Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 223 Cause and Effect (Part 2)

“What do you think caused that?” Green Hill’s Moon was like a gentle guide, leading Ye Ci closer and closer to the answer she sought.

What could it be? Ye Ci lowered her head in thought. The answer was a simple one, “There can only be two problems between Thousand Sunsets and Dong Yin, which are Dong Yin’s feelings for Thousand Sunsets, and money.”

“Now I see why Dong Yin wanted to get rid of you. You’re such a perceptive person.”

“I just know her well enough.”

Green Hill’s Moon’s next words came as a shock to Ye Ci, “They broke up.”

Ye Ci was momentarily stunned before finally pursing her lips, “Well, I guess that’s something that should be expected.”

“Indeed. But I’m sure you’ll never expect what led to their break up.” Green Hill’s Moon poured himself a generous amount of wine. He has been speaking a lot, and decided to reward himself with such a fine wine, “The ending of this story is quite common, but the process is rather melodramatic.”

“You’re very good at keeping people in suspense. Even I am now interested in this method. You do know that I’m usually not interested in gossips like this.”

“You’re only interested because this has something to do with you.” Green Hill’s Moon was a well-verse in word games.

Ye Ci was apparently not impressed by his play of words, “Is this even meaningful?” and she furrowed her eyebrows.

“Alright, let’s get back to the point,” Green Hill’s Moon chuckled, “I’m sure you know that Thousand Sunsets lost his competition with Unbridled Willow. Steel-Blooded Battle Spear was divided into Bloody Steel and Battle Spear, and its former vice leader is now the vice leader of Unbridled Willow’s Battle Spear.”

Ye Ci drummed her fingers against the armrest of her chair impatiently as she stared at Green Hill’s Moon.

“And I’ve told you that the Old Master will not give up on Thousand Sunsets just yet. Even if he’s not as talented as Unbridled Willow, that man was still a person who has been groomed by the Old Master for years. He has more connections than the fledgeling Unbridled Willow. This has become a long term contest, and the victor will become the heir to the Old Master’s throne.” said Green Hill’s Moon with a smile, “The Old Master gave them a sum of money each. An equal sum of money.”

“Why do I feel like I’m watching a shitty soap opera?” Ye Ci let out a yawn. A normal citizen like her will never experience something like that in her life.

“You said something similar when we first met. Remember what I told you before? Art was something that transcended from our experience in life, but life can be a thousand times more melodramatic that art.”

Ye Ci sighed. She seemed to have this conversation with Green Hill’s Moon before. Although she was not interested in the affairs of the wealthy, she was still forced to listen to the rest of the story as it could bring a huge impact to her life, “And what happened next?”

“Oh?” Green Hill’s Moon chuckled as he poured himself more wine, “I did say that Thousand Sunsets’ advantage lies in his many connections, and that it’s not something Unbridled Willow could hope to match, am I right?” he continued before Ye Ci could respond to his question, “Being new to the scene might not be a bad thing at all to Unbridled Willows. In fact, it could even be one of his advantages.”

“Why is that?”

“Because he has less connections than Thousand Sunsets.”

“Didn’t you say that it’s a disadvantage for him?” Ye Ci was confused by the words of Green Hill’s Moon. Just what the hell is he on about?

“There’s always two sides to a coin. Everything has its pros and cons. Don’t you think that you should look at things from multiple perspectives?” said Green Hill’s Moon with a laugh.

Ye Ci chuckled along with Green Hill’s Moon. Was that even funny at all?

“Just think about it. Thousand Sunsets would have to spend a lot of money in maintaining his connections or his past efforts will be wasted. However, Unbridled Willow has no such worry.”

Ye Ci immediately understood the meaning behind his words, “So you’re telling me that the money given to those two by the Old Master was not enough for Thousand Sunsets to maintain his relationship with his allies, but can be considered as a huge sum of money to Unbridled Willow?”

“Exactly.” Green Hill’s Moon was impressed by Ye Ci’s deduction, “You’ve said it yourself. Thousand Sunsets will not sacrifice his future for a mere woman. You can say that he’s someone who is willing to betray anyone and everyone for the sake of his future. He has a trump card hidden up his sleeves that could help him to secure more funds to defeat Unbridled Willow.”

“That trump card you’re talking about can’t be Dong Yin, right?”

