The Earth is Online Chapter 186-187

Chapter 186

Once the prop rope was automatically retracted, Bai Ruoyao jumped backwards and kept a safe distance from Tang Mo and Mu Huixue. He covered his heart and looked at Tang Mo with an expression of heartbreak. Then after a few seconds, he smiled brightly at the crowd, making people want to kick him or kill them.

Tang Mo suddenly wanted to laugh. He put his hands in his pocket and glanced a Bai Ruoyao.

Some people, if they were ignored then they would stick to you like candy. However, if you paid attention to them then they would immediately run away. Bai Ruoyao was this type of person. After the earth went online, everyone thought about how to pass the black tower game and live. Meanwhile, he thought about how to have fun every day, as if life had this meaning.

Still, he was afraid of death.

In other words, he used a smile to cover this up. Tang Mo could detect that this baby-faced youth didn't want to die. He wanted to live.

Santa Claus walked down from the sleight and through the crowd towards the huge door.

This was a castle-style candy house. There was an ancient Greek style dome door and snowflake-covered hollow walls. Santa Claus placed his hand in his butt pocket and searched through it but didn't seem to find anything. He patted his head, "Ah, I misplaced it again." Then everyone saw him reach into his pants, touching his crotch twice before bringing out a golden key.

A subtle smell filled the air.

The five senses of advanced players had been greatly improved but this smell was extremely light and most people didn't care. Tang Mo shouldn't care but Fu Wenduo's expression suddenly changed and he covered his mouth and nose. Tang Mo was slightly stunned. Then the next second, Schrodinger's roar filled his mind.

"I'm going to make you into Santa's stinky toilet!!"  

Tang Mo, "…"

Tang Mo silently reached out a hand but felt it wasn't enough insurance. Then he grabbed Fu Wenduo's hand as another layer of insurance. He noticed that Fu Wenduo stiffened for a moment. Then Fu Wenduo's low voice was heard in his ears, "According to common sense, you should now be covering my nose."

Tang Mo's lips curved and he didn't answer.

Santa Claus opened the door with the golden key. It creaked as if it hadn't been opened for many years and a dazzling light shone from the door. The next second, the cheerful 'Christmas song' filled the store. Santa Claus laughed and shouted, "Merry Christmas! Welcome to Santa's Quirky Candy House." Then the store was finally revealed.

The first time that caught the eye was a huge red gem of sugar. The diamond-shaped ruby sugar was suspended high in the air. It gently rotated and danced along with the melody of the song, reflecting a dazzling light. Directly below the gemstone was a chocolate fountain the size of a swimming pool. The rich cocoa smell pierced the nose, making Tang Mo frown uncomfortably.

Santa happily bypassed the chocolate fountain and took the players on a tour.

"This is Santa's Quirky Candy House. Every year, countless children want to visit but I only like honest children. There are too many bad children in the Underground Kingdom." Santa picked up a cone from the fountain, put the cone in the chocolate fountain and turned it twice. He looked at the player standing behind him and asked, "Honest boy, do you like chocolate?"

The player was nervous and replied warily, "I don't like it."

Players who could live to the present and enter this instance weren't simple. Most of them knew that Santa Claus was a black tower monster and knew his power. In the case that he said he liked it and Santa handed the chocolate to him, should he eat it or not? No one knew what would happen when it was eaten.

A dark light flashed in Santa's eyes and he touched his white beard with regret. "It is a pity that you don't like to eat chocolate but I won't force you. Children, do you want to eat chocolate? If you eat it then your strength can improve."

The black tower's voice was heard at this time.

"Ding dong! Santa's first gift for the children, reverse chocolate."

[Prop: Reverse Chocolate]

[Owner: Santa Claus]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Level: 1]

[Attack: None]

[Function: A magic chocolate. Once eaten, it can enhance the strength of the body.]

[Restrictions: It will only have an effect the first time you eat it.]

[Note: It is said the eating chocolate will make you fat. But who will think that this is a reverse chocolate?]

The player who said he didn't like chocolate, "…"

The players wouldn't necessarily eat the chocolate based on Santa's words. However, the black tower said it so everyone confidently picked up a cone and took a bit of chocolate from the chocolate fountain to eat.

