Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 115

You’re not allowed to walk around Tara counterclockwise, nor are you allowed to encircle Brega clockwise.

Anyone would find these two prohibitions bizarre at first glance. However, when the bans were linked with the “Drop the Handkerchief” game, the situation became quite unusual.

The so-called “Drop the Handkerchief” game involves a group of people sitting together. One person runs around them from behind, chooses someone, and secretly drops the handkerchief behind that person.

The person who finds the handkerchief behind them has to pick it up and chase the one who dropped it.

If the dropper makes it back to their seat without being caught, after a full circle, they pass the level; otherwise, if caught, they lose and must perform a show in front of everyone.

Correspondingly, if the person who was supposed to catch the handkerchief either finds it too late or fails to catch the dropper, they lose and become the next one to drop the handkerchief.

Thus, since the game involves running around a group of people, it necessitates the restriction of either running clockwise or counterclockwise. Among the NPCs, could there be someone named Tara or Brega?

If both individuals exist and running around is mandatory, how should one avoid breaking the bans?

Having reached this stage in the game, all players on the scene immediately understood the peril upon hearing the words “Drop the Handkerchief” and anxiously awaited the innkeeper’s answer—what would her name be? Tara or Brega?

“My name is Tartar,” the innkeeper said with a smile, then stood up and led everyone towards the square. On the way, He Xiaowei hurried forward and asked many questions, such as whether she knew Tara or who Brega was. However, Tartar didn’t respond to any questions, simply greeting passersby with a smile.

It seemed she was well-liked and popular here.

When leaving the inn, Zhou Qian specifically looked at the sculpture formed by three human heads and noticed no change; one of the heads still faced west, towards where the sun set, and the village’s heart lay.

Tartar led everyone from the Tartar Inn at the village entrance westward, deeper into the village. Along the way, Zhou Qian thought of something and took a special look back.

First, Zhou Qian looked at the sculpture of the three heads. When he first arrived at this scenario, he remembered the head facing west glowed red in the sunset, including its eyes, which shimmered in the red of the setting sun.

But now, from this angle, the eyes of the head faintly gleamed blue, deep, and bottomless, as if hiding a dark world.

Zhou Qian’s second glance was towards the glass on the inn’s second floor. When he checked inside the room before, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about the glass. However, looking from this angle at this time, he noticed the glass was actually blue.

The blue, transparent glass shone with a purple light in the sunset, sparkling like a crystal and somewhat eerie.

Having understood something, Zhou Qian said nothing for the moment and continued forward with everyone else.

Shortly after, they reached the central square deep in the village.

Many people were already sitting on the ground, grouped in circles of sixteen, forming three complete circles; an additional eight people formed a half-circle, apparently waiting for players. With the players making up exactly eight people, they sat down to form the fourth circle.

In the center of the square was a large pile of animal bones mixed with straw and other materials, next to which lay some meat, grain, and other items, seemingly for sacrificial purposes.

The four circles formed by the villagers and players were positioned in the north, south, east, and west directions around the pile.

Upon the players’ arrival, a leader-looking figure was pouring oil over the straw and bones.

Tartar, the innkeeper, took the lead to greet him. “Village chief, I’ve brought the people from the Land of Silence over. They’ll join the game.”

“Good, thank you.” The village chief nodded to the innkeeper, then greeted everyone. “Hello, I’m Ab. Please, take your seats! The game will start soon!”

The village chief, a man in his forties, appeared wise, as if his position was based on wisdom rather than age or force.

Zhou Qian took a closer look at the village chief before sitting down with the others. Bai Zhou, of course, sat next to him.

Once seated, Zhou Qian whispered to him through a private chat tool. “If we were playing this game outside, I’d definitely drop the handkerchief for you to chase me.”

Bai Zhou looked at him and smiled faintly. “Okay.”

“Then you’d have to be quick, or you won’t catch me.”

“Mm. I’ll be fast.”

“How fast?”

“How fast do you want it?”

“Well, not too fast, or it won’t be fun. Gotta keep you running a little longer.”

“Okay.”

“Zhou Ge, your patience is really good. You even entertain such boring questions from me.”

“Not boring.”

“Being with me, you’re never bored, right?”

“Yes.”

“Exactly. Am I a fun person?”

“Mm. So, Zhou Qian, do you think—”

Was Bai Zhou worried that he might find him boring?

Before he could speak, Zhou Qian already answered. “Zhou Ge is interesting too. Next time after you transform into a dragon, let me play with your horn again, and I want to touch your tail.”

Above the square, the noise of people was booming.

The two of them were having a secret conversation unknown to others.

Whether the conversation was nutritious or interesting didn’t matter.

For the two of them, being able to have such a long-awaited reunion in another world and to speak so freely and willfully, was already very precious.

After a few exchanges, the village chief raised his voice to speak—

“Alright, everyone is here. Let me explain this year’s new rules to everyone!”

Standing next to the pile of bones, the village chief explained the specific rules of the game to everyone.

