0090: […Your Highness, I have sufficient authority. Would you like me to tell you how to clear the second dungeon?]
Li Yuheng refused righteously: "No need. The male lead should finish what he starts. I haven't used my brain in a long time. I may be abstract in general, but I can't let people think I'm an idiot."
0090: [...]
A short while later, Li Yuheng staggered into a dilapidated little tavern.
The wooden door creaked open, and the dimly lit room was filled with the smell of cheap alcohol and mildew.
Several townspeople sat around a wooden table in the corner, and when he entered, they all cast wary glances at him.
Li Yuheng swaggered to the bar and tapped on the mottled wooden counter: "Boss, a glass of milk, please."
The tavern owner, a burly man with a face full of scars and a black eyepatch over his left eye, slowly raised his head, his single eye conveying the message, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"This is a tavern," the owner said gruffly.
Li Yuheng blinked: "I know, but I have a principle: smoking and drinking affect one's appearance. A handsome guy like me must be strictly self-disciplined."
boss:"……"
A few suppressed snickers came from the corner.
Li Yuheng pretended not to hear and continued, "So, milk, thank you. Warm, with honey, no milk skin."
The boss's one eye twitched, and the veins on his thick arm bulged: "No."
"The juice?"
"No."
"Soy milk?"
"No!"
"Surely you should at least have plain water?" Li Yuheng sighed. "Your service is terrible. I'm going to file a complaint with the Consumer Association."
The owner slammed his hand on the table, making the glasses on the bar clatter: "This is a pub! We only sell alcohol! If you're not going to drink, get out!"
Li Yuheng pursed his lips, took out his press card from his pocket and waved it: "Li Yuheng, reporter of the Universe Daily, would like to ask a few questions."
The tavern fell silent instantly.
The townspeople's expressions became subtle, and some quietly moved towards the door, seemingly ready to flee at any moment.
The boss narrowed his one eye and lowered his voice considerably: "A reporter? Investigating what?"
"I heard... there was a large-scale disappearance incident in this town ten years ago?" Li Yuheng rested his chin on one hand, his smile harmless. "I'd like to know the details."
"Bang!"
A wine glass shattered on the ground.
In the corner, a gaunt old man suddenly stood up, his cloudy eyes filled with fear: "No, don't mention that!"
Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "Why can't we mention it?"
The old man pointed tremblingly out the window: "He will hear you... He will come back..."
"Him?" Li Yuheng looked in the direction the old man was pointing. Through the dirty glass window, he could see the spire of the church in the distance. "You mean... the man in black robes in the painting?"
The tavern erupted in commotion. The townspeople whispered among themselves in fear, and some even began drawing symbols in the air.
The boss grabbed Li Yuheng by the collar, his single eye full of threat: "Listen, outsider, there are some things you'd better not ask. Finish your drink and get out of this town."
Li Yuheng looked down at the empty bar: "But I haven't ordered any drinks yet."
boss:"……"
He released his grip, pulled a bottle of strong liquor covered in thick dust from under the counter, and slammed it down in front of Li Yuheng: "Now you order."
Li Yuheng stared at the bottle of liquid that looked like it could be used as a chemical weapon, and leaned back in disgust: "Wouldn't drinking this stuff make you blind?"
The boss sneered, "If you don't drink it, you'll go blind right now."
As he spoke, he flexed his fist, which was as big as a clay pot, and his knuckles made a "crackling" sound.
Li Yuheng sighed and slowly pulled out his notebook: "Alright, let me ask you another question. Did those missing people ever insult 'God'?"
The air in the tavern froze instantly.
The boss's face turned deathly pale, his one eye widening in disbelief: "You... how did you know..."
Li Yuheng closed his notebook, his smile meaningful: "Just a guess."
He stood up, straightened his collar, and said, "Thank you for your cooperation. The interview is over."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door, but suddenly turned back just as he was about to step out of the tavern: "By the way, I suggest you change the name of the tavern."
The boss was stunned: "What?"
“‘Silent Tavern’ is too old-fashioned.” Li Yuheng tilted his head and thought for a moment. “How about ‘The Blind Boss’s Poisonous Wine Shop’? That would be more fitting.”
boss:"……"
After Li Yuheng left with a grin, 0090 couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, how did you know those townspeople were the ones who disappeared ten years ago? And how did you determine they had insulted 'God'?"
Li Yuheng plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, squinting his eyes as he said, "Isn't this obvious? Shu Bai was the mayor's son, and he died ten years ago; that doctor from out of town who practiced 'bloodletting therapy' also came ten years ago. Such an obvious timeline, even a fool could connect the dots."
He spat out the grass stalk in his mouth and sneered, "Not to mention, when I mention ten years ago, those people look like they've seen a ghost. Doesn't that confirm my guess?"
"For ten whole years, people disappeared from the town, and the townspeople not only didn't look for them, but also kept it a secret."
Li Yuheng crushed the dead leaves on the ground with his toes, his expression gradually darkening. "They keep talking about 'gods' and 'demons,' it's clearly a collective hysteria caused by religious fanaticism."
The evening breeze brushed past his mocking lips. "If you ask me, the most terrifying thing in this world is never any demon or monster... but the ghost that people raise in their own hearts."
Li Yuheng suddenly looked towards the spire of the church in the distance and thoughtfully touched his chin.
"Little System, do you think those people might not have disappeared, but rather left on their own?"
0090: 【！！！】
Is she that smart?
Before 0090 could even organize his thoughts, Li Yuheng said, "Forget it, you don't need to tell me the answer. It's more fun to guess for myself. Alright, it's getting late, let's talk about reasoning tomorrow."
0090: [...]
This young master's thought process is truly unpredictable. He could have gotten the answer directly, but he insisted on playing a reasoning game himself.
At this moment, Li Yuheng suddenly turned around and looked at Shu Bai, who had appeared behind him at some point, with a smile: "Oh, little Shu Bai, it's getting late, so you've come to find me to sleep?"
"...You're overthinking it."
Shu Bai slowly walked to Li Yuheng's side.
Li Yuheng keenly noticed that his expression was somewhat strange, and his dark eyes were filled with complex emotions, more gloomy and deep than usual.
Instead of embracing Shu Bai with his usual playful grin, he remained unusually silent.
The two walked side by side, their shadows, one large and one small, overlapping and separating on the stone path.
The evening breeze swirled up withered leaves, making them dance around their feet.
The church bells rang a few times in the distance, startling a flock of crows that fluttered and flew into the blood-red sky.
Shu Bai suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the wind: "Li Yuheng, you should leave."
Li Yuheng paused in his steps: "Go? Where to?"
"Leave this game." Shu Bai's voice was calm and firm. "Since you were able to force your way in, you must have a way out. You don't need to be trapped here."
Li Yuheng turned his head to look at Shu Bai, but did not answer immediately.
Shu Bai seemed oblivious to Li Yuheng's gaze, looking into the distance: "It took me many cycles to realize that this game is actually an abandoned world, no one cares about it anymore."
He looked down at the tattered puppy doll in his arms, stroking its ears with his fingers, and continued, "There is no exit here, and no real winner."
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