The player's face turned white as he saw everyone eating chocolate. Finally, he couldn't help reaching out to get the chocolate. His hand only reached halfway when it was forcibly stopped. He raised his head and saw the white-bearded Santa smiling at him. "Santa Claus never forces children."

"I… I like to eat chocolate."

Santa's expression suddenly changed. "Then you were lying just now? Are you a dishonest child?"

The Christmas song filling the room came to an abrupt end. Everyone hadn't paid attention when the music was playing. Once it stopped, a cold wind came through the cracks in the door and the air was stagnant. A horrible aura pushed down on their head. The player wasn't stupid and immediately changed his words. "I don't like chocolate, I don't like it at all!"

Santa's expression changed again. "You really are a good boy."

His life was more important than eating a prop and enhancing his physical strength.

Santa Claus moved on while the player didn't dare stand behind him again.

There was no similar situation. Santa Claus entered the next room and continued to bring the players around, no longer inviting them to eat. Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo were standing at the end. Bai Ruoyao seemed afraid that they would grab him again and stood in the middle of the crowd, glancing at them from time to time.

"His name is Bai Ruoyao, nicknamed Fox."

A female voice was heard and Mu Huixue stood behind then, looking at the distant Bai Ruoyao with raised eyebrows. Bai Ruoyao was originally looking at Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo. Once he saw Mu Huixue's glance, he returned it.

Fox (Eng), Fox.

In a way, Bai Ruoyao really was like a fox.

Mu Huixue added, "However, many people didn't like his nickname and changed it to Fly."

Tang Mo asked, "Fly?"

Mu Huixue explained, "He is a fly. He buzzes around your head all day and it takes a lot of effort to hit him."

Tang Mo nodded and thought deeply.

There was only a wrong name and no wrong nickname. This nickname was simply tailored for Bai Ruoyao.

Fu Wenduo suddenly asked, "…He is Fox?"

The man's voice was very calm but Tang Mo caught a hint of incredulity in it. If Fu Wenduo knew Bai Ruoyao then it could be said that Bai Ruoyao's identity was what Tang Mo guessed previously… Fu Wenduo and Luo Fengcheng couldn't find out information on him but the state seemed to have investigated him. Fu Wenduo said he didn't know Bai Ruoyao but Bai Ruoyao came back from abroad and his skills were obviously beyond ordinary.

Mu Huixue smiled. "Major Fu has heard of him? Fly is very famous in the circle. In some ways, he is much more famous than me. After all, he is very annoying."

By this time, Santa had finished the tour of the second room and headed for the third room.

Fu Wenduo stopped and looked earnestly at Mu Huixue. He was silent for a moment before asking, "Deer?"

Mu Huixue smiled and nodded. "The country's sixth safety group, codenamed Deer. This is the first time we've met. Major Fu, you are outstanding beyond my expectations." She turned to look at Tang Mo. "However, today I'm more surprised by you. The most powerful stowaway in China is Fu Wenduo but the most powerful official player in China should be you. Wait, is Fly an official player?"

Bai Ruoyao was an official player. Tang Mo nodded, "He is."

Mu Huixue frowned. "Then I might have to take back this sentence. Before the earth went online, I couldn't completely beat Fly. Now without the use of props and abilities there is a 5:5 chance. As far as physical fitness is concerned, Major Fu is probably the only one with a chance to beat him."

Tang Mo was startled. He hadn't expected Bai Ruoyao to have such a high evaluation but then he understood.

Mortal's Death was Bai Ruoyao's ability.

This was an almost negligible ability that seemed like trash, but it allowed Bai Ruoyao to see the dead air of a person. It didn't have any attack power or surprise effect. Bai Ruoyao survived up to this time not because of his ability or his brain (his brain only caused trouble), but because of his strong personal strength.

Still, Bai Ruoyao could beat Mu Huixue?

"He is that strong?"

Mu Huixue replied in a solemn tone, "Yes, Fly is very strong. If he wasn't strong then he would've died abroad a long time ago. There are too many people in the circle who want to kill him. We are nominally affiliated with the country but we don't really belong to the country. We are loosely disciplined and only know each other's nicknames. If we don't want to show up then people won't know where we are. There are no rules or punishment. As long as we complete the mission, it doesn't matter even if we kill a teammate."

