The players hadn’t given up yet, but the Skeleton Elder gave up first.

He walked back to the tree where he had been lying before and lay down again. His voice had aged a few degrees: “You go back first, let me think about it again. If I can remember before I’m sanded, I’ll come and tell you.”

“If I can’t make it, I’ll ask the skull heads in the skull mound to tell you.”

The players also sighed. They could only do this for now.

Gu Lin squatted down, his little hand grabbing a few handfuls of fallen leaves, piling them on the Skeleton Elder. His little hands were small, so he could only grab one or two at a time.

Gu Lin said tenderly, “Elder-yeye, cover with blanket.”

Skeleton Elder: “…”

Players: “…”

What a thoughtful child.

When he came, Gu Lin saw the Skeleton Elder lying under the fallen leaves shuijiao, so he thought he was using the fallen leaves as a blanket.

[Wuwuwu, what a warm-hearted little baby, he even knows to cover Elder-yeye with a blanket!]

[Good cub, come and give auntie a kiss [Reward Points x100]]

[So cute, so cute, Hakimi Hakimi^[1]T/N: Hakimi Hakimi is likely a reference to a cute meme/trend [Reward Points x100]]

The Skeleton Elder smiled at the little baby. With a “kachaa” sound, he broke off a section of his finger bone.

Players: “?”

The Skeleton Elder handed the finger bone to Gu Lin: “Little baby, take this. You take this section of finger bone and go find an old friend of mine. Perhaps he can still remember something.”

Gu Lin took it, holding it in his little hand, looking at it from left to right.

The Skeleton Elder asked a skull head to lead the way for the group, to find his old friend.

After saying goodbye to the Skeleton Elder, the group followed the skull head and left the Skeleton Forest.

The skull head was just a smooth head, rolling on the ground, rolling ahead to lead the way, rolling very fast.

The players watched this skull head in amazement. It was rolling so fast it was almost on fire. Wouldn’t it get dizzy?

Just as everyone thought this, the skull head rolling in front plunged headfirst into a clump of grass on the side of the road, sparks flying from its eyes: “Aiya, I’m so dizzy!”

Players: “…”

I’ll be damned, this is too unreliable!

Gu Lin looked at the skull head with its eyes rolling around. He held his little head, his childish voice: “Ah? Ah?”

Everyone: “…………”

Holy crap, one more ridiculous than the other!

9527 and the aunties in the live broadcast room were dying of laughter. Cub, we told you to imitate, not to overdo it!

In the end, the group found a branch and hung the skull head on the branch. Gu Lin carried it like a lantern, not letting it roll on the ground anymore.

–

Under the guidance of the skull head, the group soon came to a skeleton house built on a tree.

In front of the skeleton house, a crippled old skeleton with only one leg was sitting and dozing.

He was holding a crutch in his arms, which was also made of human leg bones.

Seeing the old skeleton, the skull head shouted: “Old Cripple, Old Cripple, the Skeleton Elder sent people to find you!”

The old skeleton, hearing the sound, woke up unsteadily, his cloudy eyes looking at the five people and one child.

Seeing the human cub, the old skeleton was startled, completely waking up, his eyes widening: “Huh? Is this a child?”

Everyone had already witnessed the surprise of the instance NPCs at this little cub and were no longer surprised.

The old skeleton saw the little flower on Gu Lin’s head and said, “Did Skeleton Maiden give you this little flower?”

Gu Lin touched the little flower and said, “Skeleton-Auntie gave cub a little flower.”

The old skeleton was stunned: “?”

Skeleton Auntie?

Could it be…

After all these years, had he misunderstood Skeleton Maiden’s gender?

The old skeleton: “So Skeleton Maiden is an auntie. Good thing you told me, or I would have been in the dark all this time, thinking it was a man.”

Everyone: ??!

Livestream: ???

Don’t be too ridiculous.

Gu Lin’s attention had already been drawn to the skeleton house on the tree.

He got down from Song Ran’s arms, stood under the skeleton house, tilting his little neck, his eyes shining as he looked at the skeleton house on the tree.

The skeleton house also had a staircase, which was also made of the arms and legs of skeletons.

The little cub clearly wanted to climb up to the skeleton house on the tree to play, but he was too embarrassed to say it directly. So he looked at it longingly, looking at the skeleton house, then looking at the old skeleton, his little face dazed and cute.

The old skeleton’s eyes lit up: “Little baby, do you want to go up to the tree to play? Come, Grandpa will carry you up.”

Saying this, he stood up, leaning on his crutch. But he got up too quickly and almost fell. Fortunately, Wu Jin nearby supported him, so he didn’t fall.

