Lucky billion players, you've never seen one before / I can accumulate my own luck

He pointed to the portrait and smiled, saying, "Since we're here, let's do as the Romans do."

“Okay,” the middle-aged woman nodded. “The incense is on the right side of the table. You can get it yourself.”

After receiving an affirmative reply, Mercury went to the shrine, took three incense sticks, lit them, placed them in the incense burner, and bowed his head in worship.

Seeing that nothing went wrong after he finished, the others followed suit and performed the same ritual.

Even Fan Xiao was no exception.

After the worship ceremony was completed, the notification that the quest conditions had been met did not appear.

No one was surprised. If they could pass the level so easily, they would have suspected that they were under an illusion.

After saying goodbye to the middle-aged woman again, Fan Xiao and the others left the old house.

After they had walked a distance, Mercury asked in a low voice, "Do you think that woman was a human or a ghost?"

"You're seeing ghosts everywhere now, aren't you?"

Fan Xiao said speechlessly, "She took the snack bag I handed her and poured us water. I checked the water cup, and it was a solid one."

"When I handed her the bag, I touched her hand. I could feel it and feel her body temperature. I'm sure it was definitely not some kind of mental interference."

"She must be a human, not a ghost."

"You judged it so easily? That's not like you." Mercury said suspiciously, "A ghost isn't necessarily a spirit, is it? Even if a ghost doesn't have a physical body, what if it has some kind of telekinetic ability? It's not difficult to achieve a similar effect with telekinesis."

“If that’s how you put it, then there are many more possibilities,” Fan Xiao said with a smile. “Sometimes, the simpler the logic, the closer it is to the truth.”

"Uh...you really think so?" Mercury asked in surprise.

“It’s just a guess,” Fan Xiao said. “Don’t take it so seriously.”

"……All right."

Mercury sighed, "I wonder if the incense we just lit will win us any favor from the ghosts."

“If ghosts have reason, they will have some effect,” Li Xian said. “The background description of the dungeon mentions that ghosts can talk to their relatives, so they must have some reason. Of course, we’ll have to wait until we encounter them to make a judgment.”

"I don't want to run into that!"

After his fear of ghosts was exposed, Mercury simply stopped pretending altogether.

Turning his gaze to Fan Xiao, he said, "I was a little taken aback that you weren't spouting nonsense just now."

"You can help me test whether there are any downsides to lying," Fan Xiao said with a smile. "You were willing to be the first to try offering incense, so you're not short of money, are you?"

"These two can't be the same?" Mercury curled his lip, then got down to business, saying, "By the way, there aren't any guesthouses or hotels here. For a town of this size, that's unusual..."

"What that lady told us might not be the truth. We'll have to find out for ourselves whether such facilities exist."

Du Ruo interjected, saying, "Some of the things she said conflict with the background information of the instance and our speculations."

"According to her, her son died three years ago. Three years, three memorial days, her son should have come back three times."

“There aren’t necessarily three Ghost Festivals; no one stipulates that it’s once a year,” Li Xian reminded him. “Fan Xiao’s statement that Ghost Festivals are similar to the Ghost Festival is just speculation.”

"Speaking of which..." Mercury said, "This instance has only just been formed. Normally speaking, the Spirit Festival should not have occurred even once. Considering this, that lady wasn't lying. Without the Spirit Festival, it's indeed impossible for ghosts to return."

He paused, then asked a question: "Should we use the actual time here, or the time described in the background of the instance?"

Let's go by the background.

At this point, Fan Xiao spoke up, saying, "The background and rules of the game correspond to each other. Under the premise of no special circumstances, getting hung up on the actual time is not only meaningless, but will also hinder us from getting closer to the truth."

"Judging from the context, there must be a lie in what that woman said."

Mercury said thoughtfully, "The first warning in the game is that we should not easily trust others."

"It seems that to obtain more reliable information, we can only contact several sources and compare them to see if there are any differences."

"What if there's no difference?" Cao Shuai said, reminding them, "It's possible that the people in this town have all agreed on the same story and are lying collectively."

