ATPnovel Chapter 65: Candle Tears Town, Rules
Chapter 65: Candle Tears Town, Rules
Chapter 66: Candle Tears Town, Rules
"The traveling merchant doesn't refresh regularly, so we were lucky this time."
Carrying a bulging bag of props, Su Chen was in a pretty good mood.
He remembers it very clearly.
The Mist Merchant is different from the mysterious merchant who comes to the neighborhood to make a deal with you. The intelligence describes the Mist Merchant as "elusive and unpredictable," which means that the Mist Merchant is a rare type of merchant. He and Lin Yu are quite lucky.
That's a very good omen.
Why did he say he had already met the Mist Merchant that time?
Su Chen didn't understand for a moment.
However, looking at the quiet town in the distance, Su Chen's face darkened.
Before he and Lin Yu agreed to go out together, while packing supplies at his home, Su Chen remembered some intelligence information that he had temporarily overlooked.
The intelligence we received about this town was quite extensive.
Candletears Town: Located in the Realm of Eternal Mist, a place protected by the whispers of the "Flesh and Blood Fairy Tale".
Please remember the following rules!
Regarding the rules, a lot of intelligence information was provided, and Su Chen memorized every single one of them.
1: The concept of "No Night in Candletear Town". If the sky suddenly darkens and the blood moon disappears, immediately find the nearest stable light source (such as gas streetlights, shop windows, or candlelight in residents' windows) and stay within its illuminated area until the blood moon returns to the sky.
Do not! Do not! Do not! Do not use your own lighting equipment.
2. The only public light source in town is a candlelight cart. The vendor appears once a day in the town square. You can buy candles from her, but never ask her name, family, or where the matches are.
3: You may encounter other residents in Candletears. Most of them are friendly, but please address them by their features rather than their names.
For example, a girl in a red cloak, a gentleman who likes beans, or a blonde sleepwalking princess. If they insist that you remember their full names, politely refuse and leave as soon as possible.
4. The buildings in Candletear Town are constructed of wood, brick, and a small amount of living matter. This is normal. If you notice the walls beginning to visibly ripple or seep warm blood, do not panic. Collect the blood quickly; it can be used to make special torches to dispel the fog.
5. The clock tower in the center of Candletears Town has a distorted time. Please do not rely on it to tell time. Use the appearance and departure times of the candle cart as the beginning and end of "daytime".
6. Be wary of any resident who seems perfectly normal, shows no abnormalities, and enthusiastically invites you into their home. They may have forgotten who they are, and prolonged contact with them could cause you to forget yourself as well.
7: Food is only accepted from items traded at the town market in exchange for "story fragments" or "old memories." If you are hungry and suddenly see juicy apples, gingerbread desserts, or any food that seems too tempting, be aware that it's an illusion. Eat them, and you will become part of the story.
8. The clock tower in the town center square is forever frozen at 11:59. If you see the hands moving, no matter which direction they point, immediately run with your back to the clock tower until you can no longer hear its ticking. Once the clock strikes its twelfth chime, time will sacrifice you to the Spindle Witch. 9. The well water in the town is drinkable, but do not try to see your reflection. If your reflection suddenly winks, smiles, or cries at you, leave immediately and do not approach any natural water source for three days. That is not you; it is the "Princess of the Well" searching for her substitute.
There were nine in total, and Su Chen remembered each and every one of them clearly.
He was quite well-prepared, including the supplies he was carrying in his backpack and the props he had just bought.
While Su Chen was distracted, Lin Yu had already arrived outside the town, where a huge stone tablet stood.
Welcome to Candletears Town
"Hey! Look at this!"
"This town is called Candle Tears Town, what a strange name."
Seeing that Su Chen had come to his senses, Lin Yu gently waved to him.
Near the edge of the town, where the gray fog had lifted, Lin Yu could clearly see the lights twinkling in the town and the serious expression on Su Chen's face.
"This town is situated in a realm of mist, protected by fairy tales of flesh and blood" and whispers. To ensure your safety, please be sure to abide by the following rules. Violators will be featured on our next page..."
"Is it that forceful?" Lin Yu frowned, while Su Chen stared silently at the stone tablet without saying a word.