The old skeleton smiled at Wu Jin: “Good child.”

Wu Jin: “…”

Others: “…”

Seeing his unsteady limbs, everyone gasped.

Song Ran didn’t dare to let him hold Gu Lin, afraid he would drop the baby. He held Gu Lin and sent him to the skeleton house.

The skeleton house was one meter above the ground, not very high.

After Gu Lin got up there, he climbed up and down by himself, having a great time.

The group watched the little cub play while inquiring about information from the old skeleton.

Hearing their intentions, the old skeleton placed both hands on his crutch and nodded, saying, “The Skeleton Elder did tell me about the source of the curse.”

Hearing this, the group’s hopes were rekindled.

Su Qiao: “Then what is the source of the curse?”

The old skeleton looked up at the sky and pondered, thinking very hard. After thinking for a long time, he said, “I don’t know.”

Everyone: “…”

No wonder he was the Skeleton Elder’s friend.

The old skeleton: “The Skeleton Elder just said one sentence, that the source of the curse is the biggest secret of the Skeleton Kingdom, and absolutely cannot be told to anyone.”

Everyone: … Taking in oxygen.jpg^[2]T/N: This is a meme indicating shock or needing to catch one’s breath.

The old skeleton, seeing the disappointed look on everyone’s faces, patted his thigh bone and said, “Do you know how I lost my leg?”

Everyone was stunned, wondering why the old skeleton suddenly brought up a completely unrelated topic. Could it be that there was some key clue?

The old skeleton sighed and said, “This remaining leg of mine is actually from my sanded lover. I miss my lover very much, so I made one of its legs my own leg, and the other into a crutch.”

Everyone: “…”

What was the point of saying this? Did we come all the way here to listen to you reminisce?

Gu Lin poked his little head out of the skeleton house, frowned in confusion, and said, “Skeleton-yeye, then why didn’t you use them both to make legs? Then you would have two legs.”

This little cub, while playing, didn’t miss listening to their conversation.

Old skeleton: “…”

Good question.

Everyone couldn’t help but want to laugh. Yes, why didn’t you just make two legs at once?

The old skeleton was speechless. He was also very old, and couldn’t remember many things. Hearing Gu Lin’s question, he began to look up at the sky and ponder.

After everyone left with the baby, walking a long distance, they looked back and saw the old skeleton still leaning on his crutch and pondering, looking up at the sky, like an old monk in meditation.

Players: “…”

Was this old skeleton going to spend the rest of his life thinking about this one question?

–

Not having obtained any useful clues, the five people and one child returned to the skeleton house.

In front of the skeleton house, the players led by Lu Quanming were experimenting with the newly-made skeleton with a green meadow on his head, studying how to kill it.

Lu Quanming was using some unknown prop, burning the player who had turned into a skeleton with fire.

After being burned to ashes, the skeleton player would instantly reassemble and regenerate, returning to a complete skeleton, and then be burned to ashes again, repeating this cycle.

The skeleton player couldn’t feel pain, but having just turned into a skeleton from a human, there was still a subconscious illusion of pain.

Gu Lin’s vision was once again covered with mosaics, but he could hear the screams coming from behind the mosaics. He pointed with his little finger: “What are they doing?”

Seeing the scene in front of them, the faces of the several adults were not very good.

Hearing this childish voice, the other players instantly turned their heads to look over.

Wu Jin’s voice was deep: “Is this the despicable method your Deep Sea Guild uses to deal with players?”

Lu Quanming sneered, not taking it seriously: “Players? Do you see him as a player?”

[I have to say, the Deep Sea Guild’s methods are ruthless. Aren’t they afraid of scaring the cub? And they still want to snatch the baby? ]

[They’re dreaming. The cub won’t go with them.]

[The cub is a kind little cub who will cover skeletons with blankets. He’ll only kick the bad guys, refer to the scarred man who was kicked earlier.]

The Deep Sea Guild still wanted to snatch the baby. It seemed they finally realized that torturing players in front of the little cub was not a good idea. So they put away the prop and let the skeleton player go.

The skeleton player, holding the green meadow on his head, ran away crying wuwuwu.

Zhou Lu saw Gu Lin. Seeing that he didn’t call him Passerby-gege this time, he lowered his head, his face slightly darkening.

At this time, Ling Xing’s face flashed a strange smile. Her colorful pigtails set off her fair skin. She moved her clicking finger bones and said, “Oh, I’m also starting to skeletonize.”

Hearing this, the others were all startled.

Everyone began to examine their bodies and discovered with horror that they had all skeletonized some part of their bodies to varying degrees.

