Frenzy Flame: You Have It, I Have It, Everyone Has It

[Plague Village]

A name that strikes fear into the hearts of the undead.

This word will trigger a special attack on Dark Souls 1 players, because that dark map embodies the Yugi creators' deepest malice, and is disgusting in every way.

So much so that the term "Plague Village" has transcended its ordinary meaning and is more like an interpretation of the term "malicious map"!

Fortunately, Gong Qiying's Zane Dungeon has not yet expanded its business to the Soul 1 map, so adventurers have not yet been able to appreciate the beauty of Plague Village.

However, if you were one of the earliest adventurers in the Zane Dungeon, you could experience a map designed to resemble Plague Village in the upper level of the Zane Dungeon, which was then divided into upper, middle, and lower levels.

That was when it was truly disgusting and difficult to stand. The traps and toxins of the underworld were impossible to guard against, and those who passed through invariably vomited violently.

For example, Si Telan was fortunate enough to experience those earliest things and enjoyed a lot of good fortune.

However, the Elden Ring version of Plague Village in the new area of the current Zane Dungeon is different from that in Dark Souls 1. Simply put, they only have the same name, but are completely different in content.

If Soul Plague Village is a collection of malice, then Elden Ring Plague Village is really just a small village where a group of sick people gather.

Nobody wants to turn their home into a gloomy, stagnant place filled with toxic filth, right?

Therefore, the Plague Village in the Elden Ring version looks rather peaceful during the day, not at all eerie or terrifying. It's like any other small village you could see in the outside world, the kind that could be wiped out by a wave of monsters, with a very low level of threat.

However, the above impression is based on the premise that "they did not know what disease the patients in the village had."

If anyone knew what illness these villagers were suffering from, they would probably scream and scratch themselves as they fled the place.

Because the symptoms the villagers were infected with were called—

Frenzied Flame!

The burning yellow "tears" in their eyes are proof of infection!

The village is filled with a large number of villagers infected with Frenzied Flame.

They were the lowest-level Frenzied Flame, so naturally they had no imposing presence, and any passing adventurer could spot them.

But precisely because of this, they [Frenzied Flame patients] are the most widespread source of infection.

From the perspective of media dissemination, "Frenzied Flame" is quite approachable.

"What's this?"

"What the hell?"

"This guy is as skinny as my grandfather."

Nearly half the city's crowd watched the magical projection screen that covered the sky, and all sorts of questions arose.

However, when Lu Lu Wo Frenzied Flame a patient with eyes completely filled with yellow flames onto the camera, that yellow light entered everyone's eyes.

All sounds disappeared at that moment.

Under the amplification effect of the projection magic, the eyes of the Frenzied Flame looked like two yellow suns, quietly hanging on the horizon and burning without blinking. This was mainly due to Ta Mi pressing down hard on the other person's eyelids.

Whether it was people on the stage or people gathered on the ground, everyone was staring at the projected image.

Everyone's expressions were different; some were curious, some were puzzled, and some were disgusted. The myriad aspects of human nature were vividly displayed at this moment.

However, after staring into those eyes consumed by Frenzied Flame for more than a few seconds, these diverse emotions began to shift.

"Clang!" The wine glass in Lan Le's hand fell to the ground, and he subconsciously stood up.

Apart from him, everyone else's expressions gradually became distorted and ferocious.

"Wow!"

The child's piercing cries tore through the sky, as if someone were telling a series of terrifying stories, including the story of the big monkey, the cat-faced old woman Zhang Liao, and so on. The darkest fear in my heart suddenly erupted at this moment!

The child with the least tolerance was the first to cry out, and the adults' mental defenses crumbled instantly like a dam breached by the Yellow River, without even having time to utter a single word of complaint!

"Ah!"

Finally, an adult let out the first painful cry, and the owner of this sound was far from the ground, right on that big stage.

It was Aide Jia!

