Chapter 113 Chapter 113 That person wasn't Little Black Hat, then...

The witch stood there, staring at Xu Yi, seemingly surprised by her decisive refusal. She moved her lips and emphasized again, "This mushroom is really delicious."

Xu Yi shook her head again, "No, I won't eat."

The two women locked eyes, and the witch remained silent for a long time.

She looked somewhat conflicted, as if she was pondering something.

Just then, the electronic voice sounded again.

Two mission members have died so far.

Xu Yi frowned; yet another person had died.

I don't know which mission it was.

Xu Yi looked at the witch, and the witch looked at Xu Yi.

Finally, the witch took the apple out of the basket and handed it to Xu Yi, saying, "Little Black Hat, here's an apple for you."

It seems this really is a search for the witch of Black Snow deep in the forest.

The witch's apple was half poisonous and half not.

"No, thank you. I don't want to eat. I want to go home," Xu Yi refused again.

The witch stared at Xu Yi's retreating figure, watching her leave with great reluctance. Then, carrying the apple, she walked deeper into the forest, towards Hei Xue's current residence.

After walking for a while, Xu Yi saw the tower where the black-haired girl was standing. Someone was grabbing the black-haired girl's long hair and climbing up.

Lu Ziyang leaned against the window and waved to Xu Yi, "Hello, Little Black Hat."

"Hello."

The Mediterranean prince, who was climbing up by grabbing his hair, fell down. He didn't see Xu Yi and cursed angrily.

With other people around, Xu Yi hadn't planned to talk to Lu Ziyang, but she was stopped when she walked over.

The Mediterranean hairstyle paired with Gothic makeup looks somewhat comical.

The other party didn't seem to have learned their lesson and remained extremely arrogant.

He looked Xu Yi up and down, frowned and said, "What kind of outfits are you all wearing? You look neither human nor ghost."

Xu Yi patiently explained, "We're playing the role of those who drew cards back then."

"What kind of person are you? You don't even know what kind of place this is. I came here right after leaving home. Who would want to stay in this gloomy, ghostly place? Little girl, do you even know how to get out?"

"We can leave once we clear the dungeon. The elf already told us the rules of the dungeon when we came here."

Mediterranean was frozen in place by the elves. Although he could hear them, he didn't take them to heart and had no recollection of the rules.

As for the so-called eerie world, they scoffed at it, thinking that everything around them was just a charade.

"There are no fairy tales, those are just for kids. Is some TV crew secretly filming something?"

Even if he saw the elf appear in front of him with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe it. With technology so advanced now, it's not difficult to pretend to be a ghost.

"How much did the production team pay you?" the other person asked, rubbing their hands together as they approached.

Xu Yi took two steps back and laughed, "I don't understand what you're saying, but I'll remind you to follow the rules."

The other person looked at Xu Yi and immediately started cursing.

Xu Yi ignored him and continued walking forward.

"Hey, little girl, where are you going?"

Xu Yi is still playing the role of the little black hat. "Grandma was sick, and Mom asked me to bring her food. After Grandma got better, she asked me to bring back some toast to eat with Mom."

Upon hearing this, Mediterranean frowned. "What toast? Let me see it. Damn it, at my age, why would I want to play fairy tales here? Those are things for little kids."

As the man spoke, he snatched the basket from Xu Yi's hand, opened it, and after seeing something, he was so frightened that he dropped the basket on the ground.

He retreated in terror, but tripped over the weeds and fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but couldn't manage it after several attempts. He could only move backward using his hands and bottom, until he reached the tower behind him.

It felt like something had crawled onto him, and he frantically patted himself off.

"Don't come any closer, don't come any closer, all of you stay away."

The other person finally realized the danger, revealing a terrified expression, and reached out to Xu Yi for help, pleading, "Save me, save me, I don't want to die!"

Xu Yi guessed that the other party had broken a taboo by not greeting him.

