“Let’s go,” Shen Lin said, his expression returning to normal as he approached Yan Xiuyi.

Yan Xiuyi asked, “How did it go?”

“I’ll explain everything when we get back.”

The two of them then explored the entire town, covering about a third of the area. When they reached the grand church located along the town’s central axis, Shen Lin stopped and looked up at the church’s spire¹.

Instead of the familiar cross, there was a half-closed eye, encircled by two arms bent at the elbows, their ends meeting. Radiating outward from the eye were irregular tentacles, like light piercing through thick fog, but with an eerie, sinister quality.

Shen Lin’s vision blurred into shades of gray, interspersed with flashes of blue, yellow, and red, assaulting his nerves. His body felt light, as if his soul were detaching from his physical form. Before his consciousness could fully unravel, he averted his gaze, no longer looking at the bizarre symbol.

“What did you see?” Yan Xiuyi asked, his voice cool and calm.

Shen Lin was silent for a moment, then translated the surreal images into words: “Some… strange visions. I saw tides, chaotic black mud, and towering stone pillars reaching into the endless sky. And… eyes lurking in the depths of the night, glowing with a faint green light.”

“Good,” KP said, “You’ve witnessed a divine phenomenon. Now, make a Sanity check. Success loses 1 point, failure loses 1-3.”

Shen Lin failed the Sanity check this time and lost 2 points.

At the same time, a message flashed in his mind: This grand church is unlike any other. The deity it worships is beyond comprehension, it exists outside the bounds of common sense.

“Dawn is approaching,” Yan Xiuyi said, looking toward the faint light in the east. Lights were already flickering on in nearby houses. “As agreed, we need to regroup before sunrise.”

Shen Lin took out the small leather-bound notebook Cain had used as a diary, made a final note, and closed it. “Let’s head back.”

By the time they reached the edge of the town, the fog had thickened without them noticing. In the span of a few breaths, they were surrounded by dense mist. Shen Lin looked back and saw that the town had been completely swallowed by the fog.

“Moonfall Village, which only appears at night…” Shen Lin murmured, “So that’s what it means. The fog only dissipates at night.”

They couldn’t find the agreed meeting spot, as the fog made it impossible to distinguish directions. Shen Lin and Yan Xiuyi wandered in circles for a while before giving up and following the markers they had left to return to Cain’s cabin.

On the way back, Shen Lin spotted Brian crouching at a fork in the road, playing with mud while waiting for them.

When Brian saw their figures emerging from the fog, he jumped up excitedly: “You’re finally back! The fog over there was too thick! We couldn’t see anything, so we came back first. Freud said if you made it out safely, you’d come here to find us.” He glanced at his pocket watch. “If you hadn’t returned by 9 a.m., we would’ve gone looking for you. The timing worked out perfectly.”

Shen Lin nodded and asked, “Has Shawn back yet?”

“No, no idea where he went,” Brian said, scratching behind his ear. “He’s annoying, but none of us want to see anything bad happen to him. Just thinking about that blood-red seawater and those bones still gives me the chills.”

Beyer rubbed his arms, covered in goosebumps. “Do you think those were really players’ bones? These past couple of days, KP has been pretty friendly, like we’re just playing a game. How did it escalate to life-and-death stakes? It doesn’t make sense. World peace would be so much better.”

Shen Lin couldn’t help but pour cold water on his optimism: “This whole situation defies logic, so we shouldn’t expect logical outcomes.”

Brian: “…Forget it. I’m not cut out for thinking.”

They soon arrived at the cabin, where a delicious aroma greeted them. Brian sniffed the air, his eyes lighting up like a mouse’s.

Freud was ladling a thick stew of potatoes, carrots, and beef into several plates. A bamboo basket nearby held a few black bread rolls softened by the steam. Nana was setting the table and smiled brightly when she saw them return. “I’m so glad you’re back safe!”

“Nana made a delicious breakfast for you. She said you’d be hungry when you got back,” Freud said with a smile, taking off his glasses and wiping the fogged lenses with his shirt. “It tastes great. I snuck a bite earlier.”

“Thank you,” Shen Lin said. He was indeed hungry. The Sanity loss had left him feeling mentally drained, and the bizarre images of the deity kept flashing in his mind.

He shook his head slightly, trying to dispel the unsettling visions. He took the makeshift plate and bowl from Nana and said softly, “Your sprained ankle is serious. It needs to be treated soon.”

Nana was taken aback, her eyes misting over. “I’m sorry. I’ve been holding everyone back. I’m not good at games.”

Shen Lin: “…”

Her voice trembled with suppressed sobs as she said dejectedly, “I don’t know what to do. All of you have your own understanding of the game, but I don’t know what my role is. I don’t want to be a burden.”

The group fell into an awkward silence.

Shen Lin didn’t look at her. He placed the last two plates on the table, then picked up a piece of soft, steamed bread. He took a bite, then another, chewing slowly before saying, “I’m alive again. This is delicious. I was starving.”

