Although Ye Jinran had already figured out the identities of the five people while observing them, he still listened patiently as they introduced themselves again.
The one leading the group was Zhao Qian, who had fabricated a story for their team, claiming they were traveling merchants on their way south to trade. According to him, they had lost their way when passing through this area.
‘Merchants?’ Ye Jinran thought silently. ‘If you’re merchants, then what am I supposed to be? That’s completely backwards.‘
There were two women in the group. In this era, it was inconvenient for women to travel but in Zhao Qian’s version of events, they were his younger sisters. The older of the two rolled her eyes the moment she heard that.
The teenager who looked like a high school student was indeed underage. The Main God’s infinite game had no concept of “minor protection” or “anti-addiction systems.” Zhao Qian introduced him as a clever cousin sent out by the family to broaden his horizons.
The last man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, thin, wiry, almost monkey-like. Zhao Qian claimed he was the family’s accountant, an expert at numbers and shrewd to the core.
After listening to all this, Ye Jinran didn’t bother remembering their names. In the infinite game, players one met by chance could die the very next moment, there was no need to memorize names that would soon be meaningless. Besides, everything they said was fabricated. Through the system interface, he could see each player’s real identity clearly.
All those stories were just for fooling ordinary NPCs.
Apart from Zhao Qian, Ye Jinran mentally labeled the others: Twin-tails, Tall Girl, High Schooler and Monkey.
He hadn’t been running the system shop for very long but he had seen every kind of player imaginable. None of these stood out in any way.
The dungeon “Nanjin Village Mist” lived up to its name. The entire village was shrouded in a thick fog, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. The villagers’ ambiguous attitudes toward outsiders, the unclear plotline and the hazy dreamlike atmosphere all made it impossible to “see” anything clearly.
New players would quickly realize they were neither welcomed nor rejected by the villagers. The villagers seemed numb, their expressions wooden, as if nothing could stir their dulled nerves. Unless the players acted aggressively, the villagers would barely react at all.
There were plenty of empty houses in the village. Players could simply clean one up and make it their temporary base, with daily necessities conveniently supplied by the ever-reliable system shop.
For three days, Zhao Qian’s group hadn’t found a single villager capable of holding a normal conversation. Now that they had finally met someone who could talk, their faces lit up with relief and hope.
“Brother Ye,” Zhao Qian said politely, taking charge of the negotiation. His expression softened as he continued, “Where are you staying? If we ever need to find you again…”
Ye Jinran could have taken his goods and left. He hadn’t planned to linger in this dungeon but he didn’t mind playing along for a while. After all, slacking off a little while working was part of the fun of earning money.
He sighed lightly, his face showing just the right amount of sorrow. “I came late and found that my old acquaintance here had already passed away. Since I’m here anyway, I might as well stay a few days. Where are you all staying? I’ll come visit.”
Zhao Qian didn’t dare pry further, afraid of touching on a painful topic, so he changed the subject. “Oh, right. The mountain paths are slippery and the fog so thick. How did you manage to make it up here?”
Ye Jinran blinked. “It was difficult but I had an immortal guiding my way. Once the illusions were broken, the road was clear.”
The “immortal” he referred to was, of course, the Main God. Under divine protection, no horror in the dungeon could harm him, not even the fog.
After hearing about how the previous shopkeeper had died heroically, Ye Jinran had worried he might end up making money only to die before spending it. So before officially starting his new role, he’d negotiated every possible safety guarantee for himself.
He rarely left the physical storefront of the system shop. The store existed within the domain of the Divine Kingdom and outside horrors couldn’t invade it. It was essentially a safe house. That was why, in the previous dungeon, Amanda had been able to escape the werewolf’s pursuit simply by locking her doors.
Now, Ye Jinran was only appearing outside because he knew this place well, he understood exactly when it was safe.
The five explorers had been in the area for three days and had roughly grasped the local patterns. Feeling relatively secure, they sat in the square eating melon seeds while discussing strategy.