His expression was extremely ferocious, and he lay prone on the ground in a tiger-like kneeling position, his body trembling violently as if he were enduring intense pain. His fists unconsciously pounded the ground with great force, and finally he let out a scream that was neither human nor beast.

If children scream because they see something ugly that frightens them, then Aide Jia's screams are like experiencing real pain, an extreme pain that is unbearable to the core.

It was as if he had recalled some unbearable memory, and it was related to the Frenzied Flame, but he had never come into contact with Frenzied Flame before.

The clear sky seemed to change along with his screams, but no one noticed at the moment. Except for Aide Jia, who was the first to shout, the symptoms of the others also intensified!

"Hmm!"

Lan Le groaned, feeling as if his head had been struck hard by a hammer. The shockwave quickly spread throughout his body, making him feel dizzy and staggering backward before finally collapsing back into his seat.

The uniquely textured necklace around his neck and a group of magical equipment that looked like ornaments but were actually life-saving items enveloped him in a soft green light, continuously healing his spirit. He seemed to still have some self-awareness, so he quickly closed his eyes and stopped looking at the projection.

The others weren't as lucky as him, with plenty of magical items for self-defense; the effects of the Frenzied Flame Patient erupted all at once.

"Ahhh!" The performers on stage screamed, covering their eyes. Those with weaker constitutions fell to their knees with a thud, while those with stronger constitutions felt dizzy and their minds were shaken, their brains overwhelmed by chaotic thoughts.

"Hey, hehehehe?"

"Go to hell!"

Some people laughed for no apparent reason, some were suddenly filled with anger, and some wept in despair; the scene was a microcosm of human nature.

But whether it's crying, laughing, or getting angry, only adventurers with a certain level of strength and power can experience these feelings.

Among the crowd of onlookers nearby, more than 90% were ordinary people. Given their pitiful Spirit Power, which was barely enough to be sent to the Zane Dungeon, their reactions after making eye contact with the Frenzied Flame were surprisingly consistent.

"Awoooooo!"

It was as if ten thousand Tom cats were being brutally beaten by Jerry Mouse. The exaggerated and ridiculous howls of pain instantly echoed throughout the city!

When the eyes of the man with the Frenzied Flame appeared above Black Rock City, half the city was instantly plunged into a sea of "joy"!

The commotion caused here was naturally not ignored by other residents, so the normal people who were originally uninvolved followed the sound and looked up at the projection in the sky.

"Awoooooo!"

Soon, this ordeal escalated into a major public event that swept the entire city!

Anyone who looks up at the sky will be doomed; the speed at which this disaster spreads is at a demonic level!

"What's happening? What's that in the sky? Awooo—"

"What are you yelling about? Ouch—"

"What's wrong with everyone? What's wrong with you all?!"

Chaos and disorder are rampant.

This will likely be a momentous event that will be recorded in the history of Black Rock City!

Standing among a group of people who were doing all sorts of strange things because of their mental anguish, Gong Qiying sighed as if nothing was wrong.

He looked around, thought it over and over, and finally slowly found a corner to squat down.

Yes, that way I won't stand out so much.

"It's a pity that so much Spirit Power has been wasted."

Frenzied Flame, a terrifying thing, resides in people's eyes, outwardly appearing as yellow flames, but its mode of transmission is similar to that of infectious diseases.

Contact with a person suffering from Frenzied Flame can lead to infection in healthy individuals, but this "contact" can vary in degree.

Just as shaking hands with an AIDS patient normally will not lead to infection, normal contact with Frenzied Flame patient is likely to be safe and will not lead to infection in healthy individuals.

Looking directly at powerful Frenzied Flame can lead to mental pollution and infection, such as from the Frenzy Flame Lighthouse.

Being captured by someone infected with the Frenzied Flame" and then engaging in a subtle, yet profound, exchange of "Frenzied Flame" thoughts through their eyes can also lead to infection.

Even if the cane of the Forbidden Touch Old Man is pierced into the body, it can cause an infection like that of Midella, the King of Frenzied Flame.

It can be said that one of the most important ways in which Frenzied Flame spreads is through "direct contact".

