The solid handling by kp didn’t shake Shen Lin’s decision.
On his character sheet, kp’s luck stat was 80 points, and the difficulty for luck checks was set at a standard of 40. As long as he rolled below 40, he could obtain valuable clues here.
Shen Lin took a deep breath, lightly touched the dice, and the two distinct black and white dice began to spin, eventually coming to a stop.
3 points.
A critical success.
kp: “!!!”
Shen Lin said, “You can start narrating now.”
“Alright, alright,” kp compromised. He fell silent, and the world returned to its normal course.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Someone spoke, breaking the tense atmosphere. He wore a gentleman’s waistcoat, impeccably pressed trousers, leaned on a cane adorned with gold and emeralds, and wore a monocle—a refined middle-aged man.
“May I ask why you’re interested in the ancient texts of the town?” Shen Lin cautiously replied, “Because this is a cultural treasure of Moonfall Township. I don’t know when the change happened, but what I see is that Moonfall Township has been completely contaminated by external culture. People adapt not just for convenience; they learn to speak like outsiders, use their writing, and even adopt their social structures and lifestyles. Our lives have become a mess,” he calmly looked at the man and continued, “Sir, I believe this is wrong.”
The man hesitated, and those around heard whispers. Shen Lin still gazed calmly at the man.
Freud couldn’t ignore the scrutinizing and accusatory gazes. He instinctively moved back behind Shen Lin and whispered, “They look at us very unfriendly.”
After a moment, the man’s expression changed. His kindly face turned cold, “Everything from outsiders is inconsequential before the gods. The changes we make are guided by the divine. Where are you from, child, to speak such misleading words? Seize them.”
Several security personnel approached.
Freud panicked.
Shen Lin said to kp, “Psychology.”
Psychology was a hidden check, and players couldn’t know the result, relying on the Dungeon Master’s response to judge success.
Observing the man’s expression, Shen Lin interpreted a subtle hint of helplessness from his eyes. So, he said, “This is my opinion, unrelated to my friend. We are just homeless wanderers on the streets. I can go with you for judgment, but please let my friend leave.”
The man nodded, looking at Freud, “You should be thankful to your friend.”
Freud asked, “Are you going alone?”
“Don’t worry,” Shen Lin whispered, “I just passed a psychology check; he doesn’t intend anything harmful.”
Freud reluctantly nodded.
Shen Lin said, “Tell them not to worry. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll be back tonight.”
Afterward, Freud left, and under the scrutiny of security personnel, Shen Lin followed the gentleman.
They rode in a carriage and stopped in front of a three-story mansion. This building was more magnificent than others, with a large garden. Rose vines extended from the entrance, climbing to the second-floor balcony, and water droplets from a fountain sparkled in the sunlight.
The gentleman got off the carriage and said to Shen Lin, “Follow me.”
Shen Lin followed him into the mansion. The room was spacious, larger than the two-story apartment rented by Lisa. It was adorned with luxurious decorations, and even the walls were embedded with sparkling gems, indicating the extraordinary status of the man.
The butler and maids welcomed them. The gentleman handed his coat, hat, and cane to them, then said to Shen Lin, “Child, sit.”
He shed his cold demeanor and became gentle and kind.
Shen Lin sat on the sofa opposite him. A maid brought a cup of hot cocoa, and the man said, “My daughter loves to drink this. What’s your name?”
“…Mike,” Shen Lin used that name again.
The man nodded, looking at Shen Lin, “Do you know who I am?”
Shen Lin had many guesses and stated the most probable one, “The Mayor.”
The man’s eyebrows relaxed, revealing a smile, “Yes, you’re smart and bold. I am Mayor Rodson.”
Shen Lin asked, “Why did you invite me here?”
“Because of what you said,” Rodson’s expression became serious. “Here, few people have such thoughts. Everyone has been assimilated. For centuries, outsider’s thoughts have been eroding us, and everyone gradually accepted everything. No one cares about what we were before.”
“This is a form of control,” Shen Lin thought, “Control by outsiders.”
Rodson continued, “You look just like those outsiders. If I hadn’t heard you say those things, I would have taken you for an outsider.”
Shen Lin asked, “Why?”
“This is a secret you shouldn’t know. Sometimes, the less you know, the easier it is to survive.”
Shen Lin was silent for a moment, then asked, “Mayor, do I have the opportunity to explore the town’s past?”
