Village X Festival

Night fell over the earth.

The silvery moon hung high in the sky, its pure white light gently scattering down.

On the hillside of the plain, Kevin and his three companions quietly gazed at the flickering lights in the distance.

"This doesn't look like an ordinary Village."

Kevin cupped his hands over his eyes like binoculars, gazing intently into the distance.

Judging from the distribution and scale of the lights, it looks more like a Small Town than a Village.

"Never mind, we'll just go in and see for ourselves. It's getting late."

Men Qi spoke, she jumped directly off the hillside.

Several people followed closely behind.

After walking a short distance, a sign appeared on the muddy ground beside us.

This sign was clearly not set up by the Village, as it prominently displays the Hunter Association's logo.

The sign clearly displays: [Food Village]

The group glanced at the sign briefly before striding forward.

The moment Kevin stepped inside, he immediately sensed something was amiss, as if he had passed through a film of water and entered a completely different world.

There was a slight, bone-chilling cold in the air, and this was no illusion.

"Resentment —could this be the source?"

Kevin thought to himself, though he couldn't be sure, he could clearly feel a faint Resentment permeating this space, which might be the outward manifestation of that mysterious Curse.

However, this alone is not enough to determine anything. Even if Kevin saw the source, he still wouldn't be able to figure anything out.

He could only judge the intensity of the thing's Resentment.

The spot where the sign was just erected seems to be an invisible dividing line.

"Someone's there."

Xiahara said softly, his gaze fixed on a boulder about ten meters away from them.

When they first looked at the boulder, they didn't think there was anything special about it, but after they stepped over the sign, they immediately noticed a person lying on their side on the side of the boulder.

All eyes turned to him.

The man was dressed in simple linen clothes, the once pale yellow garments now stained, his hair disheveled, and his face gaunt, making him look like a homeless beggar.

He held something that looked like a wine jug in his hand, and every now and then he would take a sip.

A cloth was spread out in front of him, on which were some snacks that he couldn't quite decipher, and he looked rather relaxed.

Clearly, he had also noticed Kevin and his group of four.

"It's you free spirits again, coming to see us poor imprisoned wretches?"

The man's tone was full of dissatisfaction, and his words were brimming with resentment.

"That sign is the dividing line, right? Can't villagers like you get out?"

Kevin was inexplicably curious about the situation before him, and unconsciously took a few steps forward to close the distance with the other person before asking.

"Yes, it's an invisible Cage. What, are you trying to use this to mock us? To flaunt your sense of superiority in freedom?"

Although his words sounded sharp and harsh, he was indeed answering the questions truthfully.

"What are you muttering to yourself? Or is this just your local way of speaking?"

Men Qi, who was not good-tempered to begin with, raised her voice in dissatisfaction and questioned him.

"Heh, listen to that, what arrogant words!"

The guy who looked like a beggar just gave a cold laugh.

Kevin didn't speak or press further, but instead quietly observed the other person.

Under Kevin's scrutiny, the guy, despite his unfriendly tone, still moved with a relaxed and carefree air.

Based on Kevin's initial impression from careful observation, he felt that the opponent wasn't too strong and should be able to hold his own for a few rounds.

Kevin considered this to be a pretty good level.

You see, ever since witnessing Daznuer's strength, Kevin had a rough idea of the average strength of Professional Hunter outside.

Kevin could end the fight against Daznuer with just one punch.

In other words, in his eyes, anyone he couldn't defeat with a single punch was considered quite strong among Professional Hunter.

I just don't know if everyone in this Village is really Nen user, as the intelligence reports, nor do I know if everyone's Nen ability level is similar to that of the person in front of me.

"Alright, you guys, there's always one or two of you who come every year, what a downer."

"Four of them showed up at once this time, that's really too much. Don't just stand around here if you don't have anything to do, can't you see the road ahead?"

Let's follow the road into the Village.

After saying that, he waved his hand as if shooing away flies.

What?! What kind of attitude is this?!

Men Qi was instantly furious and rolled up her sleeves, ready to have a good argument with the other party.

Buhaci was already used to this, and quickly stepped forward to stop Men Qi: "Alright, alright, it's getting late, let's go into the village first."

As he spoke, he pushed the disgruntled Men Qi forward.

Kevin didn't seem to mind, and continued walking forward, casually saying, "Thanks."

Gowen was following behind him, also gave a Knight salute with his fist and nodded slightly in thanks.

Everyone longs for freedom.

It is indeed sad if one's life is confined to this small village.

They hadn't walked far when they saw a small campsite by the roadside.

This campsite looks like it can only accommodate one person at a time; it must be the dwelling of that guy who looked like Qiqiao earlier. "Why choose to live in this remote area instead of in the Small Town? What mistake did he make, or was it a choice he made willingly?"

