Chapter 881: Chaotic Ascension

“That’s great.”

Aries nodded. “I just came up with an idea for a ‘Land-level’ game on the spot.”

“On the spot…?”

We were all taken aback. A ‘Land-level’ game could practically determine the entire fate of a ‘Zodiac.’ How could it be thought up so casually?

“‘Cause and Effect,’ would you help me?” Aries asked. “I can trade you with ‘Tao’ or ‘food.'”

“Stop joking,” Jiang Ruoxue said. “We don’t need ‘Tao,’ and Zhichun already told me what that ‘food’ is… I don’t want any of it.”

“Then will you still help me?” Aries pressed.

Before answering, Jiang Ruoxue glanced at me and said, “You still don’t seem to grasp the logic here. The reason I want to help you is because Zhichun wants to help you. So I don’t need any repayment. As long as Zhichun thinks you’re still worth helping, I’ll use ‘Cause and Effect’ on you for free.”

“Good.” Aries nodded, then turned to me. “Yan Zhichun, I’ll soon be promoted to ‘Land-level.’ If one day you find I’ve disappeared, take ‘Cause and Effect’ and come find me at the new location. Remember—you must find me as quickly as possible.”

For a moment, I didn’t understand his words. After all, I had seen the ‘Zodiac Ascension Gambit Contract.’

“Wait… hold on,” I said. “What do you mean you’ll ‘soon be promoted to Land-level’? Logically speaking… shouldn’t you still have to stay in the ‘Interview Room’ for a few years?”

Aries stared at me for a long time before responding solemnly, “I can’t answer that question. All I can say is that I’ll be directly promoted to ‘Land-level.'”

“How on earth did you manage that…?”

I thought I was starting to understand Aries, but once again, he defied my expectations.

Everyone else who became a ‘Zodiac’ had to progress step by step, steadily climbing the ranks. But Aries was different.

A few years ago, after becoming a ‘Zodiac,’ he immediately appeared in the ‘Interview Room,’ expelled everyone inside, then became a ‘Human-level’ in the game arena, and now he was skipping the ‘Interview Room’ entirely to ascend directly to ‘Land-level’…

Why was he so different from everyone else? Why could he break the rules like this?

Several times, I wanted to voice my questions outright, but Aries had warned me never to mention what happened in the Interview Room to anyone. So I had no choice but to drop it.

“When will you be promoted to ‘Land-level’?” I asked again.

“Soon,” Aries replied. “Keep coming to see me every day as usual. The moment you realize I’ve disappeared, find a way to locate me in the new place.”

“But where should I even look for you?” I pressed.

“I don’t know myself,” Aries admitted. “You’ll have to figure it out when the time comes. Just remember—you must act fast.”

After parting ways with Aries that day, life seemed to return to normal. Once the cycle reset, Jiang Ruoxue went back to her own district, and I continued visiting Aries daily.

After meeting Aunt Tong, Aries indeed stopped raising any further questions.

It seemed he had found his ‘face.’

Had he really encountered the ‘Mother Goddess’ that Aunt Tong spoke of?

But if he had seen the ‘Mother Goddess,’ why didn’t he need a ‘face’ anymore?

Could the face he had been longing for be… the face of the ‘Mother Goddess’?

I wanted to meet her—to see what the ‘origin of everything’ that Aunt Tong described actually looked like.

But I knew it was impossible. That person existed only in Aries’ heart, not in the real world.

One thing worth noting was that Aunt Tong’s rebirth point seemed close to mine. I once asked if she wanted to travel with me, but she refused.

She said she couldn’t keep helping ‘Zodiacs’—she needed to continue searching for those who carried immense ‘good karma.’ Only by staying with such individuals could she perform more ‘good deeds’ and fully comprehend the will of the ‘Mother Goddess.’

After bidding me farewell, she ventured deeper into the city in search of that ‘great good karma.’ Though I didn’t quite understand why anyone would persist in doing good in the ‘Land of the End,’ I supported her decision.

People need a purpose in life, even if that purpose is ultimately unattainable.

Honestly, I was a little afraid of traveling with Aunt Tong. She and Jiang Ruoxue gave off completely different vibes. Despite her ever-present gentle smile, I could never truly see through her.

When I looked into her clear eyes, I couldn’t discern what was on her mind. Perhaps she truly was, as she claimed, always pursuing a state of ‘desirelessness.’

Days passed one after another. Then, about four years ago, Aries vanished from his game arena.

Normally, a ‘Zodiac’ disappearing wouldn’t be unusual—they either signed a contract and entered the Interview Room or were killed in a life gamble on the streets. No one would go out of their way to track down a missing ‘Zodiac.’

But I was different. I needed to find Aries—he had stressed repeatedly that I had to locate him immediately.

At the same time, I had to contact Ruoxue quickly. But with us on opposite ends of the city, how could we possibly meet?

Wait… It suddenly hit me. I didn’t actually need to find Ruoxue. Because ‘Cause and Effect’ existed, she would come to me.

Sure enough, just as I expected, Ruoxue sensed my need for her and appeared by my side a few hours later.

After briefly catching up, we immediately set out to find Aries. After all, we both knew what this reunion meant—

Aries needed me, and I needed Jiang Ruoxue.

Without much thought, we quickly settled on our plan: ask the White Flower Snake.

Among the ‘Land-level’ Zodiacs, aside from Aries, he was the only one we had any connection with.

When we found the White Snake, he was in the middle of a sorrowful hanging act—undoubtedly Jiang Ruoxue’s doing.

We stood by as he performed his little charade, watching him drop from the rope before cheerfully standing up again. It was clear he had gone mad.

His ashen-white suit wasn’t as pristine as it had been in previous years, now stained with what looked like blood. But these stains didn’t seem to be from other ‘Participants’—they appeared to have seeped from inside his own body.

After Jiang Ruoxue’s mix of threats, coaxing, emotional counseling, and even dating advice, we once again obtained information from the White Snake without joining the ‘Mutual Aid Society.’

Though we got Aries’ exact location, the White Snake’s words left me uneasy:

“If you’re looking for that Aries, you’d better hurry. His game is full of loopholes—no idea how he convinced the higher-ups. If even one ‘Participant’ enters carelessly, it’ll trigger a violation, and the Vermilion Bird will descend immediately. Whether you two brats get to see him or not… depends on your luck.”