After Mrs. Funnell left, the few of them gathered around the dim light and began to analyze the current situation.
Freud made a note, clearly listing his findings: “This small town has several conflicting forces, one stemming from the familiar bloodline hierarchy, and the other from the unreasonable distribution of resources.”
“I delved into the bloodline hierarchy today,” Nana said. “The gods granted the townsfolk of Moon-sinking Town extraordinary bodies, making them less prone to aging and stronger. However, due to the hierarchy of bloodlines, this ability manifests with varying degrees of strength. The upper class shows signs of aging around eighty years old, the middle class around sixty, and the lower class either has diseases from birth or starts graying and suffering organ failure before thirty. This bloodline can be inherited, so people from the three classes never intermarry.”
“In such a small place, discrimination is quite severe,” Shen Ling recalled Lisa’s words from the previous night, raising an eyebrow.
Thinking of Lisa, he asked the others, “When did this hierarchy start?”
“A good question,” Freud signs of aging only around eighty. But approximately three hundred years ago, the first group of outsiders arrived here, supposedly stranded due to a shipwreck. They came into contact with the townsfolk of Moon-sinking Town, who treated them as friends. Among them, the ancestor of the Hano family, accidentally learned about the town’s sacrificial methods, conducted a sacrifice, and gained extraordinary power. From that time, Moon-sinking Town gradually developed the hierarchy we see now.”
Seeing the others silent, Freud pushed up his glasses, looking a bit nervous as he continued, “The outsiders brought their culture into Moon-sinking Town. For ease of communication, they taught the townsfolk the language of the outside world and introduced them to external cultures. This town was originally secluded and backward, like a blank canvas that could be freely painted on. So, they quickly accepted the changes brought by the outsiders. They learned taste, etiquette, started using kerosene lamps, pens, and preparing more complex foods with sophisticated ingredients. Gradually, many of their daily needs were controlled by the outsiders.”
“Haino ensured that every sacrificial ceremony proceeded smoothly, a form of control on both a conscious and practical level,” Shen Ling supplemented. “But they couldn’t stay here for long because the environment here would lead to their transformation. They sent some people to stay here, and Kane is the best example.”
“His appearance changed dramatically, from a gentleman to an ugly dwarf,” Bai’er crossed his arms, shivering, “Will we turn into that?”
“Before that, there is something more urgent,” Shen Ling said. “In three days, the ritual day will arrive, the Harvest Festival in the town. Contrary to our initial expectations, Dorena did not come to the town, or maybe he did, but he disappeared.”
Silence fell over the group.
The moon in Moon-sinking Town emitted a red glow in the night, streaming through the transparent windows and enveloping the room in a faint red hue.
Shen Ling said, “Among the people who had dealings with Dorena in this town, one is Kane. He died in his cabin due to the curse backfiring. The other is Father Benson, the priest of the Moon-sinking Town cathedral. Judging by the current situation, Dorenna didn’t go to find Benson. According to our previous speculation, he might have gone to find someone he was more familiar with. Who could that person be?”
The group remained silent, seemingly lost.
Shen Ling tried to clarify their thoughts, saying, “Since this is a game, the clues provided by the game master (kp) must be useful. How many NPCs have we encountered so far?” He listed them one by one, and Freud watched him, diligently making notes.
“Kane, alias Messenger, was sent by the Haino family to oversee Moon-sinking Town;”
“Benson, the priest of the Moon-sinking Town cathedral, has the authority to distribute supplies;”
“Rodson, the mayor of Moon-sinking Town, looks like a gentle gentleman. I’ve talked to him, and he seems somewhat dissatisfied with the current situation in Moon-sinking Town but doesn’t dare to show it;”
“Lilia, the mayor’s daughter, seems simple and innocent, with some cleverness,” Shen Ling paused and said, “Of all the NPCs we’ve interacted with, Lilia seems to have a somewhat intimate relationship with Dorena. However, Dorena didn’t go to find her. There’s a suspicious point here—Rodson doesn’t know when Lilia and Dorena first met, but Lilia said they met for the first time ten years ago.”
Nana speculated, “Ten years ago, the ritual failed, and Dorenna was present. Did he meet Lilia at that time?”
“Not clear yet, remains to be verified,” Shen Ling let them digest the information for a while before continuing.
“Lisa, the flower-selling girl, very familiar with Moon-sinking Town. She gives me the strangest feeling,” Shen Ling couldn’t figure out where this strange feeling came from, saying, “She has a very mysterious aura, and I always feel she’s somehow similar to Lilia.”
“Looks similar?”
“No, similar in demeanor.”
“Most girls of this age are like that, right?” Bai’er said, “A bit coquettish, with some princess dreams. Lisa seems like a pretty good girl.”
“I also think she’s quite nice,” Nana said. “But I believe in Olok’s intuition.”
“It’s hard to say,” Shen Ling said, “Tomorrow we can inquire more about Lisa on the street.”
“Besides Lisa, there’s the landlady, Mrs. Annie, and Mrs. Funnell, the leader advocating equal distribution of supplies,” Shen Ling carefully recalled, ensuring he hadn’t missed anything. Finally, he added, “The bartender Luther and the tavern’s proprietress Lena, these are NPCs with names and faces.”
