game is special because not only are the player rankings not made public, but the rewards are not unlocked one by one, but are only settled after the event ends.

Moreover, each has its own unlocking conditions.

Fortunately, he could see these conditions; otherwise, it would have been disgusting if he had missed them.

Brass Reward (Discover at least 7 key nodes):

External power supply device

Description: It can hold most forms of energy, including abstract physical and mental energy. It can provide players with additional energy and can be carried around to recharge at any time.

It's basically a power bank. This thing has too small a capacity for Shinichi Higashiyama. If you convert the storage limit into stamina, it's roughly equivalent to one Muramasa Taki.

Silver Reward (Discover three or more Templar side quest nodes):

The Shield of Britain

Description: Possesses a certain defensive capability; the shield-bearer can summon an energy unicorn or lion, but cannot commit evil.

It was of little use to Higashiyama Shin.

Gold reward (no player actually dies as a result):

The Sword in the Stone (Broken)

Description: After repair, it can become the Sword of Kings. The repairer can redefine its limitations; the more limitations, the greater the enhancement and the stronger its power. However, there is an upper limit.

This is finally somewhat useful. If it were restricted to targeting only one thing and only one strike could be made, wouldn't it become a sword that guarantees certain death?

Platinum Reward (Stop the ultimate sacrifice and obtain the dagger):

[Forgiveness Dagger - Perfect Replica]

Description: 1. Mercy Crystal - Mercy crystals can be created by merciful dagger wielders, granting them an ability (such as teleportation, time-limited attribute boost, or stamina recovery). If at least nine crystals are gathered and the corresponding crystal wielder is willing to pay the price, the crystal will respond.

Note: If the crystal/dagger holder is willing to pay the price for mercy, the Forgiveness Dagger will accumulate the power of mercy (if it includes reforming evildoers or abandoning hatred, the power of mercy will be doubled), and can be used to permanently improve one's own or others' basic attributes.

However, if one lacks compassion, has too little compassion, or has lost all compassion, the enhancement effect will also disappear, and the ability will be unusable.

2. Forgiveness is useless – Abandon forgiveness, kill your own mercy with the Forgiveness Dagger, and increase your strength to a certain extent (depending on your remaining mercy). Kill another person, and the Forgiveness Dagger transforms into the Hatred Dagger. Continuing to kill others and completing certain rituals can increase the wielder's strength, but at the cost of being trapped in hatred and losing ability 1.

3. Hate from All Beings – Upon reaching a certain level of power, one can merge with the ritual to orchestrate an irreversible ultimate ritual of hatred. After completing the preliminary ritual, one gains the ability to absorb the hatred of all beings, while simultaneously becoming averse to and countered by all positive forces. Upon completion of the ultimate sacrifice, the destroyer's wish for destruction is fulfilled.

Note: When one's own hatred diminishes, the self will be possessed by the hatred integrated into the ritual and completely dissipate.

##%#！ (Malignant capabilities detected; these capabilities have been automatically removed)
Dongshan carefully read through the document, seemingly lost in thought.

The reward was still a copy, the one he had taken from the giant.
He took out two daggers and compared them carefully.

It can be observed that the perfect replica's design is basically the same as the one seen in the Templar Visions.

The name of the dagger used by the Ripper has changed.

The Last Act of Mercy

Description: Use this dagger to perform acts of kindness and gain the energy to elevate yourself; evil deeds will bring punishment.

Like the Silver Cup, it was a copy of the original owner who had gone bankrupt, but the replica he received was the most complete version.

Is this considered a form of NTR?
(End of this chapter)