Cen Yao got out of bed, draped her Witch's Robe over herself, and slowly walked to the door.
The moment the door opened, the old woman standing outside instinctively shrank back half a step.
She held a tray with both hands, her withered fingers gripping the edges tightly. She was squeezing so hard that her knuckles had turned a pasty white.
Breakfast was laid out on the tray.
A glass of hot milk, a small piece of dark bread, a plate of fried eggs, and a few red berries of an unrecognizable variety.
Judging by the presentation, this was already the highest hospitality the inn could offer.
But Cen Yao's expression was incredibly grim.
Beneath her hood, her eyes were slightly downcast, her lips somewhat pale. Her entire being exuded the irritability of someone who had been awakened before getting enough sleep.
That irritation was not the typical grumpiness of someone waking up.
Rather, it was a cold, harsh aura mixed with the residual scent of the dark element.
It was like an invisible layer of thin black ice, suffocating anyone nearby.
The old woman barely dared to raise her cloudy eyes.
She had already experienced the sensation of her soul being corroded and devoured by the black mist the previous night.
That feeling of her soul gradually fading while her consciousness remained completely awake to feel herself being eaten—she never wanted to experience it again in her life.
If ghosts even had a next life.
She now only wanted to set down the breakfast and get off the fourth floor as fast as possible.
No.
It would be best if this demon king left the inn immediately.
She would gladly kneel at the entrance to see her off.
Cen Yao glanced at her but said nothing.
The old woman immediately lowered the tray even further, her voice trembling so hard it sounded on the verge of cracking.
“I-It’s all clean.”
“There’s nothing strange in it.”
“And I didn’t use any meat from the inn.”
Cen Yao: “...”
She hadn't actually thought that far.
But after hearing that, she suddenly lost her appetite.
Still, she had to eat.
She had to head to the royal capital today. Her magic recovery was already slow, and if she went on an empty stomach, her condition would only worsen.
Cen Yao took the tray.
“Understood.”
As if granted a royal pardon, the old woman hurriedly lowered her head. “Please enjoy your meal. Enjoy.”
With that, she practically clung to the base of the wall as she retreated.
Cen Yao carried the breakfast back into her room.
The dark bread was very hard.
The fried egg was slightly burnt.
The milk had an indescribable, metallic smell; Cen Yao took only one sip before setting it down.
The red berries were decent. They were sour enough to make her brow furrow, but at least they were edible.
This breakfast could hardly be called pleasant.
Though for other players who couldn't obtain normal food in dungeons, it would have been a rare delicacy.
After eating, Cen Yao used a Cleaning Spell to tidy up the tableware. She checked her belongings, and once she confirmed everything was packed, she left the room.
As she went downstairs, not a single ghost in the inn dared to show its face.
The eyes on the wall portraits were tightly shut.
The shadows in the corners of the staircase had completely receded.
The child ghost who had been bouncing the ball last night had hidden away somewhere, not even daring to let his ball roll out.
The landlady stood behind the counter. When she saw Cen Yao come down, she immediately bowed, acting as respectful as if she were seeing off a highly temperamental noble.
Cen Yao placed the key on the counter.
“Checking out.”
The landlady hurriedly took the key.
“Yes, of course.”
She didn't even dare to inspect the room.
Cen Yao turned and walked out of the inn.
Rose Town in the early morning was still gloomy and cold, with a thin layer of mist drifting across the streets.
The dark red roses at the town's entrance drooped their petals. The eyes in the centers of the flowers were half-open, but the moment Cen Yao walked past, they all shut in unison.
It was as if they were terrified of being seen by her.
Cen Yao did not linger.
She walked out of the town and raised her wand.
A silver-white magic circle lit up amidst the thin mist.
A clear, resonant phoenix cry pierced the silence of the early morning.
The light phoenix unfurled its wings from the magic sphere, its golden-white flames illuminating the mist and casting a glow on Cen Yao's slightly pale face.
She stepped onto the phoenix's lowered wings and climbed onto its back.
“East, to the royal capital.”
The phoenix flapped its wings and took flight.
Rose Town was quickly left behind.
This time, because her magic power had not fully recovered, Cen Yao did not let the phoenix fly too quickly.