“Of course,” Rodson handed Shen Lin a key and said, “Some of those books are in the sanctuary, and others are in my library. This is the key; you can freely browse the books inside.” The key was handed to the butler. “Take him to the library.”
“Thank you for your trust.”
“This is a reward for a good child.”
“Father!” As they walked deeper into the corridor, a girl’s voice rang out from the second floor. The crisp sound of high heels tapping the floor echoed, and a young girl descended from the circular staircase, her swirling skirt resembling a blooming lily.
“Has Dorena arrived?” the girl asked eagerly, “I heard you brought back a blond, blue-eyed boy. It must be Dorena!”
“Dear, just a little guest,” Rodson said with a helpless smile, “Not Dorena. Where did you even hear about Dorena? Your shoe is about to fall off; a lady should behave like a lady.”
“This is our secret,” the girl looked at Rodson expectantly, “I want to meet that little guest.”
A few minutes later, the girl with soft red curls stared at Shen Lin intently.
Shen Lin was flipping through a book bound with rope and nails. It was a dictionary of the ancient texts of Moonfall Township, recording the usage of some common words. It seemed to be a textbook used to teach descendants. The characters were complex and different from the square characters Shen Lin was familiar with. They were rugged, and when connected, they resembled undulating tentacles, suction cups firmly attached to the paper.
These books were very old, and the paper used to transcribe the text was thin and fragile, making Shen Lin handle them with care.
The girl asked for the third time, “Why are you ignoring me?”
Shen Lin said, “I’m reading.”
The girl fell silent, biting her lip and staring at him. After a while, she said, “You can read and talk to me at the same time.”
Shen Lin didn’t know how things had developed to this point, but the girl, as a beauty enthusiast, was a perfect match. Moreover, besides being a beauty enthusiast, she was also a hardcore fan of blond hair. Shen Lin didn’t need to do anything; she automatically stuck herself in front of him. Since they met, she had expressed her admiration more than ten times—
“Your hair color looks really nice.”
Shen Lin, comparing the characters transcribed from parchment, was searching for their meanings in the dictionary. The reason he spent time sitting here doing this meticulous and time-consuming task was due to a failed history check.
The cost of failure was that he had to spend ten hours to find the corresponding characters in this dictionary.
Ten hours! Clearly, there weren’t many characters, but every time he looked them up, he could feel the extraordinary influence of these characters. This influence made his head buzz, and after ten hours, he felt like he could read them smoothly, but he’d be almost certifiably insane.
He regretted not bringing Freud along. At that time, he thought at least one person should be able to move freely, notify others to prepare, but now he realized… He squeezed the quill pen’s handle hard. He should have dragged Freud along.
The girl’s name was Lilia, the mayor’s daughter. She had been staring at Shen Lin with a gaze that was too intense, carrying a mix of suspicion and scrutiny, making Shen Lin uncomfortable.
Shen Lin sighed, put down the pen, and looked at the girl. “Don’t you have anything else to do?”
“What else?” Lilia blinked and suddenly remembered something. She said, “I have a piano lesson, but I don’t want to go. Your hair color is so nice, like sunshine sprinkled down.”
Shen Lin was speechless, lowered his head, and continued to read the dictionary.
Lilia rested her chin on her hands, looking at Shen Lin. “Do you want to take this book with you?”
Shen Lin paused and asked, “Why would you say that?”
“You’re questioning me,” Lilia said confidently, “Uncle Benson said that’s a sign of guilt. Now I’m sure, you want to take this book with you.”
Shen Lin clicked his tongue. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow at the lady. “Can you help me?”
“I can,” Lilia proudly nodded, “As long as you hide it under my skirt, there’s nothing I can’t take out.”
Shen Lin said, “Oh, impressive.” Then he quickly added, “Once this book is lost, I’m the most likely suspect. I stole a book from the mayor’s house. How should that crime be judged?”
“Don’t let him catch you,” Lilia sneered. “Hide outside for a while; he’ll soon forget about this. No one cares about this book; it’s just an outdated piece of junk. My father keeps it only because of the mayor’s duty. Sacrifice day is coming soon; he has a lot of things to do.”
“What about the price?”
“You’re very clever,” Lilia smiled sweetly and cutely. “I hope you can help me watch someone; his name is Dorena. According to our agreement, he should have already come.”
Her bright eyes lost their luster, and she said sadly, “But he didn’t come to see me. I can’t go out to find him either. Anyone who wants to leave Moonfall Township will die.”
She looked at Shen Lin with deep eyes. “It’s a curse, a curse passed down through generations.”