“How can it be her? Dong Yin’s family lost everything in that contest between Unbridled Willow and Thousand Sunsets.” Green Hill’s Moon continued with a malicious grin, “If a woman marry a rich man, she would be known as a gold digger. So what do we call a man who marries a rich woman? That’s right, a kept man.”

Ye Ci knew that she was very close to the truth, but her expression remain unchanged, “Thousand Sunsets is not a poor man. Even if he marries a rich woman, they’re equally matched.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that. In short, Thousand Sunsets’ trump card is his status as an unmarried man. It’s an undeniable fact that Thousand Sunsets possess the quality of a Prince Charming to a lot of ladies out there,” Green Hill’s Moon chuckled, “Would you like to guess who will he be marrying?”

“How would I know?”

“Let me give you a hint: You know that person.”

Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. Thousand Sunsets is going to marry somebody that I know? If it’s not Dong Yin, who could it be? It can’t be one of those people in Upwards Ho!, can it? Ye Ci shook her head, what am I thinking? Why would I even think about members of Upwards Ho!? A name immediately surfaced in her mind, “Could it be Peacock Blue?”

“Heh, Gongzi You, has anybody told you before that you make a good detective?”

“So it is her.” Ye Ci was still harboring some lingering doubts, “Didn’t expect her family to be that rich.” Peacock Blue did not strike her as a person who was from such a background. Then again, only a pampered girl from a wealthy family would display such a princess-like attitude.

“Of course she’s wealthy. Her family is friends with the Old Master. Even if Thousand Sunsets might not like Peacock Blue, she’s the only daughter in her entire family. Marrying her will be like marrying a mountain of gold.” said Green Hill’s Moon matter-of-factly.

Ye Ci could feel the sorrow of the wealthy. Even their marriage was filled scheming and plots. Although Ye Ci did not see herself as a benevolent individual, she still saw marriage as something that was sacred. To her, a marriage must not be built upon benefit and schemes.

“Will Dong Yin even agree to that?” Ye Ci rubbed her temples softly. Based on Ye Ci’s understanding of Dong Yin, she could tell that despite her despicable character, Dong Yin’s feelings for Thousand Sunsets was genuine. She could see the affection in Dong Yin’s eyes for Thousand Sunsets.

“Thousand Sunsets was not quite sincere in his relationship with Dong Yin as well. If I’m not mistaken, he became a couple with her because she was a good friend of yours, and he wanted to secure your allegiance through your relationship with Dong Yin.” said Green Hill’s Moon with a laugh, “If he was given the opportunity to date you, he might not even end up as Dong Yin’s boyfriend.”

Ye Ci was not offended at all by Green Hill’s Moon’s sarcasm. She knew that it was the truth. Thousand Sunsets was a person like that. It was entirely possible for him to do something like that.

“So, with a better option at hand, he would of course abandon his relationship with Dong Yin,” Green Hill’s Moon sighed, “That poor girl. She ended up like this because of her feelings for Thousand Sunsets. She tried in vain to salvage the relationship with Thousand Sunsets. At that point of time, you had a fall out with Dong Yin due to unknown reasons.”

Ye Ci let out a sigh. What a coincidence. Something that appeared so trivial at that time turned out to be quite a huge mess.

“Dong Yin knew that her relationship with Thousand Sunsets was doomed. She made two requests as conditions for their break up. She wanted the money her family invested in Steel-Blooded Battle Spear to be returned to her. This request was immediately granted by Peacock Blue. She loved Thousand Sunsets, but the presence of Dong Yin was a huge deterrent to her. This was why Peacock Blue immediately agreed to her request. As for the second request…” Green Hill’s Moon stopped mid sentence, and stared at Ye Ci.

And Ye Ci, who has figured everything out at this point, let out a sigh and continued his sentence for him, “And the second request was for them to teach me a lesson, and I right?”

“You are smart.”

“I’m retarded if I’m not able to figure it out at this point.” Ye Ci rolled her eyes.

“And this is why Thousand Sunsets is willing to go after you for Dong Yin. Even if you’re somewhat useful in his development in the game, money is an even more urgent matter for him. Compared to Peacock Blue, you’re way less useful. Besides, he was able to cover up his tracks well. I had to go to great lengths to dig information regarding his involvement in this up. You’ll never be able to get this piece of information if you hired somebody else.” Green Hill’s Moon shrugged. He has told Ye Ci everything he knew.

