absurd deduction game.

The old nun had a very graceful figure; she wore a holy nun's long dress, with straight shoulders, a slender back, and a slim waist.

A few strands of brown, curly hair peeked out from under the woman's headscarf. Her Western features made her eyes appear deep-set, and she exuded a calm and experienced air. The smile on her lips and the unhurried pace of her movements made it easy to sense her prominent position in the church.

Perhaps for this reason, the church felt comfortable entrusting the elderly nun with the information to be handed over to the investigators, thus giving her the opportunity to make her presence known to them.

No matter how you look at it, this nun should be an excellent believer of the Church of the Harvest Mother. However, the rotten smell that Yu Xing smelled came from her. Moreover, unlike the Demon Coachman, the smell on her body was more subtle. If the Demon Coachman was considered junk food like spicy strips, then the old nun was at least worthy of being called a plate of French foie gras.

Yu Xing's Adam's apple bobbed.

Just then, a young priest distributing equipment came up to him, and with a touch of politeness and caution, handed him the last item on the plate. Before leaving, the handsome young man with azure eyes and golden curly hair gave Yu Xing a curious look, and when Yu Xing noticed, he lowered his eyes in embarrassment and pretended nothing had happened before slipping away.

Yu Xing was too hungry to care about him.

What was handed to him was a wide silver ring. The ring's overall design reflected the era of the dungeon's background, where intricate details were considered beautiful. The exquisite enchantment patterns were symmetrical, like mechanical measurements, and converged at the edge of the ruby ​​at the top of the ring.

[Enchantment Ring - Utopia: Equipment that assists in recording investigators' actions. It can accurately detect abnormal fluctuations, transmit contribution points to the Utopia headquarters, and can also be used as a camera to scan special notes and transmit intelligence in real time.]

Yu Xing put the ring on the middle finger of his left hand. If there weren't so many people around, he would have preferred to wear it on his tentacle.

Aside from the ring, the second piece of "equipment" was a notebook with a reddish-brown cover. The cover was hard and thick, and when you opened it, you could see that the paper inside was also specially made, the kind that could be scanned by the enchanted ring.

[Yorikf's Mission Investigation Notes: Investigators need to record any strange events and monsters they observe in this investigation notebook. The contents can be transmitted back to the Ideal State headquarters at any time, or submitted together after the mission is completed. This notebook is part of the investigator's mission report; if you want to receive generous rewards, remember not to lose it. (Losing it requires completing a new mission report after the mission; there is no mandatory penalty.)]

That's nice to say.

Yu Xing looked at the notebook, which seemed less important than the silver ring, and remained noncommittal about the annotations inside.

The copy is even named "Yorikev's Investigation Notes," so how could the notebook not be important? If it were really lost... who knows what kind of trouble we'd encounter.

Fortunately, this notebook is small and can be easily carried by tucking it into the front of your clothes. However, you should remember to buy a pen and ink from the relevant shops in town later.

He casually stuffed it into his pocket and examined the last item.

This is a gun.

A small pistol, which looks very compact, but feels quite heavy in the hand. The gun body is also silver and has the same enchanted patterns as the ring. It is delivered with 30 enchanted bullets.

[Utopia VII-K Pistol: A dangerous item, one of the signature pieces of equipment for Utopia investigators. When used in conjunction with enchanted bullets, it can effectively kill unidentifiable entities. However, please note that, based on current usage records, investigators only have a 33.3% chance of encountering unidentifiable entities that can be suppressed by this pistol's firepower. Investigators are advised not to rely on this weapon and to retreat as quickly as possible in dangerous situations. Furthermore, this equipment will be collected after the mission and no investigator is allowed to keep it for personal use.]

A ring, a pistol, a notebook.

This is all the equipment that the headquarters of the Ideal State sent to the Church of the Harvest Mother Goddess in advance. It is only an aid; to find out the situation in the town, we still need to see how the investigators perform.

Just after Yu Xing had carefully put them all away, the old nun came to him.

Her smile was approachable yet dignified, even revealing a sacred maternal quality, without offending the naturally cautious strategists.

"..." Yu Xing did nothing to her.

He felt it wasn't the right time yet. The old nun was clearly no ordinary person, having managed to remain hidden in the church of the true God for so long. She was likely involved in many things, and he needed to obtain more information before deciding when to devour her.

The printed booklet was safely delivered to him.

After all the items were distributed, the priest sighed silently: "That's all for today. Please ask the new investigators to stay at the Violet Hotel. It's the best hotel in our town, with clean facilities, excellent service, and the blessing of the Mother Goddess. You'll all be safe in the hotel for now."

"Of course, if anyone wishes to live elsewhere, please feel free to do so. However, ladies and gentlemen, please respect the order of Yolikev town. We believe in fair trade."

He was clearly reminding the investigators that they should spend money when buying things, and not act like robbers. Yu Xing guessed that one of the deducers in the first phase might have been a bit dim-witted and committed robbery in the town, and was then punished by the Church of the Righteous God.

After all, the world's currency is very uniform—it's all gold pounds and pennies with the spire of the ideal state printed on them (exchange rate 1:100), so even though the investigators are outsiders, they're not without money.