At this moment, Men Qi regained some composure and asked seriously.

Kevin, who strode forward, didn't answer, but said, "That guy seemed surprised by our appearance."

These words made Xiahara nod in agreement.

Gowen, following behind, looked bewildered: Really? He thought the other person's reaction seemed quite normal.

Men Qi's attention was also diverted. She walked over and nodded, saying, "Yes, although he covered it up quickly, the deliberate performance was too obvious."

Perhaps because this place is isolated from the world and the villagers cannot go out, their thoughts are easily seen through.

Looking at the backs of the group ahead, the man named Kuli couldn't hide his surprise. "Four?? Normally, no one should be coming these days. This is troublesome."

He couldn't understand it at all. Was the so-called Hunter Association finally about to take action?

There was an accident just now.

He knew nothing and had no way of judging, after all, he was like a bird trapped in a cage, only able to see a limited view through the cage.

Kevin and his friends finally entered the Village.

Once they actually stepped into the Village, they realized that it could no longer be simply described as a "village"; calling it a "Small Town" would be more appropriate.

Neat rows of brick and tile houses with distinctive ethnic characteristics can be seen, and even three- or four-story buildings can be seen.

In the darkness, if their eyes were not mistaken, there was a small Castle at the very back of the Small Town.

Fortunately, they didn't seem to have arrived too late. The Small Town's residents appeared to be preparing to rest, but there were still a few people scattered on the streets.

When the villagers saw the unfamiliar Kevin and his three companions at the village entrance, they were both surprised and curious, and gathered around them.

"Outsider?"

"Some outsiders have arrived."

"You came at this time?"

"They're really lucky."

Kevin and his friends were immediately surrounded as soon as they reached the village entrance.

"There are four of them this time, and they even came together."

A girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old spoke with surprise and delight, her eyes filled with curiosity about the stranger.

Hey, what are your names?

A little girl, only twelve or thirteen years old, reached out and grabbed Men Qi's hand, asking a question.

"You're so fat, you're like a ball."

Without any hesitation, a little boy jumped up and patted his belly while looking at Buhaci.

While adults were equally curious, they didn't act directly like the children; instead, they talked and asked questions from the sidelines.

The children, however, had no such reservations and immediately surrounded the group, chattering away with questions.

"Stop! You guys are being way too enthusiastic."

Men Qi was really struggling to cope and cried out loudly.

"What kind of behavior is this? Get out of the way and stop surrounding the guests."

An elderly man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, dressed in a simple silver-gray robe, came over and dispersed the crowd.

"We didn't expect Hunter x Hunter to come at this time; it's somewhat unexpected. We're really sorry, these villagers are just too curious about you."

The old man smiled and explained a few words, then said directly, "It's getting late, let's talk about other things tomorrow. Please follow me, I'll take you to the guests' accommodations."

Since Hunter x Hunter come every year, everyone is already very familiar with the reception process.

"Let me introduce myself. I am the Village Chief of this village—you can call me Kumoku. This must be your first time here, as I haven't seen you before. Although I don't know how much you know about the Village rules, I still need to explain them in advance."

As he spoke, he turned slightly around, his expression becoming somewhat serious.

"After all, we can't leave here, and we're not very clear about the situation outside."

After a pause, he continued, "You are free to move around in the Village. If you want to buy things in the village, you can exchange money here."

"Apart from that, there's not much difference between this place and the Village outside. Whether you're participating in hunting, enjoying delicious food, or learning skills, there's no problem."

"But remember one thing: you can only persuade or trade with the villagers; you cannot force them, much less harm them. Otherwise, even if you are Hunter x Hunter from the Hunter Association, you will be punished."

The group nodded in agreement, finding these to be perfectly normal rules with nothing particularly harsh about them.

And surprisingly, there were no other special regulations besides that.

Judging from these rules alone, this place seems no different from the villages outside.

The Village Chief, Kumoku, led them directly to a two-story building. A burly man standing next to the Village Chief stepped forward and knocked on the door.

After a long while, the door was slowly pushed open.

"Who is it?" A man who looked to be in his thirties peeked out with sleepy eyes.

"Village Chief? Hunter x Hunter?"

He seemed quite surprised by their appearance.

At the same time, his expression also showed some joy.

"Sorry to bother you so late, Bianluoke. These are newly arrived guests; please make arrangements for them."

After speaking, the Village Chief turned around, smiled gently at Kevin and his companions, and said, "I hope you can find the prey you're looking for here, Hunter x Hunter."

After offering this small blessing, he left.

Bianluoke glanced at the group and then invited them inside.

Upon entering, there is a small room that resembles a reception area, somewhat like a small living room.

There was a counter at the entrance to the room, and the marks on the counter suggested that Bianluoke had just been sleeping there.

