CHAPTER 2049: CHAPTER 1661: DRIZZLING RAIN (DOUBLE LENGTH)

"Hey, what’s this act you’re putting on now? Where did all that bravado go? This doesn’t seem fitting for someone of your Skeleton Saint status, does it?"

Su Ran incredulously retorted, finding it hard to believe how quickly this guy’s demeanor had shifted—from defiance to apologetics. It was almost pathetic, with none of the dignity of a Skeleton Saint left. Now, all the fury that had just reached his head had nowhere to go.

"Skeleton Warrior, my words are heartfelt. You were right earlier; you saved me from danger. How could I repay kindness with enmity? The Skeleton Tribe..."

"Alright, alright, I have matters to attend to. Your Excellency Skeleton Saint, please rest early. I’ll visit you when I have the time."

Su Ran had no time to listen to the Skeleton Saint chatter on, so he cut him off and prepared to leave this dark abyss.

It wasn’t hard to tell from his words that Su Ran had no intention of offending the Skeleton Saint further. Having allies in the court would make things easier, as long as the Skeleton Saint didn’t act foolishly and was sincerely repentant. There was no need to make a deadly enemy out of him.

"Skeleton Warrior, wait a moment, about the mission..."

The task had yet to be settled, and the Skeleton Saint couldn’t easily let Su Ran leave. He was the only player among the entire Skeleton Tribe. Without him, the mission couldn’t proceed, which was why the Skeleton Saint was forced to swallow his pride.

"Is there a time limit for this mission? Are there any failure penalties? If there aren’t any, I’ll accept it. When I have the time, I’ll have the cunning... Demon of Communication, Yin Si, come see you."

Su Ran realized that without resolving the mission, he wouldn’t be able to leave this dark abyss. The fact that he hadn’t received any messages from the banana yet eased his mood slightly; it seemed that Lin Yuting hadn’t gone all out, and there was still a chance for things to turn around.

"This..."

Upon hearing Su Ran’s conditions, the Skeleton Saint’s eye sockets shrank—without restrictions, how could he impose discipline?

"Your Excellency Skeleton Saint, there’s no need to make things difficult. I can take a step back; I don’t need the mission rewards. You can keep the two dark gold chests. Just give me some experience points as a reward."

Though the two dark gold chests were quite valuable, if they were used to exchange for the cunning Yin Si, it wouldn’t be worth it. Since the chests were not meant for him, he’d rather return them and leave no lingering thoughts.

"Since it’s come to this, I won’t make things difficult for you, Skeleton Warrior. Remember this—if the Demon of Communication, Yin Si, returns to the Skeleton Tribe, it would be a great blessing for the clan! I hope you don’t fail me. Go on, and I’ll be waiting for your good news."

Realizing the situation, the Skeleton Saint knew it was impossible to force the issue, so he made a compromise and entrusted the task to Su Ran.

"Alright then, rest early. When I see Lord Yin Si, I’ll do my best to bring him back!"

Su Ran glanced at the mission log. The Skeleton Saint had indeed kept his promise; there were no restrictions on the mission, and whether it was completed or not had no impact. Satisfied, he bid farewell to the Skeleton Saint and returned to his territory, Skeleton Village.

"Bastard!"

After seeing Su Ran leave the abyss, the Skeleton Saint’s eyes were filled with resentment. Clearly, Su Ran’s performance had seriously angered and embarrassed him, greatly diminishing his dignity as a Skeleton Saint. If he hadn’t needed this kid to finish the task, how could he have let him leave so easily without any cost?!

...

"Swoosh!"

After teleporting back to his territory, Su Ran immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere, like the calm before a storm, which made him feel oppressed. The banana and Xue Wuqing stood on the tower, ready for battle, while Mo Qing Qi guarded the village entrance, adopting a combat stance. Behind her were more than thirty tribe members of the Lava Tribe, with even the chieftain personally present, ready to live and die with the territory.

This deeply moved Su Ran. The Lava Tribe had just pledged their allegiance, and they already regarded the territory as their home, which was a good sign and worthy of praise!

Su Ran’s appearance went unnoticed by others. He quickly climbed the Sky-reaching Vine, overlooking the scenery of the Demonic Treasure Mountain. Only then did he realize that Skeleton Village was indeed surrounded by a large army—roughly tens of thousands at a glance.

However, these people were only besieging without attacking, playing psychological tactics that created a deterrent effect, indeed putting pressure on his territory, as could be seen from the actions of the banana and others.

There’s no denying it; Lin Yuting was not ruthless enough to completely turn her back on family. As long as she calmed down, this siege farce could be resolved.

After all, with Yu Jing’s relationship, even if Lin Yuting was furious, she had to consider this point—surely she wouldn’t want to break ties with her own sister, right?

Indeed, the imposing force of an encroaching army was quite intimidating, especially with those tens of thousands of military-born players standing in formation, neatly arrayed as a phalanx—a feat ordinary players couldn’t achieve.

"Spilt Water, get over here!!!"

A voice filled with hatred came from above. Su Ran instinctively looked up to find that the light rain was riding a firebird, glaring at him from the sky. Her gaze was as sharp as a needle, making Su Ran’s back feel as if it were prickling all over, utterly uncomfortable.

"President Xiayu, haven’t we already discussed this? Spilt Water isn’t here. If you two have any personal grudges, settle them privately. Is this really necessary?"

The banana didn’t know Su Ran had returned and was still trying to persuade the light rain, hoping she would abandon the idea of attacking the fortress. Having been surrounded for so long, the tension in his heart was at its limit. Mentally, he felt exhausted, and if this continued, he’d surely break down.

If only Brother Spilt Water were here—then his psychological burden wouldn’t be so heavy...

"Spilt Water, don’t let me look down on you!"

The light rain didn’t acknowledge the banana and continued to shout towards Su Ran on the vine, "If you don’t come over now, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

"President Xiayu, is this necessary?"

What must be faced had to be faced. Su Ran sighed, stepping into the void, flying towards the light rain.

"Huh? Brother Spilt Water, when did you come back?"

Upon seeing Su Ran, the tension in the banana’s heart instantly relaxed. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, the surprise in his eyes evident.

Even Xue Wuqing, Mo Qing Qi, and the people of the Lava Tribe felt the same way. With Su Ran as their backbone, their anxiety instantly dissipated, and even the oppressive atmosphere lightened considerably.

"Just returned, thank you for your hard work."

Su Ran nodded at everyone who had helped defend the fortress. Without contacting Yu Jing, he directly approached the light rain and met her gaze. At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

"Spilt Water, why did you lie to me?"

After a while, the light rain finally spoke, her eyes red. It seemed she had been crying before Su Ran arrived.

"Sister Ting, I was wrong to hide my identity from you, but I had no choice. The identity of Spilt Water Can’t Be Regained has made too many enemies. To survive, I had to hide my true identity from everyone, but it wasn’t deceit. I can swear on my conscience that I’ve never lied to you."

Su Ran explained with utmost sincerity, "Sister Ting, think carefully, isn’t that so?"

"Hiding is lying! No amount of sophistry will work!"

Seeing how stubborn Su Ran was, the light rain was furious enough to almost throw her staff at him.

"Sister Ting, you know my situation. I live in the slums with no value on my life. Because of this territory and the skeleton identity, our house was demolished spare the load-bearing walls. They even dared to resort to illegal activities like kidnapping. If my Human Race identity were exposed, the consequences would be worse!"

Su Ran played the emotional card, smiling wryly, "The outcome, even if I don’t say, you can guess. To survive, I must hide my identity. Sister Ting, I hope you can understand my predicament..."