They didn't say, as the rules say, "Hello, little black hat."

It's also possible that the other party has no idea at all that she is the "little black hat" in the rules.

Xu Yi switched perspectives and saw the monster crawling onto Mediterranean's body, tearing at his flesh.

They also saw what happened before the Mediterranean came to this instance. The ghost absorbed the Mediterranean's life force, and his memories also entered the ghost's mind.

Xu Yi could see very clearly that this Mediterranean man was someone of some status and position in the real world.

He loved to get drunk, and when he was drunk, he would beat his wife and children. Just before he entered the eerie world, he got drunk and caused a scene, breaking his wife's leg bone.

Xu Yi extended the dagger, then withdrew it.

And then she switched to the perspective of the cheater, and in an instant, the Mediterranean Sea disappeared from her sight.

Xu Yi looked up at Lu Ziyang, whose face was pale, and then at the basket that had fallen to the ground. The cloth covering it had been partially lifted, revealing freshly baked bread inside.

Luckily, the bread didn't fall on the ground. I just covered the basket with the cloth again and took it home.

Xu Yi didn't look this way just now because she didn't want to see those disgusting and terrifying things; she probably wouldn't be able to eat the bread after seeing them.

It was food made by her grandmother, after all; she couldn't waste it on someone like that. As she picked up the basket, she quickly switched her perspective; the Mediterranean Sea had vanished.

Xu Yi didn't care where he went.

Four mission members have died so far.

Xu Yi frowned, still looking puzzled. Did two people die at the same time?

One of them is the Mediterranean-looking man in front of us. Who is the other one?

What role did that mission take?

Lu Ziyang breathed a sigh of relief, laughed loudly, and said, "My goal is achieved."

He didn't say what his goal was because the rules didn't allow him to tell others what his goal was.

If he were to say it, he would die just like that person.

However, Xu Yi could also see that Lu Ziyang's goal was related to that Mediterranean prince.

The prince is dead, and Lu Ziyang has achieved his goal, so his mission is very likely to kill the prince.

The rules didn't say the black-haired girl had to kill the prince herself, so the prince accidentally brought about his own death, and his mission was accomplished.

But Lu Ziyang could say other things.

To prevent the prince from climbing up, he specially smeared oil on his hair so that the prince couldn't use it to climb up.

Lu Ziyang leaned out the window and told Xu Yi his rules.

Rule 1: When you see a girl in a black hat, remember to greet her by saying, "Hello, girl in a black hat."

Rule 2: You may cut your long hair if necessary.

Rule Three: Sing at the window at midnight and do not talk to any passing creatures.

Lu Ziyang's rules confirmed Xu Yi's guess; indeed, their first rule was related to the little black hat.

Everyone, whether they are mission participants or native residents, must say this.

Lu Ziyang hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something, but Xu Yi just shook his head.

In the end, I watched Xu Yi leave.

He is tone-deaf and his singing sounds like a pig being slaughtered.

But when the clock struck midnight, he had to follow the rules.

Unexpectedly, the songs he sang were quite beautiful.

It truly is a bizarre world; one cannot judge it using ordinary ideas.

He was completely absorbed in his own singing.

He really wanted to ask about other people's situations, but he was afraid of breaking the rules.

Never mind, let's talk about it later.

When Xu Yi was on her way home, she passed by the river again. She looked at it and saw her reflection in the water. Not only the hood, but the entire edge of the cloak had turned red.

Between black and red, the colors intertwine, making it appear as if red has pushed back black.

Xu Yi was stunned for a moment, and then it got dark. She immediately picked up her basket and hurried home.

As she neared home, Xu Yi suddenly stopped and turned to look.

She sensed someone was watching her, but when she turned around, she found nothing.

Looking around, the darkened forest had an indescribable eerie feeling, and when the wind blew, there were sounds like ghosts crying.

She abandoned her desire to explore deeper into the forest and turned back to the cabin.

She handed the bread to her "mother," who then gave her an invitation.

