Chapter 52: City of Foxes 02

Chapter 52: City of Foxes 02

"Come on, you need to change clothes before entering the city," said Ali.

The ten of them followed Ali to an entrance shaped like a fox’s head, its gaping mouth welcoming them. "Go inside and change your clothes," Ali instructed. "You can only choose one color."

The changing rooms were separated for men and women. Inside, the area was spacious, with racks of clothes in various colors — actually only six colors, resembling cosplay, but all the same style, like plain cloaks worn by witches and warlocks.

Starlight and Starshine: "Can we wear these? So fun."

Ying Jun cautiously asked, "Could there be traps in these clothes?"

"But without these clothes, we can't enter the City of Foxes," Zhou You said.

Pei Yi ran his hand over the clothes rack, picking and choosing, and selected a blue one. To him, blue seemed the most reliable color.

The others chose too: Zhou You, being outgoing, picked a red cloak; Lu Zai Chuan, black, looking like a priest; Ying Jun and Jiang Meili chose purple and yellow, respectively; Starlight and Starshine, both in yellow; and finally, Chen Mo selected white.

All six colors were chosen, turning the group into a costume ball.

The ten of them exchanged glances, stepping out to see guide Ali, who had also changed. He wore a dark red robe, dressed as an ancient figure, the large robe accentuating his sharp face, making him look even more like a fox.

Stepping outside, they saw it was already 6 PM. The ancient city was lit up with colorful lights, shining brightly and illuminating everything around. The rain had stopped earlier, but the cobblestones were still damp.

They had thought their attire would be odd, but it turned out to be quite normal. The other tourists on the streets were dressed similarly, even the vendors in the shops wore various colored robes.

The streets were bustling, with many people strolling around. The shops on both sides were crowded and noisy—it felt like they were truly on a vacation.

"At the end of this street is Fox Village. The first inn you come to is where you'll stay! Tonight, feel free to explore and familiarize yourselves with Fox City. I'm off to have my dinner. See you tomorrow."

This time, Ali was quick and straightforward. After a few words, he wobbled off toward the east.

Pei Yi noticed a map on the other side of the information board. The city indeed looked small on the map, with a river running through it from west to east.

Their current location on the main street was lined with shops. A small alley led to various attractions.

Pei Yi speculated that over the next few days, the system would have them visit each site. From south to north, these included Black Mama's Former Residence, Fox Dye Workshop, Fox Square, Ancestral Hall, Forbidden Fox Folk Museum. The Fox Village mentioned by guide Ali was right beside the Folk Museum.

At the very north of the town was a place called Fox Cliff, shown densely wooded on the map. To reach Fox Cliff, they would pass by Fox Temple, marked with a large temple symbol on the map.

Of the seven or eight temple symbols on the entire map, this one was the largest.

The easternmost part, where guide Ali had headed, was where the local residents lived.

Pei Yi opened his notebook and roughly sketched the map, circling two places heavily: the Ancestral Hall and the Folk Museum.

If it's a forbidden area, why is it forbidden?

"A typical tourist town with so many taboos? That's quite baffling."

Lu Zai Chuan, noticing Pei Yi sketching, remarked, "I didn’t know you had this habit too."

Pei Yi quickly responded, "I'm not imitating you."

"I didn’t say you were. I picked up this habit from someone else."

"Then why didn’t you bring yours this time?"

Lu Zai Chuan's face, wearing a smile, turned serious, "I knew you had brought yours, so I didn’t."

As they were talking, they heard Red Nine shout, "There are rules here!"

Approaching, they saw a warning sign at the entrance to the commercial street.

[Revelry Festival hours: 18:00 - 23:00. Please do not linger beyond these hours to avoid disturbing the local residents. Thank you for your cooperation.]

A curfew, understandable, though somewhat early; but for such a small place, five hours should be more than enough.

Looking further, the commercial street stretched long, lined with yellow-skinned lanterns depicting smiling foxes. The riverside lacked a railing, requiring caution from the strolling tourists — most kept to the right.

The shops sold various fox-related items, like fox pendants, fox earrings, fox pillows, etc. The shopkeepers, wearing half-masks, greeted customers with friendly smiles.

The street was bustling with people coming and going. Apart from its peculiarities, it seemed like any ordinary tourist town.

After a stroll, they walked over the middle stone bridge (the town had three stone bridges: one at each end and one in the middle). From the bridge, the flickering lights offered a panoramic view of the town. People paddled fox-shaped boats on the river, adorably crafted.

At the end of their stroll, they found several inns with roofs styled in red, yellow, and purple fox heads, marked with a sign that read "Fox Village."

[Welcome, guests, to Fox Village. You may choose any inn to stay in, all free of charge. But for the sake of the great fox, please keep the rooms clean for easy maintenance.

