dognovel Chapter 267 Every step you take is a trap!
Chapter 267 Every step you take is a trap!
Meng De looked genuinely bewildered.
The sharpness and depth in his eyes had not completely faded, and the majesty of a city lord still enveloped him.
But this air of authority was now diluted by a pure bewilderment.
"Forgot what?" he asked rhetorically, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
He seemed to be quickly reviewing his impassioned speech, checking for logical flaws or missing any important etiquette details.
Chen You remained silent.
He simply raised his right hand slowly and tapped his chest with his index finger.
The movements were slow, yet carried an air of self-assured certainty.
The meaning couldn't be clearer.
And me?
Have you forgotten about me?
You're about to go pay respects to your ancestors, and I'm the great hero who broke your family's centuries-old curse. Aren't you going to invite me?
They won't let me go to the ceremony in person?
Meng De's eyes twitched slightly.
He understood.
He suddenly realized, and the expression on his face changed subtly again, from a serious, businesslike demeanor to a polite inquiry.
"Are you going?"
These three words were like three heavy punches, landing precisely on Chen You's temples.
Chen You's mouth gaped open, and he almost choked on his breath.
What does "I want to go" mean?
Am I not going to do the tasks anymore?
Do you think I'd be so bored as to go and see what your ancestral graves look like?
He suppressed the urge to complain, maintained an inscrutable expression, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
"I can go."
"Oh, oh!" Mengde nodded immediately, his face regaining that just-right enthusiasm. "That would be best, of course!"
He seemed completely oblivious to the speechlessness in Chen You's tone, and instead said with great satisfaction.
"Then... I'll have to trouble you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the familiar system notification sound appeared.
The quest "The Hero's Orphan" has been updated!
Chen You couldn't help but open the task interface.
[Mission Objective: Assist Lord Mengde of Thousand Light City in completing the Ancestral Worship Ceremony.]
[Current Stage: Preparing offerings for the sacrificial ceremony (three kinds of sacrificial animals, seasonal fresh fruits, incense, candles, paper money, etc.)]
[Mission Instructions: Please go to the East Market of Qianguang City to make purchases.]
Chen You looked at the long list of purchases on the task panel, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
He raised his head and looked at Mengde.
Meng De happened to be looking at him and noticed the change in his expression, so he asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Chen You took a deep breath.
"The quest says... I need to prepare these offerings?"
Upon hearing this, Meng De gave an "I see" look, which he then adopted an even more matter-of-fact expression.
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
He patted Chen You on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.
"After all, you were the one who suggested going."
Chen You was completely speechless.
Looking at Mengde's face, which seemed to say, "You asked for this yourself, it has nothing to do with me," he had only one thought in his mind.
"I think... I've been screwed over by this lousy game again."
He realized it instantly.
The normal procedure for this task is likely to be to return to the City Lord's Mansion to submit the task after solving the problem of the Thousand Lights Tomb instance.
Then, Mengde, as an NPC, will enter a preparation phase on his own.
For example, one could "bathe and change clothes, and fast for three days," or simply have one's subordinates prepare the offerings.
Once he's ready, you can go with him to the ancestral tomb to trigger the subsequent storyline.
And what about yourself?
In my haste to save time and to trigger the so-called massive monster siege as soon as possible, I acted too hastily.
They voluntarily skipped the NPC preparation process and requested to "join the group".
As a result, the preparatory work that should have been done by NPCs naturally fell to me.
"day……"
He swallowed the word that was about to come out.
Forget it.
He began to convince himself.
Anyway, I came here specifically for the hidden quests, and taking the unconventional path is my style.
If you follow the steps exactly, how can you trigger hidden events?
With this thought, Chen You's mindset instantly became balanced.
"no problem."
Chen You nodded to Meng De, his expression returning to calm. "It's a small matter. I'll take care of it right away."
A satisfied smile appeared on Meng De's face.
"I'll wait for you here, hurry up."
After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the pavilion, naturally sitting down next to Cai Wenjuan, picking up a grape, and continuing his unfinished tenderness.
It was as if he wasn't the one urging others to run errands to buy things at all.
Chen You's lips twitched slightly. He didn't look at the pot of "harmonious soup" any longer and turned to leave.
I rode my beloved white rabbit straight to the East City of Thousand Light City, as indicated by the mission.
The East Market is the most bustling market in Qianguang City, a place teeming with people and vehicles.
The shops are filled with all kinds of goods, from equipment and weapons to medicines and materials.
Following the instructions, Chen You easily found the first stop on the list—Fuji Slaughterhouse.
In his mind, this kind of procurement task was nothing more than talking to NPCs.
Then the NPC will hand over the quest item to you, and at most say a few words of thanks to the city lord and the adventurer.
However, reality once again slapped him hard in the face.
"Boss, I'm here on behalf of the city lord to collect the sacrificial offerings."
Chen You spoke to the butcher NPC, who was covered in fat and wielding a boning knife.
The butcher looked up, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his greasy sleeve, and revealed a set of yellow teeth.
"Oh? This is what the City Lord wants?"
He grinned and deftly dragged out three cleaned, still steaming pigs, cows, and sheep.
"Everything is ready! Top-quality black-bristled pigs, three-year-old yellow cattle, and a one-year-old fat sheep—it will absolutely satisfy our ancestors!"
Chen You extended his hand.
"Huh?" The butcher was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.
Chen You frowned. "Give me the thing."
The butcher's smile froze.
He slammed the boning knife down hard on the cutting board, making a loud "clang".
"Sir, are you sure you've got something wrong?"
The butcher looked Chen You up and down, his gaze becoming somewhat strange.
"I'm a businessman, I run a business. If the city lord wants something, he has to pay for it."
Chen You's expression froze.
"Give...money?"
"Nonsense!" the butcher's boss shouted.
"Does the city lord think he can buy things without paying? What kind of logic is that? Is there no law in this world?"
"A set of three sacrificial animals, at your convenience, costs thirty gold coins."
Chen You felt that there was something wrong with his ears.
Thirty gold coins?
Just buy this one pig, one cow, and one sheep?
He looked at the butcher and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Are you sure it's thirty... gold coins?"
"Of course!" the butcher boss patted his chest confidently.
"These are top-quality goods, carefully selected and specially supplied to the City Lord's Mansion for sacrificial rites. How can they be compared to those ordinary items outside?"
"That's called quality! Understand, adventurer!"
Chen You fell silent.
He looked at the butcher's "take it or leave it" face, then glanced at the long, grayed-out shopping list on his task panel.
He finally understood.
I underestimated the size of this pit!