The Drop the Handkerchief game in the story was similar to what everyone normally knew.

However, this time the scope of the game was broader—being played in four circles, totaling 64 people.

The person who throws the handkerchief, and the one it was thrown at, could run around the four large circles to chase each other.

Another difference was that the loser of each game would be deducted 2 points, instead of having to “perform a show” like in the real world, and the winner would gain 2 points.

When the game finally ended, the scores of the 64 people would be ranked from highest to lowest, ultimately dividing them into two groups.

The higher-scoring group, the winners, would have the privilege to go home and sleep.

The other 32 people would have to participate in a night vigil arranged by the village chief.

“The moment the sun sets completely marks the arrival of the ‘nonexistent time’, and we will welcome the official festival. Let’s enjoy the game to the fullest before the sun sets!”

The village chief said, “So, where should we start the game… Let’s decide with rock-paper-scissors!”

Under the village chief’s arrangement, the first was a rock-paper-scissors competition within each of the 16-person circles to select one winner from each. Four circles of 16 people would produce four winners, who would then face off in the final showdown.

Of course, even with 16 people playing rock-paper-scissors simultaneously, the likelihood of rock, paper, and scissors appearing at the same time was high. To save time, the village chief had them split into four groups to achieve a tiered selection effect.

Zhou Qian’s group of 16 was divided into four groups of four. NPCs played against NPCs, and players played against players.

During the rock-paper-scissors, He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian, Yin Jiujiu, and Yun Xiangrong were in one group.

He Xiaowei, not understanding the situation of the two girls, turned his head, saw the NPCs at a distance, and quietly advised them, “Let’s not waste our efforts here. We should all try to win, gain points, and if one of us becomes the winner, we absolutely should not throw the handkerchief at each other.

“What we need to do is work together to defeat the NPCs! If an NPC throws the handkerchief at one of us players, we must remind each other quickly so they don’t catch up. This way, our scores will be the highest!”

Yun Xiangrong glanced at him and said, “Have you considered that if you’re outside on night watch, you naturally don’t have to spend the night inside. Thus, the issue of which room someone might die in tonight would be resolved.”

“Eh?” He Xiaowei was stunned for three seconds before quickly responding, “But that doesn’t mean it’s safe. What does that ‘nonexistent time’ mean? We still don’t know!”

“Regarding the meaning of Samhain, our well-read Zhou Qian said it’s the day when the realms of the living and the dead intersect. There will definitely be ghosts coming at night! Inside, the fireplace can ward off ghosts. What about outside?”

Yin Jiujiu thought for a moment and said, “We still know too little. Let’s see how it goes. But I think Yun Xiangrong has a point. There are 32 people on night watch, including many villagers. The village chief wouldn’t send so many people to their deaths, right?”

He Xiaowei, unsure, looked at Zhou Qian for advice. “Qian’er, it seems they make sense. So, should we aim to win or lose points in this game? I’m counting on you.”

Who would have thought, as he turned his head, he saw Zhou Qian asking Bai Zhou, who was playing rock-paper-scissors in the next group, “So, if I throw scissors, will you throw paper?”

He Xiaowei: “……”

As expected, Bai Zhou really threw paper.

And then he lost.

He Xiaowei: “…………”

After a while, feeling a pair of burning eyes on the back of his head, Zhou Qian turned around to see He Xiaowei.

“What are you looking at me like that for?” Zhou Qian asked.

He replied, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘A hero finds it hard to overcome the beauty’s challenge*.’ Now, I want to dedicate this saying to that God Level boss. I never imagined, Qian’er, that you would be the ‘beauty’ in this saying.”

*Idiom refers to how heroes often lose their fighting spirit or reputation because of their obsession with women.

Zhou Qian: “…………”

Three minutes later, the rock-paper-scissors competition among their circle of 16 people quickly ended.

The winner turned out to be He Xiaowei.

The other three circles also finished their games around the same time, selecting three winners, all NPCs.

Under the village chief’s supervision, He Xiaowei was about to step forward for the final rock-paper-scissors contest with them.

Before going up, he asked Zhou Qian uneasily, “Qian’er, something doesn’t feel right. If you wanted to win, I doubt we could beat you in rock-paper-scissors. I don’t understand the tricks and twists of gambling, nor how you guys do it. But rock-paper-scissors is a form of gambling, right? Who are you? You’re the king of gambling! How could you lose?”

“You flatter me too much. It’s not like that,” Zhou Qian said.

“You lost, and you made your partner lose too. Is that really okay?” He Xiaowei asked. “Wait a minute, would it be better to lose? If I win and have to throw the handkerchief, who should I throw it to first?”

Zhou Qian patted his shoulder. “Relax. Just play the game casually. As for tonight… for now, just make sure you have enough salt.”

“…Salt?” He Xiaowei was surprised. “What do you mean?”

“Yes. Salt. Sodium chloride,” Zhou Qian whispered to him. “If you get the chance, go steal some more from the kitchen. It’ll come in handy.”

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