C76 — Feathered GPS

When SAN values first appeared, Mu Sichen used them as a simple measure of good and evil, believing that Yao Wangping, who had an extremely high SAN value, was someone trustworthy.

But he later discovered that while Yao Wangping was indeed highly rational, he was also cold-blooded.

After entering the “Pillar”, SAN values became unreadable.

Later, when Mu Sichen gained control over his Domain, he found that while deep-level contaminated beings like the Big-Eye Followers remained unreadable, other negative-SAN entities —those whose bodies had undergone non-human mutations—could be purified through his Domain’s power, restoring their SAN values to normal.

For a while, Mu Sichen even thought that SAN values were useless.

But in Dream Butterfly Town, they unexpectedly became crucial.

By following people with SAN values, he could pinpoint locations where, suddenly, all SAN values disappeared —indicating the presence of a “Pillar”.

What was once a rationality assessment tool had now been repurposed into a “Pillar Detector” —a surprising yet fortunate discovery.

—

At this moment, Ji Xian’an rationally suggested,

“I think we should split up. It’s dangerous, but this dream world is too vast. If all four of us move together, we’ll never find it in time.”

“Our phones can send group messages, so we won’t get lost. Before moving to any new location, we send a message. If someone goes silent during this process, the rest can infer they’ve entered a ‘Pillar’ and track their movements to find the location.”

He Fei and Chi Lian both found this reasonable and were about to agree.

But Mu Sichen immediately countered, “No need to split up. I already have a lead on the ‘Pillar.’ Just follow me. If we scatter blindly, we might fall into a dream trap and never reunite.”

Ji Xian’an frowned in confusion.

Mu Sichen warned them sternly, “No matter what happens next, we must stick together. Dreams can be vast, but they can also be small. This is a false space constructed by the dream, and no one knows if its structure will shift.”

“The road we walked on a second ago might turn into a bridge in the next. In this place, we cannot search using conventional methods.”

“So that’s why our team struggled in Dream Butterfly Town,” Ji Xian’an murmured.

The illusory nature of this dream world was a direct counter to the rigid, logical approach of the Xiangping Town warriors.

Since more than 90% of the people here were fake, the “pillar” found by the people in Xiangping Town might have also been fake.

Every town had their own town-specific defensive strategies.

—

Mu Sichen widened his eyes, memorizing the movements of all individuals with SAN values.

But they were scattered in different directions, blending into the crowd with no clear destination.

Even with Big-Eye’s abilities, tracking them was difficult.

If only he had a GPS…

Wait.

He did.

—

Mu Sichen rummaged through his inventory and pulled out a pair of wings—each feather covered in tiny, blinking eyes.

“What the Hell Is that?!” He Fei screamed, jumping behind Ji Xian’an to hide.

The 183 cm tall man tried to shield himself behind Ji Xian’an’s 165 cm frame, leaving only half an eye peeking out to stare at the eerie wings.

His SAN value plummeted —from over 90 down to 70, before barely stabilizing.

He Fei had arrived in Tongzhi Town only after the Big-Eyed One had already been torn apart, and Mu Sichen had wiped out all the high-level Followers.

Having stayed in the library the whole time, he had never witnessed a true sanity-draining horror before.

This was his first time experiencing it.

No wonder he panicked.

—

On the other hand, Chi Lian and Ji Xian’an remained completely calm.

They had already seen this particular entity before—one of the strongest Followers under the Sky-Eye Deity.

Chi Lian still remembered that Mu Sichen’s left eye had been replaced with something from this very entity—she was the one who had personally performed the exchange. Seeing it again now, she actually felt a bit sentimental.

“What are you planning to do with it? Can I replace my nearsighted eyes with those?” Chi Lian asked, staring at Mu Sichen’s deep black and blue left eye.

Mu Sichen had been using his eye for a while without any signs of rejection, proving that this thing was indeed compatible for direct use.

A beautiful and fully functional eye—who wouldn’t want that? If she thought of it as a perk of adventuring in another world, then it didn’t feel like a sanity-draining experience at all.

Hearing that Chi Lian actually wanted to switch out her eyes, He Fei immediately felt lightheaded. Compared to these veteran teammates, he really was still too inexperienced.

Mu Sichen said, “I’m going to use it to track real souls.”

These feathers were now his, and since his left eye had absorbed fragments of the golden wire glasses, he had a certain degree of control over them.

The moment he took out the feathers, his left eye immediately saw countless invisible threads connecting each feather to a soul. Through his left eye, he could trace the whereabouts of every single feather.

With a slight exertion of his hand, the wing disintegrated into countless feathers that floated in the air.

Thousands of feathers gently drifted, and Mu Sichen, remembering Chi Lian and Cheng Xubo’s eagerness to cure their nearsightedness, set aside nearly a hundred feathers and stored them back in his inventory.

