CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: THE EERIE VILLAGE

The ritual progress has increased!

Seeing this scene, Chai San couldn’t help but roar, "I told you before, this young man is definitely related to the ritual!"

Zhou Juncai curled his lips, "We’re not prophets, how could we know in advance? Besides, it’s just five percent, it’s probably just a hint from the Abyss."

Chai San snorted coldly and did not argue further.

As the pile of herbs burned out, the onlooking villagers dispersed one after another.

However, they did not go to sleep but returned to their homes to light lamps, or went to the village tavern, laughing and talking, as if the boy’s tragic death was just a trivial part of daily life.

This eerie atmosphere placed an uneasy look on everyone’s faces.

"Outsiders."

At this moment, a man in black armor with a team of guards approached.

"It’s been a long time since outsiders have come here, we don’t welcome outsiders, so please leave immediately."

He looked at Chai San with a hostile gaze, clearly displeased with his earlier interference.

"Sir, I apologize for my companion’s behavior earlier, we have no intention of interfering with your actions," Zhou Juncai said with a forced smile as he stepped forward, "but it’s late now, could we stay for the night and leave tomorrow?"

The man in black armor looked at him steadily and, after glancing at the others, said, "The five-story building over there is the village tavern, you can stay there, but leave at first light. I’m warning you, if any of you dare to cause trouble during this time, I won’t let you off."

"Yes, yes, thank you, sir," Zhou Juncai said repeatedly, forcing a smile.

After the man in black armor left, he turned his head and glared at Chai San, speaking sharply, "Chai San, we’re a collective with shared interests, can you stop acting on your own? Look at the mess you’ve made, now the whole village is on guard against us, how are we going to gather information?"

"And you cause trouble, but I have to smile and apologize for you, do you think that’s fair?"

With these words, many looked at Chai San with distrustful eyes.

Feeling the cold stares from others, Chai San seemed somewhat discouraged and didn’t explain much, only shaking his head and saying, "Twenty years of life as a gold farmer taught me one thing: if you disregard others’ lives, one day you’ll find yourself isolated when you need help."

"The world in the trial is a real fragment, you can’t see it as mere data in a dungeon."

"Heh." Zhou Juncai laughed disdainfully and said no more.

Chu Xiu watched coldly, feeling a bit pressured.

"This dungeon isn’t one that can be easily cleared."

Earlier, Chu Xiu had scanned around with his Nether Demon Eyes, noticing the man in black armor was a Warrior Tier with a bunch of question marks. The other guards ranged from Mortal Tier Level 6 to Level 9, and due to their decent equipment, they would be harder to deal with than monsters of the same level.

If there were a direct confrontation, the Trial Takers wouldn’t stand a chance without considering Chu Xiu.

Not to mention the team was already falling apart, each harboring their intentions.

"Moreover, the town’s strength is definitely more than this; attempting a forceful breakthrough without understanding the ritual’s specifics is too risky!"

"We still have to, as Jiang Xue said, figure out this dungeon’s rules."

After the boy was burned to death, the ritual’s progress increased, prompting many thoughts to leap into Chu Xiu’s mind.

"Death? Flames? Sacrifice?"

"To determine which is correct, more information is needed."

Chu Xiu thought silently.

"At this point, we should follow the original plan and try to gather information from the villagers," Zhou Juncai proposed while Chu Xiu was deep in thought.

No one opposed, and they entered the tavern, where many villagers were drinking.

However, having offended the villagers earlier, no one greeted them upon entering the tavern, and those Trial Takers attempting to inquire about the ritual were met only with cold stares.

The villagers here seemed very united and extremely xenophobic.

Seeing this, Chai San remarked, "You all still lack experience."

With that, he flicked his wrist, revealing a gold coin.

The moment the coin appeared, the nearby villagers turned their eyes towards it.

Chai San smiled smugly and handed the gold coin to the tavern owner, "Boss, got some questions for you."

The owner, a bald middle-aged man, stared at the coin for a while before grinning to reveal his yellow teeth.

"Luna, bring something for our guests to eat."

Shortly after, a little girl came over with a black iron bowl, inside which was a piece of sizzling meat.

Chai San glanced at it, "I’m not hungry, let another guest eat it; I just want to ask you something."

But the owner acted as if he hadn’t heard and continued with a strange smile on his face, "Guest, Luna here is getting tired."

Chai San turned to the little girl, who gave him an innocent smile, raising the meat higher, her arm trembling slightly.

Moved by her plight, Chai San took the bowl, "Boss, now can you... ah!"

He suddenly screamed in pain, dropping the bowl, which hit the ground heavily, his hand already reddened and scalded!

Only then did the others notice the little girl’s hands were covered in scars from cuts and burns. The fingers holding the bowl were a bloody mess, pieces of flesh sticking to the bowl and emitting a burnt stench!

And seeing Chai San burned, she giggled mischievously and ran out of the door, while the tavern patrons and owner laughed with her.

"You..." Chai San covered his hand, full of anger.

The bizarre scene made the Trial Takers’ scalps tingle, and Zhou Juncai swiftly drew his sword and pointed it at the tavern owner, "What the hell do you mean?"

The tavern owner put on a terrified expression, crouching down with his head covered, shouting, "Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!"

His expression was overly dramatic, like a clown trying hard to perform.

This made Zhou Juncai’s face darken, "These guys are playing us! Damn it!"

At that moment, a new screen popped up.

[Current ritual progress: 8%]

"The ritual progress has increased again!"

Everyone’s face turned grim.

Earlier, the progress might have increased due to the boy’s death, but what about now? Was it because Chai San got burnt? Or does the progress simply increase over time?

Even Chu Xiu’s face stiffened slightly, his black eyes flashing coldly.

"We can’t drag this out any longer! We need to take extreme measures!"

"Kidnapping, coercion, intimidation, even torture!"

The task time limit is only three hours, no time for slow exploration, and the villagers are extremely abnormal, making normal communication impossible. Extraordinary measures are essential!

Chu Xiu scanned the tavern patrons, noting a father with a child and a husband with his wife, all potential leverage.

But in the end, he dismissed these thoughts.

It’s not that he suddenly became kind, but—

"If we must fall out, targeting the elite tier yields the most gains; attacking ordinary villagers probably won’t meet expectations and might alert the village’s powers."

While contemplating how to bypass the guards to reach the village authorities, a sudden sound of a glass shattering came, followed by a woman’s terrified scream!

Chu Xiu looked up to see the cold-faced Wu Xiujie suddenly grabbing a little girl’s hair, holding a cold, gleaming dagger against her neck!

The girl screamed in fear, while her father stood up in panic.

Wu Xiujie shouted fiercely, "What is Az Ilituay Mgos? Why did you burn that boy?"

"Speak!"