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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
I spat and discarded the cigarette butt from my mouth, leaning forward to grab the mouse, controlling the archer on the computer to attack another mage. Just as the archer began to shoot arrows, the opposing mage also launched an attack, hurling fireballs at the archer.
Soon, the two characters on the screen determined the outcome; the mage was shot down by the archer. Just as the mage fell, the computer screen suddenly went black. As I sat there confused, four large golden characters appeared on the screen.
Congratulations Pass!
Finally Pass! I cursed under my breath and waited for the scene to change. However, after nearly a minute, there was no transformation in the scene.
Huh? What's going on? Didn't it say Pass? Did I read it wrong?
I leaned closer to the screen and focused. Only then did I notice a line of dark gray text beneath those four large characters, blending closely with the black screen. If I hadn't looked carefully, I would have missed it entirely.
The message read: Please go to computer A4 and enter the letters adaazizhenshuai for a surprise waiting for you.
Damn it, how am I supposed to remember such a long string of letters? I took out my phone, noted down the string, and then searched for computer A4. After scanning around, I found that the internet café was divided into areas; the left side was Area A and the right side was Area B. I located computer A4 in the third row.
The screen of this computer was displaying a game of Landlord. The character that should have been under my control was now being managed by the computer. The other two players seemed to be quite relaxed, occasionally chiming in with comments.
"Are you gg or what?"
"Don't leave; let's battle until dawn."
...
After typing adaazizhenshuai into the chat box and hitting enter, the computer screen suddenly went black again. Then, in the center of the black screen, a silver key appeared, slowly rotating to show its front and back sides.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that this key had some peculiar grooves featuring four shapes: Round, Triangle, Hexagon, and Star Shape. Moreover, these shapes had various irregular serrated edges. I couldn't help but marvel at how exquisite the lock that required this key must be.
As I was watching, a Thunderous Roar came from above. I looked up and saw a huge Lock Hole appear on the Flower Board. I was momentarily stunned and thought to myself, could this Lock Hole be meant for this key?
If that’s the case, where am I supposed to find this key?
Wait, could there be other hints? I leaned closer to the computer and indeed found a line of dark gray text below the key: Use Lightning Magic to simulate the shape of the key, insert it into the Lock Hole three circles to the left and three circles to the right, and this layer of illusion can be broken.
Lightning Magic?
Hey, buddy, what I have in abundance is Lightning Magic.
I immediately released a bolt of lightning and began to simulate according to the shape of the key.
First, I created a round key handle, then I drilled a circular hole in the key handle. This was the simplest part, and I quickly made it look decent.
Next came the key's Serrated edge, which required some skill. I had just completed the Round Serrated and the Triangle Serrated, and was about to make the Hexagon Serrated when my earlier work on the Circular Sawtooth turned into an oval due to my distraction. I hurriedly adjusted the oval back into a Round, but then that Triangle became a Trapezoid...
In short, with the magic power I could currently control, I could only simulate two shapes of Serrated. The third one was completely beyond my ability to manage.
Damn, isn’t this just making things difficult?
There wouldn’t be any more hints, would there? I nearly pressed my eyes against the screen but found no further clues.
I slumped back in my chair with a long sigh, staring blankly at the half-made key in mid-air.
It felt like a treasure seeker who had finally found their treasure after much hardship, only to discover that a massive stone blocked the entrance, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t budge it even slightly... It was also like a **silk** finally moving the goddess, who agreed to spend a night with him but had one condition: he must go to a five-star hotel’s presidential suite for some fun...
This sudden shift from hope to disappointment made me feel an urge to strangle myself. At the same time, there was also an impulse to just give up.
No, I can’t give up like this. My friends and family are still captured by that beast Jin Manyuan; I have to save them.
Taking a deep breath, I sat up straight, cleared my mind, and focused all my energy on controlling my magic. This time, I managed to form three shapes simultaneously, but the last one, the Star Shape, just wouldn't solidify no matter what I did.
Carefully shaping one corner of the Star Shape, it suddenly shattered with a crack. While I was recklessly trying to complete the Star Shape, another Round shape broke apart.
Damn it, I absolutely will not give up!
Just as I carefully repaired the Triangle, it cracked again with a snap, and the Star Shape shattered!
I will definitely not give up!
The Round shape was fixed, but then with another crack, the Triangle broke once more!
I will never give up!
Snap! The Hexagon shattered again!
...
After failing over a hundred times, I leaned back heavily, my breath in disarray and a dull ache forming in my head. I knew this was due to overexerting my mental energy. Sighing deeply, I began to smoke and think of a strategy.
After smoking three cigarettes, I finally came up with an idea. Since I couldn't simulate something so complex, it meant that my control over magic wasn't very proficient yet. If I wasn't proficient, then I needed to practice more.
