Chapter 33: Mad Amusement Park

"You've seen it?" For a moment, everyone's eyes focused on Mantou, who had just spoken.

Stared at by so many people for the first time, Mantou looked a little nervous. She unconsciously shifted closer to Yan Jing and pursed her lips.

"Yeah... I've seen it... It looked very similar..."

She pointed at the abstract sketch next to the Heavy Pollution Herb.

"It's just... like this... growing a lot of big meat buns..."

"Was it black? With red blood vessels... lines on it?"

Old Liu swapped to a simpler word, worried Mantou wouldn't understand what blood vessels were.

Mantou nodded emphatically.

"Yes... there were."

"Then we can be pretty sure."

Old Liu smacked his fist into his palm, his voice thick with excitement.

"Nizi, where did you see it?"

"In the... Amusement Park... next door..."

As Mantou's voice faded, Yan Jing watched the excitement vanish from Old Liu's face.

Beside him, Chen Nian's expression also changed, his eyes turning grave.

It seemed the Amusement Park Mantou had mentioned was a terrifying place.

"Is there some catch with this Amusement Park?"

Yan Jing looked at the two of them, asking since he didn't know.

"Mad Amusement Park. You don't know about it, kid?!"

Old Liu looked at Yan Jing in surprise. "It's just one stop away on the Terror Bus, practically right next door."

Mad Amusement Park. Terror Bus.

As soon as those two terms were spoken, the memories in Yan Jing's mind began to revive.

Scattered image fragments appeared in his folder.

It was a bus station seemingly shrouded in shadows. A dilapidated signpost stood nearby, listing the names of several stops.

On it were Sleepland and Solitude Lane, and the stop immediately to the right of Sun-Swallowing Tower was Mad Amusement Park.

"Never been. Is this Amusement Park hard to handle?"

"It's not exactly hard to handle..." Old Liu carefully considered his words for a moment.

"It's just a little bit tricky..."

Truly worthy of someone who studied poetry at three and mastered the scriptures at eight.

Yan Jing turned to look at Chen Nian.

"My advice is to give it up."

Chen Nian's voice was a bit weak. "I went to that place once when I first arrived in Old Sin City, and I almost didn't make it out."

"That place is a Domain of 'Fear'. As you know, the Domains of this Pathway are among the most troublesome."

"You have to keep your mind completely calm while in that Domain; otherwise, you'll draw the gaze of Fear Spirits."

The Path of Fear.

Yan Jing's eyes flickered slightly. His Day Selection Ritual Fear Tree was an item from the Path of Fear.

He now even suspected that the Inner World Pathway Cameraman walked was also the Path of Fear.

But for some unknown reason, Cameraman's mind held absolutely no memories concerning 'Fear'.

"Exactly, and the fear in that place isn't quite the same as the fear on the Terror Bus."

Old Liu seemed to have been there as well, looking quite troubled.

"It's a bit much for an old guy my age to handle."

"However..."

He shifted his tone, looking at Yan Jing and the others, his eyes gradually brightening.

"You guys are still young, after all. Maybe you could give it a try."

???

"Actually, it's not that hard to deal with. Look at Nizi—she's been there, and isn't she perfectly fine?"

Old Liu tried to encourage them. He picked up the newspaper from the table and pointed to a top corner, speaking in an amiable tone.

"Besides, the paper says they finished a complete upgrade a while ago, and they're having a grand reopening promotion right now. Tickets are eighty percent off~~~"

But Chen Nian bluntly refused.

"No way. I can't go to that place; it takes too great a toll on my body."

Old Liu sighed.

This wasn't something that could be forced. Anyone who had been to that hellhole would never want to go a second time.

Chen Nian had already refused, and Yi Ji also looked hesitant. They would have to make other plans for the dish.

"I... I'll go!"

To their surprise, Mantou stepped forward.

She seemed to have noticed that Yan Jing really wanted to win this competition.

She raised her head and spoke to Yan Jing with great effort.

"Yi, Ji... I... I'll go tomorrow... and bring... bring this grass... back... You... you stay here... and wait... for me..."