“It’s unlikely that everyone is lying,” Li Xian said. “The game’s third hint is ‘Make sure to find a safe place to stay.’ This hint indirectly tells us that there are harmless people living in this town.”

After saying that, he pointed to another house not far ahead and said, "Let's go take a look at that one."

Fan Xiao looked up.

Thick smoke was also billowing from the chimney of the house that Li Xian was pointing to.

Chapter 344 Who is lying?

Judging from the architectural style of Jiling Town, it can be judged that the level of technology here is relatively backward. Things like gas stoves and induction cookers are probably not available.

Of course, it's also possible that these "advanced" things exist, but they just haven't encountered them yet.

There are cultivated farmlands around the town of Jiling, but there is no one in the farmlands at the moment.

It's mealtime, and everyone has probably gone home.

There's another possibility... maybe everyone in the town is a ghost, and the farmland and such are just for show, used to lull and deceive outsiders.

The smoke indicates that the family in front is cooking.

"If they can cook and eat, then they're not ghosts, right?"

Mercury muttered something.

It seems he's genuinely afraid of ghosts, and he's suspicious of everyone he meets.

The group pretended not to hear and quickened their pace to the front of the house.

Li Xian went up and knocked on the door as usual.

Soon, the door opened, and a middle-aged man with thinning hair appeared before everyone.

The man had a rather serious face, giving the impression that he was difficult to get along with.

Upon seeing Fan Xiao and the others, he showed an impatient expression and said, "No need to ask! I don't provide lodging here, go find someone else!"

Everyone was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

The second game tip, "Make sure to find a safe place to stay," subconsciously gives the impression that everyone in the entire town of Jiling Town will offer lodging to outsiders, though some of them might be genuinely offering it.

According to the woman who spoke earlier, there are policy benefits to be gained from providing accommodation for tourists.

There's no reason for the older sister to lie about something that can be proven simply by asking others.

In short, even Fan Xiao subconsciously believed that the residents of Jiling Town would not refuse a visitor's request for lodging.

Now, encountering someone who immediately refuses him has piqued his curiosity.

"Could it be a subversion of expectations...?"

Fan Xiao planned to investigate further.

Not only him, but also Li Xian and others were intrigued.

Sometimes people are just like that; they're never satisfied when things are too easy to get, and they become even more excited when they're rejected.

"Not providing accommodation?" Mercury probed. "Isn't allowing tourists to stay overnight a policy your mayor came up with? Aren't you afraid it will reach the mayor's ears if you don't follow it?"

"Hmph, the fact that you can ask this question means you've already inquired at other people's homes."

The slightly balding middle-aged man said coldly, "People in town generally don't refuse to host tourists. The previous place you went to must have agreed to let you stay. If that's the case, why did you come here? Heh... I'm afraid you're up to something."

“The previous place did agree to let us stay, but they could only accommodate three people,” Mercury replied. “The eight of us don’t want to be split up.”

He wasn't lying; they really didn't want to separate.

It's definitely safer to stay together than to act alone.

“There aren’t any families in our town that can accommodate eight people at the same time,” the middle-aged man said. “You’re not getting anywhere by searching like this. It’s just asking for a place to stay, why do you all have to live together?”

“I’m a coward,” Mercury said. “My friends are around, which gives me courage.”

Middle-aged man: "..."

Perhaps it was the first time he had encountered such an honest person, and the middle-aged man felt choked up, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Mercury continued, "Actually, the eight of us can share a room. Uncle, if you have any spare rooms, could you do us a favor? We can sleep together on the floor."

"Impossible! I told you, I don't provide lodging here!"

The middle-aged man said, "Besides, even if it were provided, only one person can stay in a room; that's the rule!"

"Rules?" Mercury asked. "Who set such strange rules?"

"It was decided by the mayor," the middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, stop asking so many questions. My family doesn't welcome outsiders. You'd better leave now!"

“Don’t rush,” Fan Xiao suddenly interjected, “Where does the mayor live? Can you tell us? We have some questions we’d like to ask him.”

