She is the Side Character! — Watch Her Change her fate!
Chapter 477 - 476: Infinite Cannon Fodder: Food Village 13
Wei Wenlan picked up the wine glass and took a sip. It was indeed fine wine, with a sweet fruity aroma. The alcohol content wasn’t high, but after drinking thirty-six glasses, one would only then realize whether it was intoxicating or not. Those with low tolerance might feel tipsy after just three to five glasses.
Bai Xingwen also looked completely enamored and indulged, clearly showing that the two of them were lovers of wine.
Ah Chen picked up her wine glass and downed it in one gulp.
The aroma was there, but she wasn’t into it, so she just drank it like water. It didn’t make much difference to her.
Wei Wenlan and Bai Xingwen were focused on savoring the fine wines, not in a hurry to finish them, intending to taste each glass slowly. They didn’t notice how Ah Chen drank glass after glass like it was water, without even blinking.
Initially, the tavern owner’s attention was on Wei Wenlan and Bai Xingwen, as they seemed to understand wines. As for the previously quiet Ah Chen, she appeared to be someone who couldn’t handle alcohol. Although the alcohol content wasn’t high, so many types together still could be intoxicating. It seemed that Wei Wenlan and Bai Xingwen were planning to help Ah Chen with some of hers, but now things seemed strange?
There were naturally more people in the tavern, with some NPCs mingling, and outside on the street, it was just as lively everywhere.
While Wei Wenlan was still savoring his second glass, Ah Chen had already finished her tenth.
The tavern owner was a bit speechless, and he spoke up: "Young lady, does drinking like that have any taste?"
"Do I need to savor any taste?" Ah Chen asked. "Isn’t it just a matter of finishing it?" She glanced at the rule board in the tavern, "It doesn’t say I have to savor each sip. I drink quickly; there shouldn’t be a problem with that, right?"
The tavern owner was left speechless. There was no problem, just a bit stunned by her behavior.
Originally, he thought she would be the least capable drinker. Who could have guessed... she actually had a pretty good tolerance, downing ten glasses without even blushing.
Only then did Wei Wenlan and Bai Xingwen turn to look at Ah Chen, both a little shocked but also partly delighted. They felt more secure now.
Realizing Ah Chen could handle it, they decided to continue sipping their drinks while observing her.
Ah Chen had no intention to slow down; the sooner she finished, the sooner she was done. After all, she wasn’t fond of such fine wines and saw no need to pretend to savor them slowly.
In less than five minutes, Ah Chen had downed all thirty-six varieties, her expression unchanged.
After finishing, she looked around the tavern.
"Boss, last night there seemed to be some dreadful sounds outside. Do you know what might have happened?" she asked.
So far, she still didn’t know what the story of the Food Village was.
Besides, this place had been upgraded. The story became even more unpredictable. Clearly, this dungeon had some elements of mystery. Since it was a mystery-type, based on her understanding of the Infinite World, the Food Village was likely the core and not a villain role.
Since the villagers of the Food Village weren’t villains, then it must have been the young ones who were burned last night.
What the story entailed still needed further observation.
"The village nights aren’t peaceful," the tavern owner said mysteriously, "Recently, there’s been a food festival in the village. A lot of people have come over, and it’s likely someone didn’t heed warnings, insisted on going out at night, and got into trouble."
"If people get into trouble, doesn’t the village manage it?" Wei Wenlan followed up with a question.
The owner replied cheerfully, "Shouldn’t you be aware of the rules here before coming? Isn’t it written on the back of your invitation card?"
Ah Chen took out her card, turned it over, and carefully checked. Only then did she notice a very inconspicuous line: Should you violate the rules and be expelled from the village or encounter an accident, you bear the consequences.
Before this, there wasn’t this line on the card.
Perhaps it was there but not visible, only showing up when the right scenario was triggered.
Wei Wenlan and Bai Xingwen exchanged glances, realizing that this world could occasionally be quite tricky, bringing their vigilance to a peak.
Ah Chen asked no more questions, as it was evident it was hard to glean any information from the people of the Food Village.
However, Qu Rou’er seemed different in attitude. Having completed a task yesterday, she was more favorable towards her, but still, getting any intel was challenging.
Wei Wenlan and Bai Xingwen didn’t say more either, carefully savoring their wine, the fine wine at this place genuinely pleasing them.
By the end, both had gotten somewhat tipsy, continuously praising the fine wine, which pleased the tavern owner greatly, and he even gifted them some fine wine.
Successfully completing the challenge, they earned 1200 currency, perfectly splitting it to 400 each. It was still morning; later while strolling, they might take on another challenge in the afternoon.
As they wandered, they tasted a variety of foods.
Especially Wei Wenlan and Bai Xingwen, both were very keen on trying out delicious foods, practically eating their way through, resembling dining companions.
Soon, they found themselves staying at a hoop throwing stall.
The large area was filled with multiple food-themed cards, each having a different dish labeled on it, with rewards of money mixed in, mainly 100, 200, 300, two 500s, and one 1000, but in the least accessible spots.
Ah Chen glanced at the sign, which stated the rules: Free hoop throwing, if you hooped a food item, you must eat it on the spot to continue.
The hoop must be thrown based on one’s ability without using any external help to cheat, as once caught, immediate expulsion from the Food Village would ensue.
This latter rule clearly warned adventurers not to purchase tools.
Someone was already throwing hoops; she even saw Huo Jingchen and several others waiting in line, evidently wanting to try their luck. They noticed Ah Chen and her group, and greeted them.
Ah Chen’s group walked over and discovered Wei Yao holding a bowl of Zhajiangmian while eating nearby.
"We’ve already had a round," Qin Lin explained, "Each round has only ten hoops, and after throwing them, regardless of hitting or missing, you have to get back in line."
For them, avoiding food items with the hoops and throwing empty ones was more desirable.
But amidst the densely packed cards, most were food, making it quite challenging not to hit any.
Ah Chen noticed Wei Yao’s eyes rolling back with each bite, suspecting he had hooped quite a bit of food.
In contrast, Huo Jingchen, Qin Lin, and Bai Qiaoqian likely hadn’t eaten much. Or perhaps Bai Qiaoqian hoop a lot of food, and Wei Yao helped eat, as mutual aid was allowed, just like in the tavern before.
"Want to try?" Ah Chen asked Wei Wenlan and Bai Xingwen.
The two thought for a moment and decided to give it a try.
If they hooped a food item, they’d stop, and failure was acceptable. They had already won a reward previously, so they weren’t lacking.
Ah Chen was, however, contemplating earning more currency here.
She had visited similar worlds before; the first two levels were considered newbie levels where, with a bit of caution, there was barely any risk to life, acting as a novice protection phase.
Generally, starting from the third level, the world drastically changed, especially in longer dungeons, where more adventurers appeared. The increase in numbers signified an elimination level.