23 A Patch of Red

The Vanilla Drop is a creature that has appeared in every installment of the "Seven-Colored Strings" game series. Making its debut in the first game, it achieved immense popularity and secured its place as the undisputed mascot of the Seven-Colored Strings company.

In the original game, the Vanilla Drop first appeared in a side quest. The story involved a fishing village where lanterns hung outside at midnight would mysteriously go missing, and the villagers pleaded with the player to investigate in the dead of night. Amidst a tense and horrific atmosphere, under the thick fog of a moonlit night, the Vanilla Drop made its first appearance. On the dated hardware of that era, viewed through a computer screen and amplified by the game’s intentionally eerie design, this creature—which is actually perfectly gentle—was rendered truly terrifying. To the characters within the game, it was an indescribable monster, but to the players, it stood out from a sea of other creature designs, its cute appearance winning the hearts of countless fans.

According to the original official lore, it resembles a melting scoop of ice cream, possessing a pale golden, lunar glow. It has two simple, large, luminous eyes and constantly emits a vanilla-like scent, which paralyzes the minds of nearby creatures, leaving them unable to flee or think. This is one of the reasons why witnesses could never accurately describe its appearance. The developers never provided a clear classification for the species, frequently using in-game dialogue to suggest that the Vanilla Drop is a mystery; for the players, however, knowing it was cute and friendly was enough.

But now, before Cen Jiu, this mascot from the game *Scale of Life* made its first appearance in holography, and the experience was vastly different from its portrayal in the original game. It was not the sweet scent of vanilla ice cream, but a thick, metallic stench of blood that left living things feeling deeply uneasy.

"..." Cen Jiu remained silent, watching it make a "gurgle-coo" sound as it fed on the flames of the streetlamp, leaving behind a layer of liquid residue. It floated in the air like a balloon, searching for its next target. In the past, its diet consisted of light, fire, and other forms of energy; it had never been interested in the flesh and blood of humans or animals. Yet, this could not explain why this particular Drop reeked of nauseating blood. Coupled with its soft, adorable, yet gargantuan form, it was both cute and grotesque.

The Vanilla Drop had many subspecies in later games, appearing in various colors and dazzling hues, but the one constant was its cute appearance. While she knew the game always crafted a grim atmosphere for its appearances, she hadn't expected it to be this unsettling in a holographic format. Relying on her affection for the mascot and the knowledge she possessed as a veteran player, Cen Jiu suppressed the urge to vomit; the smell of blood emanating from this Drop was simply too overpowering. She felt as if she had wandered into a slaughterhouse with abysmal hygiene, stepping into the territory of a behemoth splattered with the blood of its prey.

The Blood Drop's subsequent actions matched Bella's description: it spread its body out, and a massive, translucent, blood-colored gel encased a corner of the roof. It was digesting the building it had wrapped itself around. She wondered if the repairmen had noticed; the Drop's mysterious ability to feed remotely might have already left gaps within the walls. Under its invisible corrosion, this house would eventually be gnawed through, leaving a hole.

"...You are a Drop, aren't you?" Cen Jiu took a step forward, approaching the house, and looked up at the creature that now resembled a blood-red tumor. She knew it possessed intelligence and could communicate. In the old-school keyboard-and-mouse games, every conversation with a Drop required a Willpower check, generation after generation. But this was the holographic era; Cen Jiu’s character panel lacked a Willpower attribute, and she had no idea how she was supposed to exchange information with it now. Perhaps Seven-Colored Strings hadn't finished the mechanics, and player actions were guaranteed to succeed?

Cen Jiu thought optimistically, and the scene before her suddenly rippled like water.

"You... you know of my existence? Are you... are you a Traveler?"

In the games, this species always referred to the player as a "Traveler." Outside the game, theories abounded, but the developers never provided an official explanation.

[Achievement: Soul Communication]

The Blood Drop’s voice reached directly into her mind, feeling as if her brain had been submerged in warm water—a truly miraculous sensory experience. Before the holographic era, conversations with a Drop relied on special text boxes and sound effects to convey its anomaly.

A Drop is a creature of unknown form that defies common logic, communicating directly with other beings on a spiritual level. Cen Jiu felt a bit dizzy; the world spun before her eyes, turning into a vortex, then returning to normal, over and over again. This presentation made her feel motion-sick from the holography, and her reply to the Blood Drop was soft and listless. "...Yes. Why are you here, and why are you destroying this building?"

In her clear vision, she observed the Blood Drop on the corner of the house begin to tremble violently, like the surface of boiling water.

"You... you judge me too!? I only want to get my things back! They are here! Are you here to stop me as well?!?" Its tone turned sharp, piercing into Cen Jiu’s head like a needle. The swirling vortex of her vision became intense, like a raging sea. It canceled its feeding form, its body coalescing and bouncing onto the tiles, creating a circular crater with cracks spreading out around it. Highly malleable, it stretched and widened like modeling clay, as if trying to shape itself into a wave to crash down upon the human standing in its way.

"I cannot let you stop me! I am sorry, Traveler—" In her mind, the tone from the Blood Drop became so sharp it was almost indistinguishable, like noise framed to exceed the human hearing range, existing purely for the sake of attack.

The migraine triggered a heart rate alarm in her holographic pod, and the game screen turned into a sea of red warnings. Cen Jiu steadied her character, took a deep breath to calm down, and swiped her hand through the air to dismiss the system alert. But what awaited her back in the game was another shade of red—the black-red of blood rushing toward her.

