Several kilometers away from Green Lake Town, at the edge of a small hill.
A group of 'gentlemen' in sharp suits was observing the situation within the town through various means.
One of them, an uncle with a prominent belly and a receding hairline, quietly appraised,
"It seems that many well-known family clans are participating in this month's assessment, setting it in Green Lake Town—could it be too harsh... If the risk is too high, we could lose valuable talents."
At that moment,
an old man with white hair, with an owl perched on his shoulder and his hands clasped behind his back, replied,
"I would rather raise the screening threshold than waste resources on those who can't handle crises.
The population in the city is fast approaching its limit.
'Skin' supply started to decline several months ago. If this continues, the organization will struggle to effectively cultivate gentlemen, and the internal balance will be disrupted.
If Teacher Sman is dissatisfied with this, he is free to propose his concerns to the higher-ups."
The chubby Teacher Sman quickly raised his hand in apology,
"Professor Qian Bosen, I was just making an objective evaluation. I have no objections to your choice of location for the assessment.
If dangers arise that far exceed the level of the assessment, I hope all present here will suppress it at the earliest opportunity."
"That is inevitable."
Just then,
the white-haired elder noticed a distinctive young man who had chosen not to team up but instead to walk alone through the streets of the town.
His somewhat somber attire and the flesh ball rooted in his shoulder were quite noticeable.
"Teacher Sman, this youth doesn't seem to be recorded on the list of assessment candidates. He also doesn't seem to bear any clear signs of family or school affiliation."
Teacher Sman, responsible for personnel, turned his gaze toward Yi Chen.
"Oh! Indeed, it is an unfamiliar face. He must be the candidate who was added to the assessment at the last minute today.
The referrer is the person in charge of the Seven-Day Cemetery—Wilbert Astorga. The invitation was sent by a raven from among the graves, requesting participation in this month's assessment."
Upon hearing this name, Qian Bosen seemed to fall into a memory,
"Wilbert… that kid is quite solitary, hardly had any friends during his studies, always kept to himself. In the end, he managed to win the right to establish a cemetery with his own strength and lives alone.
For someone like him to recommend a talent to the organization."
As the two chatted,
the other gentlemen also took notice of this solitary young man, particularly the unnatural inn he deliberately chose.
"Without 'Skin' ornaments,
and solely relying on the senses of an average person, he's already detected the anomalies in the town and is approaching danger? This young man is quite interesting."
White-haired Qian Bosen, as the temporary person in charge of this evaluation, had originally come here with just a task-oriented attitude.
But this youth from the cemetery has piqued his interest.
...
Green Shadows Inn
Yi Chen held an aluminum slab-shaped key in his hand, engraved with [#0206]
Aimed at the lock filled with mottled scratches, the internal mechanism emitted the sound of matching gears unlocking,
Creak~ the door swung open.
The carpet, patterned with diamonds, covered the floor of the room; the dust was firmly trapped in the fibers of the carpet, making it look passably clean on the surface.
The modestly sized guest room
featured a 1.5-meter-wide wooden bed, with dark bedding trying its best to conceal any stains left by the previous guest.
The tall glass window was plastered over with newspapers headlined 'Green Lake Town,' preventing sunlight from entering.
A wooden coat stand by the window still held a piece of clothing, as if the last occupant had left in too much of a hurry to take it with them... or rather, had never left at all.
Drip~
The sound of water dripping continuously came from the bathroom to the right of the entrance,
Upon inspection, it was just a leaky showerhead, leaving the entire bathroom covered in a layer of water stains, damp and cold.
"Sigh… Let's rest for a bit."
Yi Chen didn't mind and plopped down on the edge of the soft bed.
He casually picked up the "Green Lake Town Promotional Pamphlet" from the nightstand.
A map of Green Lake Town was drawn on it,
with the entire town built around a lake, forming an inverted "L" shape.
The most bustling town center was located at the intersection of the streets.
The back of the pamphlet also listed some benefits for tourists.
1. Green Lake Town provides a free boat service daily from 13:00 to 17:00, available to all visitors.
*Do not exceed more than one boat ride per day,
*There will be no service at night, and if you receive an invitation for a boat ride at night, please refuse immediately and report to the Public Security Bureau in the town center.
2. Green Lake Town provides tourists daily with "Natural Green Water" sourced from the deep springs of the lake, which can remove impurities from the body and improve physical constitution.
*Green Lake is the lifeblood of the town, wastage is not tolerated, and once you accept the green water, you must drink it all.
*The staff providing the green water will definitely be dressed in green uniforms, please refuse any green water offered by others.
3. Green Lake Town holds a bonfire party nightly in the town center, offering delicious local foods for free.
*All party attendees or passersby must wear masks.
*During the party, if you find anyone not wearing a mask, move away immediately and report to the Public Security Bureau.
*The party will absolutely, never be held outside the town center.
Yi Chen stared at the text on the promotional pamphlet with a serious face, muttering to himself,
"These things are somewhat similar to the employee handbook of the cemetery; they are both something akin to 'Rules'... Breaking them might bring about rather dire consequences.
Are such rule-like things common in this world?
Moreover, the 'Rules' on the pamphlet only involve the superficial aspect of the town, they're quite broad.
It does not mention some details about the insides of the town, like this inn I'm currently at…"
Just then,
a sense of wriggling passed through Yi Chen,
and a furry black ball crawled out through his sleeve, landing firmly on the bed.
It opened its big mouth filled with white teeth, making an amalgamated strange noise.
"'Rules' are set by you humans to diminish, avoid pathology, and evade danger.
Pathogens hidden in this world can spread through any channel, in any form,
they can also manifest into some kind of entity, influencing and invading individuals through certain interactions.
If actions are taken according to certain rules, it's possible to reduce the likelihood of pathology and the chance of dangerous events occurring.
It's only a reduction, though, not a complete prevention,
eradicating dangers still relies on more forceful methods.
That's about it...
After all, my memory comes from the 6th grave of the Seven-Day Cemetery, obtained by integrating brain fragments, so I don't know much."
"Who discovered these rules?"
"It must have been some prophet among your humans or some gentlemen with the ability of foreknowledge, I suppose? I'm not too clear on that, heh."
"Well, that's a matter for later. First, let's start investigating the inn at hand.
Try to figure out the pathological problems that exist in the town."
As he said this,
the eyeball of the little grape rolled to its tooth gap, saying excitedly,
"Hmm… I can feel a rather severe pathology unfolding in this inn,
and deeper within this town must lurk even greater threats… There might be big grapes to eat~ Be careful, you don't want to die."