Paintings of Terror

Chapter 170: Exchanging The Beast

When everyone heard about the city’s bizarre even-numbered dates, they all said it was unreasonable. However, Xiao Qinxian responded the fastest, “If we count it like this, then we don’t have 13 days at all! Now it’s two days combined into one day!”

Yu Ji also exclaimed in surprise, “If 13 days are to be divided into two halves, that’s 6 and a half days! Throwing away today, we only have 5 and a half days left!”

Xiao Qinxian’s face turned pale. “If we consider the rate of two people dying a day, 12 of us can be killed in 6 days, and the last half day…” She looked at Luo Wei, who was sitting in the corner and added, “It’s probably reserved for outsiders.”

Luo Wei sneered. Even at this juncture, this woman still hadn’t forgotten to release her malice.

“Let’s eat first and leave the rest of the discussion to after dinner.” Qin Ci had already started to eat, but he didn’t forget to remind everyone, “Don’t drink the alcohol here. I don’t know if there’s a problem with the alcohol, or if this city is changing people. Now, even a little bit of alcohol is very likely to make you drunk.”

“This city is really intoxicating.” Wei Dong was eating a rolled spring cake, his hand shaking slightly. No one could guess who would be left after tonight.

Maybe it was because there was something on their mind, but everyone ate hastily.

Qin Ci looked at Mu Yiran, and then said to everyone, “I think the question that everyone is most concerned about right now is how to get 13 kilograms of scarlet beasts within the specified amount of time. Tonight, if the beast in someone’s body produces murderous intentions, what are some precautions they may take to avoid being killed?”

Everyone’s expression was in favor of this topic, including the picky Xiao Qinxian.

Mu Yiran then said, “If you change it to a more understanding way of speaking, the first question is, everyone must try their best to get 13 kilograms of beast from outside of our group, and the second question is…”

Before Mu Yiran could finish talking, everyone was already surprised by his words. But after thinking about it carefully, this was the only feasible way.

No one was willing to sacrifice themselves for the beast in their body, and what’s more, not everyone in the group carried a beast.

Ke Xun looked at Mu Yiran next to him, unable to believe that such a fierce truth would come out of his mouth.

Yu Ji subconsciously scanned the restaurant guests all around him, but fortunately no one noticed. He lowered his voice and said, “It’s a good thing that we have Luo Wei. It would be simpler since he can see the beast marks on other people’s faces. How come we didn’t think of this earlier?! Why do we have to wait for the beast to tear our body apart? We have Luo Wei and Dr. Qin, and we have a large number of people, so we can completely choose which character to start with.”

As Yu Ji talked, he became frightened by his own ruthlessness. Even so, he couldn’t help shivering excitedly because of the thought. “The big boss is really the big boss, steady and ruthless when a task needs completing!”

Ke Xun didn’t want others to interpret his boss like this, and so he said to the big boss, “Ah Ran, what are your thoughts? How can we legally get the beasts from the people around us?”

“What’s that point of legality? Our lives are at stake!” Ju Yi anxiously looked at the darkening sky outside the window, and the fear of death gradually consumed his heart.

“We are in a city of law and order, evident by the fact that the police station is just across from this restaurant. No one will condone our misbehavior,” Zhu Haowen said.

Mu Yiran looked at Qin Ci. “I read some information in your office this afternoon. Beasts, as a resource of wealth, are allowed to be bought and sold, and there are still some families who refuse to sell the beasts of the deceased to the government. A small portion of them wanted to keep these beasts in their own collection, while most of them wanted to wait for the peak season to sell them at a good price.”

Qin Ci frowned. “Which book is this written in?”

Mu Yiran smiled lightly. “It’s not in a book. This information can be gleaned from the advertisements on the back cover of some magazines, which were trying to promote the various auctions of crimson beats. All of these advertisements also explained that special-looking beasts can be bought and sold at sky-high prices.”

“Oh my god, this is simply like the market for famous antique paintings in our world!” Su Benxin couldn’t help but exclaimed. “Mr. Mu, you mean we can sell the two beasts in our hands…?”

Everyone gasped when they heard this, but their hearts couldn’t help but sighed that their excitement was somewhat evil.

Mu Yiran looked at Zhao Yanbao. “I hope this conversation won’t make you unhappy.”

Zhao Yanbao said, “Chi Lei has left already, and her beast is like a container full of her negative emotions. We are limited to only 5 days here, and so it doesn’t make sense to keep it…If it can really save more people, Chi Lei’s spirit would naturally agree to it.”

Zhao Yanbao looked at Mu Yiran. “Is it written in those documents what the values of these beasts are, causing people to pursue them like this?”

“It’s not written clearly, but some people only said that these scarlet beasts symbolize Heart City, and so they are precious.” Mu Yiran’s expression was somewhat mocking. “Even in our world, are the things that people spend high prices on really worth the money?”

“What do you think we should do?” This time, it was Ke Xun who asked this. “Sell the two beasts we have at a high price, and then use the money to purchase heavier beasts?”