But they were still wary. When Ye Jinran mentioned a “guiding immortal,” they immediately stiffened. The girl with twin ponytails couldn’t help blurting out, “An immortal? Does that mean this dungeon is actually…”
She cut herself off mid-sentence, realizing she couldn’t openly discuss game-world classifications in front of an NPC.
Zhao Qian frowned thoughtfully, finding her speculation surprisingly reasonable. Fog, monsters, strange phenomena, it all made more sense under that explanation.
Ye Jinran nearly burst out laughing as he saw them go off track. He held it in and corrected them smoothly, “It’s just a family trick passed down for generations to help navigate. I just call it ‘Immortal’s Guidance’ for convenience.”
The group exhaled in relief. They already knew the villagers could somehow leave the valley, once, a team had stolen the villagers’ supplies and the next day, a few locals went down the mountain and returned with replenished goods. They must have bought them from outside.
“Brother Ye,” Zhao Qian asked, “could you teach us that method? We’re in a hurry and can’t wait for the fog to clear.”
They already knew several theoretical ways out but if they could save some points by learning from an NPC, all the better. Previous teams had tried to get help from villagers but the locals behaved like puppets and never responded to outsiders’ commands.
Ye Jinran smiled faintly. “This method isn’t for outsiders. But I can offer you a hint, truth and illusion, real and false, don’t draw the line too clearly. Only then will you see what’s real.”
When running his store, he occasionally sold information to players but since these ones hadn’t paid, he had no intention of offering too much for free. Valuable information should remain valuable. And honestly, being mysterious was its own kind of pleasure.
Watching their puzzled faces as they tried to decipher his words, he laughed silently to himself.
The tall woman finished tidying up the melon seed shells, lifted a chair easily with one hand and smiled. “Since we’re all from outside, why don’t you come sit in our place for some tea?”
“Sure,” Ye Jinran agreed easily. He had nothing better to do anyway.
Zhao Qian glanced at the tall woman with approval. He had been wondering how to continue the conversation and she had created the perfect opportunity. Working with people who understood him really made things smoother.
It was already afternoon. In the outside world, the sun would have been scorching but although the thick fog and dark clouds dimmed the light in Nanjin Village, the heat remained oppressive.
As they walked along the narrow paths between houses, their clothes grew damp with sweat and they looked somewhat disheveled.
Trailing slightly behind, Zhao Qian glanced at Ye Jinran again. To his surprise, the man seemed completely unaffected, no sweat, no dirt, not even a wrinkle in his robe. Despite the long conversation earlier and their brisk pace now, Ye Jinran’s breathing remained steady, his steps light and even, almost as if he were gliding over the ground.
This NPC was definitely not ordinary. Maybe not even human. Zhao Qian’s mind started to race, already planning how best to probe further.
They arrived at a small wooden cabin the group had cleaned out earlier. Twin-tails opened the door and the others brought the chairs back inside.
Ye Jinran entered, pretending to look around casually. He immediately recognized several familiar items, goods that had come straight from his system shop.
By checking what players purchased, he could easily estimate their wealth. As expected, this team wasn’t poor. They spent freely on comfort-enhancing items.
Ye Jinran took a seat, his gaze flicking across the invisible system interface as he reviewed their data again and again. The numbers in their accounts matched his estimates perfectly.
Zhao Qian noticed Ye Jinran’s wandering gaze and assumed he was looking for something. Concerned yet slightly suspicious, he asked, “Brother Ye, is something wrong?”
“Nothing,” Ye Jinran adjusted his posture. “I was just thinking about what kind of business to do next.”
Zhao Qian misunderstood, assuming he meant trade. “Ah! The mountain roads were rough. We ran into a landslide and lost our horses and wagons, most of our goods are still buried somewhere out there. We’ve been planning to retrieve them but it’s not safe to go down the mountain right now…”
Ye Jinran waved a hand dismissively. “No comment. You’ll have to find your own way.”
Zhao Qian’s brows furrowed and then something seemed to click. “Brother Ye, what you said earlier, truth and illusion. Do you mean some of what we’ve seen here might not be real?” He thought back to the past three days and began to suspect the fog itself might be hallucinogenic.
