Stone of Truth

Waist-chopping, beheading, hanging—good grief, these are all medieval punishments.

It was fortunate that this was only a text-based game without CG visuals; otherwise, Yang Qizhou would surely have been unable to bear the sight of his character's gruesome fate.

Wait.

Yang Qizhou suddenly noticed the content of the text and hurriedly scrolled up, his excitement causing him to bounce off the sofa subconsciously.

"Nice."

"I thought I'd lost everything, but the situation took a turn for the better. Even at the brink of death, he didn't forget to fleece the enemy. I really love this character's greedy, shameless, and audacious personality."

Stone of Truth (Quasi-Excellent): Originating from the Truth Sect of the Golden Kingdom. To do what is right and pursue the ultimate logic of the world. A gift from a Truth Sect member to a Truth Enforcer. Effect: You may designate a target, and for the next five minutes, they must answer every question you ask truthfully. Enters a 24-hour cooldown after use.

The attributes were decent, but compared to the Law Book of Windbell Town, they were far inferior; the two were worlds apart.

However, the key issue was that the "Quasi-Legendary" item was currently in an unusable state. Only by completely destroying Windbell Town could its original power be unleashed; right now, it was a useless piece of junk.

The Stone of Truth, however, could be used immediately—it was a benefit that could be cashed in right away.

One could tell how difficult it was to obtain items in the World of Weirdness just by looking at the members of the Bureau of Occult Investigation. Even though it was only a Quasi-Excellent item, Yang Qizhou was already satisfied.

"I hope the plot can advance to Dark Fog Town today," Yang Qizhou muttered to himself, refocusing his attention on the game.

"Explorer, who is always walking on the path of self-destruction without pause, your soul has returned to the River of Death with practiced ease. The unknown existence has turned its attention to you once more, though It still has no intention of revealing Itself."

"The light of protection is already very faint; you only have one chance left to change the fate of death."

"Alternatively, you may use the ability of the Doom-Bringing Raven to return to the moment you made your last choice."

"So, Explorer, what will you do?"

That went without saying; he would definitely use the ability of the Doom-Bringing Raven to return to the moment before entering Windbell Town.

If he revived normally, the character would still be in Windbell Town, and the act of stealing the Law Book would be treated as an established fact. By then, neither the unspeakable divine messenger nor the residents who had turned into monsters would easily forgive this thief.

"You chose to use the ability of the Doom-Bringing Raven to return to the moment you made your last choice."

"You open your eyes in the wilderness, drenched in cold sweat, still unable to suppress the terror in your heart. After all, being executed on the level of order is truly not a pleasant experience."

"So, Explorer,"

"Having returned to the crossroads of fate once again, will you choose to visit the treacherous and terrifying Windbell Town one more time, or will you continue on your way to Dark Fog Town to complete Lena's commission?"

That didn't need asking; he would, of course, choose the latter.

Yang Qizhou chose "two."

The text continued to refresh...

"Choosing to continue toward Dark Fog Town, you are filled with regret. After all, if you had gone to Windbell Town again, you could have obtained another 'Law Book'—wouldn't that be double the joy?"

"The Garment of the Hidden World takes effect; you enter a state of concealment."

"You continue your journey toward Dark Fog Town."

"You are on the road."

"You are still on the road."

"You encounter an Ancient Dominator who is gnawing on a god. It does not discover you, but it vaguely senses something and looks up."

"You hurriedly distance yourself from the Ancient Dominator, breaking out in a cold sweat all over."

"You are still on the road."

"You are already very close to Dark Fog Town."

Yang Qizhou felt a little nervous, thinking to himself that he hoped nothing else would go wrong.

He had already used the ability of the Doom-Bringing Raven four times today: once when falling from the Fire-Stealing Village into the illusion, once when the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World fell, once at the end of the broken Divine Path, and once just now in Windbell Town.

He had also experienced normal death and resurrection twice: once killed by a Dream Offspring and once trampled into meat paste by a Giant.

Furthermore, since he had already reverted his choice, he could no longer use the ability of the Doom-Bringing Raven.

In other words, If the character died again, Yang Qizhou would have to choose a normal resurrection, which would exhaust all his resurrection chances, leaving him to wait until tomorrow to continue the plot.

Otherwise, if he died more than three times without the protection of the power of fate, not only would the character sink into the River of Death, but he himself would die in reality.

"You have entered the perimeter of Dark Fog Town."

Nice...

Seeing the game text prompt, Yang Qizhou was thrilled; he was finally about to unlock a new map.

Continue, continue.

He would strive to complete the request from Fire-Stealing Village today.

"You are stunned, unable to believe what you see with your own eyes, because before you is not a towering city wall, nor a bustling town of residents, but a vast and desolate swamp inhabited by countless abominable monsters. There are Yaksha with fish heads and octopuses with rampaging tentacles; their eyes are filled with despair as they roar and slaughter madly."

"You suspect you have taken the wrong path. How could this be Dark Fog Town, which Lena described as home to numerous sects, including the Fire-Stealing Cult?"

"You take out your signpost and compare it once more."

"You are certain that you have not taken the wrong path."

"Your entire body is freezing, and fear surges from the depths of your soul; you dare not imagine what could have happened to Dark Fog Town to turn it into such a desolate, ghostly wasteland."

"You feel a chill wind brush past you."

"You feel an itch in your eyes, so you reach up to scratch it, only to tear your eyes out along with your eye sockets. You feel a sense of comfort beneath your feet, and looking down, you discover your lower body has transformed into a fish tail. You find yourself inexplicably worshiping the wind, yearning to offer up your own life."

"You have gone insane, sprinting wildly toward the path ahead."

"You are torn apart and devoured by monsters in the swamp."

"You have died."

???

The little kid has a lot of question marks.

Isn't Dark Fog Town the next map after leaving the Novice Village? Shouldn't there be stronger NPCs, greater opportunities, and higher-level quests?

How could it just go cold like that?

What about the leader of the Fire-Stealing Cult, the powerhouses of other sects, or those ancient gods who protected humanity through the changing of eras?

Not even a single bubble surfaced.

"No wonder the Divine Path was severed so abruptly; if Dark Fog Town has already been razed to the ground, then the protective power of the ancient gods would naturally vanish as well."

"Truly worthy of the Ancient Earth; not only do people drop dead at a moment's notice, but entire cities can simply cease to exist."

The new map is a bust, but the game still has to be played, so there is no choice but to continue.

"Your soul has arrived at the River of Death."

"You see gray, black water surging and roaring, with countless undead slumbering at the bottom of the river. Standing on the riverbank is a skeleton wearing straw garments, gray flames flickering within its eye sockets, as if it were waiting for someone."

"The Mysterious Skeleton fixes its gaze upon you."