"You came to Beijing to find him?"

Mu Huixue turned at Fu Wenduo's question.

In fact, Tang Mo also wanted to ask this.

Bai Ruoyao was strong and his personality perverse, but he wasn't 'famous'. His name had never been noticed by the black tower and the black tower never made a global announcement about him. This was one of the reasons why Tang Mo sensed that Bai Ruoyao was afraid of death. Then how did Mu Huixue know that Bai Ruoyao was in Beijing?

Bai Ruoyao was a Chongqing native. How could Mu Huixue come to Beijing to find him?

Everyone seemed to be getting along well at the moment but Mu Huixue was a returnee and first on the time leaderboard.  She killed countless people so Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo never let down their guard. The two people stared at her and as long as she moved, both of them would fight back.

Mu Huixue touched his chin and smiled. "I came looking for him?" She scoffed. "Why would I be looking for Fly? I came to find Fu Wenduo."

Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo were startled.

Fu Wenduo didn't know Mu Huixue at all. Both of them had heard of each other's nicknames but this was the first time they met. Tang Mo was thinking about something else. The most powerful returnee and most powerful survivor. Then the reason Mu Huixue came to find Fu Wenduo…

"I came to find you so you can kill me."

Under the dazzling light of the gem, the woman with a ponytail grinned, revealing white teeth. She wasn't beautiful but she was pleasing to the eye. Her powerful strength was hidden in her tall and slim body. Nobody would expect her to be the most powerful human on Earth.

Tang Mo's eyes slowly widened as he stared at Mu Huixue in a wrong manner.

Fu Wenduo's eyes narrowed and he whispered, "You want to die?"

Mu Huixue didn't answer as she followed the group into the third room. Suddenly, she turned to look at Santa Claus. She raised her hand to stop the conversation and spoke very quickly, "These two doors aren't quite right. We visited a total of three rooms from the entrance. The three rooms were connected in a line and blocked by a door. Now there are two doors in this third room and each one corresponds to two rooms. There is a line in the middle of the walls, separating the two rooms… so distinct."

Mu Huixue had been chatting with Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo but she unexpectedly didn't miss Santa's introduction.

Tang Mo glanced around the room and then looked at the two doors.

Mu Huixue speculated, "Do we choose one of the rooms to enter?"

Tang Mo looked at Chen Shanshan in the distance, not approaching to avoid suspicion. The two of them said at the same time, "The game hasn't started yet so this is a visit without danger. My intuition tells me that these two doors might be the key to the game and now Santa will show them to us."

He just finished speaking when a loud laugh was heard. Santa stood between the two doors while laughing. "It is time to choose. Which of the two rooms would the children like to visit first? Santa Claus will listen to the children. Now everyone, raise your hands to vote!"

Added a ko-fi for the people asking for an alternative to Patreon:

You can also join my discord channel to chat with fellow readers about the novels;

Chapter 187

Santa's Candy House was a tall room from the outside but after entering, the space was more spacious than Tang Mo imagined. BY now, the players had followed Santa Claus through three rooms, each with a variety of candy desserts.

The three rooms were the same size and the fourth and fifth rooms weren't much different from the first three. They were still exactly the same.

It was because they were the same that the doors of the two rooms almost clung to the walls of the third room. Santa Claus stood in the middle of the two doors and smiled at the players in front of him. The players looked at each other and didn't speak as they inwardly made calculations.

Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo glanced at each other. Tang Mo took the left and Fu Wenduo the right.

The players were soon divided into two teams as they stood in front of the door they wanted to enter. One team chose to enter the door on the left and the other team chose to enter the door on the right. Santa had no opinion on their choices. He stretched out a hand and counted the number of players in each of the teams. "One, two, three… well, there are eight lovely children on the left."

There were a total of 19 players so it was easy to directly calculate the number of people on the other side. However, Santa seemed bad at maths and directly counted the number on the right side.

"…Eight, nine. Hey, why are there two people missing?"