Ye Jinran’s expression didn’t change. “I told you not to divide truth and falsehood so clearly and now you’ve gone and trapped yourself in the distinction.”
Exactly as intended. In this dungeon, the more players tried to uncover the truth, the farther away they got from it.
In this dreamlike place, truth and illusion intertwined endlessly. The only way forward was to believe in everything.
Zhao Qian froze for a moment, then inspiration struck. He produced a pouch of fine tea from his pack and respectfully offered it to Ye Jinran. “This is all that’s left of our stock. I kept it for myself but please, take it as a small token of gratitude.”
Ah, finally, the bribery stage.
In the exploration phase, when persuasion failed and open hostility wasn’t an option, players often turned to material offerings. Different worlds valued different currencies, so they rarely used points directly. Instead, they’d offer small items first to test an NPC’s response.
If the NPC accepted and the cost wasn’t too high, everyone was satisfied. But Ye Jinran wasn’t so easily impressed. That tea had clearly just been exchanged from the system shop, it barely qualified as E-grade. He had crates of the stuff lying around. Why would he accept such a cheap trinket? Even the random tea he’d grabbed in the last dungeon was worth more than this.
His disdain showed plainly in his eyes. Zhao Qian realized immediately that he’d picked the wrong item and withdrew his hand awkwardly. “Ahaha, Brother Ye doesn’t seem to like tea? I also have some other things, ”
“No need,” Ye Jinran interrupted calmly. “Just tell me what you want to know.”
Straightforward business, clear terms, fair trade. That was how he liked it.
The group exchanged glances. They had too many questions to know where to start.
“When will the fog clear?” Twin-tails asked first. They had been told it was a seasonal weather phenomenon but no one knew when the next “season” would come.
Ye Jinran replied evenly, “At least not before you leave.”
That was not the answer they expected. For a moment, silence fell. The man before them really did seem to know the dungeon’s inner workings.
Zhao Qian hesitated. “You’re certain it won’t clear until we leave? What if we never leave?” Ordinary NPCs shouldn’t have known players could only stay five days before being forcibly ejected. Every time a dungeon restarted, its timeline reset, no one remembered the previous cycle.
Ye Jinran didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said casually, “If you’re so desperate to know what’s real and what’s not, why not buy a mirror that reveals truth? I’ve only read about it in old records. If I knew where to get one, I’d have bought one myself.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering their supposed identity, he looked at Zhao Qian curiously. “You travel the world trading goods, don’t you? Ever heard of such a mirror?”
He couldn’t directly charge players for information but he could guide them toward purchasing items from the system shop. Middleman’s profit, it counted as his fee.
A fair deal, really. He gave them clues, provided tools and even let them feel clever about it. Practically charity.
As expected, Zhao Qian immediately opened the system shop interface. Ye Jinran had already quietly raised the price of that particular item beforehand.
The shop held countless goods and unless players used something often, they rarely remembered exact prices. Zhao Qian soon found an item matching Ye Jinran’s description, a mirror that could reflect true physical forms and easily distinguish truth from illusion.
It was a C-grade item, not cheap. Zhao Qian gritted his teeth and bought two, handing one to Ye Jinran and secretly keeping the other.
Hearing the satisfying chime of points credited to his account, Ye Jinran’s mood lifted considerably and his smile grew. “Truly well-traveled merchants. You even managed to find such treasures.”
“Haha, I like collecting rare items when I pass through new places,” Zhao Qian lied smoothly.
Leaning back in his chair, Ye Jinran continued, “The fog won’t clear because you have yet to see clearly.”
Zhao Qian straightened, now addressing him with newfound respect. “Master, please enlighten us.”
Ye Jinran’s gaze was calm and distant. “You think the villagers are strange, unreasonable but they have glimpsed what’s real. They live within truth. It is you who are the anomalies. Those who refuse to embrace the truth will never be accepted by this village.”
