Within a few minutes, everyone reached the place where the village food festival was held. From afar, the aroma inside already tantalized their appetites.

There were also many beautiful flowers, equally delightful.

It was bustling everywhere, with a glance revealing snacks and various fruits, and further inside, surely more delicious foods awaited.

But for now, everyone had no particular thoughts about the food; they stood in a spot with no one around, wanting to have a chat.

"What was your task yesterday?" Huo Jingchen asked, mentioning his own as well.

It wasn’t something important, so Shi Lingmeng didn’t hide it, given that standing here meant they had already completed their task: "Helping repair a TV and a washing machine."

"Luckily, Sister Meng and Brother Shen could do that, so they helped fix them, saving us some coins," Jiang Le chimed in.

The group with Ah Chen understood, and then all eyes fell on Ah Chen. Could she fix TVs and washing machines?

Wei Wenlan poked Ah Chen: "Can you?"

Ah Chen: "A little."

"Not just a little?" Wei Wenlan winked, making everyone laugh.

That episode passed.

"Did any of you hear noises outside last night?" Huo Jingchen asked, getting to the point.

Shi Lingmeng said: "We did."

The rest also withdrew their gazes, recalling the noises from last night, now feeling a slight ache in their ears.

"Had you considered going out to check?" Huo Jingchen asked again.

Shi Lingmeng didn’t answer but asked back: "Do you want to trigger a hidden mission?"

"Yes." Huo Jingchen didn’t deny it. The possibility of others knowing about this, especially Shi Lingmeng’s group with their unique backgrounds having passed one challenge, was quite high.

Shi Lingmeng said: "It’s risky, but worth a try with something in hand."

Hearing this, Huo Jingchen knew they had similar thoughts.

"But tonight’s situation might change; not sure if we can still try."

Shi Lingmeng raised an eyebrow: "You noticed something wrong too?"

"It was Li Chen who noticed," he said, "that sound has a confusing power. Right now, it’s not too strong, and we can handle it. But she suspects that in the second stage, people might not completely lose themselves, and something else would happen."

"I thought so too." Shi Lingmeng looked towards Ah Chen, somewhat curious. She didn’t expect someone to think the same as her, "So I plan to observe tonight and decide then. Anyway, we absolutely can’t let anyone in the village see us going out, or it’ll all be in vain."

Even with props, they couldn’t waste them.

Otherwise, they’d gain nothing and lose their resources—that’d be a huge loss.

"We’re thinking the same." Huo Jingchen said, "I even asked Qu Rou’er before, and she didn’t deny there might be some situations at night. The villagers might know something but won’t tell us."

"Do you have any guesses about the core of this run?"

Shi Lingmeng shook her head: "So far, the villagers seem fine, making it hard to guess. The second stage is much harder than the first, with information not just laid out on cards; we need to discover it ourselves."

"Even if you guess the core, helping it doesn’t always get you rewards. Have you considered that possibility? We need to know these challenges are likely set by the core after waking up."

Huo Jingchen froze for a moment, his expression darkening. He had previously overlooked this point. Yes, like Tan Sui, there was already an upgrade on her side, and people visiting next time wouldn’t be able to gain favor using the old ways.

It should be said it would be hard to gain Tan Sui’s favor again; the best approach would be to clear the obvious stages, and everything else would be left to luck. If you catch Tan Sui’s attention, there surely are benefits.

So, what’s the situation in this domain?

Indeed, this wasn’t a business deal. Things weren’t simple or just as he wanted.

"But we must try." Shi Lingmeng spoke again, "The more rewards, the greater the hope of getting out."

Yes, Huo Jingchen thought the same.

Even if the core is yet unfound, the night’s noises are a clue, and they’ll try no matter what. Future levels’ hidden mission rewards will only be harder to trigger.

"I went out last night." A sudden voice startled everyone, directing their attention to it. The speaker was Yan Hui.

Even Ah Chen couldn’t help but stare at Yan Hui for a couple of times, surprised someone was more curious than her.

From others’ reactions, it seemed they didn’t know? Interesting.

Yan Hui, seeing everyone’s look, had a slight smile on his serious face: "Curiosity."

Shi Lingmeng didn’t ask further, waiting for Yan Hui to speak, assuming he wanted to share something with them.

"At night, the villagers all gathered," Yan Hui said, "and the screams we heard yesterday were the villagers tying some people up and burning them."

Everyone imagined that scene, feeling chills down their spines.

Yan Hui pointed at an empty plot of land: "Right there, with the village chief leading, every villager watched as those young men burned."

Discussing this, Yan Hui showed some reluctance on his face, but fortunately, he was still clear-headed, knowing this was just a scene acted out.

Luckily, having stayed here long enough and remaining clear-headed, otherwise it would have been easy to get drawn to the tragic sounds and scene and do something.

"Based on my actions last night, as long as we’re not discovered, there shouldn’t be a big problem," Yan Hui said, "I haven’t encountered any monsters yet, but I suspect those who went out were probably found by the villagers and that’s why they disappeared."

Everyone agreed with this theory.

"Are we going to try tonight?" Wei Yao asked, "To save those people being burned in the village?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Let’s see tonight," Shi Lingmeng said. By then, new situations would likely appear. She guessed there would be attempts to lure them out.

We’ll see after dark.

The discussion ended, and no one continued the topic, as they decided to focus on the village’s food festival. They hadn’t forgotten there was a competition with rewards.

Wei Wenlan held Ah Chen’s arm, glancing back at the empty plot Yan Hui pointed at earlier, noticing traces of burning on the ground, which they had walked past moments ago.

Even though it’s part of the performance, it still sent chills down their spines. Burning someone alive is truly brutal.

"Challenge: eat cakes and accurately identify all the fillings to earn 300 coins," Wei Wenlan read the rules on a sign at a pastry booth. The pastries looked exquisite and delectable, and while the rules seemed simple, there appeared to be no fewer than twenty types of pastries. Even if each piece was small, it would be nearly impossible for an average person to eat twenty or thirty in one go, wouldn’t it?

The 300 coins would be very difficult to earn.

Yet it was indeed a lot; 300 coins could buy three beginner items in the store.

Though many were tempted, after considering their stomachs, they shook their heads. It was just too difficult—they couldn’t do it.

"Let me try!" Jiang Le estimated his capacity and decided to give it a shot, asking loudly, "Boss, how many types of pastries do you have here in total?"

A chance to earn 300 coins? He was going for it.

Might as well try; what if he succeeded?

Everyone stopped to watch. Since someone was up for the challenge, they decided to enjoy the show. No rush.

"Young man, I have thirty-two types of pastries here. Are you sure you want to proceed with the challenge?" The owner asked with a pleasant smile, "You must accurately identify all the fillings and finish all the pastries to succeed."