I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 339 1.23 2 Paper Cutting
"What are your thoughts on the rules?" Ling Tong asked slowly from a distance in a deep, magnetic voice.

Bertias looked around and suggested, "How about we find a place to sit down first?"

Ke Ya nodded and said, "I have no objection, but did you see where Mu Yegui went?"

"You guys go find a location, I'll bring her back." Ling Tong turned and left without hesitation, giving no one a chance to stop her.

“He really does keep to himself.” Beltias chuckled as he watched Ling Tong’s figure recede into the distance.

The atmosphere fell silent again. Yu Yin looked left and right, but finally lowered her head and remained silent.

In the end, Koya found a place similar to a teahouse.

Yu Yin hesitated for a moment, looking at the exquisitely cut paper stool with orchid patterns in front of her, and whispered, "Won't it collapse?"

Looking up, I saw that everyone else had already sat down, and then three pairs of eyes were all looking at Yu Yin, as if asking, "Aren't you going to sit down?"

"I think I'll just stand here," Yu Yin said with an awkward smile.

"Whatever, but this is a world made of paper, and you're standing on paper too. If it were going to collapse, it would have collapsed long ago," Ke Ya said, raising an eyebrow.

Yu Yin hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to sit down, though her expression was wary, clearly still not entirely at ease.

"Ling Tong isn't here, so let's ignore the contents of the cards for now. Everyone, please share your thoughts on the rules. Although we're teammates, I know it's difficult to tell everyone the truth since we don't know each other. Just pick something you want to say. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be cooperating from now on."

Koya lowered her head and fiddled with the white, jade-like short flute, speaking casually as if she didn't care what others might think.

“Instead of picking and choosing, how about we analyze everything? You said you’ll be cooperating, so having the same information will be more convenient. Besides, I’ll be very troubled if my partner only has a vague understanding of the rules,” Beltias said thoughtfully, looking at the paper cup in front of him.

"So, should we wait for Mu Yegui and the others to arrive?" Lan Xiao asked softly.

“Ignore them. With their intelligence, they can't possibly fail to analyze the underlying meaning of the rules. Compared to them, I'm more worried about you,” Koya said thoughtfully. “Let's put the mission aside for now and start with the rules.”

Bertias tilted his head and chuckled as he looked at Koya, his blue-gray eyes holding a deep meaning. He said, "Koya is really cunning. Don't you want to participate?"

"I'm giving you a chance to show your skills. If I miss anything, I'll fill in the gaps," Koya said, shrugging.

“Then you won’t have a chance to speak,” Bertias said softly.

"It's not like we're fighting over anything, so it doesn't matter who says it is," Ke Ya retorted with a smile.

The atmosphere between the two was strange, subtly revealing a sense of confrontation, but upon closer inspection, they were still quite friendly.

“The instance itself doesn’t contain any real items, and the instance’s theme is ‘paper cutting,’ which means that everything in the instance is made of paper,” Yu Yin said first.

After she finished speaking, she noticed all three of them looking at her with a hint of inexplicable hesitation. Yu Yin felt a little awkward; had she said something wrong?
"The first rule: There is no real food in the instance itself. This is quite intriguing, meaning that food from the outside world is acceptable. However, it also indicates that apart from the food we brought, we will not find anything edible here. In other words, we are cut off from water and food."

Lan Xiao broke the awkward atmosphere by speaking. She lowered her head and spoke very softly, but because she was looking down, all that could be seen were the strands of golden hair hanging down her face, and her expression could not be clearly seen.

"The second rule states that the storyline will only begin after the corresponding food is made, so this needs to be prioritized and is the top priority," Yu Yin said, taking a deep breath.

Bertias glanced coolly at Yu Yin and said, "That's obvious at a glance. The key is the underlying meaning of this sentence. Corresponding to Rule One, the food must be real, not made of paper, and it's closely related to Task One, requiring the food to be over 90% complete. That seems quite difficult."

Because the first rule states there are no real foods, we need to find real ingredients to make it.

"The third rule: Only players can touch real objects. In other words, if a paper doll touches an object, the real object might turn into paper. Players must be vigilant at all times and handle things personally. Also, if that's the case, placing things on a paper floor or table might not work."

Bertias stroked her smooth chin, her brows gradually furrowing. The more she read the rules, the more demanding the conditions seemed.

"Article Four stipulates that the entire instance exists only in this city. In other words, the entire game exists only in this city and will not be anywhere else," Yu Yin said, looking left and right before mustering her courage.

"That's it?" Koya blinked and asked.

"Mm." Yu Yin nodded.

“You…” Bertias suddenly looked at Yu Yin and hesitated, “Next time you speak, could you please also mention the underlying meaning? Otherwise, it’s very troublesome to add details. For example, you could mention the connection to other rules. And there’s no need to say things that everyone can understand at a glance. It makes me doubt my own intelligence.”

"I'm... I'm sorry," Yu Yin said softly, lowering her head in a flustered manner.

Ke Ya sighed softly, not wanting to make things difficult for the little girl she was meeting for the first time, and said, "Never mind, let's continue."

"Let me add the fourth rule: we are trapped in this city's instance and cannot leave. This means we cannot actively obtain real food from the outside world; we can only passively obtain it. Leaving is considered giving up, and we can't even get close to the edge. But since the doors are closed, it doesn't really matter."

Bertias chuckled and said, "I'm reminded of a classic mystery dungeon mode in the Kingdom of Truth—the Blizzard Manor Mode. As the name suggests, everyone is trapped in a manor filled with blizzards and can't leave. Then the murderer will kill everyone trapped in the manor step by step."

"I don't want to!! Don't kill me!" Lan Xiao said fearfully, clutching her head.

Yu Yin trembled with fear, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to voice her terror.

Bertias glanced at everyone's expressions and chuckled, "I was just joking. I only said it looked similar. Besides, this is the Kingdom of Gourmet Food, not the Kingdom of Truth. This type of murder wouldn't happen here."

"Ahem, there are a few of us here who are a bit timid, so don't try to scare them on purpose," Ke Ya glanced at him and warned.

Bertias shrugged, smiled indifferently, and didn't think there was anything wrong with what he had just said; he was just reminding everyone.

(End of this chapter)