Santa looked up and found a little girl and young woman standing in the middle of the two teams.

Santa asked with surprise, "My dear children, didn't you hear what I just said? The most democratic Santa Claus in the Underground Kingdom decided to let you vote to choose which room to enter first.  Don't you want to vote?"

Mu Huixue had both arms crossed and she smiled brightly once she heard this. "Must we join the vote?"

Santa Claus was stunned.

"If I must choose then I will choose now." Mu Huixue said this but she didn't move.

Santa Claus replied, "Well, if you don't want to choose then Santa won't force you. After all, I am the most democratic Santa Claus." Santa Claus touched his thick white beard before putting into hand into his crotch, searching for a bit before finding a key. He went to the door to the right and opened it.

Everyone entered the room one after another.

Mu Huixue and Chen Shanshan stood outside the teams and were far away from the door. Thus, the two of them were the last to enter the room. Chen Shanshan entered the room and went straight to Fu Wensheng, silently integrating into the big team. Mu Huixue watched the little girl's back and touched her chin silently.

Tang Mo had been quietly observing this woman, never relaxing his vigilance. He saw that Mu Huixue didn't move and started observing the room.

"Congratulations cute children, you have chosen the most popular chocolate bean room in my candy house."

The huge room had a five metre giant inflatable bed in the centre. Santa Claus stood by the inflatable bed and bent over. He took a bunch of coloured balls from the bed. Some of these balls were the size of big fists and Santa Claus opened his fingers, making the coloured balls fall down. They hit each other and clattered.

"No child in the world can refuse the temptation of the coloured chocolate beans. The best goods sold in this candy house are the chocolate beans." Santa didn't give the chocolate beans to the players this time. Instead, he patiently explained how the chocolate beans were made. "…Thanks to the chocolate bean machine made by the great Schrodinger. It is my second favourite invention next to the golden toilet he made me."

Mixing the chocolate beans with the toilet, everyone felt that a strange smells suddenly filled the rooms.

Tang Mo carefully observed every corner of the room and finally fell on the chocolate beans.

Apart from the absence of the 'M', these chocolates were enlarged versions of MMs.

Santa Claus finished the introduction and didn't let the players touch the chocolate beans. He just took them to the next room. As soon as they entered, the players' bodies tilted. They didn't fall thanks to their physical fitness. Tang Mo stepped on the soft floor and carefully distinguished it.

Tang Mo stated, "It's marshmallow."

Fu Wenduo added, "The first rom is a chocolate fountain, the second room is a glass sugar ball, the third room is strawberry ice cream while these two rooms are chocolate beans and marshmallows."

The two of them looked at each other. Tang Mo opened his mouth and silently said something.

[Where is the lollipop?]

Yes, the lollipops.

No one knew that in the previous true or fake store game, Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo had a natural advantage from the beginning.

They knew that Santa operated a candy store.

Half a year ago, Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo dressed as Mr. A and Mr. B in the Strange Circus assembly instance and had to survive for seven days in the capital of the Underground Kingdom. The two men deliberately traveled through every street in the capital of the kingdom to gather information. Tang Mo once saw a store that was called 'Santa's Candy House'.  The store's signboard was filled with huge lollipops and many underground children entered and left. The business was excellent.

Unfortunately, this type of information was too trivial and the two of them didn't tell Chen Shanshan and Fu Wensheng. Fortunately, Fu Wensheng was assigned to Tang Mo's team and the four people could clear the game.

Any seemingly insignificant piece of information might be the key to determining the outcome of a game.

Tang Mo never ignored any clues.

Lollipops were printed on the signboard of Santa's Candy House. Tang Mo didn't think this was done casually. If there was candy in each room… where was the lollipop?

Santa Claus was surrounded by players and didn't notice the eye contact between two small players. He led the players to the next door. This time, it wasn't two rooms next to each other. The sixth room was a separate room, like the first three. Then the seventh and eighth rooms were next to each other.

Once again, Santa asked the players to make a choice. This time, there were a few more players who gave up on voting.

Everyone entered the room on the left and then the right.