Several rules were also engraved on the stone tablet.
Rule 1: There is no concept of night in this town. If you notice the sky suddenly darkening and the blood moon's light disappearing, the Cleaner should find the nearest stable light source and remain within its illuminated area until the blood moon's light reappears in the sky. Do not use your own lighting equipment.
"Similar to the intelligence reports, but without the details?"
Frowning, Su Chen noticed something amiss as he looked intently at the inscription on the stone tablet that Lin Yu was studying.
Rule 2: The buildings in this town may have unusual layouts, but that's normal, so please don't be surprised.
"It's ridiculously brief."
Su Chen glanced at it and carefully compared the differences with the rules he knew.
The inscription on the stone tablet seems a bit too brief. If we're being honest, these two points are indeed correct, but many key parts don't seem to have been emphasized.
As Su Chen learned, if the blood moon in the sky disappeared and the built-in lighting equipment was used, the consequences would be very serious.
However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the inscription on the stone tablet is almost glossed over.
Calmly, he continued reading patiently.
Beside her, Lin Yu, the woman, also sensed that something was wrong.
"This town called Candle Tears Town has way too many rules, doesn't it?"
"Let's see first," Su Chen said in a deep voice.
"Yes, I need to memorize these rules carefully."
With a serious expression, Lin Yu watched very intently.
Rule 3: The only public light source in town is a candlelight cart, which you can find in the town square and buy candles from.
"Public lighting? Then what about those I just saw? Were they all private?"
Thinking back to the lights she had seen in the town from the hillside earlier, Lin Yu was a little puzzled, but she still continued to look.
Rule 4: If you feel something watching you from the shadows, immediately close your eyes, silently count to ten. The thing watching you hates being ignored. After the count, it will leave automatically.
"No, no, there's definitely something wrong with these rules!"
Before Su Chen could speak, Lin Yu frowned and murmured uneasily.
"How so?"
"I'll explain later, let's take another look first." Lin Yu frowned, and her expression became much more serious.
From this point onward, the information changes significantly from what we've gathered before.
With a similarly somber expression, Su Chen carefully examined the somewhat strange rule, unable to pinpoint exactly what was different, and fell silent for a moment.
He continued reading.
Rule 5: Pigeons in town are a symbol of safety. If you see white pigeons gathered on a rooftop, it means that building is absolutely safe and you can go inside to rest.
Su Chen: "?"
"Absolutely safe? A temporary safe house?"
Lin Yu was also looking at the fifth rule engraved on the stone tablet. Her flickering eyes and changing expressions made Su Chen, who was standing next to her, wonder if this woman really believed in this rule.
Anyway, he didn't really believe in the rules on the stone tablet.
With patience, Su Chen continued reading.
Rule 6: When the clock tower in the town center square strikes twelve, all rules in the town will temporarily become invalid, and you will have ten minutes of free time.
"No! This is absolutely wrong!"
Looking at the sixth rule on the stone tablet, Su Chen's last mystery became clear.
The rules the intelligence gave him clearly stated that the time on the clock tower would permanently stop at 11:59, and once he heard the bell ring or saw the clock hands move, he should immediately turn his back to the clock tower and leave. How come rule 6 says that the town's rules will temporarily become invalid when the bell rings twelve times?!
Seeds of doubt quickly took root. Lin Yu also had a strange look on her face, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know whether she should. The two of them stood in front of the stone tablet for a long time without saying a word.
"Su Chen, don't trust the rules on this stone tablet. We might be in trouble this time."
Lin Yu lowered her voice, her expression grave.
"Why, have you seen similar rules before?"
Su Chen glanced at the cautious Lin Yu beside him, thinking that she was the only one from the previous expedition who had survived intact. He didn't believe that this woman didn't know something.
'
"Just a little bit."
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Yu glanced at Su Chen beside her and finally asked, "Remember that crooked tree from before?"
"Okay," he replied.
"After you left, the rest of the team were terrified, but they still came to that village together."
Thinking about what had happened before, Lin Yu's face darkened.
"That village is similar to this one. There is also a stone tablet in front of the village with similar rules on it. However, those few people back then were extremely greedy. After taking all the supplies inside and outside the village, they believed the stone tablet."
