I've Become the King of Villains in the Game-Chapter 365 - 242: Philip’s Adventures_3

Chapter 365: Chapter 242: Philip’s Adventures_3

One day, these monsters will run back to the underworld and rule the world.

The protagonist “Philip” had once gone to the Dark World and killed its Demon King.

‘This Dark World… Reminds me of the Dark World Arno spoke of, and according to Mr. V, it actually resides in the second layer of the Spirit World. But in this fairy tale, it is deep underground?’

Chen Lun wasn’t sure whether it was factual or purely a fiction crafted by Howard, but he always felt there was some connection between the two.

The second thing that caught his attention was the protagonist Philip, who had a woman deeply in love with him, named Princess Mimi.

Chen Lun easily associated her with Maggie Milna, Her Majesty.

...

But what surprised him was that the story did not end with everyone happily together.

Instead, it was a complete tragedy.

Although Philip defeated the Demon King of the Dark World and saved the world, he had fought a sea monster in the Far East Ocean in the past and his old injuries recurred, eventually turning him into a creature covered with fish scales.

Not wanting to become the “new Demon King” that would bring disaster to the world, Philip committed suicide by the sea, falling into the Abyss, where he would rest forever.

And Princess Mimi, not having her hero return, chose to marry a prince from a neighboring country.

A strange expression appeared on Chen Lun’s face.

‘What was Howard’s purpose in doing this… He creates a fairy tale with Philip as the protagonist, incorporating some elements of the Mystic Realm.

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But those elements are ambiguous and carry a sense of absurdity.’

Chen Lun flipped to the last page of “Philip’s Adventures,” and in the author bio section, besides the words “Tragic Playwright Howard,” there was nothing more.

The source of the proofreading and publishing was a publishing house called “Arkham Bookstore.”

Chen Lun stared at this name, silently, his gaze deep.

*

*

*

Two days later.

A handsome young gentleman was walking through the secluded alleys of the Outer City District, his head slightly bowed, his black hat obscuring his face.

The silver cane tapped rhythmically on the ground with his steps.

Not far ahead of the gentleman was an industrial area that had stood there for decades.

This man was none other than Chen Lun, who had come to investigate.

After two days of inquiring through various channels, he had come across a surprising result. “Arkham Bookstore” had gone bankrupt and closed down decades ago, and even the company’s building had become a derelict structure.

However, those brand-new fairy tales were still circulating in the market, and this was a point of doubt.

Chen Lun came here following the guidance of divination.

Someone was still secretly printing and continuously delivering to various bookstores.

As Chen Lun had anticipated, the whole affair was fraught with oddities and concealed high-level Supernatural Powers, which had blinded the Shelter’s awareness, causing them to overlook this fact and ignore these published materials.

‘Let’s see who is still printing “Philip’s Adventures.”‘

Chen Lun slowly walked through the alleys.

Some shabbily dressed children, their faces grimy, saw him and timidly hid behind door panels and piles of clutter, peering out secretly, their eyes filled with awe.

Not sure if they were the children’s parents, some adults quickly pulled the children into the house, scolded them a few times, and then turned to bow to Chen Lun, not daring to lift their heads.

Chen Lun, dressed in expensive black formal wear and a broad, exquisite overcoat, topped with a flat cap and a silver cane, looked like an influential figure from the Inner City District.

The lower-class civilians of the Outer City District didn’t dare to offend him; even their voices were much softer, fearing that they might upset Chen Lun.

Chen Lun didn’t glance at them again; he simply tossed a few Copper Kros accurately into the hands of several adorable children, winked at them, and smiled as he walked away.

“Thank you!”

A girl revealed a radiant smile.

Chen Lun felt that exchanging a few copper coins for a smile was a very worthwhile trade.

After walking into the industrial area, he followed the guide of his cane and went straight to an old factory building.

The surroundings were silent and seemingly long abandoned.

But his strong senses told him that, in a room on the second floor, there faintly was the sound of machinery vibrating.

Climbing the rusty staircase, Chen Lun reached the second floor of the factory and, in a room at the far end, he saw stacks of paper and ink and seven or eight workers, expressionless, mechanically working.

The still-warm “Philip’s Adventures” were piled up like blocks in the corner of the room. The works in the bookstores of Amber City originated from here.

Even upon seeing Chen Lun’s arrival, the workers seemed not to see him and continued their dull tasks, unaffected.

“These people… their destinies have been tampered with; day after day, printing has become their mission.”

Mist swirled in Chen Lun’s eyes as he saw through the essence of the workers.

He sighed softly and turned to leave.

Because Chen Lun had already realized he was powerless to do anything about this matter.

He could be sure it was Howard’s doing, but he currently lacked the ability to remove the influence from the workers or alter their destinies.

This was Howard playing with fate’s higher powers, which Chen Lun could see but was helpless to counteract.

“Perhaps only if Howard died would they return to normal…”

Chen Lun then thought that this might just be a microcosm.

In other regions of the Empire, there were likely countless similar workers, ceaselessly printing stories for Howard and distributing them to the market for the masses to read.

A thought subsequently surfaced in his mind.

“This could very likely be some sort of mystical ceremony… Perhaps the influence of the works could grant Him power, or the emotions elicited by the works could be absorbed by Him… In any case, Howard wouldn’t bother doing something meaningless.”

Chen Lun took a deep breath.

Through this brief glimpse into the Spirit World, he had roughly seen the tip of the iceberg of destiny’s higher powers.

“To defeat Him, there is a long road ahead… but at the very least, I will not sit idly by while He causes trouble right under my nose.”

Chen Lun made up his mind.

After he returned to Jack’s mansion, he immediately wrote a letter, anonymously sending the information about “Philip’s Adventures” to the Shelter, Sun Church, and Moon Church.

Chen Lun was also well aware that, even if the officials purged Amber City’s publications, other regions of the Empire remained out of reach.

But this was just the first step in retaliation—modest in impact, yet it declared his resolve.