"I... I can do it! I've stayed... there... for a long... long time before... I'm... not afraid...!"

Yan Jing looked at Mantou. Her brown eyes were resolute, and her tiny figure was like a little bamboo shoot growing stubbornly out of a crack in a stone.

He smiled.

"It's alright, Mantou. We'll go together tomorrow. I haven't been there yet anyway, so I'll just treat it as a trip to the Amusement Park."

There were still 13 days before entering the Dungeon. Since he wanted to enter the Tower, he could spare a few days for the Rotten Vegetable Festival.

Moreover, spending time alone with Mantou was a good opportunity to increase her Favorability.

He reached out and patted Mantou's head.

"I'll have to trouble you to lead the way tomorrow, Mantou."

[Favorability +1]

"It's... it's okay..."

A flush of red crept onto Mantou's cheeks. Mustering her courage, she shakily raised her hands and placed them over Yan Jing's hand, which still rested on her head.

"Yi, Ji... tomorrow... don't be afraid... I... I'll protect you...!"

"Okay."

And so, the matter was settled.

Old Liu and Chen Nian shared their experiences in

"You've seen it?" For a moment, everyone's eyes focused on Mantou, who had just spoken.

Stared at by so many people for the first time, Mantou looked a little nervous. She unconsciously shifted closer to Yan Jing and pursed her lips.

"Yeah... I've seen it... It looked very similar..."

She pointed at the abstract sketch next to the Heavy Pollution Herb.

"It's just... like this... growing a lot of big meat buns..."

"Was it black? With red blood vessels... lines on it?"

Old Liu swapped to a simpler word, worried that Mantou wouldn't understand what blood vessels were.

Mantou nodded heavily.

"Yes... there were."

"Then we can basically be certain."

Old Liu slammed a fist into his palm, his voice filled with excitement.

"Nizi, where did you see it?"

"In the... next door... Amusement Park..."

As Mantou's voice faded, Yan Jing saw the excitement on Old Liu's face vanish instantly.

Beside him, Chen Nian's expression also changed, his eyes taking on a grave look.

It seemed the Amusement Park Mantou had mentioned was a terrifying place.

"Is there some kind of story behind this Amusement Park?"

Yan Jing looked at the two of them, asking since he didn't know.

"Mad Amusement Park. You don't know about it, kid?!"

Old Liu looked at Yan Jing in surprise. "It's just one stop away on the Terror Bus, right next door."

Mad Amusement Park. Terror Bus.

As soon as these two terms were spoken, the memories in Yan Jing's mind began to revive.

Scattered fragments of images appeared in his folder.

It was a bus station seemingly shrouded in shadows. A dilapidated signpost stood nearby, bearing the names of several stops.

On it were Sleepland and Solitude Lane, and the stop immediately to the right of Sun-Swallowing Tower was Mad Amusement Park.

"Never been. Is this Amusement Park hard to deal with?"

"It's not exactly that it's hard to deal with..." Old Liu carefully considered his words for a moment.

"It's just a little bit tricky to handle..."

Truly worthy of someone who studied poetry at three and mastered the scriptures at eight.

Yan Jing turned his head to look at Chen Nian.

"My advice is to give it up."

Chen Nian's voice was a bit weak. "I went to that place once when I first arrived in Old Sin City, and I almost didn't make it out."

"That place is a Domain of 'Fear'. As you know, the Domains of this Pathway are among the most troublesome."

"You have to keep your mind completely calm while in that Domain; otherwise, you'll draw the gaze of Fear Spirits."

The Path of Fear.

Yan Jing's eyes flickered slightly. His Day Selection Ritual Fear Tree was an item of the Path of Fear.

He now even suspected that the Inner World Pathway Cameraman walked was also the Path of Fear.

But for some unknown reason, Cameraman's mind held absolutely no memories concerning 'Fear'.

"Exactly, and the fear in that place isn't quite the same as the Terror Bus."

Old Liu seemed to have been there as well, looking quite troubled.

"It's a bit too much for an old guy my age to handle."

"However..."

He changed his tone, looking at Yan Jing and the others, his eyes gradually brightening.

