Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 10: Lava [Complete]

1140: Dirty Deal

At 2:26 PM, Lin Sanjiu had just picked up the large book when the swirling dust choked her, causing her to cough a few times. The book, the reception counter, and everything around were coated in a thick layer of dirt, bearing the fingerprints of countless people who had registered. It was evident that no one bothered to clean up after themselves. The nearby pen was the only item that appeared relatively clean.

Beneath the prominent line "Next round of Lava will commence at 2:30 PM, please leave your name here for registration," only one name was inscribed.

However, it would be inaccurate to say that "one" name was recorded.

The previous posthuman, seemingly cautious and unwilling to reveal their real identity, had left several false names such as "Chen Yong," "Chen Xiyong," "Xiyong," "Xigua Tailang," and so on. Each of these aliases, however, bore a small "Invalid" label. Ultimately, they reluctantly penned down their true name, "Yuan Xiangxi."

Through the paper, Lin Sanjiu could sense the despair of her predecessor.

"It feels like a big pocket dimension," Mrs. Manas murmured, "Are all the people from the Mushroom Kingdom and the ants' side coming here to change worlds?"

"Yeah," Lin Sanjiu responded, her focus on the registration book. Since she arrived on this planet, she hadn't ventured into any pocket dimensions yet.

However, if Yuan Xiangxi alone had registered for the 11:30 AM round, how could that be?

She glanced at the wall clock. There was still time, so she continued flipping through the pages.

On the page preceding 11:30 AM, the same line appeared, but the lava start time shifted to 10:30 AM. Going backward, it changed to 9:30 AM... Lin Sanjiu continued to turn the pages following the timeline, discovering that the registration records spanned only the past 24 hours. It seemed that only the names of those who had registered within that timeframe were preserved.

The intervals between each round of lava weren't fixed. They varied, sometimes lasting only a few minutes, other times stretching to several hours. Each round occupied one page, and the initial ten pages were filled with various names. Some names repeated, like "Bonnie Bunny," which might belong to a girl. Lin Sanjiu speculated that Yuan Xiangxi might have chosen an alias after seeing this name. Other names appeared only once and vanished without a trace, leaving her wondering about the fate of those individuals.

"The woman mentioned that starting from 11:30 AM this morning, lava would fill all the circles," Lin Sanjiu said while picking up the pen, "If she can accurately discern the time, then she and her bearded companion might also be among the registered participants, right?"

However, the 11:30 AM page displayed just one name, written in Japanese. Regardless of how she pondered it, neither Sesame Cake nor the bearded man seemed Japanese.

"That implies there must be multiple registration points," Mrs. Manas said. "With such a vast area, how many people could have registered?"

Lin Sanjiu naturally lacked the answer. She gripped the pen and meticulously wrote her name, "Lin Sanjiu," allowing the ink to penetrate the paper's texture.

"Thank you for participating."

A voice emanated from the corners of the walls and ceiling the moment she finished inscribing her name. The voice was from the same speaker that used to play music in the restaurant before doomsday.

"After the next round of lava commences, you will gradually notice the information of all registered players within this city appearing in your field of vision. Please pay attention to the details, as the devil is in the details. The Lava Spawn Points for this round have been determined by players, so be alert and vigilant even in places where lava seems least likely."