“What’s the deal with this Witch’s Tavern?” Chai Yingying asked.
After entering Ella Town, they noticed that all the houses in the town had their doors tightly shut, as if uninhabited. The only exception was the Witch’s Tavern, whose door was open, with a lamp hanging outside, seemingly guiding people through the thick fog.
Ellens keenly questioned, “And why do those monsters ignore the Witch’s Tavern?”
When they rushed into the tavern earlier, the monsters chasing them not only ignored the tavern but seemed to lose their trail once they entered. The monsters lingered nearby for a while before eventually leaving.
This made it clear that the Witch’s Tavern was something quite special.
From the players’ perspective, the Witch’s Tavern was a safe haven provided by the game world—a place for players to rest without constantly battling the fog-dwelling monsters.
But how did such a safe haven come to be? There had to be a reason.
Mina explained, “I asked around, and it’s said that the tavern is protected by a magical formation left by a witch.”
“The Witch Ella?”
“No idea.” Mina shrugged. “Nobody knows the origin of the Witch’s Tavern. It’s said to have appeared in the town a long time ago, seemingly around the time the town was first established. To the townspeople, it has always been called by this name. It wasn’t until the fog engulfed the town and the monsters appeared that they realized it was the safest place in the town.”
“Some speculate that the tavern was established by a benevolent witch who left a magical barrier that prevents the monsters from detecting it.”
Although the monsters were evil, witches were not.
In this world, witches were a mysterious group capable of using magic, much like magicians. They were enigmatic and rarely appeared before ordinary people, leaving the general populace largely ignorant about witches and magicians alike.
However, this did not stop people from using names related to witches and magic for things.
Thus, the name “Witch’s Tavern” was not particularly unusual in this world. If not for the disaster that befell Ella Town, the residents likely wouldn’t have realized just how special this tavern was.
Looking at the Witch’s Tavern, it was evident that it had been around for a long time. The space was cramped, and everything inside—the furnishings and decor—appeared old and weathered, exuding an air of decay.
This strongly suggested that the Witch’s Tavern had a long and storied history.
Yet, it still operated as a business, offering a safe haven for adventurers passing through the town.
As they spoke, three players who had gone to the counter to speak with the tavern’s owner returned, seemingly discouraged by his curt and cold attitude.
As the tavern’s proprietor, the players instinctively treated him with a degree of caution, refraining from acting rashly before understanding the situation. Thus, even though his cold demeanor annoyed them, they managed to suppress their displeasure.
The three players walked toward them.
Compared to the native NPCs, there was a natural camaraderie among players, so the three players decided to seek information from their fellow players.
These three players were also from the East.
Perhaps because of Gu Jiu’s earlier act of saving their lives, Mina and the others had a favorable impression of these Eastern players and generously shared the information they had gathered.
“By the way, the Witch’s Tavern seems to be our resting spot in the game world. We should register for accommodation first,” Mina pointed toward the counter. “Adventurers all stay in the tavern. There are guest rooms upstairs available for adventurers, but there aren’t many of them, so we need to secure our rooms quickly.”
Nobody knew how many players would enter the game world this time, so before others arrived, they needed to book their rooms. Otherwise, the latecomers might have no choice but to sleep in the tavern’s lobby.
Hearing this, the players present wasted no time and headed back to the counter.
The innkeeper finished wiping down the table and placed the now-unrecognizable rag aside. He glanced at the players, sizing them up, and said, “There are twelve vacant rooms right now. If you want to stay, register. The fee is one gold coin per night.”
What’s the concept of one gold coin?
The newly arrived players weren’t entirely sure, though they didn’t lack money. If the innkeeper had asked for some other currency unique to this world, they might have been in trouble. But gold coins? That was far too easy for them.
“I’ll take one room for half a month,” Gu Jiu said, tossing a gold bar onto the counter.
The innkeeper gave her a glance, accepted the bar, and handed her a bronze key.
The other players quickly followed suit, placing gold bars, gold ingots, and even gold nuggets on the counter to secure rooms.
Chai Yingying also booked a room, choosing to share it with Jiang Ze. She knew the young miss would definitely want to stay with Lu Ji, so she didn’t bother trying to squeeze in with them.
Among the players present, they ended up booking seven rooms, leaving five still available.
Just as they finished their registrations, more players burst into the tavern, chased by monsters.
Everyone turned to look and saw six tall, broad-shouldered Western players with striking features.
The Western players were all injured to varying degrees, though none as severely as Alva had been. As they entered, the bloodstained air in the tavern became even thicker. Even the adventurers lounging apathetically in the corners couldn’t help but glance over. Seeing the newcomers’ battered and bloody state, a few showed faint expressions of sympathy.
“Did you run into those monsters too?” Mina asked proactively.
“Are you referring to those pitch-black, humanoid creatures?” said a handsome young man. “We encountered two of them. If we hadn’t dodged in time, we’d have been killed.”
“Those creatures are terrifying. It’s like they emerge straight from the fog.”
