Instance game: I signed a pact with the gods, and the gods accused me of cheating

[Current number of players: 10/30]

"Oh my god, there are only ten players who can be assigned roles in this instance, but more than thirty people came in at once?"

When Qin Shang first heard the concept of "training copy" from Master Yin, he was shocked by what Master Yin said was a copy that could accommodate hundreds of people at once.

He had always thought that a normal multiplayer instance would have at most a single-digit number of players.

Except for the [Training Copy].

As a result, today this [No. 1 Cultivator] taught him a lesson again.

This means that multiplayer copies under normal circumstances most likely have a limit to their capacity.

Usually, if this limit is reached, the dungeon plot will unfold and no new players will be teleported into the dungeon.

For example, on the [Death Train], the train starts to depart when the number of players reaches 6.

However, the contaminated copy of [No. 1 Monastic Grudge] obviously does not have this upper limit threshold. As long as someone finds the "shadow projection area" and finds a way to enter the copy, they can enter this copy.

Even though the copy has an upper limit, it does not restrict players from entering because it is contaminated.

It's just that when the main quest is about to begin, in order to be able to unfold the main storyline normally, because there are not enough player identities in the assigned copy, an early screening will be carried out after the number of people exceeds the upper limit of the roles that can be assigned in the copy.

"Competitive games..."

Thinking of this, Qin Shang pursed his lips and took a look at the copy type in the bright blue attribute panel.

Non-death, confrontational, multiplayer, puzzle.

There are quite a lot of elements in this copy.

In other words, if this confrontation game is not over, the main storyline in 80% of the copies cannot be continued...

"But now I don't have to worry about running into a [Shadow] in the dungeon and being beaten and fleeing without any ability to defend myself. The dungeon information said at the beginning that all players in this dungeon will lose the skills of Divine Path players, and all Divine Path abilities will be [sealed]."

"In other words, before the main storyline begins, Shadow is nothing more than an enemy hiding in the dark with mysterious movements. I am somewhat confident that I can deal with a creature with an IQ equal to that of Paramecium and that only has instincts. If I can find Shadow and kill him before the main storyline begins, I won't have to worry about this guy hiding in the dark..."

Thinking of this, Qin Shang breathed a sigh of relief and secretly rejoiced in his heart.

"The advantages of force and level are gone in the early stage of this dungeon. [Shadow] can only act on instinct during the "mimicry" stage. He was able to follow me to Jiangcheng in a hurry. I don't believe that when I entered this dungeon, [Shadow] would sit there and wait for me to survive and return in the real world."

"After all, what if I die in the dungeon? Then he will never have the chance to eat me from the "Mimicry" and become a complete "Humanoid"? It is likely that the "Shadow" of the "Rule Realm" has followed me into the "No. 1 Cultivator's Grudge"."

However, the setting of this [Seal] is a double-edged sword. The threat posed to him by the shadow and other high-level players in the dungeon is no longer there, but Qin Shang's own tolerance for other dangers in the dungeon is also reduced.

"...I still can't be careless. After all, without the passive skill [Fake Death], my tolerance for error will be infinitely reduced."

"Also, the clear tag of the competitive type in this type should not only be a hint to players in advance in the dungeon information, but also be related to the identities of each player in the dungeon after entering it."

"For example, if I am Wu Shiqi's lover, then the camp I belong to should be Wu Shiqi's camp..."

"Then, is there another camp whose main quest is different from mine? My main quest is to investigate the secrets hidden in Jiangcheng Monastery, while their main quest is to investigate the secrets of Wu Shiqi?"

Put it this way, the logic makes sense.

After all, when Qin Shang first read the introduction of the background board, he realized that there was another secret hidden in the background board. This was a copy of finding secrets, but the secret of Wu Shiqi's frequent visits to the monastery to pray did not appear as a task in the blue light curtain in front of him.

If it is because there is a distinction between camps in this copy, then it makes sense.

Qin Shang had this concept when he first became a Shenlu player.

There are only a few common game types.

Player single human, player multi-human, player single vs single player and player multi-vs-multi-player.

Because he and Wu Shiqi, the woman who became a ghost after her death and constantly created supernatural stories, were in the same camp, and the other camp was most likely the monastery's camp, so his mission requirements did not require Qin Shang to find out Wu Shiqi's secret. In other words, in this copy, according to the relationship between the characters randomly assigned to the players by the God Road, everyone was assigned to two different camps, Wu Shiqi and the monastery...