So, could looking directly into the eyes of a person with Frenzied Flame, as is the case now, cause an infection?

As long as Gong Qiying doesn't want to destroy the world, the answer is absolutely "no".

Moreover, the probability of ordinary people contracting Frenzied Flame from eye contact with Frenzied Flame patients is extremely low. Even if someone is as strong as the Forbidden Touch Old Man, a normal person will not be infected if they just look at him without touching him.

Moreover, the Frenzied Flame in the body of the Frenzied Flame patient is already very weak, and it is further weakened by the shadow transmission. If you want to get Frenzied Flame by direct vision? You would at least have to see a stronger Frenzied Flame directly, just like the demon priests of the Great Demon City.

However, this also shows something from another perspective—

Spreading the Frenzied Flame through live streaming seems feasible.

However, if Gong Qiying doesn't add anything to the Frenzied Flame's food, then the Frenzied Flame won't pose too much of a threat to the adventurer. If you make eye contact with him, it will only have a certain degree of impact on your mind.

Just like those performers, a moment of mental frenzy, abnormal emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, followed by a massive outburst of Spirit Power —that's pretty much the extent of the impact.

However, the audience in Black Rock City watching this performance included not only adventurers, but also many ordinary people.

This means that what is a "moderate" mental shock to adventurers becomes an unbearable burden on ordinary people.

Even if the vision of a person with Frenzied Flame is further distorted by the transmission of images, weakening the psychological impact, it still causes considerable psychological pressure on ordinary people!

Hiss, how terrifying! The Frenzied Flame truly lives up to its reputation as a vile thing!

Just as Gong Qiying was contemplating whether he should quietly go over and turn off the live stream to do a good deed, Lan Le was already taking action.

Lan Le walked toward the live streaming equipment with a serious expression, his eyes tightly closed, refusing to look at the projection. Even so, he still felt immense mental pressure.

He couldn't even describe his feelings right now. Anger, resentment, and other emotions surged up all at once. All he wanted to do now was shut down the whole thing Lu Lu Wo had done and then see what the situation was, whether to give these people life imprisonment or exile them directly.

Even if Lu Lu Wo and her group of geniuses didn't do it on purpose, they can't be allowed to stay in the Warrior Country!

Lan Le hadn't felt this emotionally intense in a long time; he'd probably remember Lu Lu Wo for the rest of his life.

"Is this the way? I remember the switch is here."

As His Highness was exploring, Lu Lu Wo's voice came from the projection again, sounding as if she was chatting with someone in the distance.

"Are you sure you can laugh after making eye contact with this thing, Aisi, Aimu?"

"Mmm! It feels so good to make eye contact; it really makes you want to laugh~"

"I always felt that you two masochists' words were unreliable. Oh well, let's leave it at that. So much time has passed, the people outside should have seen it by now, right?"

Lu Lu Wo's tone revealed a hint of pleasure as she said:

"Do you think the prince will give us some extra reward after he laughs? Although everyone is rich now, I'm still quite interested in the treasures of the Warrior Country."

"Maybe they'll give us a peerless sword from an ancient Warrior?" Ta Mi's voice was full of anticipation.

"Just a pair of enchanted glasses would be enough for me," Bei Er Tuo said, quite content.

It sounds like the Skyrim Strategy Team thinks they're doing something really interesting, and they're even looking forward to a warm welcome back to Black Rock City, ideally with a hundred handsome men and beautiful women on the way back saying "Thank you for your hard work" while offering all sorts of good things.

Upon hearing this, Lan Le froze in place, as if petrified.

A moment later, his body began to tremble, and the corners of his mouth, no longer stiff, began to turn upwards.

"Heh, heh heh heh"

His laughter rang out, but it wasn't hearty at all.

It sounded like it was filled with a very unpleasant emotion; if the servants were still sober, they would have gasped in surprise.

Lu Lu Wo's actions certainly made the prince laugh!

Although, it was a laugh born of anger.