Then, with a wave of his palm, the feathers transformed into streams of light mist, landing on the thousands of souls that still had sanity values.

It was as if a thousand surveillance screens had opened in Mu Sichen’s vision, overwhelming amounts of information flooding his mind. If not for the self-adhesive sticker protecting his psyche, just this scene alone would have been enough to drain his sanity.

As expected, divine power required a divine mind to wield. Without a strong enough will, even if someone accidentally obtained god-level power, they would collapse into a useless heap, unable to bear the burden.

And this was merely the perspective of the Feathered Eye Dependent. The true “Eye, in the Sky” watching the entire world from above, must have been enduring an unimaginable influx of information.

“Who are those people?” Ji Xian’an asked.

“They are the real residents of Dream Butterfly Town. I’m going to use them to track down the whereabouts of the ‘Pillars.’ Even if we split up, our power as just four individuals is too limited. Why not recruit some extra hands?” Mu Sichen said with a faint smile.

But Ji Xian’an could sense something from him—something eerily similar to the presence of Supreme General Qin, “Eye in the Sky,” “Moon Without Eyes,” and other god-level entities.

“You’re really strange,” Ji Xian’an murmured. “Why can you wield both divine power and human nature so seamlessly? You combine the two so well, it’s almost like…”

Blasphemy.

Ji Xian’an swallowed the last word.

Her comment, however, sparked a realization in Mu Sichen.

Perhaps, this was exactly what the system wanted.

The system didn’t need players to become god-level monsters—it wanted players to contain divine power within a human body.

Mu Sichen had no time to dwell on this thought for long, as the images from the feathers demanded his full attention.

Very soon, he pinpointed the location where hundreds of feathers had converged.

It was a restaurant.

A luxurious five-story restaurant.

The restaurant was circular in design, with spacious seating areas that ensured privacy despite its large capacity. Guests wouldn’t disturb one another.

In the center of the ring was the kitchen, with a separate one on each floor. The first and second floors had semi-open kitchens where customers could watch the food being prepared, while the third, fourth, and fifth floors had enclosed kitchens, preventing diners from being disturbed by kitchen noise.

This restaurant seemed to cater to everyone’s needs perfectly.

The most notable thing was that once the feather-marked people entered the restaurant, the connected visuals from the feathers disappeared completely.

It was highly reminiscent of the purifying ability of a “Pillar.”

Apart from the restaurant, Mu Sichen quickly locked onto another location—two “Pillars” had now revealed themselves.

However, the third “Pillar” was still nowhere to be found, and in the meantime, the power of the feathers was disappearing in an unpredictable manner. These feathers didn’t vanish from a single fixed location but rather from scattered spots all over.

Logically speaking, as long as Mu Sichen occupied two “Pillars,” he could disrupt Dream Butterfly Town’s domain, leaving the Butterfly unprotected and vulnerable to being devoured by other god-level entities.

But this time, Mu Sichen had no allies to work with, nor did he want to attract Shen Jiyue’s attention.

The last thing he wanted was to go through all the effort of breaking Dream Butterfly Town’s domain, only for the Butterfly to end up being consumed by the Moon—thus strengthening Shen Jiyue instead.

The ideal outcome would be to consecutively seize all three “Pillars,” significantly weakening the “Dream-Devouring Butterfly,” and at just the right moment, his trust level would hit 100%, allowing him to unleash the power of a Hidden Star and eliminate the Butterfly.

Unfortunately, the battle had barely begun, and Mu Sichen had already been forced to sacrifice 10% of his trust level to feed the Butterfly. Reaching 100% again would be difficult.

Forget it. One step at a time. The priority was to secure the first “Pillar” and establish a safe foothold in Dream Butterfly Town before making further plans.

Of the two locations, one was merely a door—what lay behind it was completely hidden from Mu Sichen’s sight.

On the other hand, the restaurant had good lighting, allowing its interior structure to be clearly seen from the outside. Mu Sichen knew exactly what kind of place it was.

Compared to the unknown behind that door, the restaurant, where everything was visible, seemed like the safer choice.

There were still over three hundred active visuals, but Mu Sichen could no longer endure the mental strain. He shifted his gaze, deactivating the “Eye of Truth” to give himself a break.

Once he recovered, he could reactivate the “Eye of Truth” and review all the recorded visuals—even if they had already disappeared. That was another of Big Eye’s abilities.

“I’ve found two ‘Pillars,’” Mu Sichen announced.

“That was fast! Only an hour in, and we’ve already got two. Which one are we hitting first?” He Fei asked.

“There’s a restaurant over there,” Mu Sichen pointed in the direction. “Take Line 2 of the subway for three stops, then transfer to Line 5 for two more stops, and we’ll be there.”