Tip: We have placed complimentary beverages in the lobby of each inn for your convenience. Enjoy your pleasant journey.]

It was surprisingly thoughtful... something unimaginable in regular hotels. They began to suspect this wasn't a horror instance but rather some kind of travel reality show.

Red Seven excitedly said, "These houses are too cute, and there are free drinks too!" She entered the first inn indicated by the guide (with a red fox head), beckoning to her sister, White Seven, to follow.

Soon, they came out holding glasses of red watermelon juice.

"It's really good! You should try it! Let's have a drink before dinner, and then we can look for clues."

It seemed like a good idea. The others agreed and followed into the inn.

Pei Yi, trailing behind, was very alert. He didn’t feel like this was any travel show; on the contrary, he found it eerie. The tranquility was unsettling!

A five-star horror rating, just a joke? The snowy mountain instance had only a four-star horror rating!

Pensive, Pei Yi also entered. Stepping in, it felt like entering a world of colors.

The inn had only two floors; the first was a lobby, not for lodging. The second floor had four spacious rooms, both triple and double rooms, as if tailor-made for their group. They chose rooms according to their earlier grouping.

Entering his room, Pei Yi looked around and thought, "This is too colorful, covered in dense yellow and white polka dots!" It could be unsettling for someone with trypophobia.

The other rooms weren’t much better, decorated in red-black and black-white, matching the colors of their robes.

After settling in, they stepped out of Fox Village. Checking their wristbands, it was already 8 PM, and the system voice announced—

[Main quest: Have your first dinner in Fox City, reward points: 10.]

The system is actually asking them to have a meal?

"I mean, this feels like a real vacation, with shopping and dining..." Zhou You remarked sarcastically.

Red Nine replied, "Isn't that great? Just treat it like a holiday." She finished her comment and took a few more sips of her red juice.

Seeing her drink, Zhou You exclaimed, "Oh, I forgot to grab some." He hurried back and fetched three cups. He first offered one to Pei Yi, but Pei Yi waved it off, not fond of such sweet stuff. After offering it to several others without success, it was finally accepted by Jiang Meili and the brothers Starlight and Starshine.

Finding a place to eat turned out to be an easy task.

There were restaurants everywhere, most situated by the river, with names like "Fox Diner" and "Lord Fox's Tavern." They chose one near their inn, right outside the door, named "Fox Diner." It was a two-story building, nicely decorated and clean.

The masked restaurant owner came hurrying over to take their order.

Lu Zai Chuan asked, "Do you have a menu?"

"No menus here in Fox City. Just tell me what you’d like to order, and I’ll list the dishes for you."

"Okay," Lu Zai Chuan agreed.

"We have braised fox head, fox pot, steamed fox, sauce fox, fox meat, fox cake, fox roll, fox pastry..."

Hearing this, everyone was taken aback. Zhou You commented, "Why is everything fox-themed? Who can eat that?" Although the food was free, the idea of eating fox was unsettling.

The restaurant owner smiled, "Don't worry. These aren't real foxes; it's just the name. We worship the great fox in this city and treat them with utmost respect. We wouldn't dream of eating them."

"I see. Just prepare whatever you recommend for ten people," Lu Zai Chuan said.

"Sure thing. Let me recommend our special guest set meal. Please, head upstairs."

The group of ten ascended the stairs, where at the turn of the staircase hung a sign reading [Please maintain reverence during meals. The great Fox Immortal will bless you!]

Along the corridor walls were several portraits of the Fox Immortal, depicted in ornate patterned Taoist robes and headgear, sitting on a cushion, perfectly resembling a Taoist sage.

"This place really holds deep reverence for foxes," Chen Mo, usually quiet, couldn’t help but comment.

White Seven nodded in agreement. Indeed, the deeper the worship, the more unsettling it felt.

At the end of the second-floor corridor was a small shrine dedicated to the Fox Immortal, with a statue of a fox in a bright red robe sitting at the forefront. The altar was adorned with an incense burner and fruits, with four sticks of incense emitting a wisp of smoke. Beside the altar was a jug of the red juice provided by the inn!

Zhou You and the others turned pale. Was this juice also for the Fox Immortal? And four sticks of incense! There’s a saying that three sticks are for gods and four for ghosts. Is this Fox Immortal not a deity, but a ghost?

When the dishes were served, they asked the restaurant owner, who replied, "Ah, yes, it's fine. We drink it too! It’s a special product of Fox City, very tasty! The Fox Immortal won’t err; drinking it makes you more beautiful and youthful. Don’t believe me? Look at my skin."

True enough, the exposed skin of the innkeeper, who seemed middle-aged, was as smooth as that of a man in his twenties.

Isn't that interesting? The idea of rejuvenation, who wouldn't love that?

Those who were drinking the juice couldn’t help but take a few more sips.