(This chapter might be called "Blinded by the Light" – not really.)

After talking about the Anti-Suppression Bureau, a customer happened to come.

It was a young man with glasses, and although he was wearing a thick coat, he still showed a clear bookish anger, obviously a student.

He bought a book on the Greek language called "A Detailed Explanation of the Grammar of Ancient Greek", which was co-authored by two Germans, "Qune" and "Gert" – well, it is a German book.

Pan Long knew a lot of English, some Japanese, a little Latin, Italian, and German — the latter three languages that he had learned by a friend when he was digging up ruins in the Apennine Peninsula, just a few scratches, roughly at the level of "oh, I can see, it's Latin/Italian/German".

When the customer left, he couldn't help but ask, "How did an Englishman buy a German book when he bought ancient Greek textbooks in England?"

"Because the book is cheap and ...... He probably knows German. "Anyway, for learning ancient Greek, it doesn't matter what language the textbook is." ”

That's right, ancient Greek, as a language that has been buried by history, is already rare to find a textbook, and as for what language this textbook is, I really don't care so much.

"Why did he want to learn ancient Greek, did he want to decipher some ancient texts, or study some ancient ruins?" Pan Long guessed curiously.

"It doesn't matter what happens. "He has not yet rejuvenated his wandering spirituality, and 'research' is a safe thing for him to do for the time being." ”

He sat down again, picked up the bottle, took a big sip, and said, "Let's get back to the 'organizations that deserve attention.'" In addition to Scotland Yard and the Anti-Crackdown Bureau, the organisation you need to watch out for the most is the 'Shedding Club'. ”

"What kind of organization is that?" Pan Long asked.

"Nominally, it is an entertainment venue that is only open in the evenings and offers men certain essential relaxation activities. "If you have money and want some relaxation and pleasure, this is the place to go." ”

Pan Long also smiled: "Obviously, for us, the unknown part of the 'business' is the most important. ”

"That's right!" said Pan Long, who didn't care about the stuff, much to Mr. Ello's satisfaction, "it's a famous underground trading place in London. Every day, many researchers of the Invisible Arts, in the name of having fun, engage in private or not-so-private activities there. ”

"But what does this have to do with me?" Pan Long asked.

"I don't know what kind of ecology the researchers of the invisible art in the East are, but here in our place, after the study of the invisible art reaches a certain level, there will be a difficult problem that cannot be overcome. Mr. Iroh's expression became serious, "Mortals either enlighten their minds, or arouse their passion, or increase their strength, or by some other means embark on the path to transcendent holiness. In short, when they embarked on the path of transcendence, they had to face a problem. ”

"The value of life. ”

In the last sentence, he said very seriously, almost word for word.

Pan Long didn't understand what he meant: "The value of life?

"Not really. "In the study of the invisible arts, iron, gold, mercury, precious stones, time, blood...... These are all 'materials' for research or ceremonies. To improve yourself, of course, through step-by-step study, meditation, and exercise. But at a certain stage, it is necessary to achieve self-transcendence through the ritual of formless magic. ”

"In that ritual, do you need to consume lives?" Pan Long asked.

"That's right!" said Mr. Iroh in a deep voice, "there are a handful of researchers of the invisible arts, who use special methods to accumulate their own life force to support the consumption of rituals. But the choice of the vast majority of people is to look for victims. ”

Pan Long frowned - to find the victim, a stranger of unknown origin and no relatives and no reason is naturally the most suitable.

"I know you're very skilled, and that daredevil, Stone, can beat seven or eight strong men to the point where he can't find the north, but you're like a baby in front of you. Ordinary researchers of invisible arts, you can't help it at all. But......," sighed Mr. Iroh, "there are some extremely powerful people in London, who have even surpassed the limits of the 'living' and become the 'immortals'. ”

Pan Long's eyes widened suddenly, "Immortals?!" he blurted out.

In this world, there are immortals?

And...... Listening to Mr. Arlo's meaning, it seems that in this world, there are still a lot of immortals?

"Yes, through the three-pointed gate, to the heights of Mansu, beyond the mortal body, to gain eternal life...... Then they returned from the Three-Pointed Gate, and the undead who lived in wandering or earthly realms were not many in this world. ”

As Mr. Iroh spoke, a vast image appeared in front of Pan Long's eyes.

The image was like an endless woodland, covering the earthly world of several apparitions. The black trees were densely intertwined, the thick roots snaking like giant snakes, and many shadowy things fluttered in the depths of the woodland, looking like pale moths. In the middle of this vast woodland, there is a field of bitter snow, and countless figures are staggering in the snow. And in the middle of the snow, there is a portal that shimmers with white light.

Looking back along the portal, he could see long roads and countless landscapes, but these landscapes were blurry and chaotic, and there were countless ghosts, even with his gaze, he could not see them completely.

All he could see was a myriad of sharp blades blocking the way, and at the end of the road, a huge deer's head guarding another door, and further up, in the middle of the scorching desert, there was a third door shaped like a spider and exuding a disgusting evil aura, and a fourth door that looked like an amethyst surrounded by countless brilliance and flowers.

At the top, a huge glowing circle blocked his view. Even he couldn't see what was behind the circle. But the moment he saw the circle, he had an unmistakable intuition.

[The highest and the circle of light, the end of all the perfection in the world, this is the "three-pointed door". Those who cross this gate will gain immortality. 】

In an instant, a thousand voices echoed in his mind: gunshots, explosions, bells and drums, chanting and cursing, laughter and crying, pleading and sighing...... All the sounds mingled together, as if they were going to fill his brain completely, even to the point of exploding.

Pan Long stood up sharply and let out a roar of rage.

A violent and powerful aura was released from his body, like a scorching storm, and it was about to sweep through everything around him.