"One of the rules is that the dwarves in the village are indifferent, but if you really need help, they will do their best to help you if you knock on their doors."
"This rule is fake!"
"It's engraved on the stone tablet, but the truth is completely different!"
Su Chen frowned and asked, "What happened?"
"None of the dwarves living in that village were willing to talk to us. We could only trade them useful items for supplies. The two men in the expedition team actually knocked on the dwarves' doors according to the rules written on the stone tablet..."
"As a result, they were captured by the enraged dwarves and their flesh was ripped off their bodies."
Sighing, Lin Yu still felt a little unwell when she recalled the bloody scene from before.
Therefore, when Lin Yu saw the rule stele of Candle Tears Town, to be honest, he really didn't believe it.
However, the reason why the other members of the expedition believed in the rules on the stone tablet when they were in that village was because one of them had actually saved their lives.
She remembered that the rule said they could take advantage of the rising fog to hide around the campfire in the village, where the fog could be dispelled and their safety could be guaranteed for a short time.
When the mist rose, many monsters suddenly appeared in the village, but they all ignored Lin Yu and the others who were around the campfire. It was because of this life-saving experience that two of them came to believe in the rules of the stone tablet.
The rest of the people either went mad or lost their way for various strange reasons. Only Caiyu, who was careful and did nothing extra, survived.
"It's so quiet in this town now. Do you think all the people from the advance team are gone?" Frowning, Lin Yu looked at the dimly lit town in the distance, and a bad feeling welled up in her mind.
Some of the rules on the stone tablet are real, and some are fake. If that's the case, you can actually infer and judge them by looking at what you see in the town and villages.
What's outrageous is that the rules on the stone tablet are a mix of true and false, and many of them are misleading.
Having learned from her previous experience, Lin Yu knew...
These beings shrouded in mist have strict conditions and rules; things that cannot be done are simply not allowed. If you do them, at best you will perish, and at worst you will bring disaster upon all your teammates.
Therefore, she and Su Chen had to be extremely cautious before entering.
You must never act rashly.
"It's hard to say."
"Isn't that woman here?" Thinking of that young woman, Su Chen knew that even if the rules here were half true and half false, with that woman around, it was hard to say what might happen.
After all, that woman was no ordinary person.
A strange light surrounded her, which seemed to have a good effect on monsters.
It might even be effective against the strange occurrences in the town.
"I've roughly memorized these rules. Shall we go now?"
Lin Yu's face was grim, and he held the dagger he had used during the boss battle in his hand.
Now that she's here, and with Su Chen by her side, if Lin Yu were alone, she would have turned around and left without hesitation.
With Su Chen around, the two of them would be much safer than the advance team.
At least Su Chen is a smart person and won't trigger random, messy rules.
"Okay, let's go."
Stepping into the town.
The silence and lights around her set off alarm bells in Lin Yu's heart.
There was no trace of an advance team...
Not at all!
The town is huge, with a variety of old Western-style buildings standing side by side. Gray stones pave the road, winding their way up to a flat area halfway up the hillside.
Lin Yu looked down the road and saw only a small clock tower that seemed to be lying silent in the distance.
Nearby, on a low tiled roof, the color of the earthen clods mixed with the wall ash was completely dark, and a wooden wind chime bird was hooked on the wooden frame of the door.
Something dark red slowly seeped out from the stones around the door frame, with a viscous texture, and a fine layer of dark red slowly seeped out.
There was no gray fog in the town, just a quiet silence that sent chills down one's spine.
"Keep an eye on the surroundings for me."
Su Chen said softly, took out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack, and gulped it down in two big gulps.
Then he took the bottle cap and slowly scraped the blood seeping from the wall. In a short while, the bottle was more than half full.
"He's like this..." Lin Yu kept watch around Su Chen.
He hadn't expressed much opinion about the stone tablet earlier, but now it seems he probably knows something she doesn't.
"Hey, what are you collecting these things for?"
Just as Lin Yu opened his mouth, a faint, ethereal voice rang out from behind him.
"Hello, would you like to buy some candles?"
For a moment, Lin Yu felt a chill run down her spine.