"Speaking of which, after the main storyline begins, should I use my identity as her lover to restrict her whereabouts? Otherwise, if the people in the opposite camp directly control Wu Shiqi and force her to tell them her secrets, and directly violate the ethics of martial arts, then I will be in trouble..."

As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Qin Shang shook his head and denied the feasibility.

No, it is highly likely that even those in the monastery camp would not have the ability to forcibly control the NPCs to pry out the answer to the main quest.

If it was that simple, the Zheng family used their connections and took advantage of the Order Realm players within the Jiangcheng Bad People organization to post this task in the "Official Tasks" column for such a long time that other high-level players could not have failed to think of this.

If they could control the NPCs to pry out the answers directly, they would have done so eight lifetimes ago.

Never overestimate the bottom line of the players in Shenlu. Moreover, in a place like Shenlu, you may face life-and-death crisis at any time. Normal people will lower their bottom line. If there is a shortcut, you can control an NPC and torture him to get clues to pass the copy.

I believe everyone would choose to do this...

If this trick really worked, how could it be that a whole month had passed, but the Zheng family's "official mission" still existed...

After figuring it all out, Qin Shang adjusted his mood, exhaled a breath and was about to leave this cramped and cold little room.

As a result, the corner of my eye suddenly noticed a painting casually lying on the ground in the corner of the door.

This painting looks quite new. If it were in this kind of environment with cold winters and hot summers, the paper would probably turn yellow and old and show some signs of aging within half a year. However, there is almost no dust or stains on this painting.

Of course, Qin Shang didn’t think that something that could be casually left in a corner was a treasure that was carefully preserved and cared for by its owner.

I think this painting should be a gift from someone to Wu Shiqi or it may be a gift from my current character in the copy.

It’s just that the two of them didn’t understand art, or perhaps they were not impressed by the person who gave them the gift, so they simply didn’t take the painting seriously.

However, Qin Shang had not intended to investigate further. However, the moment he opened the door, he seemed to see something floating down from the painting.

He was stunned for a moment, then picked up a small piece of paper that was blown away by the wind. This thing was just clipped in the frame of the painting.

As Qin Shang opened the door, a gust of cold wind blew in from outside, blowing the small piece of paper directly out of the frame.

"I wish you well. See you tomorrow at the usual place..."

See you at the usual place?

When Qin Shang saw the paper, his expression froze.

See you at the usual place?

Who are you meeting?

Who is the information on this paper conveyed to?

Then his face changed drastically, and he realized that this painting might not be simple and might be a key clue.

He immediately picked up the painting from the corner, looked at it for two seconds, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

boom--

Isn’t this the fucking “Picture of Nun” in the Jiangcheng Xiang’an District Museum?

In the painting, a woman in a nun's robe is standing in the very center of the composition, with the night scene and the moonlight behind her. Even though Qin Shang only took a brief glance at the "Nun Picture" during the day yesterday, he still recognized the painting at a glance!

The only difference between this painting and the "Nun" I saw in the museum is that behind the woman in the center of the composition, there is no Buddhist temple-shaped coffin, but a standard European black building that looks very much like a castle.

The overall tone doesn't seem as gloomy as it looks in reality...

“The painting ‘The Nun’ was actually created in 1994?”

The next moment, he suddenly remembered that when he was teleported into the copy, just a second before he lost consciousness, he seemed to vaguely see someone pushing open the door. He didn't need to guess to know that the person who pushed open the door was naturally Wu Shiqi.

Now, as Qin Shang recalled the scene at that time, he tried to recall all the details of what happened at that time. He suddenly remembered that if he had seen it correctly...

When Wu Shiqi entered the room, she was holding something in her hand.

But at first glance she noticed her lover lying on the bed, trying to commit suicide and about to faint from excessive blood loss.

So, when Wu Shiqi came back yesterday afternoon, was she holding this painting and just walked in, and suddenly saw her lover fainted beside the bed, and was at a loss what to do, so she immediately dropped the painting in her hand, threw it in the corner, and then ran to herself?

Even people who don't know how to paint can still judge whether two paintings with basically similar styles and contents are from the same person based on some details such as the composition and the way the characters are portrayed in the painting.

Obviously, this painting is the predecessor of the "Nun" in the museum. Perhaps after Wu Shiqi passed away, Dong Zhen changed the content of this painting into what we see in the Xiang'an District Museum today.

No wonder I didn’t see any fire elements in the “Nun Picture” I saw in the Xiang’an District Museum, because this painting was created before the fire.