"This is the prince's ball, and he has invited all the young ladies of marriageable age in town to attend. My dear little black hat, you are already sixteen years old, so you should go to the prince's ball too."

"Okay, thank you, Mom." Xu Yi accepted the invitation.

The following evening, Xu Yi followed the instructions and prepared to go to the prince's ball.

The rules for black girls naturally didn't apply to her, so before the ball started, Xu Yi changed into the new dress her mother had prepared for her. Actually, there wasn't much difference; both were black gothic dresses.

The black hood was still on his head.

She was Little Black Hat; the hood was a symbol of her identity, and naturally, she couldn't lose that identity.

To get to the prince's ball, they would have to pass by the black girl's house, and Xu Yi planned to go with Gao Lin.

As they passed the tower, Lu Ziyang lay there, and after completing his task, he lazily greeted Xu Yi.

When they arrived at the Black girl's house, her family had already gone to the dance, leaving her alone at home.

Looking at her tattered dress, Gao Lin smiled wryly and said, "Looking like this, I probably won't even be able to get into the ball."

As soon as the words were spoken, two black mice ran over, one of them carrying a gothic-style shoe on its back.

Several black pigeons came carrying a dress in their beaks.

Gao Lin quickly changed her clothes and came over, where a carriage had already appeared.

The black pigeon spoke in human language, "My dear child, you must remember to return before midnight, or everything will revert to its original state."

After they finished speaking, the pigeon and the mouse disappeared without a trace.

After her glamorous makeover, Gao Lin glanced at her clothes and muttered to herself, "Actually, I don't feel like there's much of a change. It's just that I changed from wearing all black to wearing something else entirely."

Xu Yi said, "At least this black outfit doesn't look tattered."

Gao Lin: "...You're right."

She lifted her long skirt to get into the carriage when she saw the little black hat standing there.

"Hey, little black hat, let's go together."

Xu Yi nodded, and the two of them got into the carriage together.

We also exchanged some information.

"Why does everyone have to greet the little black hat? Is the little black hat the ghost hidden in the town, as mentioned in the rules?"

Xu Yi didn't speak, but quietly looked at Gao Lin.

Gao Lin laughed guiltily under her gaze and quickly said, "Sister Yi, I didn't doubt you, I was just saying it casually. We're definitely in cahoots. Look, even though the names of Little Black Hat and Black Girl have changed, they're still from the same fairy tale."

Xu Yi felt as if she had grasped something, but it quickly slipped away from her mind, so quickly that she couldn't grasp the key point at all.

This time, the feeling was a bit stronger than last time.

Something's not right. What's wrong with it?

The carriage stopped; we had arrived at the place where the prince was holding the ball.

Gao Lin got off the car with some trepidation.

Xu Yi followed behind her. She wasn't the protagonist in the story of the Black Girl. Even after entering the ball, no one noticed her. Everyone was drawn to the Black Girl.

The black girl, after a glamorous transformation, stunned everyone upon her arrival.

The guests present were all speculating about the identity of the black-clad woman.

The dark-skinned girl was so dazzling today that even her family didn't recognize her. They looked at her with jealous eyes, wondering which castle's princess she was.

The whispers reached Gao Lin's ears, and she found them somewhat amusing.

The prince walked out from the crowd and reached out his hand to Gao Lin when he was just a step away from her.

"Beautiful lady, may I invite you to dance with me?"

"certainly."

Gao Lin reached out and placed her hand on the prince's hand.

The two of them glided onto the dance floor, and they talked and danced as they danced.

However, whenever the prince asked Gao Lin about her name and home address, she always remained silent.

Or they just smile and don't say anything.

Just then, the electronic notification sounded again.

Five mission members have died so far.

Another person has died.

Gao Lin turned around to look for Xu Yi, but couldn't see Xu Yi anywhere.

To be precise, everyone was dressed in various styles of Gothic clothing, and with everything in complete darkness, it was impossible to tell who was who.

