Xievian rode on the back of a pickup truck together with a suspicious package wrapped in masking tape.
The grave keeper's son was a burly middle-aged guy who didn't look easy to mess with. He seemed to see Xievian as someone repulsive, so he made it clear with his gesture that he didn't want someone to sit beside him. Xievian, fairly content with not having close contact with a stranger, jumped into the back.
This trip was quite more fruitful than he imagined. Because the moment the truck left the Eve Cemetery, the system dinged.
[Location Acquired: Abandoned Mausoleum
Danger Level: F
Mission 1: Find where the woman was buried inside the mausoleum.
Mission 2: Uncover the hidden history of the mausoleum.
Mission 3: Stop the hauntings.
Mission 4: Survive.
Additional Condition: You need to livestream the mausoleum during nighttime when the sun is down and the moon is up.
Time limit: 24 hours.
Failure to complete the task: Death.
...
System Mission:
Mission 1: Acquire Energy Points.]
Looking at the two separate missions, it seemed that if his system was still here, it would also have to perform the Acquire Energy Points mission. It looked like this 'system' was not just for the players, but even the sentient system had some role in it.
Additional Condition? It seemed like he couldn't exploit the loophole that he found a while ago. Still, this system's ability to issue conditions at the last minute was a bit alarming. What if in the future it proposed some strange condition that he couldn't reject?
Also, what's up with directly resulting in death as a punishment for failure? Isn't that a bit harsh?
Xievian felt a bit bored sitting there.
Looking at the strange package, Xievian kept using his appraisal function, but every time, he got an error. He appraised almost everything so far, including the old man and his son. So far, it did not work. It kept blasting errors.
It was very unreliable. When it said that it was faulty but still stable, that was a damn lie!
He practiced the appraisal with the strange package. Probably his intentions were not so pure, but he did so anyway.
After a few minutes of riding, the pickup stopped. The grave keeper's son called him out from the driver's window.
"Hey man, we're already at the main road." His voice still had that perpetual disdain.
Xievian jumped off the pickup, and before he could say thank you, the car drove away, leaving him inhaling exhaust smoke.
Xievian was speechless.
...
After arriving home, Xievian relaxed his body. The hunger was still there but not noticeable enough as long as you didn't pay attention to it. He directly smacked down on his bed.
Before falling asleep, he first opened his Evening account to check his post.
There were a lot of comments. Most of them recommended spots that Xievian already knew, while some recommended new places. He also noticed that a lot of comments in his post were under that guy who recommended the mausoleum. Probably because of what happened to Samo a while ago, people in this forum were very sensitive to the word "mausoleum."
Actually, the reason why he chose the mausoleum was also not that simple. Because 10,000 viewers meant 1 life point, he needed his livestream to be popular. He was not very trusting of the system's endorsement function. He didn't know how or to what extent it would be endorsed. Now, he needed to milk this mausoleum's popularity in order to gain views.
Fortunately, it was an F-class danger.
Just as he was about to turn off his phone and sleep, someone sent him a message.
It was from the commenter 6L6i6.
Chat:
6L6i6: Man, do you really plan to do a livestream at the abandoned mausoleum?
Hungry God: Yes.
6L6i6: Then if you do, don't use the Eve Cemetery back gate. There is a strange old man guarding there. You don't wanna meet him.
Hungry God: Huh, I never knew that.
6L6i6: Just avoid that old man. There is another way to reach the mausoleum. Go to Blue Lily Nature Park. Walk straight south. Don't stop until you reach a gate. Climb it. Then after you get to the other side, continue walking south. Once you meet an old cabin, turn east. Continue walking straight, and now you've finally arrived at the abandoned mausoleum.
Hungry God: Is that 'road' even safe?
6L6i6: It's alright. There aren't many wild animals.
Hungry God: I'm not talking about wild animals.
6L6i6: Do you want to go to the mausoleum? That's the only way. The old man won't let you pass if you use the back gate.
Xievian was starting to feel suspicious about this guy 6L6i6. Why did he seem so eager?
He took note of what 6L6i6 said. After scrolling for a while, he got an idea.
He posted a notice under his account.
Hungry God: I'm a newbie live streamer. I've decided. I'm going to explore the mausoleum. 6:00 PM will be the time of the livestream. Please tune in!
The comment section exploded. His post about the mausoleum a while ago blew up a bit. Although it wasn't a large audience, it still managed to reach around 50+ engagements.
Cold7: Can't you think twice about that decision?
└ Animatronics: These livestreamers really do dare try anything for views.
└ Sisi: You caught my attention. Remember to post the livestream link under your profile.
└ (more comments below)
There were mixed reactions. Some were worried, some supportive, some mocking, and some full of disdain.
Xievian thought that was enough. He turned off his phone and placed it on his bedside table.
It was already 4:00 AM. His body felt heavy, and the hunger in his stomach became even more noticeable.
He planned to arrive at the livestream site at 6:00 PM. Taking into account the time he would need to prepare his things, the cab ride, and the fact that he would be traveling on foot through the wilderness, he needed to wake up around 2:00 PM.
That was good. He would get exactly 7 hours of sleep.
Closing his eyes, tomorrow would be his first step into the world of the unknown. Other than the fact that he needed to extend his life, the upcoming adventure gave him something to look forward to.
Before, he had been wandering through life with no clear direction. Now, there was a clear road paved in front of him. A goal clearer than before.