Fire-Stealing Village

Yang Qizhou glanced out the window; the night was deep, and the streets were desolate.

Conducting a census at midnight.

Who are they trying to fool?

Panic was useless; he had to assess the situation first. Yang Qizhou took a deep breath, walked to the door, and peered through the peephole.

The man in his view wore a blue checkered outfit, a shallow scar on his left cheek particularly striking. He wore a white hat, carried a backpack, and held a document folder, looking exactly like a community census worker.

Bang, bang, bang.

"Sir, please open the door and cooperate with our work."

The knocking grew more urgent. The lack of movement from within made the person outside increasingly impatient.

I've only just come into contact with the World of Weirdness. Although I've obtained the Mother Goddess Flower Seed of the Dream Realm and Kanrui's Wizard Ring, there's definitely a massive gap between me and veteran players. I absolutely cannot make contact with the person outside, or I'll lose the initiative.

Just then, the clock's hands ticked over to midnight.

The usage count for the Doom-Bringing Raven... had refreshed.

Yang Qizhou revealed a smile.

"Brother outside, fate has not brought us together today, so let's not meet. If there's a chance in the future, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Doom-Bringing Raven,"

"I choose to re-search the World of Weirdness."

The cawing of a crow echoed in his mind. The scene before him twisted, turned illusory, and shattered, as if the world were melting away.

When Yang Qizhou opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting in front of the computer. He had already opened the search engine but hadn't entered anything yet. The time was exactly 11:27 PM.

He... had returned to half an hour ago.

"That was damn intense. If it weren't for the fate-reset of the Doom-Bringing Raven, I would've been done for this time."

Yang Qizhou felt a lingering fear. The person knocking might have had good intentions, but that didn't stop him from assuming the worst. After all, the chain of suspicion in the Dark Forest Law was eternal; the unknown was an enemy, an eternal threat.

When the Doom-Bringing Raven's count refreshed after midnight, Yang Qizhou had considered making contact, but he worried it would overwrite the "searching the World of Weirdness" node. After all, the ability of the Doom-Bringing Raven was to return to the moment a choice was made, not to return to any arbitrary point in time.

If that were the case, even if he reloaded, he would only return to the moment before opening the door, still inevitably exposed to the gaze of unknown forces.

Risk averted.

Yang Qizhou calmed down to analyze the situation.

"Although I can't be certain, that person most likely came from the relevant authorities. Only they would have the capability to track down someone searching for the World of Weirdness online within half an hour."

"Of course, this isn't absolute."

"The number of players in the World of Weirdness is unknown; among them, there might be those who have obtained abilities related to 'searching' or 'divination'."

"Then there's the Secret Cultivator. He and that group of unknown forces shouldn't be on the same side, otherwise, he wouldn't have included a warning in the fifth point of his notes. Yet, he not only left traces of the World of Weirdness online but also posted something only 'Weirdness players' could see. Most likely, he hasn't been found, which should be related to the abilities he obtained from the World of Weirdness."

"Based on this as a foundation for deduction,"

"Perhaps this world is far from as peaceful as it looks on the surface. Driven by the World of Weirdness, the undercurrents are already surging."

With this realization, Yang Qizhou felt a sense of urgency once more.

He remembered the group the Secret Cultivator left behind, but he had no intention of joining; he didn't want to invite any more trouble.

It was just past midnight, and while the resurrection count had refreshed, the usage count for the Doom-Bringing Raven had not. He had used one charge to return to the moment before searching for the World of Weirdness, leaving him with four chances remaining.

Yang Qizhou felt it was a pity. If he could wait for the Doom-Bringing Raven to refresh after midnight, immediately reload to before that point, wait for it to refresh again, continue to reload, refresh, reload, refresh, and reload, wouldn't he have completed a time loop?

The night was dark, but lying on the sofa, Yang Qizhou couldn't sleep; his mind was filled with the World of Weirdness.

Then, he would continue the game.

"Your soul returns to the River of Death with practiced ease. You choose to borrow the power of fate to rewrite the ending of your death."

"You have returned to the protection of the Ancient Fire-Stealing God."

"Having been split in two by the Night Watcher with your entrails spilled all over, dying a miserable death, you know full well that Kanrui's Wizard Ring carries a taunt aura, so you quickly take it off."

"A Night Watcher is drawn by the phenomenon of Aliceina and happens to run into you."

"The Night Watcher is quite surprised by your appearance, as the Fire-Stealing Village hasn't encountered a Traveler in a long time. After all, the wilderness is so terrifying that few living beings can cross it."

"You introduce yourself and speak of the matters regarding Aliceina."

"This draws great attention from the Night Watcher. He takes you back to the village and intends to report this matter to Lena, the captain of the Night Watcher Squad."

"During the conversation, you learn that this Night Watcher is named Yixiu. His words always reveal his admiration and affection for Captain Lena, which makes you look forward to meeting her."

Finally able to start the plot normally, Yang Qizhou felt moved. Although he had accepted the Cthulhu-esque worldview and was accustomed to "die, die, die, die, die," it didn't hinder his anticipation for triggering the plot.

Yang Qizhou remembered the Remains of the Night Watcher and wondered if taking it out would trigger other side quests.

"Returning to the Fire-Stealing Village, Yixiu arranges a temporary place for you to stay and leaves after exchanging pleasantries."

"You are quiet for a few minutes,"

"The nature of an explorer makes you unaccustomed to idleness, so you decide to go out for a stroll."

You are surrounded by the villagers of Fire-Stealing Village; they harbor the same curiosity toward you, an outsider, and you greet them with a smile.

You recall the experience of your first death and ask a nearby little girl if they usually look at the sun in the sky.

The little girl tilts her head and replies that the sun is not meant to be looked at, otherwise something terrifying will happen; this is something the entire village knows.

You ask for the reason why the sun cannot be looked at.

The little girl cannot answer and falls into a state of confusion.

You are drawn to a large house, feeling that it is significantly different from the dwellings of the ordinary villagers; there is no one inside, and your adventurous nature leads you to sneak in and wander around at will.

You discover a strange room from which a faint purple radiance emanates.

The crossroads of fate are placed before you once again, you greedy, hypocritical, and audacious explorer.

Will you choose to push open the door and step inside to investigate?

Or will you choose to look around a bit more?

Please make your choice.