“Great! I was just starting to get hungry,” He Fei said, looking noticeably better. His SAN value had stabilized at 75—still prone to being startled but otherwise functional.

Chi Lian hesitated before asking, “Now that we’ve found the ‘Pillars,’ can those eyes still be recovered?”

Mu Sichen explained, “Once used, the eyes are purified by the ‘Pillar’ and can’t be reclaimed. But I kept a good number of feathers. If you’re really interested in switching eyes and aren’t afraid of potential side effects, you could give it a shot.”

Chi Lian seemed relieved, then sheepishly admitted, “It’s not just about the intact eyes—I also feel bad about losing the feathers. Such a good GPS, and it’s only a one-time-use item. What a waste.”

Mu Sichen agreed it was unfortunate, but Dream Butterfly Town’s Pillars were too well-hidden. Just finding them had already been a grueling task.

The four of them arrived at the subway station, only to realize something when they stood in front of the ticket vending machine.

They had no money.

He Fei asked, “Did any of you bring cash? I always use mobile payments, so I stopped carrying cash ages ago. But my phone doesn’t get a signal in this world, so even if I had money, I wouldn’t be able to use it.”

Chi Lian: “Snap out of it! Money can’t be brought in! Before leaving home, I packed a waist bag with pepper spray, a folding fruit knife, scissors, an awl, and other small self-defense tools. But when I entered the game, the waist bag was left behind in the real world. Only my phone and a harmless pack of tissues came with me.”

“This game is unbelievable. Why do I always manage to bring tissues in? Are they expecting us to wipe our tears?”

Mu Sichen: “…”

He had originally planned to bring a backpack this time, but the little octopus had clung stubbornly to his neck, refusing to go inside the dark bag. Since it seemed to hate being confined, he had worn a hooded outfit instead, forgoing the backpack—and with it, any money.

“I have money,” Ji Xian’an said.

The three of them lit up and looked at Ji Xian’an expectantly.

But Ji Xian’an doused their hopes with cold logic: “My money works in Xiangping Town, but not in Hope Town, let alone in Dream Butterfly Town. Look at the money they use here—do you have any?”

Dream Butterfly Town also used mobile payments, but occasionally, people would use paper currency to buy tickets. The group had clearly seen that the bills lacked Arabic numerals; instead, their value depended on the number of butterflies printed on them.

“Same tracks, same language, but a single cent can stump a hero!” He Fei slapped his thigh anxiously. “Why isn’t there a Qin Shi Huang in this game world to unify the currency?!”

 

Mu Sichen had no choice but to turn to the system for help. “Does this game even have any in-game currency?”

System: [The system only calculates value in terms of energy points. It has no concept of currency. Please resolve this minor issue on your own.]

Was this really a minor issue? Mu Sichen was dumbfounded—earning money in the real world was hard enough!

At that moment, Chi Lian gritted her teeth, took out a pair of scissors, and cut off one of her legs, storing it in the game’s item inventory. She clenched her jaw and said, “We’re begging!”

Her cut-and-paste ability consumed very little energy when used on tangible objects. Cutting off one leg only cost 120 energy points—she could afford it!

Newbie He Fei had already witnessed too many sanity-draining events today. Seeing Chi Lian heartlessly amputate her own leg, he instinctively shrank behind Ji Xian’an. His teeth chattered as he whimpered, “Why are you guys doing so many horrifying things today? I get queasy at the sight of blood…”

Mu Sichen gave He Fei a “kind” smile. “She’s not even bleeding. And you better get used to this—there’ll be plenty more sanity-draining days ahead.”

After this so-called reassurance, which was really just intimidation, Mu Sichen turned to Chi Lian and said, “Go ahead and cut off my leg too. Hopefully, someone in Dream Butterfly Town will give us some money.”

Chi Lian was just about to cut when Ji Xian’an, looking utterly baffled, asked, “What are you doing?”

“Figuring out how to make money,” Chi Lian and Mu Sichen replied in unison.

Even He Fei, who was thoroughly disturbed by the scene, chimed in, “Yeah, what else are we supposed to do?”

Ji Xian’an clenched her fists in frustration. “Rob them! Do you guys still think this place operates under normal societal rules? These people are all living in a dream—what do they need money for?”

“Oh, right!” He Fei clapped his hands. “90% of the souls here aren’t even real people. They’re basically game mobs. Defeat them, and they should drop currency like in games!”

 

The three players, conditioned by the normal world, had completely overlooked this option.

“All that cutting and pasting wasted 240 energy points for nothing.” Chi Lian painfully reattached her leg.

Even the usually sharp-witted Mu Sichen felt a bit embarrassed. The three players sheepishly followed Ji Xian’an into a dark alley near the subway station.