He sighed softly, as though mourning their ignorance.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The Realm demands coffee. The Realm is not accepting complaints.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Blood Moon Town: ShhhChapter 2 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (1)Chapter 3 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (2)Chapter 4 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (3)Chapter 5 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (4)Chapter 6 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 7 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (6)Chapter 8 · The mist over Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 9 · The Mystery of Nanjin Village (The End)Chapter 10 · Real WorldChapter 11 · Riding The Wind (1)Chapter 12 · Riding The Wind (2)Chapter 13 · Riding The Wind (3)Chapter 14 · Riding The Wind (4)Chapter 15 · Riding The Wind (5)Chapter 16 · Riding The Wind (6)Chapter 17 · Riding The Wind (7)Chapter 18 · Riding The Wind (8)Chapter 19 · Riding The Wind (9)Chapter 20 · Riding The Wind (10)Chapter 21 Part 1 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 21 Part 2 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 22 · Real World (1)Chapter 23 · Real World (2)Chapter 24 · Golden Sands Fade Away (1)Chapter 25 · Golden Sands Fade Away (2)Chapter 26 · Golden Sands Fade Away (3)Chapter 27 · Golden Sands Fade Away (4)Chapter 28 · Golden Sands Fade Away (5)Chapter 29 · Golden Sands Fade Away (6)Chapter 30 · Golden Sands Fade Away (7)Chapter 31 · Golden Sands Fade Away (8)Chapter 32 · Golden Sands Fade Away (9)Chapter 33 · Golden Sands Fade Away (10)Chapter 34 · Golden Sands Fade Away (11)Chapter 35 · Golden Sands Fade Away (12)Chapter 36 · Golden Sands Fade Away (13)Chapter 37 · Golden Sands Fade Away (14)Chapter 38 · Golden Sands Fade Away (15)Chapter 39 · Golden Sands Fade Away (16)Chapter 40 · Golden Sands Fade Away (17)Chapter 41 · Golden Sands Fade Away (18)Chapter 42 · Golden Sands Fade Away (19)Chapter 43 · Golden Sands Fade Away (20)Chapter 44 · Golden Sands Fade Away (21)Chapter 45 · Golden Sands Fade Away (22)Chapter 46 · Golden Sands Fade Away (23)Chapter 47 · Golden Sands Fade Away (24)Chapter 48 · Golden Sands Fade Away (25) The EndChapter 49 · Main God’s DomainChapter 50 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (1)Chapter 51 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (2)Chapter 52 · Item FactoryChapter 53 · Defrosted Friendship (1)Chapter 54 · Defrosted Friendship (2)Chapter 55 · Defrosted Friendship (3)Chapter 56 · Defrosted Friendship (4)Chapter 57 · Defrosted Friendship (5)Chapter 58 · Defrosted Friendship (6)Chapter 59 · Defrosted Friendship (7)Chapter 60 · Defrosted Friendship (8)Chapter 61 · Defrosted Friendship (9)Chapter 62 · Defrosted Friendship (10)Chapter 63 · Defrosted Friendship (11)Chapter 64 · Defrosted Friendship (12)Chapter 65 · Defrosted Friendship (13)Chapter 66 · Defrosted Friendship (14)Chapter 67 · Defrosted Friendship (15)Chapter 68 · Defrosted Friendship (16)Chapter 69 · Defrosted Friendship (End)Chapter 70 · The Real WorldChapter 71 · Matching TimeChapter 72 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (1)Chapter 73 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (2)Chapter 74 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (3)Chapter 75 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (4)Chapter 76 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (5)Chapter 77 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (6)Chapter 78 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (7)Chapter 79 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (8)Chapter 80 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (9)Chapter 81 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (10)Chapter 82 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (11)Chapter 83 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (12)Chapter 84 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (13)Chapter 85 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (14)Chapter 86 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (15)Chapter 87 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (16)Chapter 88 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (17)Chapter 89 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (18)Chapter 90 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (19)Chapter 91 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (20)Chapter 92 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (21)Chapter 93 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (22)Chapter 94 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (23)Chapter 95 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (Complete)Chapter 96 · The Main God Invites You for TeaChapter 97 · The Player ForumChapter 98 · Training GroundChapter 99 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (1)Chapter 100 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (2)Chapter 101 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (3)Chapter 102 · Eternal Night · The One Who Strikes the Stone (Finale)