Once the two rooms were visited, Santa Claus took the key and stood at the door of the ninth room. The dome door that was three metres high only reached the head of the giant Santa Claus. He looked at the 19 players, his eyes full of kindness. "Children, the happy times are always so short. This is the last room."

Everyone tensed as they watched the old man with the white beard.

Santa Claus's face was full of disappointment but no one thought that this was a pure and harmless old man. He was Santa Claus. From the surprise instance last year to the present, he had never shown any malice to players but he was still a black tower monster.

[…Santa Claus likes honest children most? Santa Claus himself is very dishonest, ahaha!]

Wang Xiaotian's gloating laughter from the Happy Question and Answer show filled Fu Wenduo's mind. He leaned towards Tang Mo and whispered these words. Tang Mo had never thought of Santa as a true friendly boss but he became more vigilant after this.

Then Fu Wenduo added, "This doesn't mean that Santa wants to kill players. Grandmother Wolf has malicious intentions towards players and wants to eat players. Schrodinger's attitude towards players is neutral.'

The world wasn't black or white. For now, Santa Claus didn't seem to be as sinister and vicious black tower boss.

Tang Mo nodded. "Keep observing."

Santa Claus continued to express his regret for this short tour. “Children, I want to be with your forever but unfortunately, this happiness can't be preserved forever. Before entering the last room, let Santa Claus give you the last gift."

Santa took a red gift bag from his waist. He frowned as he reached inside the bag for a while. “Ah, I've finally found it!" The old man smiled, his face full of wrinkles as he pulled out an ice sugar die.

Under the bright light, the ice sugar die shone like a diamond. There were six faces in total, each with a number written on them. Santa Claus tied up his bag and showed a rare hint of pride. "This is Santa's lucky die."

"Every year on Children Eve, Santa Claus will ride the reindeer sleight and give gifts to children.  There are so many children over the world and I have many gifts. Sometimes I don't know which gift to give to which child. Thus, the great Schrodinger made this beautiful die for me. Praising the great Schrodinger."

Santa said cheerfully. "It is a magical die and always finds the most suitable gift for children. Every time I put a gift in the children's socks, I will throw the die first and pick a loving gift. Now children, I have decided to share this luck with you."

Santa held up the ice sugar die. "There are a total of six digits. The larger the number, the luckier it is. Throw it children. It is a small luck game and it is my gift to you."

Santa twisted his wrist and threw the ice sugar die into the sky. In the process of the die landing, light penetrated it and illuminated a line of golden letters in the air. At first, the players didn't find it strange when they saw the text. The black tower would never embarrass players when it came to props. IT would give the function of each prop to the players but the method to find the instructions would vary. Sometimes the methods were very strange.

However, the players all gasped after seeing these words. Everyone was short of breath, their eyes lit up and the temperature of the air rose sharply.

Tang Mo's eyes widened and he subconsciously took a step forward. Fu Wenduo's narrowed eyes were locked on this crystal clear die.

Mu Huixue made a surprised sound and quickly spoke some Cantonese words that no one understood. She seriously considered the instructions of the die from beginning to end.

Chen Shanshan was startled. "This die is that amazing?"

The die fell to the ground, as if tempting players to go and pick it up.

“That's right, it is amazing." Santa laughed. "Come children, before entering the last room, this is Santa Claus' last gift to you!"

[Prop: Santa Claus' Magical Die]

[Owner: Santa Claus]

[Quality: Rare]

[Level: 1]

[Attack: Normal] It is hard and might be a bit painful.]

[Function: Improve the user's luck. Throw the die. The user can increase their luck according to the size of the number. The bigger the number, the more their luck will increase. This is an increase in causality and can't be reversed. The classification of luck is according to the black tower's guidelines and the specific values aren't show. All explanations are owed by the black tower.]

[Restrictions: Can only be used in instances. The effect of the dice will disappear automatically after leaving the instance.  However, Santa seems to have a way to solve the problem.]

[Note: Teenager, do you want to gamble? Stowaways, this is the last chance!]

Merry Christmas! Keep an eye out on my wordpress for teasers of my next BL projects after EO and GLS finishes.

Added a ko-fi for the people asking for an alternative to Patreon:

You can also join my discord channel to chat with fellow readers about the novels;

Chapter end