“That’s pretty much my thought process. Or, we can find a more direct beast-trading market and directly exchange beasts for beasts.” Mu Yiran also thought that this wasn’t a comfortable topic, but he had to continue regardless.

“You mean the value of the beasts here aren’t determined by weight?” Ke Xun asked.

“Yes, the heavier ones are more precious, but not when compared to strangely shaped beasts.” Mu Yiran was reluctant to show Ke Xun his commercial side, and only did this because it was a last resort. “In short, beasts with accessories are very rare, and I believe they have more value.”

“What is a beast with accessories?” Wei Dong didn’t understand.

Mu Yiran explained, “For example, Zhi Chun’s beast’s snail shell, or the rope that binds Chi Lei’s beast. If such beasts with accessories are auctioned, they will have more worth.”

Everyone gradually understood. Yu Ji was so excited that he broke out into a sweat. “Yes! That old policeman asked us to find 13-kilograms of beasts. He only had asked for the weight and nothing else! We can use a strange beast that is both uncommon and heavy! If we do business well, maybe we can exchange it for 13 kilograms!”

“If everyone agrees that this is feasible, then we will go make the relevant exchange tomorrow,” Qin Ci told everyone.

No one had objections.

“But what should we do tonight?” Wei Dong was afraid, not only for himself, but mostly for his friends. “You guys with red marks on your forehead, in case something happens again tonight…According to the painting’s rule, every night there will be…”

“Yes, this is the second question mentioned just now. The question that is currently the most difficult to solve is how to guard against the beast tonight. We know that these beasts are our own inner demons, and so they would be harder to defeat.” Qin Ci turned his attention to Mu Yiran. “I wonder if Xiao Mu has a strategy?”

“What we can do at the moment is try our best to understand how these beasts are formed and what their weaknesses are.” Mu Yiran couldn’t think of a better solution than this. “I thought of a clue today that’s related to Chi Lei. Yukio Mishima’s The Scarlet Beast mentioned during his lifetime that the name scarlet beast came from the 17th chapter of The Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine. I don’t know if this can provide us with any clues.”

Ke Xun asked, “Who knows what the 17th chapter of The Book of Revelation says?”

Sun Benxin answered, “The Great Prostitute.”

“….”

“The Great Prostitute is likened to a scarlet beast,” Su Benxin added.

Ke Xun gripped the glass of cold lemonade with both hands. “Does it have any symbolic meaning?”

“At the time, there were some European religious and political meanings. I don’t know what specifically, but it should have nothing to do with this. It’s about this woman that has the words ‘Mystery, Babylon the Great’ on her forehead, which refers to Satan’s ‘The Great City of Babylon’.” Su Benxin knew that saying too much would make people confused, and so she tried to keep it as short and simple as possible.

“Babylon? As in Babylon, one of the four ancient civilizations?” Yu Ji interjected.

“No, the Great City of Babylon is a city of devils built by Satan himself. It has nothing to do with that ancient civilization.”

Ke Xun suddenly asked. “You said just now that it was written on that woman’s forehead?”

“Right, those words were written on the woman’s forehead.” Su Benxin suddenly understood Ke Xun’s meaning. “You mean, the words on the woman’s forehead and the red marks on the forehead of the people in this city…”

This similarity could not be mere coincidences.

“Besides the woman, you also mentioned the scarlet beast? What does that beast look like? Does it have anything to do with the beasts we’re looking for?” Wei Dong couldn’t help but ask.

“The beast has seven heads and ten horns.” Mu Yiran was the one who answered.

“Oh, Boss Mu also knows about it.” Wei Dong turned his gaze to Mu Yiran, feeling more at ease communicating with his own people.

Mu Yiran said, “The appearance of the beast is related to several kings and religious groups in western European empires a long time ago, but I don’t think these specific histories have anything to do with the present. The important thing to focus on is the origin and the movements of the beast.”

Su Benxin looked at Mu Yiran with interest, expecting him to continue.

The others were also staring at Mu Yiran, as if staring engrossed at a lecturing academic professor…This was something that Ke Xun was familiar with doing.

“Regarding the beast, I can only repeat the words in the Book of Revelation: The beast you saw was before, and now is not, and will come out of the abyss and enter perdition. All who dwell on earth and whose names are from the creation of the world but not written in the Book of Life, will be astonished when they see the beast that was there before, and now is not, and will be in the future.” Mu Yiran spoke at a much slower rate than before, so that everyone could hear clearly.

Ke Xun, Wei Dong, Qin Ci, Zhu Haowen, and Luo Wei:…..

——————–

Xida: Well, it is now clear that, by 绯 (fēi, which could mean scarlet, red, dark red, crimson) the author meant scarlet. In the Book of Revelation, the Great Prostitute, aka The Whore of Babylon, is described as a scarlet beast. As an aside, this also made me realize where the term “scarlet woman” might have originated from. Anyway, henceforth, crimson will be changed to scarlet. Past chapters will be updated once I have more time.