???

"Actually, it's not that hard to deal with. Look at Nizi—she's been there, and isn't she perfectly fine?"

Old Liu tried to encourage them. He picked up the newspaper on the table and pointed to a corner at the top, speaking in an amiable tone.

"Besides, the paper says they did a complete upgrade a while ago, and they're having a grand reopening promotion right now. Tickets are eighty percent off~~~"

But Chen Nian bluntly refused.

"No way. I can't go to that place; it takes far too great a toll on my body."

Old Liu sighed.

This wasn't something that could be forced. Anyone who had been to that hellhole would never want to go a second time.

Chen Nian had already refused, and Yi Ji also looked hesitant. They would have to make other plans for the dish.

"I... I'll go!"

To their surprise, Mantou stepped forward.

She seemed to have noticed that Yan Jing really wanted to win this competition.

She raised her head and spoke to Yan Jing with great effort.

"Yi... Ji... I... I'll go tomorrow... and bring... bring this grass... back... You... you stay here... and wait... for me..."

"I... I can do it! I've stayed... there... for a long... long time before... I'm... not afraid...!"

Yan Jing looked at Mantou. Her brown eyes were resolute, and her tiny figure was like a little bamboo shoot growing stubbornly out of a crack in a stone.

He smiled.

"It's alright, Mantou. We'll go together tomorrow. I haven't been there yet anyway, so I'll just treat it as a trip to the Amusement Park."

There were still 13 days before entering the Dungeon. Since he wanted to enter the Tower, he could spare a few days for the Rotten Vegetable Festival.

Moreover, spending time alone with Mantou was a good opportunity to increase her Favorability.

He reached out and patted Mantou's head.

"I'll have to trouble you to lead the way tomorrow, Mantou."

[Favorability +1]

"It's... it's okay..."

A flush of red crept onto Mantou's cheeks. Mustering her courage, she shakily raised her hands and placed them over Yan Jing's hand, which rested on top of her head.

"Yi... Ji... tomorrow... don't be afraid... I... I'll protect you...!"

"Okay."

And so, the matter was settled.

Old Liu and Chen Nian shared their experiences in the Mad Amusement Park with Yan Jing, allowing him to prepare in advance.

"That place requires a ticket. This old man didn't buy one to go in back then, but I heard a massive commotion coming from inside."

"It wasn't screaming. It was cheering, incredibly loud cheering, going off one after another like firecrackers."

Old Liu said.

"There were crashing sounds, too, like thunder. The entire ground was trembling. The vibrations made my heart ache."

"I'm getting old, and I don't understand the things you youngsters play with, so I didn't go in to take a look."

"But just those crashing sounds and cheers alone were enough to unsettle my mind."

Old Liu had always been someone who boasted without a second thought, but this time, he actually admitted to being afraid. Clearly, he wasn't exaggerating.

Next was Chen Nian.

"I bought a ticket and went inside. There was a lot of old, abandoned amusement park equipment. The staff member at the ticket booth near the entrance told me I could take whatever I wanted."

"But as soon as I reached the outer edge, an enormous sound plunged me into an involuntary state of fear. It was as if a group of colossal entities were playing games inside, and the moment I stepped in, I'd be torn to shreds."

"I figured I would just grab something at random and leave, but very quickly, a giant dark silhouette appeared. It started chasing me, roaring that it wanted to play a game with me. I spent a huge amount of effort just to escape."

After listening to their accounts, the key point naturally surfaced in Yan Jing's mind.

Giant.

Whether it was the giant sounds or the giant dark silhouette.

People always have a natural sense of awe and dread toward massive things.

For example, someone with thalassophobia looking at a pitch-black ocean surface would unconsciously begin to imagine what colossal beasts were hiding beneath the water, knowing that if they fell in, they would be instantly devoured.

Megalophobia was an even more classic example of this.

It seemed that 'Fear', much like 'Sin', possessed multiple branches as a power system.

After sharing their respective information, the group agreed to meet up at Chen Nian's house once they had found their required ingredients.