About an hour later, the royal capital finally appeared at the edge of her vision.
It was completely different from the Black Forest and Rose Town.
The royal capital looked like something straight out of a vibrantly colored fairy tale book.
The high city walls were constructed from pale gold stone bricks, and as the sunlight fell upon them, they shimmered with a warm, honey-like glow.
Colorful flags fluttered on both sides of the city gate, embroidered with patterns of crowns and long golden hair.
People were coming and going through the city gate.
To be precise, it wasn't just humans.
Cen Yao dismissed the phoenix and entered the city on foot.
Before she even neared the city gate, she spotted a massive bulletin board standing on its right side.
The bulletin board was pale gold, draped with white roses and golden ribbons, perfectly matching the aesthetic of a fairy tale kingdom.
However, tiny eyeballs were faintly hidden within the centers of those roses, turning slightly with the footsteps of the passersby.
At the very top of the board, a title was written in beautiful calligraphy.
【Entry Rules for the Little Princess’s Full Moon Feast】
Cen Yao paused slightly and looked up.
【1. The royal capital welcomes all guests arriving for the Little Princess's Full Moon Feast. Visitors are requested to maintain proper decorum. Do not shout, cry, or scream in the streets.】
【2. The Little Princess is the kingdom's most precious treasure. Do not speak ill of her under any circumstances.】
【3. The Queen is physically weak and easily startled. She detests flowers and thieves. If you are fortunate enough to meet her, do not bring up these subjects.】
【4. The King is benevolent and generous, and he deeply loves his wife and daughter. Please believe every word he says.】
【5. The Full Moon Feast will be held on the seventh day. Before the feast begins, all guests are free to move around the royal capital, but please do not approach the old garden on the west side of the palace.】
【6. A curfew is enforced in the royal capital at night. Once the bells toll twelve times, all guests must remain indoors. If you hear a baby crying, close your eyes immediately and do not respond.】
【7. Please do not believe the words of the wizard; everything they say is false and untrustworthy.】
The handwriting of the final rule was deeper than the others.
It looked as though someone had applied too much force, almost carving the words into the bulletin board.
Cen Yao stared at the line of text for two seconds, then suddenly chuckled softly.
In her mind, the orb whispered, “Host, these rules seem really targeted at you.”
Cen Yao slowly withdrew her gaze.
“It's not just a 'seem'.”
“It's an absolute fact.”
But this was fine too.
The more obvious the rules were written, the more it proved that this dungeon placed great emphasis on role-playing.
Cen Yao raised her hand to pull down her hood, concealing most of her face, and then stepped through the city gate.
The moment she entered the city, a wave of clamor washed over her.
Stalls lined both sides of the streets, their colorful awnings fluttering gently in the wind. The scents of syrup, fresh flowers, baked bread, and spices mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere that hardly felt like a horror dungeon.
A rabbit wearing a small blue vest stood behind a flower stall, a daisy tucked behind its long ears, skillfully peddling roses to passersby.
“Fresh roses! A full moon blessing for the Little Princess! Buy three, get one free!”
Not far away, a frog wearing a tiny crown knelt on one knee by the fountain, holding a glittering ring as it affectionately proposed to a girl in a red dress.
The girl expressionlessly took half a step back.
Unfazed, the frog hopped forward.
By the roadside stood a talking pumpkin carriage.
The pumpkin carriage's headlights looked like two round eyes, and its doors swung open and shut like a mouth as it grumbled, “Ten copper coins to the palace, eight copper coins to the church! No bargaining, no credit!”
At the entrance of a blacksmith shop, several dwarfs gathered around a forge, hammering away.
They were short in stature, but their thick beards nearly dragged along the ground. When their iron hammers fell, the sparks that flew out looked like clusters of golden fireflies.
On a nearby rack stood short swords, daggers, chains, iron pots, and several chunks of ore whose purposes Cen Yao couldn't discern.
This bizarre and whimsical scene left Cen Yao temporarily unable to look away.
So this was what the bustle of a fairy tale looked like.
Absurd, vibrant, and sweet.
Yet, within every single detail, an indescribable creepiness lay hidden.
Rate on N.U.
