Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Back at the Inn, the other two were already there.

Shen Yubi tapped his fingers on the table. “Where did you go?”

“I discovered something that seems quite important.”

Chu Yue then recounted what had just happened to the two of them, placing particular emphasis on the statue Zhou Chun had been carrying.

“That is indeed a bit strange,” Shen Yubi nodded. “Then let’s wait and see what the Innkeeper has to say.”

The three of them remained in the Hall, waiting for the Innkeeper who, according to the Waiter, wouldn’t return until nightfall.

Over the past few days, they had seen the Innkeeper only a handful of times. If they weren’t mistaken, he had already told them the Death Condition on the first day they arrived.

Do not waste food.

The three of them thought it over. Yesterday, when the paper puppet stole their money and attacked them, there was a high probability it was because they had triggered a Death Condition.

However, the exact Death Condition remained a mystery. After some deduction, the only possibility was that they had forgotten to ask to swap their rice for steamed buns when ordering dinner last night, resulting in leftover rice.

If this were a meaningless clue, the Innkeeper wouldn’t have emphasized it at the start.

But that wasn’t the primary reason they were looking for the Innkeeper.

They were waiting for him mainly to ask about the paper cuttings in their rooms.

This Inn belonged to him; he was bound to know a thing or two about the paper cuttings on the beds.

As the sun sank below the horizon, the light outside dimmed.

The other three players returned with the news of the corpse found in Zhou Laoda’s courtyard, shocking the remaining five. An indescribable atmosphere of dread spread among the group.

After dinner, everyone except Chu Yue’s group returned to their rooms.

Before long, a heated argument broke out upstairs. Someone, terrified of having that Monster in their shared room, decided to move into a single room instead.

“Oh my, suddenly they aren’t afraid of something happening while they’re alone in a room,” Guan Doujin chuckled, sipping his tea.

Chu Yue set down his cup. “It’s a matter of probability.”

But no matter how one calculated it, those not meant to die wouldn’t, and those destined to die couldn’t escape.

Once it was completely dark outside, a figure carrying a lantern finally appeared outside the Inn.

The dark-skinned man walked into the Hall and smiled politely at the three sitting there. “It’s late. Why haven’t you honored guests gone to rest yet?”

Shen Yubi looked down at the patterns on his sleeve and spoke calmly, “We were waiting for you.”

The man looked quite puzzled. “Waiting for me? What for?”

Guan Doujin added, “We have some questions for the Innkeeper.”

The man looked at the three of them and remained silent for a moment before finally sitting down across from them.

“Ask your questions then. It’s late; you honored guests should rest early once you’re done.”

“Of course. As long as we get the answers we want, we naturally won’t make things difficult for you, Innkeeper,” Guan Doujin said with a smile.

“I want to know what exactly happened at Zhou Laoda’s house decades ago,” Shen Yubi said. “Since you can run an Inn like this in town, your ancestors must have had some influence here. I wonder if you know the inside story?”

“Zhou Laoda’s family?” Confusion filled the man’s face. “That was indeed decades ago. Why ask me? Many people in town should know about it.”

Shen Yubi smiled without speaking. Guan Doujin poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward him. “What we want to hear is the truth, not rumors.”

Chu Yue saw an unidentifiable emotion flash in the man’s eyes as he looked away. “Truth, rumors… who can tell the difference?”

“You can.”

“You know the truth.”

The man tried to argue, “I’m just like everyone else. Why would I know this ‘truth’ you’re talking about?”

Shen Yubi dipped his finger in the tea and quickly drew a pattern on the table.

“I saw this on the Inn’s counter. It’s remarkably similar to the Magic Array at Zhou Laoda’s house. If you don’t know anything, Innkeeper, perhaps you could explain this?”

He had noticed the design on the first day they arrived, but hadn’t paid much attention then, thinking it was just an ordinary paper cutting.

After seeing the Magic Array at Zhou Laoda’s house today, it suddenly clicked. These two things had to be the work of the same person.

The man stared at them, the skin on his face twitching slightly. After a long silence, he let out a slow sigh.

“Since you want to know so badly, I won’t hide it anymore.”

The three exchanged looks, knowing they had made a breakthrough.

“Since you came to West Window Town to purchase goods, you must have some understanding of our town.

Thirty-four years ago, something truly extraordinary happened here.”