The room's decor, while not exactly modern, wasn't as old-fashioned as they had originally imagined.

Besides various wooden furniture, they even saw electric lights.

However, this light bulb was the only appliance in the room that seemed somewhat out of place.

"Please have a seat, guests."

The group found stools and sat down.

"These guests look unfamiliar; it must be their first time here. Whether you knew it before or not, I have to remind you that accommodation here isn't free. You'll need to pay for everything you do."

"You can use the money you have outside to offset the cost, or you can exchange it for local currency at the Village Chief's place. Prices aren't cheap; they're said to be much higher than normal prices outside."

"However, you Hunter x Hunter don't seem to care much about money. This building is similar to a hotel outside. The rooms upstairs aren't locked right now, so you can stay in whichever room you like. I usually clean them."

After saying that, Bianluoke pointed to himself.

"If you have any questions or want to know anything about this village, feel free to ask me."

"I will do my best to help or answer your questions, but of course, I will charge for it; it's my source of income."

Bianluoke stated this without any hesitation.

Clearly, none of the four cared much about it, and they simply nodded casually.

Having such a direct intelligence gathering point makes things much easier.

As for the deception in the intelligence, Kevin didn't really care. After all, he could find out whether it was true or false by exploring the village himself.

The other party is Village specializes in receiving Hunter x Hunter in the village; they obviously wouldn't be that foolish.

"So, would you like to rest first, or do you have any questions you'd like me to answer?"

"Tell us the answers to our questions," Kevin said directly.

In a short period of time, they accumulated a lot of questions that needed to be answered, including those from the previous materials.

It seems Bianluoke had anticipated this.

So he simply pulled out a chair and sat down at the same table.

Kevin then realized why, although there was a lot of information about the [Secret Realm] on the official website, it rarely involved information about the Village's internal affairs, only mentioning some basic information.

This method was used to provide villagers who were unable to leave the area with a way to earn extra money.

As for why they can't leave but need money, it's clearly because the Hunter Association has a cooperative relationship with this Village and can help them buy and acquire items from outside.

After all, these villagers are confined to this place.

Judging from the man's behavior, it's clear that if I had money, I might be able to get what I want from the outside world through this channel.

Through this method and trade, Hunter x Hunter who come here can also get what they want in the Village by simply making purchases, which can be considered a win-win situation.

"My first question is, you seem quite surprised by our appearance?"

"But as far as I know, Hunter x Hunter come every year, right? And it's usually around the end of the year, since your place is famous for its annual Harvest Festival, isn't it?"

In this situation, the villagers should not only be surprised to see them, but also happy or delighted.

Kevin also gleaned some fragmented information from the villagers who had gathered around, but it was so scarce that it made it difficult to make inferences and was easy to form preconceived notions.

"Five hundred thousand."

Bianluoke answered briefly.

Kevin nodded, indicating that the deal was finalized.

After receiving the money, Bianluoke explained in detail, "It's very simple. This year's Harvest Festival is the largest ever, and it can no longer be called Harvest Festival, but rather a [Great Food Festival]."

"We can't leave here, so our ethical and moral views differ from yours in some ways. Many times before..."

Because of this Festival, we had a conflict with the Hunter x Hunter were present at the time.

"So in years like these, the chances of Hunter x Hunter coming are relatively low, though not entirely impossible. It's just that the four of you came all at once this time, which is why everyone was surprised."

After hearing this brief information, the four of them fell into a brief silence.

Well, I could guess a little bit about it. The Resentment permeating the air made Kevin involuntarily think in the worst possible way.

Moreover, the transformation from a "Harvest Festival" to a "Great Food Festival" inevitably evokes associations with sacrificial activities.

There might even be human sacrifices.

After all, this Village was Blockade nearly three hundred years ago, and in those days, sacrificial activities were said to be quite common.

As Kevin's understanding of Nen ability and this world deepened, Kevin learned that even now, some countries, and even some well-known major powers, still have clandestine human sacrifice practices. These practices are said to be related to Nen ability, but they are few in number and extremely secretive.

If this is the case now, one can only imagine how blatant it would have been three hundred years ago.

In this situation, most Hunter x Hunter would feel disgusted to some extent.

Moreover, those who come here are all Gourmet Hunter. Although not all Gourmet Hunter are saints, they are at least modern people. Seeing human sacrifices will always make them feel disgusted, and conflicts are hard to avoid.

As for their desire to continue asking about the details of the Festival, Bianluoke refused outright. "If you want to know..."

"Wouldn't it be better to wait until the end of the year? Generally speaking, when you come at this time, isn't it to get a feel for the situation first?"

Having guessed some of the clues, the crowd stopped pressing for answers.

After spending some more money and asking a few simple questions, the group returned to their respective rooms to rest.