Gao Lin turned in several directions but couldn't see Xu Yi wearing a hood.

By the time she came to her senses, the clock in the main hall was about to point to twelve.

Gao Lin sensed something was wrong and hurriedly tried to escape. While running down the stairs, she accidentally lost one of her shoes.

She had to get back before midnight, not because the magic would wear off, but because breaking the rules would mean death.

Xu saw her running out, quickly grabbed her hand, and led her back to the carriage.

At the last minute, the carriage stopped in front of the house, and Gao Lin, holding up her skirt, ran wildly back to her room.

He locked the door from the inside and only breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the clock strike midnight.

Her dress changed back to its original shape, and her shoes returned to their original style.

Oh right, the prince should have a shoe that she accidentally dropped when she ran back. I just wonder if that shoe will turn back.

Xu Yi didn't hear the system's announcement, but seeing the carriage suddenly disappear, he knew that Gao Lin was alright.

On her way back, she passed by Lu Ziyang's place and heard him singing.

The singing was so awful and deafening, yet he sang with such relish that Xu Yi couldn't help but frown. Lu Ziyang didn't notice her, so she covered her ears and ran away as fast as she could.

That was awful, the singing was absolutely terrible.

Listening any further would be the death of her.

Xu Yi ran home quickly. The house was quiet, and she went back to her room.

I was woken up by a skull-shaped alarm clock this morning.

After opening her eyes and finishing breakfast, "Mom" handed her a basket. "Dear Little Black Hat, you must take this plate of pastries I just made to Grandma today."

"Okay, Mom."

Xu Yi immediately took it. She guessed that the little black hat was probably constantly delivering things to both sides, which made it convenient for her to check the situation.

She picked up the basket and walked towards her grandmother's house.

The black-haired girl stood by the window and spoke in a high-pitched voice, "Hello, Little Black Hat, what brings you here again?"

Xu Yi asked in confusion, "Was I here just now?"

"Of course, I greeted you, and after you replied with one sentence, you hurriedly walked away."

"I just left home. How long ago was 'just now'?"

"Just over ten minutes ago, you didn't even look up at me."

Xu Yi pursed her lips; that person definitely wasn't her.

"Didn't you really see her face?"

Having achieved his goal, Lu Ziyang felt much more relaxed. After thinking it over carefully, he realized that the little black hat he had just seen was indeed a bit strange.

But upon closer reflection, I couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong. "Her build is very similar to yours, she's carrying a basket, and like you, she has a black hat."

Lu Ziyang gestured, but since he was wearing a hat and had his head down, he couldn't really see what the face looked like.

"By the way, that person's hat is different from yours. Yours has a red trim, but hers doesn't."

"I understand. Be careful," Xu Yi said, then picked up her basket and left.

Further on, Xu Yi saw Hei Xue lying in a crystal coffin.

Looking up, Yu Jin, playing the role of the Prince on the Black Horse, was riding over on a black horse.

He looked at Xu Yi and said, "Hello, Little Black Hat, we meet again."

Xu Yi looked at him and said seriously, "This is our first time meeting."

The dark horse prince played by Yu Jin is someone who has just appeared; they have never seen him before.

"But I already greeted you just now," Yu Jin said, somewhat puzzled.

"Did you see the little black hat's face? Does your rule also require you to greet the little black hat?"

Yu Jin paused for a moment, shook his head, and then nodded.

He knew that Xu Yi had drawn the character card Little Black Hat, and he also had a rule that he should greet Little Black Hat whenever he saw him.

Recalling the scene just now, he realized that he hadn't seen the face of the man in the black hat, and that the man had walked away quickly, responding to his words before helping him leave.

The voice sounds quite similar to Xu Yi's.

Yu Jin thought it was Xu Yi, and seeing her walking so fast, he assumed she had something to do.

If that person isn't Little Black Hat, then who is it?