“You must be very angry right now.” said Green Hill’s Moon as he studied Ye Ci’s face.

“Nope.” Ye Ci understood the meaning behind his words, “Truth to be told, I already had a rough idea the day I was beaten up, but I was not entirely sure. At this point, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“You’re going to take revenge on them.”

Green Hill’s Moon responded with a statement instead of a question. As a professional in his field, he was confident in his skill in reading people.

His statement with met with silence from Ye Ci.

“I have to say this as a friend. You’re powerless against Thousand Sunsets in real life. Even Dong Yin is more than a match for you. If you want revenge, you might want to be too wreckless.” said Green Hill’s Moon with sincerity in his tone.

“I know. I’m not an idiot. I am well aware of my limits.” Ye Ci nodded.

Green Hill’s Moon nodded, and breathed a sigh of relief, “Thanks for the wine. I have something else that I need to settle. I’ll be on my way.”

“Help yourself out.” said Ye Ci calmly as she resumed staring out of the window. It was strange. She was still calm even after the revelation. It was like the calm before the storm.

Green Hill’s Moon turned around with a sudden movement just as he reached the entrance, “By the way, have you heard of Golden Age?”

“That guild known as the locust of the gaming world?” Ye Ci raised her eyebrows.

“Yup. That’s them. They are being hired by a rival of the Glory Corporation to bring Fate down.” said Green Hill’s Moon with a hint of sadness, “This game might not last that long.”

Ye Ci laughed at his words, “Why are you so sad? We can’t tell what will happen in the future until we get to that point in time anyways. There’s no need to worry about it.”

However, Ye Ci’s words did little to console Green Hill’s Moon, “I hope so.” he said with a grimace.

With that, he left pushed the doors open, and left the room. Ye Ci continued to gaze out of the window at the beautiful scenery. Noone in the game knew of the storm that was about to sweep across Fate in the near future.

After a long period of time, Ye Ci sent Bai Mo a message.

“I’m tired. I’ll be going offline now.”

“What happened?” Bai Mo was in the process of clearing a dungeon when he received the message from Ye Ci. Despite his role as the main tank, he would always respond to messages from Ye Ci.

“It’s nothing, I’m just tired.” Ye Ci closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She needed time to think. To think of a way to survive in the coming storm.

“Heh,are you tired after being teased by Fleeting Time?” said Bai Mo with a smirk.

“What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you heard? That thing’s been going on in the World Channel for almost an hour now!” even when he was the main tank in the dungeon, Bai Mo was still attentive to the gossip going on in the World Chat.

Ye Ci immediately stole a glance at the World Channel. The players were still telling stories about the romance between and Fleeting Time, and tales of their enduring and everlasting love.

Just what the hell is this? Do they have to much time in their hands? Ye Ci ground her teeth in annoyance. She was reminded of the words said to her by Fleeting Time when he left the arena. Rage exploded within Ye Ci like a bomb with its fuse lit. She stood up and flailed her fist in the air wildly at the imaginary Fleeting Time who was smirking at her.

As Ye Ci sat back down on her chair, she received a message from Bai Mo, “How was it? You’ve been punching and cursing at the air aren’t you?”

An astonished Ye Ci looked all around her. Did Bai Mo install cameras in my room? How did he know what I was doing?

“You don’t have to look around. I know because I’m your brother. I know you every well.” Bai Mo was pleased with himself.

Ye Ci was not amused. She raised her eyebrows and snorted, “Oh, I have a news for you.”

“What is it?”

“I had a conversation with Green Hill’s Moon not a few moments ago.” said Ye Ci in a calm voice as she stared out of the window.

Hiya minna-san! Here's another release of the awesomesauce novel translated by an awesomtacular translator, Jimminx(that's me, by the way!).

How's everybody doing nowadays? I have my eyes on a Artoria Alter figurine that looks REALLY good. I'm VERY tempted to just order one. What say you guys? Should Jimmi buy it? My heart is telling me yes, but my wallet is saying no ahahaha... Dilemma... Dilemma...

Link: https://www.thepredatorx.com/products/alter

Or maybe... Any kind souls out there would want to contribute to the Salter Fund? N-not that I'm a-asking for d-donations! Hmpf! (A Jimmy with the figurine is a happy Jimmy. A happy Jimmy will have increased efficiency when he translate during his sem break *wink wink*)