"You can't go to my place! Those guys in the village all know that I'm making a comeback at this Rotten Vegetable Festival, so they'll definitely be secretly spying on my house!"

Old Liu spoke with absolute certainty. "To beat me, those bastards will resort to anything! There's nothing they won't do!"

Faced with Old Liu's groundless paranoia, the group didn't object. It was just changing the meeting point anyway.

Yan Jing and Mantou agreed to set out the next morning. Afterward, he returned home and logged out of the Inner World.

As soon as he exited the Inner World, he directly dialed Shen Youran's number.

"Hello, Xiao Yanzi. How's the memorizing going?"

Shen Youran got straight to the point the moment she picked up.

"Not bad. Did you find that item with a recording or photography function I asked you to look for?"

Yan Jing asked in return.

He had messaged Shen Youran yesterday, asking her to help find an item imbued with Weird Energy so he could take pictures of the documents and bring them into the Inner World.

Even if electronic devices didn't work well in Old Sin City, he would only need to use Cameraman's identity to quickly scan through everything once. If he couldn't remember something, he could just switch identities at any time to look it up.

"That stuff isn't cheap. We have to wait until I sell off the goods I have on hand."

Shen Youran lowered her voice, making it sound like she was conducting some sort of underground transaction.

Then, she spoke in a serious tone.

"Xiao Yanzi, don't go running around blindly these days. A lot of people are looking for you right now."

"Especially your family."

"I've received word that they've already started using their connections to track down your whereabouts. I've gotten some people to stall them; it should buy you about five or six days."

Clearly, Shen Youran also knew about the complicated situation in Yan Jing's family, and it wouldn't be a good thing if they found him.

At least, not yet. The time wasn't right.

"Yeah."

Yan Jing steered the conversation back on track. "I called to ask if you knew about the Inner World Pathway known as the Path of Fear."

"I know it."

Shen Youran didn't hesitate in the slightest. "I'll send you the relevant documents when I get back tonight."

"Alright. While you're at it, send me the files on Terror Station and Mad Amusement Park as well."

After Yan Jing said this, Shen Youran was a bit confused.

"What do you need those for?"

If he wanted the documents on the Path of Fear because his Day Selection Ritual was a Path of Fear item, she couldn't understand the reason for wanting the files on these two Dungeons.

In her eyes, these two Dungeons had absolutely nothing to do with the Sun-Swallowing Tower Yan Jing was heading to. She had some understanding of Terror Station, but she had rarely heard anything about Mad Amusement Park.

"Just to take a look."

Yan Jing didn't explain further.

"Alright. Hurry up and memorize the files."

Shen Youran hung up the phone and walked back from the corner to the dining table. She looked at the short-haired woman in a suit sitting opposite her and smiled.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. It was a very important friend of mine."

"It's fine, Miss Shen."

The short-haired woman smiled, displaying excellent professionalism.

"After all, you are a Platinum member of our underground auction house. Your matters must definitely be placed first."

"However, I still wish to discuss this with you in advance. As a Platinum member, if the value of the auction item you provide this time is on the lower side, we may not be able to accept it. It can't be helped, and I hope you can understand."

The short-haired woman spoke beautifully, not directly questioning Shen Youran's current financial strength, but the underlying meaning was pretty much the same.

"I understand."

Shen Youran tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and stirred the coffee in front of her with a spoon. Her demeanor was completely different from when she was on the phone just now, and she offered a tranquil smile.

"However, if the value of my item is sufficient, I hope you can lower your commission rate."

"How much of a reduction are you hoping for?"

The short-haired woman carefully weighed her words.

"Down to zero."

Shen Youran narrowed her eyes slightly, looking like a smiling fox.

"I know you guys will take a slight loss this way, but trust me, the advertising fees you'll save will far exceed that price, and it'll even help you clear out quite a few items that go unsold year after year."

"Of course, if you aren't willing, I still hold memberships at nine other auction houses. I'm confident someone among them will consider it."

...

That night, as promised, Yan Jing received the three documents Shen Youran had sent.

He first clicked open the one concerning the Path of Fear.

The very first line at the top immediately caught his attention:

[Fear is human instinct]