Chapter 110
"Let's go to your house, as a devout believer." Yuki spread his hands, revealing a relaxed smile, "You can explain these principles to me."
The world is a makeshift operation, and so is the Reincarnation Game. As long as you don't make any mistakes, someone else will always be the first to be exposed.
As the 'Judge', Yuki was very bold. Even after being entangled, he was not flustered at all. Instead, he took the opportunity to move into the home of a fanatic.
This is a two-story building, located right next to the highway.
On the surface, the town's residents are quite wealthy; almost everyone owns a small villa, has a complete family, and lives a peaceful and happy life.
Over the past ten years, Yuki had studied various religious books in his spare time, covering everything from the three major religions to Cthulhu, so it was impossible for this old man to fool him with 'talk therapy'.
As the explanation went on, the conversation took Yuki and Yuuki began analyzing the source of God's grace for him. This excited the old man so much that he even took out paper and pen, ready to show off to his old friends.
'Religion is all about reasoning, and I'm known for my sharp tongue.'
Yuki spent the entire afternoon drooling over the snacks and drinks served, but he still didn't dare to eat them. Finally, he managed to coax the old man into going to sleep, and only then did he pace around the small house.
The living room was spacious, with fabric sofas covered in wool cushions. The television was an old transistor TV that had no channels and served only as a decoration.
The TV wall is covered with photos of five people across three generations, all wearing happy smiles. Turning around, you can see a cute little girl playing with building blocks next to her beautiful mother.
'If I hadn't seen it with my Demon Eye, I would have been completely fooled.'
The more normal something seems, the more abnormal it actually is. Yuki never let his guard down. When he was analyzing things with the old man, he tried to trick him into revealing information, but the latter knew nothing about it.
He believed in God, loved God, and gave everything—that was his entire understanding. As for what the scriptures were saying, he made it all mysterious, only saying that he would understand once he became a believer in God.
A code, a code known only to true believers.
Yuki continued gathering information, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a beautiful woman who appeared to be around thirty years old.
"Mr. Li, your room is ready." The young woman said softly.
"Ms. Catherine, I already told you there was no need for such trouble."
"You are Father's guest, so you must stay tonight. Father will take you to church tomorrow."
Yuki took a walk around and met several residents. Some were fanatical believers, some were skeptical, and some were not believers at all, but they were all very stubborn. It would take a lot of reasons to refuse them.
"Okay, thank you."
"You're welcome. Please rest for a few more minutes, and I'll prepare dinner right away. Now you should be able to eat, right?"
Actually, I'm not hungry...
"You must eat!" the young woman emphasized, her expression becoming sharp.
Only after Yuki nodded did she change her gentle and virtuous demeanor, bowing slightly and swaying her pert bottom as she went to the kitchen.
Good intentions should not be refused.
Yuki was speechless as he watched the young woman enter the kitchen to wash vegetables and cut meat.
The young woman's back view was quite alluring, but Yuki frowned, feeling uncomfortable with this kind of enthusiasm.
I've been in the instance for five or six hours now, and not a single car has passed by on the road outside the window. The town has at least two thousand people; where are they getting their supplies?
Yuki glanced at the girl playing, then turned his gaze back to the photos on the TV wall. The square-faced man in the photos was the old man's son, who, according to him, worked outside.
You guys were just strolling around on the street, where did you find a job?
There's definitely a problem; if things continue like this, there are only three paths left:
First, I could knock this family unconscious, but that would be punished, and these townspeople always seem to find me perfectly, it's never-ending.
Secondly, it's hard to refuse their enthusiasm, so let's eat first. If we don't have an excuse tomorrow and are dragged to church, then we'll be killed.
Third, even if they quietly run away now, they won't solve the fundamental problem and will still be entangled by the other townspeople.
He was somewhat at a loss when he heard the young woman in the kitchen calling him.
"Mr. Li, could you please get me some seasonings?"
Yuki's lips moved slightly, but he didn't make a sound. He was thinking about something and didn't want to be disturbed.