Ji Xian’an was clearly an expert at this. She skillfully located a dumpster to use as cover and crouched there, waiting for the perfect opportunity—while three tagalongs huddled behind her.

Ji Xian’an: “…Stop following me. Find your own hiding spots. There’s no way we can all hide behind a tiny dumpster, especially when two of you are over 1.8 meters tall! Who do you think you’re fooling?”

Chi Lian: “But we don’t know how…” she said pitifully.

He Fei: “I feel guilty…”

Mu Sichen remained silent.

Ji Xian’an: “You guys took over three ‘Pillars’ in a row, conquered Tongzhi Town, and drove out the ‘Moon without Eyes’—but you don’t dare to rob these fake people of their fake money?”

Mu Sichen thought for a moment before responding, “It’s not that I don’t dare, I’m afraid of getting used to it.”

If this were just a computer or mobile game, the difference between 2D and 3D would be obvious. Killing NPCs or looting items wouldn’t be an issue at all.

But this world was too real. They still had to return to the real world and live normal lives. They couldn’t afford to gradually lose their moral compass.

“Fine, just wait outside. Once I get the money, I’ll split it with you,” Ji Xian’an told her three freeloaders.

“Then we’ll leave it to you,” Mu Sichen said, patting her shoulder.

Ji Xian’an hesitated for a moment. She found herself envying these three, coming from a peaceful world. She vaguely remembered—before the Great Cataclysm, her world had been just as peaceful.

The three obediently left the alley and waited for Ji Xian’an to bring back the spoils.

“Sister Ji won’t run into trouble, right?” After waiting for half an hour, He Fei started getting anxious, peeking around nervously.

“Of course not. She’s so strong—getting some Dream Butterfly Coins should be a piece of cake,” Chi Lian said confidently.

But just then, Mu Sichen said, “This is bad.”

“What’s bad?” Chi Lian asked.

Mu Sichen pointed toward the alley entrance.

All three of them turned to look—only to see Ji Xian’an being handcuffed and escorted into a police car by two uniformed officers.

The group: “…”

“You jinxed it!” Chi Lian kicked He Fei angrily. “How could Sister Jie, of all people, get caught?! And isn’t this supposed to be a fake world inside a dream? Why are there even police?!”

“Never underestimate false souls,” Mu Sichen murmured. “They experience emotions just like we do, and they can still cause harm. We’ve underestimated the rules of Dream Butterfly Town.”

“What do we do now? How do we save Sister Ji?” He Fei asked. “She got arrested for breaking the law, right? If we break into the jail, won’t we also violate Dream Butterfly Town’s rules and get caught?”

Chi Lian was puzzled. “This place is nothing like Tongzhi Town. There were no rules or laws there—it was completely under Big Eye’s control. We could tear down an entire asylum, and no one would come after us. But here, the order is so strict.”

“It seems the experience we gained in Tongzhi Town is completely useless here,” Mu Sichen concluded.

“Why aren’t you even a little worried about Sister Ji?” He Fei asked.

Mu Sichen pointed at his eye. “I put a feather on her earlier.”

The feather was meant as a form of mental support since the rest of them were too useless to actually help Ji Xian’an rob people.

But unexpectedly, through it, he had witnessed this scene—

Ji Xian’an had chosen a target in the alley, swiftly taken them down, and snatched their wallet, stuffing it into a gap behind the dumpster.

Just as she was about to make her escape, two police officers appeared in front of her.

Her hand transformed into metal, and she struck both officers in the face with full force—

But to her shock, they didn’t even flinch.

“She entered the third ‘Pillar.'”

Mu Sichen’s words sent a chill through the group.

Chi Lian and He Fei exchanged glances, both realizing the gravity of the situation.

“The third ‘Pillar’…?” Chi Lian murmured. “But we never even found it. Why did it show up now?”

He Fei clenched his fists. “It must be inside the police station. Damn it! We were planning to take over all three ‘Pillars’—but Sister Ji ended up walking straight into one!”

Mu Sichen’s mind raced. The ‘Pillars’ were the foundation of Dream Butterfly Town. If Ji Xian’an had entered the third one, then she was already within the enemy’s grasp.

“We need to get to the police station. Now,” Mu Sichen said, standing up.

“But how do we get in?” Chi Lian frowned. “If they caught Sister Ji easily, they’re probably strong enough to stop us too. We can’t just walk in and break her out.”

Mu Sichen exhaled slowly. “No. We can’t fight them head-on. But we need to figure out exactly what the third ‘Pillar’ is. If we can disrupt it from the outside, we might be able to weaken its hold on Ji Xian’an.”

He Fei hesitated. “But what if it’s a trap? What if they wanted her to enter?”

Mu Sichen’s expression darkened. That was exactly what he was afraid of.

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