But their skeletonization was different from that potted skeleton. They didn’t instantly turn into a complete skeleton. Only one hand was skeletonized, while other parts were intact.

Gu Lin, seeing that everyone else was checking their hands, also imitated them, spreading out his white and tender little hands.

His little hands were still fleshy, not turned into white bones.

Gu Lin said, “Why haven’t cub’s hands changed?”

The Double-Cap Big Shot said, “Mine haven’t changed either.”

Except for the Double-Cap Big Shot and Gu Lin, the other members of the baby-sitting team had skeletonized a few fingers.

Song Ran’s skeletonization was the most serious. His entire hand had turned into stark white bones.

He looked at the little dumpling in his arms and deliberately teased him: “Little gui, do you like Xingchi-gege or Qiaoqiao-jiejie?”

Su Qiao and the Double-Cap Big Shot also quietly shifted their gazes over.

Competing for a child’s favor in front of the child was actually quite childish, but adults just ate this up.

Gu Lin tilted his little head: “Why isn’t Hat-gege there?”

Song Ran: “…”

No, this little gui wasn’t playing by the rules.

Even if he wanted to drag someone down with him, shouldn’t it be him? Why did he add the Double-Cap Big Shot, but not him?

At this point, Song Ran should have stopped, but he paused for a moment, still unwilling to give up: “Then do you like Xingchi-gege, Qiaoqiao-jiejie, or Hat-gege?”

Gu Lin clapped his little hands: “Cub likes them all!”

Song Ran: “…”

He wasn’t even included!

Such a childish voice, yet the damage was so great!

Su Qiao couldn’t help but laugh, and the Double-Cap Big Shot also chuckled.

Actually, Gu Lin hadn’t thought so much, but it was precisely this subconscious forgetting of him that was more hurtful.

Song Ran: “No, why isn’t Song Ran-shushu there? Do you not like Song Ran-shushu?”

Gu Lin looked at Song Ran and said, “I don’t dislike Song Ran-shushu. Song Ran-shushu wanted to throw away the little backpack that gege bought for cub.”

He added, mentioning Song Ran’s kindness to him, “Song Ran-shushu also lifted cub high.”

Song Ran: “…”

He didn’t dislike him, but he didn’t like him as much as the others. Was that what he meant?

He didn’t think about it. Besides him, who else would be so dog (annoying/unreasonable), teasing the child repeatedly, saying whatever came to mind, even saying things like letting the skeletons carry Gu Lin away.

Gu Lin cherished his little backpack, which was bought for him by his brother.

Song Ran might have thought it was no big deal to throw it away, just a little backpack that could be bought in any quantity, but it greatly hurt the little cub’s young heart.

Song Ran didn’t speak, his mood slightly down.

He glanced at the Double-Cap Big Shot and said, “Little gui, if you like Hat-gege, then let your Hat-gege hold you.”

Actually, it was because he was afraid his finger bones would scratch Gu Lin. Children’s skin was delicate and easily injured.

But he didn’t say that, and his tone even showed that he didn’t want to hold the child.

Song Ran, this kind of person who said one thing and meant another, and who was also very dog, liked to tease children, and was the least likely to gain a child’s affection.

Gu Lin also had pride. It was Song Ran-shushu who wanted to throw away his little backpack.

And he had also mentioned Song Ran-shushu lifting him high.

The little cub, who clearly distinguished between love and hate, remembered very clearly who was good to him and who was not.

Song Ran didn’t want to hold him, so Gu Lin reached out his little short hands to the Double-Cap Big Shot: “Hat-gege, hug.”

The Double-Cap Big Shot glanced at Song Ran with a faint smile, and took the little cub.

Not long after, the black-robed skeleton came over.

Its gaze searched among the players. When it saw the still chubby and round little dumpling, it seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Then it looked at the other players, seeing their varying degrees of skeletonization, and nodded with satisfaction.

The players automatically ignored its double standard. Seeing it come over, they subconsciously glanced at the time on the live broadcast panel and found that another day on Skeleton Island had passed.

Now it was the third day of the mission.

The black-robed skeleton smiled and said, “Every Wednesday, our Skeleton Island holds a memorial ceremony in Skeleton Valley. All guests are welcome to accompany me to visit.”

Memorial ceremony?

The players had already begun to skeletonize, their minds focused solely on the mission. They had no interest in attending any memorial ceremony.

Hearing this, everyone was unenthusiastic, with no particular reaction.

Gu Lin remembered that the sand had asked him to go see the butterflies on its behalf. He said in a tender voice, “Cub is going to Gourd Valley, to see the little butterflies.”

Black-robed skeleton: “…”

It’s not Gourd Valley, it’s Skeleton Valley.