"Mr. Li, could you please look after my daughter?"
Two minutes later, the young woman called out again. This time, Yuki felt something was off. Didn't this woman know how to read the room? It was obvious she didn't want to help.
He glanced at the blonde girl next to him, who looked like a doll. He hadn't spoken to her since it wasn't necessary, and she, like someone with autism, kept fiddling with her building blocks, not even bothering to look at him.
[Tip 1: The town is filled with a kind of frenzied atmosphere. Do not leave the town area. Please be aware of the residents' enthusiasm.]
No way...
Yuki's eyes twitched slightly. This time, he deliberately kept quiet. Two minutes later, the young woman called him for the third time.
"Mr. Li, the meal is ready. Could you please wake my parents up?"
The elderly couple were taking a nap on the second floor. It's only natural to help them out when you're visiting their home, but Yuki like he was dead.
Logically speaking, even the most good-tempered person would have lost patience by now. Yuki gazed at that retreating figure, pondering the situation.
Her tone remained gentle, almost unchanged; did she simply not care?
Her warm hospitality was met with silence; was she really that good-natured?
As if realizing something, Yuki stood on tiptoe and lay silently on the sofa, ignoring the young woman in the kitchen calling him several times.
He kept his presence extremely low, and after the fifth and sixth time, the young woman gradually stopped asking him for help.
Silence returned to the room, broken only by the rhythmic chopping of vegetables coming from the kitchen.
After a while, the husband returned, and the young woman, having prepared dinner, wiped her hands on her apron and went back to the living room, where she warmly embraced her husband.
"Dinner's ready, everyone come downstairs."
At the sound of shouting, the little girl, who seemed to have autism, put away her toys, and the elderly men and women who were taking a nap on the second floor also came down unsteadily.
The man, who had just returned home, kissed his daughter and greeted his parents. The young woman had prepared a delicious dinner, which filled the round table in the living room.
Stewed meat, roasted ribs, some kind of unidentified black vegetable, and a middle-aged man even brought out a bottle of fine wine. Everyone sat around the table, chatting quietly about their day's experiences amidst soft laughter.
A heartwarming scene, a peaceful everyday moment: a family reunites after a busy day, chatting and laughing before beginning their pre-dinner prayers.
Buzzing.
The scripture was still unidentified, but after a few seconds, as if someone had pressed the pause button, the prayer suddenly stopped.
Swish--
The five heads turned in unison toward the sofa, expressionless. Although they were related by blood, they now looked more like dolls cut from the same mold.
No one spoke; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Yuki, who had been sitting on the sofa like a statue, felt a sense of unease.
He deliberately didn't respond, as if he were an observer of this family, which made the family even stranger.
For example, when the male homeowner returns, he should at least ask about this stranger, right? Or when it's time to eat, the young woman should at least wake her up, right?
But they didn't. They just sat down at the table, ready to eat, when they remembered they had a guest at home.
'Is someone reminding them of my presence?'
Yuki licked his lips, suddenly remembering when the old man struck up a conversation with him at the beginning of the game. At the time, unsure of his identity, he deliberately remained silent for a few seconds, only to have the old man's gaze turn elsewhere.
Could it be that because I remained silent, he lost his enthusiasm and simply ignored me?
Yuki's initial choice wasn't wrong; a kind old man suddenly stopped smiling—who knows what he was up to?
"Oh, who is this gentleman...?" the male homeowner began, his expression of genuine confusion perfectly natural.
But you should have shown that expression when you walked in, not now.
Yuki ignored them and didn't answer; instead, he simply played the "statues" game.
"This is Mr. Li, he has profound insights into the church." The old man chuckled, pulled out an empty chair next to him, and waved, "Come and eat, give my silly son a good talk."
"Dad, I've always been a believer in God."
"Hmph, you still don't trust me enough. You wouldn't even let the Sage see Catherine."
"Catherine is busy taking care of the children and you all. If she goes to see the saint, she won't be back for several days. Besides, I've heard some bad rumors..."
