I’m A Little White Flower In An Escape Game ☆ 11

Arc 1: 《Mermaid Village》 Ch2-ch14

As Ruan Bai departed, she kept her guard up and engaged in idle talk. She was curious about the little mermaid living in the pond, but didn't probe too deeply. Still, she picked up a lot of information from their chat.

She learned that mermaids had been part of the village for generations, and they were once revered as a lucky charm, a symbol of prosperity and joy for the villagers. That's why they erected the statue of the mermaid's mother. But times had changed, and the villagers had forsaken their belief in deities and their sympathy for mermaids who were useless and homebound.

By chance, the villagers realized that these deformed beings were worth a lot. So they decided to sell mermaids in secret. Human trafficking was not rare in their village. Most people had little qualms about it, seeing it as a necessary evil.

"We work hard for a year to grow crops that barely make three thousand yuan. But a mermaid can sell for millions," one of the villagers said. "In this world, what doesn't need money? You need money to get married, raise kids, buy houses, and buy cars. Without this, we couldn't even afford clothes." The speaker was very frank, as they figured out that Ruan Bai had been trafficked.

Ruan Bai: "......"

It appeared that the game's narrative was firmly grounded in reality.

"Why don't you move out of this isolated place and buy a house in the city with your money?" Ruan Bai asked. "Your kids could get a better education and go to college, instead of farming for a living."

She was not persuaded by the villagers' words at all. They seemed greedy for money, complaining about their situation without thinking about how to change it with effort.

"You talk like it's easy, but it's really not," a villager replied, shaking his head. "We can't read, we have our hukou here, and what's the point of moving out? Even if we marry someone from another village and have kids, without the Mermaid Ah Ma's blessing, we'll still have to come back or die…."

As he spoke, he stopped short, as if he had said too much.

Not to die?

Ruan Bai's fingers quivered at the implication of his words. Finally, she had identified what had been bothering her all along.

Wanting wealth and avoiding danger were basic human desires. Who would go back to a poor, isolated village after seeing the city life in the information age, even if it was expensive and hard outside? They could also move to some smaller towns and villages, which were convenient and cheap. Even if they had to give up something, with a mermaid's high price, they could still live well.

But what if they are stuck here, not by choice, but by force?

Ruan Bai understood what he meant. All the stories had formed a clear, vivid picture in her mind— Unless something changed, the number of women in this village would keep dropping fast, and no more mermaids might be born in a few years.

Unlike the little mermaids she encountered today, who were closely monitored and isolated from outsiders, the mermaids had more freedom and interactions five years ago, even though they were also treated as commodities. The deceased mermaid had once formed a friendship with Du Wen Shu and even developed a romantic crush on him.

Wang Wen Wen's in-game persona must be the 'child born from marrying someone from another village.'

The story unfolds thusly:

The mermaid, raised as a commodity, stumbled upon a young, elegant researcher by chance and fell madly in love with him through their interactions. She foolishly resolved to elope with him, prompting the villagers to take notice. They killed the researcher and hid his body while telling the mermaid he had left her behind. Heartbroken and hopeless, the mermaid killed herself rather than be sold as a commodity. Her spirit transformed into a wrathful entity, seeking vengeance on the villagers who had ruined her life and love.

Ruan Bai had a clearer view of the situation than the villagers who were involved in it.

Mermaid Ah Ma was not only resentful of the villagers but also cunning. She pretended to protect them with talismans but trapped them in the village, cutting them off from their accumulated wealth.

The excuses of household registration and illiteracy were just distractions like red herrings. Ruan Bai, who was not from the village, could see through them easily. The villagers were only fooling themselves. Wang Wen Wen's motive for inviting outsiders was probably to reduce the village's death toll and use the outsiders as scapegoats.

Ruan Bai felt a nagging sense of unease that lingered in her mind. She was glad she had not used the mermaid bell when she met her but had relied on Du Wen Shu to win her over. However, she still did not know what the mermaid bell was for or what it was.

Having achieved her goal of acquiring the desired information, Ruan Bai tactfully veered the conversation away from the dangerous territory, leaving no trace of her intentions. When the villagers escorted her out of the village, she made haste to find an excuse to leave, eager to reunite with Gu San.

Ruan Bai feared being discovered by the villagers and avoided returning to the village. She was confident that Gu San would come to the grave to investigate, so she proceeded to exhume Du Wen Shu's remains, determined to fulfill her mission.

Ruan Bai harbored no strong opinions about the researcher, perhaps due to her negative outlook. She had observed that the mermaid had liked Du Wen Shu, but she had doubts that he reciprocated the affection. Nonetheless, Ruan Bai was not concerned about it, for her sole objective was to deliver the bones to the mermaid.

Deep within the forest lay the unremarkable burial place of Du Wen Shu, a modest mound of earth with a lone wooden marker bereft of inscriptions. Ruan Bai wasted no time, baring her arms and digging into the soft, yielding soil. After half an hour of grueling labor, she finally unearthed the remains of the deceased.

As she toiled away, a chilling voice interrupted her reverie.

Gu San's tone was devoid of all emotion as he addressed her, "Softie, at last, I have found you... Earlier, I was verbally accosted by the villagers, being branded a scoundrel or worse. Surely, I deserve an explanation for this?" He trailed off, his voice rising slightly, conveying a frigid, haughty demeanor.

Ruan Bai, now caked in dirt and sweat, stood in the shallow grave, her response to the unexpected confrontation being a wordless stare.

——— Translator's Notes ———

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