A Thorny Problem

Faced with Lin Yu's wary question, the burly man laughed.

"Like you, I'm a gold prospector who came into the mountains to 'Treasure Hunt'."

"I just didn't expect the heavy snow that would close the mountain to come so quickly."

The Rough Uncle breathed on his hand as he spoke, and continued.

"Even this 'abandoned village' marked on the Map as a place to rest temporarily has been crushed. It seems we need to find a new base where we can start a fire as soon as possible."

"There should be other campsites or caves around here."

"It's alright during the day, but the snowstorm will get even worse at night, and we might even encounter a 'Chate,' which would be terrible!"

Lin Yu frowned slightly.

What is "Chate"?

The middle-aged man looked at Lin Yu with some surprise.

"You didn't even know this, yet you came to this 'Winter Mountain' to Treasure Hunt?"

"" The Chate's is, besides the extreme climate, the most terrifying thing you'll face in the mountains."

He began to answer seriously.

"Legend has it that all sorts of Snow Monster inhabit this Winter Mountain, feeding on humans."

"The leader of these monsters, and the most powerful one, is called 'Chate'!"

No one knows what "Chate" really looks like; everyone who has seen "Chate" is dead...

"Those who haven't seen it face-to-face are terrified. Some say it's ten meters tall with sharp claws and teeth, while others say it's a moving block of Ice Cube and rock—but one thing is certain: 'Chate' is definitely not a being that humans can withstand."

Rough Uncle spoke, Lin Yu feigned surprise and fear, then asked...

"Snow Monster? Chate? What should we do?!"

The Rough Uncle was indeed fooled.

"Only the light of a burning fire can help humans protect themselves from the 'Chate' at night."

"At the same time, it is not recommended to travel in groups in Winter Mountain. Groups of more than three people will increase the probability of being targeted by 'Chate' or Snow Monster. It is best not to have more than two people in a single outpost."

The Rough Uncle spoke, looking at Lin Yu with some confusion.

"How come you came to Winter Mountain to Treasure Hunt without knowing anything?"

Lin Yu said embarrassedly, "Actually, I didn't come here to Treasure Hunt. I just got lost and wandered into this place... Is there some kind of treasure in these mountains?"

Lin Yu asked sincerely.

Looking at Lin Yu's sincere and curious face, the uncle paused for a moment, somewhat surprised.

"You got lost all the way to the Winter Mountain? The snow and wind never stop here. One look and you'd know you shouldn't have gone any further!"

But soon, the man felt relieved.

"Forget it, looking at your silly expression, you really don't seem like someone with a clear head."

"When the snowstorm is at its worst on Winter Mountain, you can dig out a black, paste-like substance from the Snowfield. That stuff is excellent fuel, which the men call 'Black Gold Oil,' while we Commoner just call it 'black oil.' With a little refining, it can also be made into a medicinal ointment that can treat all kinds of injuries."

The Rough Uncle spoke with a wistful look on his face, "Nobody knows where this black oil comes from. All we know is that it only appears in the Snowfield on Winter Mountain —and every time it appears, it's always neatly packed in a wooden box or chest, which is very strange."

"That's why the process of searching for black oil is called 'Treasure Hunt'."

Some say it might be a gift from the Deity to mortals; others say it's a 'Product of Old Civilization' blown in by the wind and snow; still others say... this thing might be related to 'Chate'.

"But its origin doesn't matter. What matters is that this stuff comes in a huge box and can truly guarantee you wealth and prosperity!"

The Rough Uncle spoke, his expression becoming excited.

"Alright, now that this outpost is destroyed... I should hurry up and find the next one!"

As he spoke, the uncle pulled a crumpled Map from his pocket.

"It would be a pity if you died in the mountains like this. Here's a Map, go find a stronghold too—just don't go in the same direction as me."

"Our current location is 'B6', which is written in green ink."

"The more people there are, the greater the chance of being targeted by the Snow Monster and 'Chate'."

The man said this, then waved goodbye to Lin Yu and left in one direction.

Lin Yu unfolded the Map and glanced at it.

Although the Map was rudimentary, he still managed to understand it.

This Map is covered with many tiny, differently colored codes.

There is a note in the bottom right corner.

Red indicates areas where the Snow Monster is frequently active.

Green represents a temporary shelter where a fire can be lit to keep warm overnight.

Black represents areas where large amounts of "black oil" have been found in the past.

The abandoned "B6" outpost where Lin Yu is located is situated in the lower left corner of the Map.

Judging from the actual terrain, the man went to the right, east.

There are far more outposts than I expected; there are probably close to a hundred on the Map.

In comparison, there are not many red and black areas.

The Snow Monster only frequently operates in eight areas, and even if the enclosed area is much larger than the stronghold, it still doesn't account for a quarter of the Map area.

As for the black area, there are only three tiny circles—and all of them are within the three red areas.

However, according to the Map's annotations, "black oil" can be found everywhere, and the Snow Monster doesn't only inhabit those dangerous, red-marked areas.

"So, the first step in this Game is to find a stronghold... If you have the time, you can look for 'black oil,' which will probably give you some Item rewards at the end of the game."

Lin Yu thought to himself, somewhat understanding.

This "Survival Instance"... isn't too difficult.

Although the environment is extremely cold, and there exists a powerful monster that cannot be directly resisted.

However, the sheer number of "outposts" and the monsters' predictable behavior patterns—which allow players to largely avoid attacks simply by lighting fires and acting alone—make clearing this Instance relatively easy.

However, Lin Yu has more to consider than just "passing the level".

He still has two "Tier Advancement" tasks to complete.

"I originally thought the challenge of the first task would be to lie to everyone simultaneously without getting caught, but now it seems I was wrong..."

Lin Yu let out a breath and sighed.

Although there were thirteen Player in this Instance, it seemed that in order to avoid the saying "many hands make light work" and to turn the search for a base to survive in the "extremely harsh environment" into a division of labor, a monster called "Chate" was used to force all Player not to stay in a group for too long.

As for Lin Yu, although the collusion between the two men reduced the probability of his lies being exposed...

But finding other people has become more difficult—how to find them has become a thorny issue.

We need to find other Player!

If he can't even find anyone, what's the point of Lin Yu lying about?

Realizing this, Lin Yu quickly caught up with the Rough Uncle who had just left.

"Hey, sir, wait a minute!"