Practice makes perfect; that much is always true.
Using my mind to manipulate the half-finished key in the air, I squished it into a ball and then got up to sit at the nearby computer. I casually opened a Single Player Game and began to simulate the items within.
I simulated a knife, a gun, a book, an apple... Once these simple items were successfully created, I moved on to slightly more complex ones like vases, Table Lamps, and Rice Cookers.
For all these items, I aimed for meticulous detail and perfection. For example, the blood groove on the knife, the creases on the book pages, the texture of the vase... I was no longer studying just for an exam; I was learning for survival, for my ideals, and for all of humanity.
Alright, maybe it's a bit exaggerated, but I learned this to save my friends and family.
I don't know how much time has passed, but when I was able to simulate a Chinese person tearing the Japanese Devils apart, blood and flesh flying everywhere, I felt that I was almost there.
Looking at the various instant noodle and snack packaging on the ground, I felt a bit dazed. Damn it, how long have I been learning? Ten days or half a month?
Shaking my head to dispel these distracting thoughts, I carefully looked at the key on the screen. I closed my eyes, focused my mind, and held my breath for about ten seconds. Suddenly opening my eyes, with a thought, the lightning in the air was directly condensed into a key.
The key had four patterns on its edge: Round, Triangle, Hexagon, and Star Shape. Moreover, each of those irregular edges matched exactly with the key on the computer.
Damn it, finally managed to simulate this complicated key.
While feeling excited, there was also a strong sense of achievement within me. It wasn't just because I had formed this exceptionally intricate key; it was also due to the qualitative leap in my control over magical power. I can say without modesty that my current level of magical control is worthy of the title Grandmaster.
Taking a deep breath, I manipulated this huge key that sparkled with electricity and inserted it into the Lock Hole on the Flower Board. I turned the key three times to the left, slowly exhaling. After taking another deep breath, I turned it three times to the right. Hearing a click sound afterward, the entire internet café began to emit white light.
The computers were glowing white, the tables and chairs were glowing white, the walls were glowing white—everything was glowing white. Finally, this white light became exceptionally dazzling. Instinctively, I closed my eyes. Even so, my eyelids still felt a slight burning sensation.
After about a minute, that slight burning sensation on my eyelids slowly faded away. I slightly opened my eyelids and discovered that there was no longer any white light outside. Only then did I fully open my eyes.
Before me was a cemetery. The tombstones in the cemetery towered high; each tombstone was made of over five meters of granite and was supported by a Bixi.
It seems that I have arrived at another layer of illusion.
Looking into the distance, this cemetery seemed endless. The silver-gray tombstones stretched out towards the horizon. Where the horizon met the sky was shrouded in white mist, obscuring the boundary line and giving one the feeling that the entire cemetery was floating above.
Where is the core of this illusion?
This cemetery had nothing but towering graves and tombstones; there was nothing else. And these tombstones were unusual—could it be that the core to breaking this illusion lies within these tombstones?
The tombstone before me, aside from its size being far larger than a typical tombstone, also had other differences. Generally, on the left side of a tombstone, there is a dragon motif used to inscribe the mountain direction and its degree, as well as the dividing line for auspiciousness. The purpose of this is to inform future generations that even in the event of natural disasters like floods or destruction from wars, they can refer to the feng shui inscriptions on the stone to find the original direction and re-establish the tombstone.
In the most prominent positions at the corners of the tombstone, the original hometown of the deceased is usually engraved, indicating a fondness for their homeland and providing convenience for descendants visiting the grave.
As a qualified tombstone, these elements are essential. However, this particular tombstone lacked all of them. In the center, where traditional tombstones typically have a plaque, it simply bore the words: “Mr. Ximen's Grave.”
Aside from that, there were no other inscriptions, not even any decorative patterns.
This was even more peculiar. According to basic tombstone formatting, the number of characters in the deceased's name is related to auspicious signs. To show respect for elders, certain respectful terms must be added; for example, fathers are referred to as "Kao" or "Xian Kao," mothers as "Bi" or "Xian Bi," men with "Gong" or "Fu Jun," and women with "Shi" or "Ru Ren," among others. Additionally, there should be dates of birth and death as well as information about who erected the tombstone.
In summary, it is absolutely impossible for a tombstone to simply read ‘Mr. Ximen's Grave.’
I moved to a nearby tombstone and looked up to see five large characters—Grave of the Cow Carpenter, which left me even more confused.
Looking at another nearby tombstone, I saw ‘Grave of the Carpenter Ma’, ‘Wang Huo Lang's Tomb’, ‘Grave of Officer Yue’, ‘Xiahou Guigong's Tomb’…
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