"The mayor prefers peace and quiet and doesn't like being disturbed." The middle-aged man said with a serious expression, "If you have any questions, just ask someone else. Don't bother the mayor."

"Don't worry, it's no trouble at all. It's just a few questions, and I'll leave right away," Fan Xiao said. "Since the mayor can come up with a policy for lodging, it shows he's a very hospitable person, don't you think?"

"Aren't you annoying? I already told you the mayor likes peace and quiet, what are you guessing for!"

The middle-aged man said irritably, "Stop standing at my door! My house doesn't let anyone stay overnight. You all need to leave now!"

Having said that, he was about to bump into the door.

Just then, a slightly anxious voice interrupted him: "Dad! We can't be so dismissive of people who come to us for help!"

Fan Xiao and the others looked into the house and saw a young girl of about twenty years old running towards them.

The girl, with her hair in a low ponytail and dressed simply, grabbed the middle-aged man's arm as they reached the door, preventing him from closing it, and said, "If you don't let them stay the night, they might..."

"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting!"

The middle-aged man's expression turned anxious. He quickly released the doorknob, grabbed the girl, and covered her mouth with his right hand to stop her from speaking.

The girl began to struggle and fiercely bit the middle-aged man's finger.

The man, in pain, had no choice but to let go and cry out, "Ouch!"

The girl glared at him, then turned to Fan Xiao and the other eight and said, "You don't need to pay attention to him. My family provides lodging, but we only have two empty rooms, so we can only accommodate two people."

"Xiao Chi!" the middle-aged man snapped, "Are you crazy?! Letting them stay might cause us trouble..."

"What if something happens to them if we just let them leave like this?" the girl said. "It's not safe at night! Dad, you can't be so selfish!"

"you……"

The middle-aged man's eyes were filled with anger, and he reached out to hit someone.

But when he saw his daughter's stubborn eyes after raising his hand halfway, he hesitated for a moment and finally lowered his hand.

“Never mind,” he said to Fan Xiao and the other eight, “two of you can come and stay here.”

"No rush," Fan Xiao said with a smile, "Your conversation just now has really piqued my curiosity. Is there any danger in Jiling Town at night?"

Before the middle-aged man could answer, he added, "Oh, by the way, it's not good to just stand at the door. Can we come inside and talk, sir?"

The middle-aged man could tell that Fan Xiao wanted to gather information, but considering his daughter, he didn't say anything and welcomed everyone in.

"Xiao Chi, go and pour them some water."

The middle-aged man instructed the girl.

"Thank you, we're not thirsty now," Fan Xiao said with a smile. "The last place gave us water."

As he spoke, he observed the layout of the living room.

There wasn't much dust on the floor or furniture, so it seemed to be cleaned regularly. In two corners of the living room, there were some potatoes and nylon bags piled up, probably filled with grain, full of traces of rural life.

Of course, Fan Xiao did not let his guard down because of this; he could not determine whether the father and daughter in front of him were human or ghosts based on this alone.

He turned his gaze to the innermost wall of the living room and was surprised to find that there was no shrine for worship in front of the wall. It was empty and there was nothing there. There were also no signs of moving on the floor.

Li Xian and others also noticed this and became wary.

The older woman mentioned earlier that every household in Jiling Town holds a ceremony to worship their relatives at home; it's a local custom.

Fan Xiao didn't beat around the bush and pointed directly to the wall, asking, "Isn't there a missing sacrificial table there? Don't the people of Jiling Town usually hold ancestral rites at home?"

"Who told you that?" The middle-aged man frowned and said, "There are many ways to commemorate ancestors. Setting up a memorial service at home is a custom from many years ago. Very few people use it nowadays."

Upon hearing this, Mercury and the others immediately felt their hearts leap into their throats.

A contradiction arose—the middle-aged man's words contradicted those of the older woman from before.

Who is lying?

"Jiling Town is a town filled with a strong sacrificial atmosphere, that shouldn't have changed, right?" Li Xian asked curiously, "What methods do you use to commemorate your deceased relatives now?"