At this moment, there were many decorations in Moran's bookstore—paintings on the wall, a pot of flowers in the corner of the table, a small cabinet on the wall, a glass of a slightly different color on the window, and symbols of children's graffiti on the wall...... All of these ornaments, together, emitted a dim white light.

The staggered combination of these white lights turned into a net in the blink of an eye, heading towards Pan Long under the hood.

In the next moment, the storm and the net met, and with a dull sound, the two disappeared together without a trace.

Pan Long staggered and sat down, feeling dizzy.

But he couldn't help but laugh.

"I see!" he muttered to himself, "I see!"

The glowing things in Moran's bookstore were still glowing, and the dim white light had filled the store, and in the white light, Pan Long's eyes widened, looking at the lines of prompts that appeared in front of him.

【Confirmed World: Simulated Esoteric Believers】

Merge into a role template. 】

[Gain new attributes: Sanity 8, Strength 16, Passion 5.] 】

[Obtain phase properties: blade 15, heart 10, cast 10, lamp 4, winter 4.] 】

[Money merged into the inventory, ignored.] 】

[Cards are incorporated into special abilities.] 】

[Acquired ability: Ecstasy, dreaming.] 】

[Gain status in this world: Practitioner of Invisible Arts.] 】

[Current Practitioner Level: Outside the Wandering Place.] 】

He closed his eyes and let the line of prompts fade away, and his mood gradually calmed down.

Yes, he finally knew what kind of world it was.

(No wonder I never thought that word games could open up a world!)

In his previous life, he played a lot of word games, most of them in the martial arts style, but there were also some others.

Among these word games, "simulated esoteric believers" is quite unique. It's not like a normal game, where you build up power, become stronger, solve puzzles, and ultimately save the world — no, that's all about the player.

In this game, there are basically only two things to do.

First, try to survive.

Second, try to gain immortality.

The former requires players to earn money and avoid various dangers. The latter, on the other hand, requires the player to take the initiative to face various dangers, get clues, perform rituals, and travel through the world of light called "Manju" to reach the realm of the gods called "Si Chen" before being caught and destroyed by the Bureau of Prevention or other forces, and obtain immortality.

For players who are new to this game, probably the most troublesome thing is to make money.

It is not easy to live in Chang'an. In the game, players live in the capital of the great and prosperous empire on which the sun never sets, where prices are very high, and they have to spend a pound of money every week to survive.

This pound is not easy to earn at all, and players have to work continuously to make ends meet.

Not only that, but there are many places where you need to use money.

It costs money to recruit people.

It costs money to buy literature.

It costs money to explore the activity.

......

All in all, it's hard to make money, it's easy to spend it.

Therefore, players who are new to this game tend to play this game as a simple way to make money and spend money, and they can barely save a few pounds around them, and their sleeves are so clean that even the rats in the house will sigh and cry for it.

Of all the ways to make money, the most stable is probably to be a company clerk.

I keep working to make money, and I spend it as soon as I earn it, and I can barely save it. So I had to work one after another, and I couldn't rest for a moment.

There is a well-known ironic and self-deprecating term for this state of life, which is called "social animal".

Therefore, this game is also nicknamed "Social Animal Simulator" by players.

Pan Long liked this game at the beginning and played it for a while. It's just that when he first played, it was a simple line of text, plus a few illustrations, and the "painting style" had no resemblance to the huge and real world in front of him.

So, it wasn't until he saw the most famous big picture in the original game, "A Glimpse", that he suddenly realized.

determined what kind of game this was, and the strategies that he knew by heart at the beginning were like turning the pages of a book, page by page in his heart.

(Next, it seems that I should recruit men, establish a sect, study the invisible arts, go to Mansu through dreams, and then advance layer by layer, finally through the three-pointed gate at the top, and enter the high place of Mansu where the gods are, and obtain immortality that does not grow old and die...... This is almost equivalent to achieving a demon god. ）

(Hey!It doesn't seem difficult to achieve immortality in this world...... ）

(Although there are many obstacles along the way, with my strength, except for some particularly exaggerated things, even the so-called "immortals" should not be able to kill me.) ）

(Moreover, I am actually immortal.) Even if you fail once, you can re-enter this world and start all over again. ）

(Thinking about it this way, doesn't it mean that as long as I focus on this world from now on, it won't take long for me to gain immortality?)

(There is nowhere to find the iron shoes, and it takes no effort to get them?)

Suddenly, he felt a little dazed.

The immortality that he has been pursuing, the immortality that countless powerhouses in the Kyushu world have been desperately chasing but have never been able to obtain, can he get it so easily?

But after thinking about it, he remembered again—in fact, he had already obtained immortality.

As long as he keeps a low profile, establishes a secret Holy Grail Ritual in Dingfeng Town, and relies on capturing wild beasts as sacrifices, it is completely enough to sustain his life, let himself transcend the years, and obtain an immortal body.

Admittedly, that kind of immortality is very restrictive. For example, he needs to continuously replenish the sacrifices for the Holy Grail ceremony, for example, he will have to guard Dingfeng Town from now on, and he will not be able to leave for a long time, for example, although he will not die, he may not be able to age......

All of these problems are real.

But no matter how many problems there are, it is an unmistakable fact that the Holy Grail Ritual can give people immortality.

Old ancestor Ren Changsheng had already relied on this ritual to get rid of the dying aging, when Pan Long left Suitao Mountain, he saw with his own eyes that the twilight qi on Ren Changsheng's body was dissipating, and he gradually regained his vitality. According to Ren Changsheng's own estimates, he should have returned to his prime by now, and he should be able to maintain it for a long time.

In this way, immortality does not seem to be such an unattainable thing.

And...... The immortality of this world seems to be ...... There are a few questions......