Unlike a real wave, the Blood Drop’s morphing and stretching was extremely slow. Cen Jiu noticed a subtle stiffness in its movements, as if it were struggling against something. Was this a "bullet time" effect provided by the game?

Cen Jiu moved, stepping back to instantly put distance between herself and the Drop. No, it was resisting something.

"Wait!" Cen Jiu held up a large 'X' with her arms. "I didn't mean to stop you! You misunderstood!"

Upon hearing this, its extension speed dropped to near zero.

"I... misunderstood...? Do not want to eat the Traveler..."

It quickly pulled its extended body back, returning to its original state of floating in mid-air. The voice in her mind returned to a normal frequency, albeit intermittent. "I... said you should not be..."

It floated in the air like a jellyfish, its lower body shimmering with ripples that distorted the light nearby.

"No one is blocking... I want to get it back... get it back? Help me?" In her mind, the Blood Drop spoke more fluently. It had calmed down, and its tone was submissive as it begged.

[Blood Treasure (Optional): It wants to ask you to find its belongings. Of course, you may refuse.]

"..." Cen Jiu fell silent for a second after seeing the quest description. Seven-Colored Strings really couldn't forget to give their mascot a horrific twist. Based on previous experience, players could safely refuse, but as a player, how could she possibly give up a quest right in front of her?

So, Cen Jiu patted her chest with a confident promise: "Yes, I will help you."

The Blood Drop seemed to have low intelligence, floating up and down in the air with joy: "Good! Good!"

Cen Jiu felt its happy emotions, which flowed into her mind like a fountain of joy, making her feel spirited. For a moment, she couldn't even smell the stench of blood; instead, she caught a hint of vanilla.

"You came here because you were looking for something, right? But there are too many humans here, and you will feel uncomfortable." The adventurer gently soothed the joyous creature. "You can rest until I find your things. You don't need to come here, is that okay?"

The blood-red Drop performed a "gurgling" motion, as if hesitating or perhaps excited.

In the lore pieced together by players, it is highly likely that the Drop species has the ability to perceive a person's true emotions and, to a certain extent, gauge the human heart. This is what players speculate is the reason so few people can witness a Drop; they probably dislike listening to the complex psychological activities of humans and actively avoid them. To communicate with them, it is best to be sincere and not attempt to deceive them.

"..." Cen Jiu watched it quietly, giving it enough time to think.

The movements of the Blood Drop slowly subsided. Just as Cen Jiu thought it was about to respond, it suddenly burst with a soft "pop," splitting into countless tiny blood droplets that floated in the air, swirling around the adventurer alongside a mist of blood.

"...You are a Traveler, I trust you. I will wait for your news, Traveler!" Its voice split along with its body, echoing endlessly in Cen Jiu’s mind.

The power of this was equivalent to her being trapped in a circle of speakers in reality; the 360-degree sound wave made her feel as if the filth of her soul had been shaken out. This vibration caused Cen Jiu's vision to fill with system red—the second heart rate warning in her holographic pod within a short time. If it happened again, she would be forced to log out of the game.

She closed her eyes subconsciously and manually dismissed the warning.

As her consciousness returned, Cen Jiu felt the evening breeze blow by. The phantasmagoric blood and mist had dissipated, though the lingering scent of blood remained, reminding her that it hadn't been an illusion.

Cen Jiu felt a foreign object placed in her palm. Opening it, she saw a blood-red Drop only the size of a finger. It was soft and bouncy, like a blood-flavored gummy.

[Token of the Drop's Commission: With this, you can summon it to appear at the appropriate time and place to hand over items. It will remember you until you complete the commission. (Cannot be discarded)]

It was the familiar "Cannot be discarded" attribute, a special item that didn't take up inventory space.

"..." Straight to the bag with the rest of the junk.

Cen Jiu rubbed her forehead, punched the crater the Drop had made in the ground a few times, smeared some blood and dust on her face, and blew a whistle. The only purpose of this exquisite whistle was to play with it after the Drop finished its business; normal people never had the chance to blow it.

Soon, footsteps came thundering toward the garden. Garcia ran at the front of the crowd, brandishing a flintlock and frantically searching for the target.

"Miss Jiu, how did your beautiful face get injured? Come behind me, I will protect you!" Even at a time like this, he didn't forget to flatter her.

Cen Jiu was currently covered in grime, with bloodstains on her face from the injuries she sustained hitting the ground, making it look as though she had been through a fierce battle. She silently put distance between herself and the sycophant, wiped the blood from her face, and explained the situation: "It escaped, but that thing was severely wounded."

She looked at the crater on the ground and brushed the dust off her clothes: "I don't think it will come back. It will probably die out there."

Her mix of truth and lies, combined with her heavy tone, successfully bluffed the group of eager guards. They lowered their weapons and looked at Garcia, the leader, not knowing what to do.

Garcia stiffened his face and squeezed out a fawning smile: "Haha, as expected of you..."

He wisely didn't ask Cen Jiu any more questions and turned to instruct a lucky subordinate behind him: "Go! Escort Miss Jiu back to her resting place! Everyone else, get to work and clean this place up!"

"Oh right, you'd better send someone to re-examine that corner of the building. I’m afraid there might be a risk of collapse." Cen Jiu offered a piece of advice before leaving.

The guard didn't dare to pester the player with questions, sparing her the effort of making up more lies. She left the trouble of explaining things to the old man to them. Most importantly, if this building had a separate durability mechanic, it wouldn't be good if a falling rock killed an important quest NPC and caused a program error.