Even if you want to change the picture style later, the overall tone is already here.

In this painting, a large range of warm-colored elements are suddenly added to the overall dark-colored layout style, making the painting completely unbearable to watch.

Forget about artistic accomplishments, it's just complete shit.

Moreover, the content runs counter to the original purpose of its creation.

It's just like writing a novel.

The outline, title, character setting, introduction, and book title have all been decided, and even the main text has been completed for the most part. At this time, if the editor orders you to modify the style and main line of the entire book, most authors' first instinctive reaction is to resist, because not only is it troublesome to change, but the book will be ruined after the changes are made.

Adding elements and emotions of another event to a painting that has already been created is probably the same as forcing an author to revise the main plot of a novel that already has more than one million words.

Therefore, in the real world, Dong Zhen did not reflect the element of fire in this painting, but only recreated this painting in reality...

As for who gave the painting in the copy, is there any need to ask?

A thought flashed through Qin Shang's mind, and he felt mixed emotions of joy and sorrow.

Of course it is the author of this painting, Dong Zhen!

Whether in reality or in the copy, this Dong Zhen is obviously someone who has a close relationship with Wu Shiqi, and is very likely to be an insider who knows what happened in Jiangcheng Monastery back then.

His whereabouts in reality are strange, and even people in Jiangcheng's art circle can't find him. Qin Shang has no way to investigate, but in the copy, this guy should not be able to escape. In other words...even if something happens to Wu Shiqi later in the main storyline, he can start with Dong Zhen.

But now Qin Shang began to be curious about the relationship between Dong Zhen, Wu Shiqi, and the character he was currently playing in the dungeon...

"No, wait a minute... the piece of paper says, 'Meet tomorrow at the usual place.' If this painting is what Wu Shiqi brought back yesterday, then doesn't that mean that the day they met is today?"

I slept for a day and a night, and it was already the next day.

That is to say, the painting was delivered to Wu Shiqi the next day. Could it be that Wu Shiqi went out just now to meet Dong Zhen?

Damn!

It has been such a long time since they went out, and in the unfamiliar place with the background of Jiangcheng in 1994, Qin Shang can't catch up with Wu Shiqi at all.

And the paper didn't say where the two met.

"This damn Divine Road doesn't even give me a chance to get some clues in advance. It had to wait until Wu Shiqi left before it started the confrontation game, allowing me to move freely. Now Wu Shiqi has been gone for almost ten minutes, where can I go to catch up with her!"

Qin Shang couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Judging from Wu Shiqi's attitude towards the gift Dong Zhen gave her, Dong Zhen's status in Wu Shiqi's heart is obviously far inferior to that of her lover, and he is not even considered a friend who she pays more attention to.

But this Dong Zhen painted for her, and the two even met privately, which is quite intriguing.

It is even more likely that the meeting was something that I, as Wu Shiqi's lover in the copy, was unaware of.

Otherwise, there would be no need for Wu Shiqi to hide the painting in a corner.

Moreover, before she left, she clearly said that she was going to the monastery to pray. In other words, if Wu Shiqi was going to see Dong Zhen, then she lied to herself...

Why would she lie to her lover?

If one party in a relationship secretly meets a member of the opposite sex without the knowledge of the other, it is easy for people to associate it with emotional problems.

What is the relationship between the painter Dong Zhen and Wu Shiqi?

Could it be that Dong Zhen and Wu Shiqi are also having an affair?

Or is Dong Zhen Wu Shiqi's original wife?

Qin Shang shook his head frantically.

No, that's not right. If they were a real couple, how could Dong Zhen allow Wu Shiqi to be with him?

Who would not care about his wife living with other men?

However, Wu Shiqi's resistance to appearing in public with me made it seem as if our relationship was a little shameful.

Having said that, if one of us cheated on her or me, I would still prefer my role in this copy.

So...Aaaaaaaah!

so complicated!

Damn, this isn't just a love triangle, it's a polygonal love, right?

"Hold!"

A sharp pain came from Qin Shang's mind, and he felt that if he thought about it any further, his brain cancer would soon break out.

The corners of his mouth twitched, he spat and cursed, then pushed open the door.

There's no point in worrying about these things, let the main storyline unfold first.

After the main storyline unfolds, you will naturally be able to get some clues and solve the mystery step by step.

At least now we know one thing, Dong Zhen is a living NPC in this copy.

In other words, if something happens to Wu Shiqi after the main storyline unfolds, he still has a backup candidate.

We can start the investigation from Dong Zhen...