Chapter 153: A Place with Simple and Honest Folk Customs

Chapter 153: Chapter 153: A Place with Simple and Honest Folk Customs"What about you? Any findings?" the man beside her interrupted, asking.

The young man’s mouth twitched slightly, "I went to an aromatherapy shop yesterday, and somehow, when I woke up in the early morning, the two people who had robbed me had mysteriously vanished. I was so scared that I immediately ran out."

The long-haired female player and the burly man didn’t fare much better. "The place we stayed at last night was called Bauhinia Restaurant. The restaurant itself wasn’t the issue, but most of the guests staying there were cannibals, and after dark..."

The rest of her sentence was left unfinished, but the indescribable expressions were enough to paint the dire situation of a restaurant filled with gourmet cannibals.

"What kind of hellhole is this!" the woman with a bruised face pounded the table.

"This Fairy Tale City is too bizarre," the long-haired female player said. "Here, both locals and tourists love to tell stories. You can’t walk ten meters without three or four people approaching you to peddle insider information, all horrifying tales. After hearing them, you’re left with only one feeling..."

"There’s not a single safe place in this city," someone suddenly chimed in from behind. They all turned around to see a young woman with a backpack.

The backpacked woman approached, saying openly, "I’m also a player; we must have come for the same quest."

"I arrived earlier than you, I got here at noon. I was with two male players, but they’ve disappeared without a trace."

"Are the two people you mentioned one with a buzz cut, and the other with an eyebrow piercing?" the long-haired female player asked.

The backpacked woman nodded.

"They’re already missing," the young man quickly added, "At the Beauty Aromatherapy Shop."

"So that’s what happened," the backpacked woman remarked, not surprised, as she sat down beside them, "After yesterday, you must have gained some initial insight into this Fairy Tale City. Every person here can spout ten or twenty stories at the drop of a hat, but I guess the story we need to hear is probably just one. If we split up, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. I propose we join forces."

The others exchanged glances, and the long-haired female player nodded, "I have no objections."

The other three nodded as well.

"Let’s introduce ourselves—my name is Tao Chengxin, Level E Black Player," the backpacked woman said.

"Sun Jirou, also a Level E Player," the long-haired female player shook her hand and then introduced the burly man beside her. "His name is Shen Tai, my friend, and also a Level E Player."

"My name’s Tang Yuan, the ’Yuan’ with two ’er’s, not the round ’Yuan’," the young man followed up quickly, "I’m a White Player."

The pair of man and woman beside them glanced at him, and then said, "Wang Qiao, Gao Baimei."

These two were also Level E Players.

"If the two who were with me in the car are missing, then that leaves just the six of us," Tao Chengxin said.

"There’s one more," Sun Jirou added. "A male player, whom Tang Yuan and the others have met."

"Right, didn’t he get taken away with you?" Wang Qiao turned and asked Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan shook his head, "I’m not sure, he never came out after he entered Bear’s Paw Restaurant yesterday."

"Bear’s Paw Restaurant?" Sun Jirou paused, "Bear’s Paw Restaurant and Beauty Aromatherapy Shop were the places that old lady on the bus pointed out to him."

After inquiring about the details, Tao Chengxin said, "Then he might have been deceived. The locals of Fairy Tale City aren’t very honest."

Gao Baimei snorted, "He had already been warned by a gourmet that the restaurant served human flesh, yet he dared to stay there. Did he think he was some kind of tough character? Totally ignorant of his own limits!"

"If he’s dead, it’s his own fault!"

"Who deserves what?" Along with the voice, a large bunch of black grapes were thrown onto the table, startling everyone standing nearby into getting up. Shen Tai’s muscles bulged as if he was about to start a fight, but when he turned around, he saw Xu Huo walking over with an armful of snacks and fruits.

"It’s you!"

"Are you okay?"

The voices of Tao Chengxin and Sun Jirou rose at the same time, both looking at each other. The latter asked, "Have you seen him before?"

"Ran into him once," Tao Chengxin briefly mentioned. She had seen Xu Huo that morning at the Yongxing Clubhouse entrance.

Xu Huo approached the group and first glanced at the young man named Tang Yuan, "You’ve taken quite a beating, haven’t you? Those two people are dead, aren’t they?"

His sudden remark made the other players alert.

Tang Yuan looked at them with scrutiny, "You don’t think I killed those two, do you? They were so powerful, how could I be their match?"

His recent narration seemed unproblematic—the city didn’t feel normal to anyone present, and the disappearance of one or two people from an inn was hardly surprising. Yet, omitting the process and considering only the outcome made the matter intriguing. Why had those two seemingly stronger players disappeared while Tang Yuan was unharmed?

"Playing weak to consume the strong, huh." Gao Baimei sneered coldly.

Just as Tang Yuan was about to defend himself, Xu Huo interrupted him, "I didn’t say he killed anyone. Why are you all so agitated? How about some fruit instead?"

Tao Chengxin gave him a wary look, "You dare to eat the fruit here when you don’t know what they used to grow it?"

"Either way, it’s not human," Xu Huo sat down carefreely.

"How do you know that?" Sun Jirou eyed him.

"Just ask," Xu Huo replied matter-of-factly. "What else is a mouth for?"

Sun Jirou was stifled. "You believe them just like that? The old lady who gave you coupons on the bus yesterday obviously wanted you dead."

"How could that be?" Xu Huo waved his hand dismissively, "The local customs here are simple and sincere, and people are hospitable. Why would they harm anyone?"

"Simple and sincere, hospitable?" Sun Jirou doubted she heard correctly.

"Exactly." Xu Huo peeled a grape as big as a baby’s fist and continued, "As long as you buy something, they answer any questions. They’ll tell you whatever you want to know."

"You dare to trust their words?" Wang Qiao and Gao Baimei, terrified by the previous day’s events, didn’t dare to stay at the inn, only to find out that even the city’s cats and dogs were abnormal. With cats and dogs being so vicious, it’s frightening to imagine what those smiling faces during the day turn into at night!

"If you don’t believe them, why are you so scared?" Xu Huo looked at them surprisingly.

The two were temporarily speechless.

At that moment, Sun Jirou spoke coolly, "In that case, where did you stay last night?"

"Why should I tell you?" Xu Huo retorted, then added, "I invited you to stay with me yesterday and you refused. Now you’ve suffered and want to take advantage of me?"

"Let’s all keep calm," Tang Yuan hastily intervened. "Shouldn’t completing the mission be our main concern right now?"

"Right, if you have any clues, why not share them so we can all consider them?" Tao Chengxin suggested. "In return, we all share what we’ve learned. Pooling our information might lead to a breakthrough."

Xu Huo was eating grapes, eyeing the group. "I do have a clue, but is your information worth anything?"

Next to him, Sun Jirou frowned, recalling how he’d said the same thing the day before.