Rules of the Strange: I Can See Through All the Weird

[Host! She's giving off a really strange feeling!]

[I feel so awkward! This is a completely distorted, almost insane trust!]

The trembling voice of System 666 echoed in my mind.

Qi Tong withdrew his hand from the old woman's and waved it in front of her.

The old woman didn't react at all, as if she hadn't seen anything, and remained absorbed in the images in her mind.

Even after Qi Tong and He Lu had walked a few steps away, the old woman remained standing there, motionless and grinning foolishly.

This scene is truly bizarre.

Qi Tong and He Lu continued searching for villagers, wanting to learn more.

Along the way, almost everyone was an elderly person with faltering steps, and they all said pretty much the same thing: when the Mermaid God was mentioned, they all had foolish fantasies about her.

After walking for a while, many villagers were already standing there in a daze.

Qi Tong glanced back and saw those figures scattered in the alley, like old statues casually placed there, standing motionless on the ground, each with the same smile on their face.

Suddenly, a young man with an anxious expression ran in the direction that Qi Tong and the others had come from.

He wasn't carrying anything in his hands, so it was clear he wasn't there to worship the Mermaid God.

Qi Tong quickly followed, and He Lu also followed closely behind, afraid of falling behind.

The man simply circled the statue once, his eyes filled with doubt.

"That's strange...that's strange..."

"How could there be none...?"

Nothing?

Qi Tong pondered upon hearing this.

Could it be that this person's wish was not fulfilled?

The man's next muttered remark sent shivers down Qi Tong's spine.

"I clearly sensed another power..."

Other powers? Qi Tong immediately thought of System 666.

Six! He actually knew that the idol was absorbing the Six Sons!

Who exactly is he?

The man seemed to sense the gaze and looked up.

Seeing that only two little girls were staring at him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

I stepped forward and asked.

"What's wrong? Do you want to make a wish?"

The man then looked at their empty hands and paused.

"You can't go without offerings. Judging by your attire, you must be from out of town!"

"Didn't the village chief tell you to bring live offerings?"

Qi Tong suppressed her doubts, clenched her fist at her side, and then relaxed it.

"The village chief told us, brother. You have a good eye. We just arrived and were thinking of buying some raw meat, but we didn't know where to buy it."

The man chuckled softly. "Where can I buy one?"

"We either raise domestic animals or fish out of the sea."

"Money is the most useless thing here; we don't even make wishes with it."

The man smiled broadly, and his words revealed a great deal of information.

But the hairs on the back of Qi Tong's neck stood up for a moment, then she pressed them down again.

She chuckled twice. "Brother, who are you? It's very pleasant talking to you. You don't seem like someone who has always stayed in the village."

Sure enough, the man smiled proudly, placed his hands on either side of his head, smoothed his hair, and then spoke.

"Yes, I went to school outside! I'm a newly appointed village cadre who just returned to the village."

"What are 'veteran cadres'?"

"My dad!"

"My dad is incredibly talented; he personally carved this statue of the Mermaid God."

Hearing the man's words, Qi Tong's eyes lit up.

You've found the right person!

This person not only knows a lot, but is also a big mouth!

The man began to reminisce.

"Back then, the village chief's parents brought the young village chief to her door and asked her to carve a statue for them. The village had only been established for eighty years, and the statue was already sixty years old."

"But all of this was told to me by my father."

Qi Tong continued to press for answers.

Is your father still alive?

Upon hearing this, a trace of sadness flashed in the man's eyes, and he lowered his head and said softly.

"They're gone."

Qi Tong nodded with some regret.

It's a pity; if that old man were still alive, he would definitely know more.

My condolences.

"Sigh, so many years have passed, I'm used to it now."

As the man spoke, he looked up at Qi Tong and He Lu.

"My name is Qian Yu, and I live over there. You can come find me if you need anything."

He pointed westward into the village, then put his hand back in his pocket. "I'm leaving now; I haven't fed the animals at home yet."

After saying goodbye to Qian Yu, it was already getting dark, and Qi Tong and He Lu quickly returned to their residence.

We've learned enough today.

The Mermaid God saved the village chief's family; the statue was made by Qian Yu's father; and Qian Yu had gone out and was the only relatively young person he met along the way.

Furthermore, Qian Yu could sense the power surrounding the statue.

Is the thing at the bottom of the statue that 666 mentioned related to Qian Yu, or Qian Yu's father?

"Sixth son, is Qian Yu acting strangely?"

He didn't sense any abnormality from the host, and he didn't show any strange emotions towards the host.

Qi Tong hummed in response, but her vigilance remained.

There was nothing unusual, but she always had a vague feeling that something was off about Qian Yu.

Back at my lodgings, a red note was placed on the previously empty wooden table.

He Lu stepped forward and picked up the note.

It says:

Dear journalists, the sacrificial ceremony will be held at 9:00 AM on the 15th of this month. You are cordially invited to attend.

All villagers must participate in the sacrificial ceremony. Please bring your trust and sincerely pray to the Mermaid God.

The Mermaid God will bless every believer.

Inviter: Village Chief

Invitation date: July 13, xxxx.

"Is it an invitation?" He Lu took the slip of paper, turned it over, and looked at the back.

The back is still in the shape of a strip of paper, except that there is a small circle in the middle with a fish tail pattern inside.

"It seems so."

The year is blurry and unclear.

It could be a setting within the instance, or it could be intentionally kept from players.

Qi Tong used "Xiao Qin's Tears" to examine the invitation letter.

Every word on the invitation was deleted one by one until it was blank.

Then, two words were slowly written on it in a blood red color that was even darker than the red background.

"To go to one's death".

Qi Tong frowned deeply. Was this the fate of everyone at the sacrificial ceremony?

To die?

If the ending is death, why not just write the word "death"?

Why go to one's death?

Trust, sincerity, and willingness to die.

Qi Tong suddenly realized that going to one's death meant that everyone should die willingly.

Is the Mermaid God, or rather, the person behind the Mermaid God, going to sacrifice the entire village for him?

Qi Tong recounted all of this to He Lu.

He Lu looked at Qi Tong's expression and lowered her voice: "So, on the day of the sacrificial ceremony, all the villagers will go, and then... offer sacrifices?"

Qi Tong folded the red paper and put it back on the table.

"They demanded 'trust' and 'sincerity' in the sacrifice. This in itself was a sacrifice. They just thought it was offered to the mermaid god."

"So, who is it actually dedicated to?"

Qi Tong did not answer immediately.

She remembered what 666 said, "There's something alive under the base," and Qian Yu's words, "I clearly sensed another power."

"Someone has collected that trust."

Qi Tong said, "Since the day the statue was erected sixty years ago, generation after generation of villagers have entrusted their wishes, trust, and obsession to one place. Those things have not disappeared; they have been stored beneath the base."

He Lu remained silent for a while, then picked up the red paper again, turned it over, and looked at the fish tail pattern in the middle.

"You mean... the Mermaid God isn't a god, but a vessel?"

"Someone built this statue to make people believe it has power, and then drew everyone's trust to it. The real beneficiary is..."

Qi Tong paused for a moment, then said, "It's someone hiding in the back."