Invitation from Fangcun Mountain

Ten minutes later.

The tuxedo cat clung pitifully to Zhu Yan's arm, shrinking into his embrace, still looking at the art student with lingering fear.

It meowed very softly, and Zhu Yan understood the meaning behind the sound.

It was probably cursing the art student as a monster—even though he wasn't a horror creature, he had pretended to be a [Cat], and it wanted to bite him to death.

The tuxedo cat's words indirectly corroborated the art student's credibility.

Thus, Zhu Yan decided to forgive the art student for scaring the cat.

Watching the art student offer his beloved claypot rice to the cat as an apology, he chose to resume their previous topic.

"So, about [Vine Cage Girl] and [Recitative Terrace]..."

The tuxedo cat released Zhu Yan and began to eat heartily.

"[Vine Cage Girl] was originally a little girl," the art student said. "She was a person from over two hundred... maybe close to three hundred years ago."

Zhu Yan asked, "Did you two meet back then?"

A nostalgic expression appeared on the art student's face.

It was hard for Zhu Yan to describe, but he couldn't help feeling that the art student looked a bit sad at this moment.

"She would leave some food for me, cooked fish and shrimp and the like," the art student said. "Back then, protein was a scarce resource."

"...Later, she was drowned in a pond. I don't know the reason behind it."

"When she was on the verge of death, she was selected to become a player. Her ability allowed her to survive underwater."

"She could have cleared the instance, but she ignored the mission, chose to kill indiscriminately, and burned the house down."

"You saw the result in the end." The art student sighed. "She merged with her hatred, and this obsession could not dissipate."

Zhu Yan thought of [Vine Cage Girl]'s miserable, bruised, and purple state.

He had thought she was a resurrected water ghost, never expecting she had once been a player too.

"After being corrupted by [Thrilling Pleasure], many of her memories faded away, including those of me."

The art student continued, "It likes cats. When I turned into a cat and went down there, it still liked me very much."

"It knows a witch and often finds ways to help me buy things from the [Witch's Department Store]. They're great cosplay artifacts!"

Zhu Yan looked down at the small painting in his hand.

In the painting was a girl with her hair coiled up, looking bizarre and eerie.

"This is a commission it requested. I didn't charge for it," the art student explained. "I have no way to give it to her, so..."

Zhu Yan thought back carefully. There were no phones for sale in [Carnival Paradise], and the art student had mentioned before that he didn't have one.

"How did you guys contact each other?" he asked curiously.

The art student pointed to the printer on the table.

"That," he said. "It's a device for passing notes remotely, an item made by a few players together a long time ago."

"Uh... but except for this one on my end, the others are all scaled-down versions."

"I draw or modify things here, then use it to send them to the other side."

"Of course, it's only passive. I can't actively send anything unless someone on the other end shoves something in."

Zhu Yan suddenly understood.

"For your art exam back then, you couldn't possibly have been expecting the professor to shove the exam questions in on the spot, and then you'd draw it here in real-time, right?!"

The art student gave him a thumbs up. "Exactly. I originally wanted to give the professor a little shock, but the professor had no curiosity at all..."

Zhu Yan laughed out loud.

The art student pushed the exquisitely framed small painting forward.

"The scaled-down machines can't receive this; the frame is too thick. I'll leave it to you."

It wasn't a big deal. If he could survive the next instance, he would have to go to the [Recitative Terrace] anyway.

Seeing him store the painting in his ring, the art student's eyes curved into a smile as he answered his other question.

"[Recitative Terrace] is something that only appeared in the last two or three hundred years. To be precise, it's a new department that was formed after [Vine Cage Girl] was corrupted."

"I haven't seen that catalog either. I asked [Vine Cage Girl], and the answer I got was that the names carry corruption, so it couldn't tell me."

"However, I have seen some players who were originally members of [Mount Fangcun]... After entering the [Recitative Terrace], they failed [Vine Cage Girl]'s obscure test and saw that catalog."

"They couldn't remember where they had been or what they had eaten, and they were slowly sucked dry just like that."

"[Mount Fangcun] couldn't save them either. It happens every time."

Zhu Yan thought about the little moments he had spent with [Vine Cage Girl].

He merely had a strong sense of curiosity, which was why he wanted to turn to the next page of the catalog before being stopped.

But what if it were someone quite casual, someone who just ordered a coffee and left?

Zhu Yan asked, but saw the art student shake his head.

"Anyone who goes there will experience this. Even if you hadn't spoken up back then, [Vine Cage Girl] would have shared its experience on its own and then asked you."

"If your attitude isn't sincere or if there's a problem with your answer, it will directly show you the second page."

Well, danger was everywhere.

However, to go and discuss feudal issues with a horror creature like someone did, that was indeed frighteningly stupid.

Zhu Yan asked curiously, "If you went to greet [Vine Cage Girl] as a friend and asked it to let specific players go, would that be possible?"

The art student shook his head.

"I've tried, it doesn't really work."

"[Vine Cage Girl] is no longer a little girl, but a horror creature."

"Zhu Yan (Bamboo Salt), you cannot equate them with goodness. They are always entangled in resentment."

"[Vine Cage Girl] is considered to believe in give and take, an eye for an eye. You took the cat down there, so its initial affection for you was relatively high, that's all."

The art student pondered for a moment.

"It has a good relationship with me only because I'm willing to draw its commissions and listen to it talk. So it helps out with small favors."

"But humans are a no-go. All horror creatures won't waste their breath on humans."

The art student made a brilliant analogy: "You wouldn't want to be friends with a McDonald's burger, right?"

Zhu Yan remembered the [Plague Demon]'s initial attitude towards him in the [Devouring Villa] and completely understood.

The attitude of horror creatures towards their own kind and towards players was vastly different. If Zhu Yan didn't have the [Roleplay] ability, then his method of clearing instances through bluffing and deception would be almost impossible.

"Alright." The art student stretched his back. "Join [Mount Fangcun]. We will provide you with items that can resist the corruption of [Thrilling Pleasure]."

"There's no monetary reward, but you will gain the [Heart of Constancy] and warm companions."

"Hmm... you have to complete missions to get the rewards. Failing a single mission is fine, but if you fail three times in a row, you will be expelled from [Mount Fangcun]."

His light golden eyes looked at Zhu Yan earnestly.

"We will erase all your memories regarding [Mount Fangcun], nothing more."

"Can you accept this?"

Zhu Yan did not immediately answer "yes" or "no."

He knew very well that he had no leeway when it came to joining [Mount Fangcun].

He didn't want to become a horror creature; he had no choice.

However, he still had doubts.

"I want to ask, what are the mission contents?"

The art student poked open his second cup of milk tea, stood up, and walked over to the printer.

"Just like with [Carnival Paradise], you need to complete the novice mission first."

"President Miao must have already known you were coming. She has always had the gift of foresight. Let me see..."

Zhu Yan wanted to ask who President Miao was, but just at that moment, the printer began to squeak and whir.

"Look, she timed it perfectly," the art student said in admiration. "Oh, Miao Miao..."

A small slip of paper flew out. The art student caught it firmly and handed it to Zhu Yan.

"Missions are custom-tailored based on the player's situation. You will learn more about this later."

Zhu Yan read the slip of paper under the soft, warm light.

The words on the paper were surprisingly handwritten, neat, clear, and easy to read.

"We have detected that in the instance [What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf], the role of the alpha wolf is played by a Level 5 thriller creature."

"Novice Mission: Kill it and earn the trust of [Carnival Paradise]."

"A little note of care: You are what matters most. Keep a clear mind, and maintain a calm sense of joy!"