Yu Xing had several gold pounds of varying denominations in his briefcase, tucked among his change of clothes, and a stack of penny bills and a few coins in his coat pocket.

Finally, the priest made a prayer gesture, tilted his head slightly upward, and looked devoutly at the holy light atop the church: "May Goddess Mother bless you and me."

Experienced and intelligent strategists responded one after another: "May the Mother Goddess protect us."

The meeting has adjourned.

Some chose to stay in the church to investigate and talk with the priests and other religious figures for a while, while the rest left the church in twos and threes. Some clever strategists even preemptively identified the survivors from the first phase and tried to find partners first.

After all, the twenty-four people in the first phase had a far greater advantage in terms of information than the later arrivals. Yu Xing and Qu Xianqing didn't have this worry, because they had Carlos with them.

Carlos sidled up to him and whispered, "Let's go, we won't stay at the Violet Inn, there's a problem there. Let's stay at my studio."

The priest had just said that the Violet Inn was protected by the Mother Goddess, but Carlos quietly contradicted him. They were still inside the church, so they couldn't elaborate. Besides, there was a male entertainer with ill intentions there. Qu Xianqing and Carlos didn't want Yu Xing to be entangled with the entertainer, so the three of them quickened their pace and left the church.

The sky outside was as black as ink, but the stars shone brightly, with countless distant points of light irregularly dotting the dome, and the silvery crescent moon radiating a tranquil glow.

Several fellow strategists around tried to strike up a conversation, seemingly hoping to curry favor or test their chances of breaking through to the next level. Carlos rolled his eyes, not wanting to waste words with them. He stretched out his hand, ready to snap his fingers, and instantly used "magic" to teleport his teammates to his rented house.

"and many more!"

A voice with a Northeastern accent came from behind. Yu Xing grabbed Carlos's hand and turned around.

Zeng Lai, whom we haven't seen for a long time, still looks the same as when we first met him: wheat-colored skin, short brown hair, thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a very handsome and upright appearance.

But unlike before, he seemed to be out of breath after just a few steps. It seems that what Ren Yi said last time about Zeng Lai's serious and incurable injury was true...

Why would he sign up for this dungeon when he was injured?

Yu Xing had a good impression of Zeng Lai, so seeing him like this, she used her limited patience and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zeng Lai stopped in front of them, looked at the three freaks of the Broken Mirror Squad, each more imposing than the last, and scratched his head.

"Can you take me with you?"

He said with deep sorrow, "I was in bed for too long after my injury and felt restless, so I just signed up casually when Ren Yi wasn't looking. I never expected to see you and the actors when I got here..."

Gamblers' luck is always a mix of good and bad, but full of unexpected adventures.

Upon seeing these people, he thought to himself, "I'm doomed." This damned instance was probably much more dangerous than he had imagined. If he got out alive, Ren Yi would definitely give him a good scolding.

If he can't get out of here alive... he doesn't care about anything else, he'll just cling to someone powerful! That's all he'll do!

"I was really careless. I can't do it all by myself. What do you think I can do?"

Zeng Lai was mainly speaking to Yu Xing. He knew who was in charge here, and he tried his best to advocate for himself: "Although my combat power has declined after my injury, you know the power of my dice. I can now slightly influence the dice rolls. You can treat me as an assistant—"

Before he could finish speaking, Yu Xing nodded: "Okay, welcome to the team."

"Huh?" Zeng Lai couldn't catch his breath.

Qu Xianqing always unconditionally supports Yu Xing on important matters, but Carlos asked, "Oh? You two are that close?"

He found it hard to understand why Yu Xing, who hadn't seen Zeng Lai during the year he was missing and hadn't paid much attention to the gambler at the research institute after returning, would agree so easily now.

Look, even Zeng Lai herself looks somewhat surprised.

Yu Xing was already fantasizing about feasting in the town of Yolikev at night. Even from a distance, he could still sense the aromas of food coming from all directions, and he had even located several places.

The sense of satisfaction he felt in his fantasy lifted his spirits, and he gave Zeng Lai a smile that was no different from usual: "It doesn't matter, I believe in him."

"He trusted me just like that when we first met, and he mentored me, a newcomer, without reservation. I'll always remember that!"

Zeng Lai: !
He's so tough he could cry!
Suddenly, the actor's voice, like a ghost, came from behind them. Having listened for who knows how long, he smiled and said, "Ah Xing has a really good memory; she must remember..."

Carlos started with zero frames, and the bouncy color blocks instantly enveloped his three teammates and Zeng Lai. With a snap of his fingers, the team was gone, leaving only four small paper figures lying on the ground.

A second later, the paper figure spontaneously combusted without fire, turning into ashes that vanished with the wind, giving the performer no chance to manipulate the paper figure.

The actor: "..."

The smile on his face slowly disappeared. He stared blankly at the open space for a while, and a sense of unease silently spread through him, causing the few Single Prism members following him not far away to break out in a cold sweat.

After a long pause, as if trying to convince himself, he said softly, "...It's pointless."

Then they stepped into the night. (End of Chapter)