Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 553: Chapter 552: Being a Stranger in a Foreign Land (Part 3)

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”Despicable outsider! Who would open their door to you on a Hunt Night! Get lost, now!”

Dammit!

Staring at the tightly closed door before him, Fang Zheng flipped it the middle finger. This town was crawling with those lunatics, charging at Fang Zheng as if he were their father’s killer. After Fang Zheng finally managed to take down the lot, he discovered voices inside the houses, but when he knocked on the doors to ask what was going on, he was invariably turned away.

Some mocked him for being stuck outside, served him right, and others told Fang Zheng to stay away from their homes because he was an outsider... What the hell is wrong with being an outsider? Did an outsider eat your rice or something? I just wanted to ask a question, is that so unforgivable?

If Fang Zheng weren’t so easy-going, he would’ve just tossed a torch and burnt their houses down. Let’s see if they had anything left to blabber about then.

Even so, Fang Zheng picked up a few clues from what these people said. It seemed that this was a town called Anan, and right now they were hosting a major event called ”Hunt Night.” Fang Zheng wasn’t exactly clear on the specifics of the event, but it looked to him like some freak carnival where lunatics hack at anyone they see on the streets...

So it’s not PUBG, but Dead by Daylight?

Fang Zheng didn’t take these raving villagers seriously. Aside from brandishing their weapons, these loons hardly had any real combat skills, and even the Cultists from the Main World were more of a nuisance than they were. Facing those dregs was child’s play for Fang Zheng, who had once danced toe-to-toe with the Nameless Prince.

However, Fang Zheng’s biggest problem wasn’t dealing with these annoying pests, but finding a place to stay and rest. The clinic where he had first awakened was decent enough, but he didn’t plan to linger there. Although he couldn’t use the Prophecy Spell, Fang Zheng felt a strong malevolence in the clinic. For the sake of his own life, it was best to steer clear of that creepy place.

Originally, Fang Zheng had hoped to ask the local residents for shelter... but this was the result.

No one was willing to let him in or even to open their door. Other than wandering around like a lost ghost, Fang Zheng had nothing much to do.

But soon, Fang Zheng understood why the people in this town remained behind closed doors—other than the deranged villagers, there were lots of weird creatures about, like the grotesquely obese men that resembled fattened pigs, and werewolves running rampant through the streets. They didn’t seem all that different from the villagers, and Fang Zheng had no choice but to dispatch them to the Western Paradise.

”This is really some bad karma...”

Pushing open another heavily secured iron gate, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but stretch his aching body, yearning for a place to rest, but considering the environment, staying outdoors was clearly not a good option.

”Who, who are you?”

Just as Fang Zheng was about to move on, suddenly, a little girl’s voice came from a window not far from him. Fang Zheng stopped in his tracks, turned his head toward the source of the voice, and saw a tiny figure peeking out of the window, looking in his direction.

”I don’t recognize your voice, sir, but I’m familiar with this smell...”

Smell?

Fang Zheng glanced at his clothes, stained with the smell of blood but apparently nothing else. However, before he could say anything more, the little girl’s voice spoke up again.

”Are you a Hunter, sir? Could you please help me find my mother? Dad went hunting and never returned, Mom went looking for him, but now she hasn’t come back either... I’m all alone, and I’m so scared...”

”Find your mother?”

Hearing the little girl’s request, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment, then nodded. She was the first person he could actually communicate with since he arrived in this world. Although Fang Zheng wasn’t sure where her mother could be, at least, she was probably not in danger... right?

Thinking of the monsters and mad villagers on the streets, Fang Zheng couldn’t guarantee it. He couldn’t even understand why a woman would leave her daughter alone to venture onto such dangerous streets at a time like this... What kind of logic is that?

But regardless, if he found her, maybe she could offer him a temporary place to stay. After all, that was better than sleeping on the street.

”Of course, no problem.”

At Fang Zheng’s response, the little girl’s voice immediately became much more cheerful and excited.

”Really? Thank you! My mother has a ruby brooch, a very big and beautiful one. You can’t miss it. Oh, and if you do find my mother, please give her this music box...”

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As he spoke, Fang Zheng saw a crack open in the window that had been originally tightly shut, and then a small music box was handed out from within.

”... This music box plays Daddy’s favorite song. If Daddy forgets about us, we’ll play the song for him, and he’ll remember,” the girl had said. ”Mommy is so silly; she forgot to take the music box with her when she left!”

”... Alright.”

Hearing the little girl’s words, Fang Zheng hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take the music box. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about what the girl had said—what did she mean by ”if Daddy forgets about us, we’ll play the song for him, and he’ll remember”? Could her father also be a lunatic?

If that were the case...

Fang Zheng recalled the villagers he had encountered earlier on the street...

There’s probably no hope.

With that thought, Fang Zheng reached out to open the music box. Soon, a rather light melody emerged from it, and on the lid of the box, there was a note with two names written on it: ”Viola and Gascoigne.”

”If I find your mother, I’ll bring her back,” Fang Zheng promised, nodding at the little girl inside the window before turning to leave. He wasn’t sure if he could find this young girl’s mother. After all, in this dangerous little town, if she were a woman who couldn’t defend herself, she was likely to be either killed by those mad villagers or smashed into a pulp by werewolves and other creatures.

”Dong... Dong... Dong...”

The sound of the bell reverberated over the town. Upon hearing the bell, Fang Zheng frowned. He had heard bells in the Holy City before, but those bells had been melodious and beautiful. However, the bell here sounded as if it were tolling for a funeral... In fact, the town before his eyes seemed indeed to have entered into the midst of death as well.

But then again, was there a way to leave this town?

Fang Zheng spent a long time pondering, then shook his head. Before leaving, he had spoken a few sentences with the little girl, but unfortunately, perhaps due to her young age, there were many things she couldn’t make clear or didn’t know. Maybe after finding her mother, Fang Zheng could get some more reliable information from her.

That is, if her mother was still alive.

But as things stood... the chances didn’t look good.

”Roar——!”

Just as Fang Zheng stepped onto the staircase, suddenly, a werewolf leaped out from around the corner of another wall, lunging toward him. Fang Zheng, having heard the movement of the werewolf, quickly rolled backward, then his chain sword flew out of his hand like a whip, lashing onto the werewolf’s body.

”Crack!!”

Accompanied by a loud lashing sound, the werewolf howled and backed away, but quickly it got back on all fours and growled, trying to attack Fang Zheng from another side. Fang Zheng, however, just looked at it and snorted coldly, then lashed out with the whip again!

”Call me ’Queen’... no, call me ’Master’!”

”Crack!”

”Awooo!!”

Watching the werewolf retreat in a sorry state once more, Fang Zheng realized he might have awakened some splendid interest during the process of using this weapon...

Perhaps he could try it out with Tilia when he got back? After all, playing the usual gets boring, and it’s always good to change things up a bit...

With another stroke of his sword, he sliced through the werewolf’s throat, and Fang Zheng continued his ascent up the stairs. When he reached the end of the staircase, suddenly, a strange sound arose.

”Thud... Thud...!”