“This fog is definitely unnatural.”
As the six spoke, they sized up the players in the tavern and were surprised to see Eastern players among them.
Due to the stark differences in culture and customs, players in Boundless City naturally divided themselves into Eastern and Western factions, rarely interacting. After all, they typically entered separate game worlds, with little overlap or conflict of interest.
It was rare for players from both factions to end up in the same game world. This unexpected gathering suggested that this game world might be unusual.
From what they could observe, Ella Town’s culture and atmosphere seemed better suited for Western players. The Eastern players, by comparison, appeared somewhat out of place.
As they were pondering this, Mina suddenly said, “Actually, these monsters are pretty easy to deal with if you use exorcism talismans.”
“Exorcism talismans?” The handsome young man—Odinson—looked surprised. “Exorcism talismans can kill the monsters?”
In an instant, he realized why the game store had been so generous this time, placing no limit on the purchase of exorcism talismans.
It wasn’t entirely surprising that these Western players hadn’t considered using exorcism talismans against the monsters. Talismans, in general, were considered a specialty of Eastern players. In the game worlds frequented by Western players, such items were rarely useful.
However, living in Boundless City allowed for a certain level of exchange. Some Western players had grown curious about the talismans crafted by their Eastern counterparts and had purchased a few to try out. These items, while niche, often proved useful in critical moments.
As the saying goes: there’s no such thing as a useless item, only an improperly used one.
Even those who had bought exorcism talismans likely assumed they were meant to deal with the cursed Witch Ella. Since most hadn’t purchased many, they intended to save them as trump cards. It hadn’t crossed their minds to use them on the monsters.
Such habitual thinking could be deadly.
The Western players, being more familiar with one another, quickly established a rapport. Although Mina and her group didn’t know them personally, this didn’t hinder their ability to exchange information. After learning about the general situation in the town from Mina, the six Western players promptly reserved three rooms.
Now, only two rooms remained.
Chai Yingying held her key with a grin and joked, “I wonder how many more players are still on their way. If there are too many, there won’t be enough rooms.”
Jiang Ze glanced around the tavern, tallying the players. So far, there were twelve Western players and six Eastern players.
Once they secured their keys, they headed upstairs to check out the rooms.
Gu Jiu’s room was on the third floor, the first one near the stairs. She unlocked it and found that the room was indeed as small as she had expected—barely three to four square meters. Aside from a narrow bed barely 1.5 meters wide, there wasn’t even a table or chair. The simplicity of the setup left her speechless.
It would already feel cramped with just one person, let alone two.
The other rooms were just as spartan.
After inspecting her room, Gu Jiu returned to the tavern downstairs. She pulled out a carton of milk, stuck in a straw, and sipped while keeping her gaze fixed on the entrance.
If the Witch’s Tavern truly was the only safe haven in the town, other players would eventually find their way here.
Of course, those unlucky enough to die along the way didn’t count.
Gu Jiu had faith in Lu Ji’s abilities. She was confident it was only a matter of time before he showed up.
Soon, Chai Yingying and Jiang Ze also came back down, followed by other players, except for those like Alva, who were too injured to move. Most players eventually gathered in the tavern to observe the area and assess the situation outside.
Mina’s group wasted no time. They approached the adventurers lingering in the tavern, hoping to glean more clues from them.
Chai Yingying, unable to sit still, tagged along with them, leaving only Jiang Ze and Gu Jiu sitting opposite each other, both facing the tavern’s entrance.
Gu Jiu glanced at her watch, which she had adjusted to Ella Town’s local time to keep track. It was now 4:30 PM, meaning they had been in the game world for an hour and a half.
“So far, Ella Town seems quite large,” Jiang Ze commented softly. “With the players’ capabilities, it’s only a matter of time before they find their way here.”
This was his way of comforting Gu Jiu, reassuring her that Lu Ji’s absence was likely due to the town’s size, making it harder for players to locate the tavern.
The low visibility in the thick fog, compounded by the presence of lurking monsters, indeed made the search for a safe haven more challenging.
Gu Jiu offered him a faint smile. “Thank you, but I’m not worried about Lu Ji.”
If she wasn’t worried, why was she standing guard here?
Jiang Ze felt she was simply putting on a brave face but chose not to comment. Instead, he quietly stayed by her side, his own eyes fixed on the entrance as well.
Outside, the fog was dense, with visibility limited to a mere hundred meters. Beyond that, nothing was discernible. Opposite the tavern’s entrance was a road leading off to an unknown destination. The tavern itself stood at a central crossroads.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed outside.
Jiang Ze’s sharp brows lifted slightly as he turned his attention to the door. Moments later, four players burst in.
They were Eastern players.
Two men and two women stood cautiously near the entrance, their wary gazes scanning the dimly lit tavern. It wasn’t until their eyes adjusted to the light that they could fully take in the modest space.
Then, a startled voice rang out:
“Gu Jiu?! Why are you here?!”