"Shut up! You can't question God's spokesperson!"
Clang.
The sound of a plate shattering rang out. The old man's veins bulged, he slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and strode upstairs amidst the girl's cries.
The harmonious scene was instantly shattered. This would be normal in an ordinary family; after all, family members bicker. But in this room, it seemed very strange.
It's like a topic on a forum gradually going off-topic; what was originally an invitation to Yuki to have dinner turned into a family feud.
The old lady chased after him upstairs, while the young woman comforted the man who was drinking heavily, seemingly forgetting who started the conversation. Meanwhile, a few meters away on the sofa, a young man wearing a gas mask sat upright.
No matter how curious he was, how much he wanted to probe for information, or how much he instinctively wanted to mediate, Yuki kept his mouth shut, neither answering nor participating.
Looking at the mess, the townspeople, who seemed to have forgotten their own existence, had a thought flash through their minds:
Is it true that those the Bystander Is Blind, while bystanders see things clearly?
Chapter Five: The Warm and Hospitable Yadu Town
Having experienced two instances, Yuki deeply understands that the Reincarnation Game is counterintuitive.
Just like when someone calls your name, you instinctively respond.
At first, Yuki didn't know either. He just answered the old man's questions, hoping to get some information out of him. Almost every veteran player would do that.
However, because of the Demon Eye, he saw the eerie evil god behind this peaceful town. He was always on high alert, and because he disliked being disturbed and had a keen eye for detail, he realized that something was wrong.
So that's what the first hint meant...
Yuki rubbed his forehead. No wonder people say that those the Bystander Is Blind; it turns out there are two meanings to it.
The first layer is the town's frenzied atmosphere, where many people are obsessed with religion and everyone is mentally unstable.
The second layer refers to the player, who gets caught up in the situation due to past experiences, and will only sink deeper if they don't wake up quickly.
Just as Yuki had feared, once caught in the trap, there was no way out. He could kill, but not everyone; even knocking someone unconscious would be punished.
That's why I'm so conflicted about the townspeople's enthusiasm. They won't let me refuse them; they'll cling to me relentlessly. But I can't actually go to the church for baptism. So, the only option left is to knock them out and run away.
'Luckily, it's not too late to understand now; I have time to adjust.'
Yuki breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that this dungeon had a unique feature:
We must get involved, but we can't get too caught up in it; the methods of investigation need to be adjusted.
Looking out the window, it was exactly five o'clock in the afternoon, but it was early autumn, so it was only slightly dim.
[Tip 3: As night falls and the excitement subsides, please refrain from wandering around the town.]
Yuki glanced at his watch and, based on his geographical knowledge, figured that sunset should be around 8 PM, so he quickly got up.
I had planned to take a shortcut and dig out more clues from the townspeople, but it seems that this approach won't work.
You either have to get involved in the conversation or eavesdrop as an observer; the former is definitely not an option, and the latter would waste too much time.
I'll just have to do it myself, even if it's a bit of a hassle.
"Uncle, are you going out?"
The little girl who had been playing with building blocks suddenly spoke up. Yuki turned his head and almost answered, but quickly shut his mouth, not even bothering to nod.
"Mr. Li, here's some water. Take it with you on your journey."
"Hey, you're leaving already? Without even saying goodbye?"
"Didn't you want to hear the scripture? I suddenly remember how to tell you."
Yuki forced himself to become deaf and mute, refusing to answer anything the hospitable family said and suppressing his desire to obtain information.
He strode out the door and onto the street, where many townspeople were taking a stroll. They all turned to look at him, acting as if they were old friends.
"Oh, you're the tourist Old Jack was talking about, right? You seem quite interested in the church. Why don't you come over to our house and chat?"
"Why don't you come to my place? My wife just made dinner, we can talk while we eat."
"Pah, I don't have any good wine. Let's have a proper drink together."
I won't listen, I won't listen, you're just spouting nonsense.
Yuki quickened his pace, his cold gaze sweeping over each face.