Just then, Yan Xiuyi’s stomach growled. His expression darkened as he picked up one of the bowls, which had slightly less food than the others, and leaned against the window to eat in silence.

Amid the silence, Shen Lin looked up at Nana with a smile. “Is there anything happier than eating a hot meal when you’re hungry?”

Nana was stunned, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you.”

Brian pondered the philosophical depth of Shen Lin’s words and nodded solemnly in a “Thinker” pose. “True.”

True, my foot.

Shen Lin shot him a glare and continued eating in silence. He instinctively reached for a second piece of bread but froze when he realized the bread had been evenly divided into five portions—one for each of them.

He hesitated, then looked up to see Nana’s smiling face.

Nana placed the bread in Shen Lin’s bowl and said with a smile, “Is it good? The steam from the stew softened it, and the flavors of the potatoes and beef soaked into the bread. This is my signature dish.” Nana perked up. “But you’re right. My ankle can’t take much more. I need to find some medicine.”

“There might be some in the basement,” Freud said. “When we came back this morning, we made a Spot check and found a storage room downstairs. It’s full of supplies. Since Orion wasn’t here, I didn’t dare touch anything except for some ingredients. Don’t worry, I passed a Botany check. They’re all natural and edible. The supplies in the basement are beyond what we expected. Where did Cain get all this stuff?”

Shen Lin ate his bread slowly and said, “Because he’s the middleman, the link between the Harrison family and Moonfall Village.”

He recounted what they had discovered in the town and concluded, “To gain some unknown extraordinary ability, the Harrison family comes to Moonfall Village every ten years to perform a ritual. Cain was sent by the Harrison family to prepare for the ritual. His contact in Moonfall Village is a man named Benson, who might be the church’s… priest. I’m not sure what to call the clergy of this religion, so I’ll use a general term you’ll understand.”

“Before the ritual begins, the Harrison family transports a batch of supplies here. They go through Cain first, then Benson, and are finally distributed to the townsfolk. These supplies are things the townsfolk need but can’t produce here, like specific minerals, textiles, and oil. The Harrison family and Moonfall Village are connected by mutual benefit, each getting what they need.”

Shen Lin explained it in simple terms, and even Brian understood. “But none of this explains where Dylan is or why we suddenly appeared here.”

“If we want to know, we need to understand what the ritual is,” Freud said, resting his chin on his hand. “What is their religion?”

“It’s a—” Shen Lin struggled to describe it, “a deity that’s hard to put into words. But I can definitely feel that this world has real gods. When I looked at the sacred symbol on the church spire, I felt an indescribable fear.”

The group fell silent for a moment before Nana asked, “And then?”

“And then I lost Sanity,” Shen Lin reminded them. “Let my experience be a warning. If you encounter any strange symbols or text while exploring the town, don’t look at them directly.”

“A true leader,” KP’s voice echoed in his mind.

Shen Lin ignored KP’s self-congratulatory remark and pulled out the small parchment notebook from his pocket. He spread it open and said to the group, “The town has guards today, but they don’t seem very strict. We’ll sneak into the town tonight to investigate. This is a partial map of the town I drew. We’ll split into teams.”

“My injury is fine. I can go with you,” Nana said.

Freud: “You could also stay here.”

“No, if Dylan comes here, she’ll be in danger. Based on what we know, Dylan is likely our enemy,” Shen Lin said after careful consideration. “Nana will come with us. We’ll leave this place for now. I’m not sure if we can stay in the town overnight, but if we can, we won’t need to come back here. As for the teams…” He glanced at Yan Xiuyi, his eyes flickering slightly. After a moment of silence, he said, “Brian and I will go to the church. His Stealth is high, so he might be able to find something. Nana, Freud, and Felton, you three will form a team to gather information in the town. But stick to the areas I’ve marked on the map. I’ve noted some safe spots where you can hide if something goes wrong.”

They rested thoroughly during the day and waited for nightfall.

The thick fog dissipated, revealing a mysterious path through the forest leading to Moonfall Village.

Freud looked up at the moon and muttered, “I don’t know if it’s just me, but the moon looks a bit red tonight.”

Everyone looked up.

The moon was full, its curves stretched to the limit. From its center, a faint red hue spread outward, fading as it reached the edges of the halo, which glowed with a weak red light.

Beyer: “No red moon, no otherworldly vibe. Two moons wouldn’t even be surprising.”

The group chuckled.

They cautiously made their way to the edge of the town.

The lights were dim, and with the oil shortage, only every other streetlamp was lit. The buildings slept quietly in the night, with the occasional patrol lazily walking the streets.

Shen Lin’s voice was calm and clear as he reminded them, “Don’t rush to uncover the details of the ritual. Our main goal tonight is to familiarize ourselves with the town and find a way to stay here safely for the short term. The top priority is not to let the townsfolk discover our identities. No matter the outcome, we’ll meet at the town’s archway at 5 a.m.”

He slowly smiled, his clear jade-green eyes glowing with a captivating light. “Let’s go. Good luck to us all.”

1. ↩︎