Freud: “Others don’t have faces.”
Bai’er: “Others don’t have shame.”
Shen Ling: “…”
Shen Ling: “Actually I have speculated that the sacrificial offering lost ten years ago might have been living in the town all this time. It’s possible.”
“That sacrificial offering is probably a resident of the town. If it’s an outsider, they would be eroded by the curse and become like Kane. So far, the NPCs we’ve encountered are healthy and normal people,” Freud’s pen paused on the paper, saying, “If we encounter someone with physical atrophy like Kane, who has undergone changes, then perhaps he is the sacrificial offering?”
“It’s possible,” Shen Ling nodded, “Tomorrow, go out and collect more clues. Where do you plan to go?”
Nana said, “Tomorrow, Freud and I will go to the cathedral. You guys were discovered last time, right? We’ll be careful.”
Freud said, “Yeah, I think there must be clues there. We plan to avoid Benson and chat with other clergy.”
“I won’t go to the cathedral for now,” Shen Ling reminded them. “Be vigilant around the cathedral. Look for mural patterns or other symbolic things; there might be clues related to the formation. Tomorrow, I want to talk to Lilia.”
Yan Xiu, who had been silent all along, unexpectedly spoke up. His voice was cold and crisp, making everyone shiver, “I’ll go too.”
Shen Ling furrowed his brows, “I can handle it alone.”
Yan Xiu remained silent, but his expression was resolute.
This individual spoke sparingly, often maintaining silence during discussions, but listening attentively. He seemed to be contemplating something, and Shen Ling understood that such people wouldn’t easily offer their conclusions until they had their own answers. Therefore, he refrained from questioning why too much.
“Alright,” after careful consideration, Shen Ling nodded in agreement, “You can accompany me.”
Bai’er said, “Tomorrow, I’ll investigate if there are individuals with deformities similar to Kane.”
Once everyone had planned their next steps, kp inquired, “It’s quite late now. What are your plans?”
Freud blinked in bewilderment, “Sleep, what else can we do?”
Upon uttering those words, they shivered once again. Shen Ling glanced at the window; pedestrians were wandering on the street. Aware of the curse on this house, they stared at them with fear through the window, as if they could already envision their bodies exploding.
Shen Ling approached, staring coldly at the people outside. He pulled the curtains shut and lifted the oil lamp, addressing the others, “Sleep.”
“Good little brother, can I sleep with you tonight?” Bai’er rubbed his goosebumps, shamelessly approaching, “I always feel like something is going to happen tonight…”
Shen Ling expressionlessly said, “I’m highly intuitive and prone to accidents. Sleep as you like.”
Bai’er: “…”
He turned to look at Yan Xiu. Witnessing his icy expression, Bai’er swallowed his words and said pitifully, “Okay, I’ve grown up; I’ll sleep alone.”
Shen Ling smiled and patted him on the back, whispering, “Don’t overthink it. Good night.”
Bai’er was startled, looking at Shen Ling. The blond and blue-eyed young man walked past him. His profile was soft, and he exuded a kind of arrogance that wasn’t cold or harsh.
He actually never liked these arrogant, intelligent, and well-born prodigies, but this person was a bit different.
Everyone returned to their respective resting places. In the middle of the night, while everyone was sound asleep, Yan Xiu suddenly heard kp’s voice in his ear, “Felton, roll for Perception.”
This feeling was peculiar yet not unfamiliar, as if subconsciously, he had become accustomed to being called up for a check in the middle of the night.
Yan Xiu opened his eyes in the dark. He knew his body hadn’t woken up yet; only his consciousness was awake.
Two dice, black and white, appeared in front of him. Yan Xiu pointed to them, signaling to roll.
“Success.”
Then he heard a pleasant female voice in his ear, “Felton, when you grow up, I’ll take you to that island. There’s a very beautiful lake there, it’s emerald green, like his eyes. Dreaming is hard to wake up from, but I will always remember.”
kp continued, “Roll for Insight.”
Yan Xiu succeeded again.
Suddenly, he remembered. When he was a child, he had seen Princess Louise. She was gentle and beautiful, and she once told him a very beautiful fairy tale.
About the ideal town where the moon sinks, she went to that island with her fiancé. Her fiancé’s younger brother, Dorenna Haino, also accompanied them.
She met the gods on the island.
kp said, “Roll for Insight again.”
Yan Xiu: “…”
Success.
kp: “Did you succeed again?”
kp: “You’re not right.”
He paused for a moment, then said, “Like Olok, first roll for Sanity—check. Success minus 1, failure minus 1d6.”
Yan Xiu rolled the dice.
Failure.
Then roll for the reduction.
kp: “Minus 6 points. You will fall into temporary madness. Roll again for a Will check.”
Yan Xiu: “…”
Failure.
Then roll for a temporary madness symptom.
kp: “Minus 6 points. You fall into temporary madness. Now decide the symptoms of your temporary madness.”
Yan Xiu rolled a 5.
“So,” in front of him, a kp in a school uniform grinned, “you will believe that Olok is your lover for many years. You both deeply love each other, and you will have a strong possessiveness towards him, desiring him every moment.”
