Chapter 44 The Faceless Man

"Hehe, these lovely children are so polite."

"The Lin family truly lives up to its reputation as a prominent aristocratic family from centuries ago. Although they have fallen on hard times now, their upbringing of the children is still exceptional."

"Children are the reflection of adults... they are the mirrors of this world..."

"They must be properly guided so that they can display good character."

"As the saying goes, appearance stems from the heart, and children with good character become lovely!"

The old woman selling chestnuts muttered to herself, watching the faceless children leave. Then, pushing her handcart, she continued to lead the way ahead.

Related information gradually surfaced in Chen Ye's mind.

That's right!

These children must be the "Faceless Ones."

During their underage years, their faces possess no facial organs at all, remaining in a state of pristine innocence.

In the process of growing up, the "Faceless Ones" will absorb several different personality traits, thereby giving birth to distinct "personality masks."

The appearance of the masks will be determined by their personalities.

Some powerful "Faceless Ones" can even accommodate more than a dozen personality masks.

They take pride in being able to hold more masks.

"Granny, do you know what that ball... that the child was kicking... actually is?"

Chen Ye originally wanted to use the words "human head."

However, he suddenly realized that the chestnut-selling granny had previously emphasized that this was not a human head, but a kind of "fruit seed," so he changed his phrasing.

Although his mind was filled with a massive amount of information regarding identities, professions, characteristic items, and guide strategies...

The situation in Linjiang City seemed to differ significantly from the final version of the closed beta test, as if it had gone through several iterations of updates. Not only the bloody phone and the rules of equivalent exchange, but also many novel things that had never been seen before in the game.

The chestnut-selling granny smiled and shook her head:

"How could an old woman like me understand the new trends popular among young people?"

"I only know that this kind of fruit seed seems to be a newly popular item in Yongan Market recently, representing a new fashion in agriculture."

"As long as it is planted, all kinds of bizarre faces will grow... Although I cannot understand what is interesting about it, many trend-seeking young people love these unconventional things."

"Especially for the Faceless Ones, they are very vulnerable during the early stages of growth, and a moment of carelessness will lead to contamination by 'corrupted personalities.'"

"I think... this fruit seed must be a toy bought for the children by their family. Look, they cannot speak, laugh, or cry, possessing the purest personality, which matches the children the best without the slightest risk of contaminating or corrupting their personalities."

"If you are willing to buy one and give it to them, hehe, given the family's hospitable and reciprocal nature, they should be very pleased."

Chen Ye could not help feeling a bit dumbfounded. He never expected that this thing, which looked just like a human head, would actually be a trendy new product in this city!

However, carefully analyzing these words, Chen Ye discovered that the amount of information contained within them was quite substantial!

The chestnut-selling granny was clearly hinting that he should give a gift.

Since the family of the "Faceless Ones" originated from a prominent clan and placed great emphasis on etiquette, they should be relatively easy to approach, or at least not overly evil.

Following etiquette was the way to get along with them.

And...

Since this family valued reciprocity, if one could give a gift that catered to their preferences, they would receive a valuable "return gift."

"When we head to Yongan Market later, I should pay more attention to this trendy item," Chen Ye thought to himself.

Of course, the premise was that the price could not be too high.

After all, he still needed to buy a handcart, and his budget was already stretched quite thin; the remaining copper coins might not be enough.

"Selling chestnuts..."

"Fresh sugar-roasted chestnuts!"

Amidst the ethereal cries, the chestnut-selling granny continued pushing her handcart, heading all the way north along the dark and damp old street.

Midnight, twelve o'clock.

Clang, clang, clang!!!

The sound of gongs echoed from nearby, accompanied by the crisp tinkling of bells.

A convoy suddenly drove out from the crowded road ahead.

The convoy consisted of about a dozen people, men and women, young and old, carrying a grand and majestic sedan chair.

Several tall, muscular, and powerful men walked barefoot on the ground, their broad shoulders carrying the bronze-cast sedan chair as they moved slowly forward.

A faint fragrance of rouge powder drifted vaguely from within the sedan chair.

Chen Ye's gaze shifted, and he noticed a thick aura of mystery and earth flowing above the convoy, but unlike Miss Squirrel Fish, this aura was not gathered; instead, it dispersed outwards, pulling in the noble aura of all directions. The newcomers undoubtedly possessed extraordinary status and prestige.

The sturdy men at the front of the convoy had their gazes just land on the chestnut-selling granny...

A sharp, angry rebuke suddenly came from inside the sedan chair:

"Do not look at what is improper!"

The men hurriedly averted their gaze from the chestnut-selling granny and walked with their heads lowered.

The convoy actually took the initiative to avoid Chen Ye and the old woman, taking a detour...

As they brushed past each other, Chen Ye clearly noticed that the sedan bearer's body trembled slightly, fear showing on his face.

"Is she really that terrifying?"

Chen Ye could not help feeling a sense of surprise.

He became increasingly curious about the true identity of the chestnut-selling granny.

A convoy of this magnitude, with a master of noble status and presumably considerable backing, had to take the initiative to yield the way to the chestnut-selling granny.

At the same time...

Chen Ye could not help but sigh inwardly: "Midnight is indeed when this city truly comes alive."

Many entities invisible during the day had now made their appearances.

If he hadn't been following the chestnut-selling granny and the erhu-playing old man, the middle of the night would have been the most dangerous time, leading to encounters with the highest number of ghosts.

After passing the convoy, they did not encounter any more ghosts along the way, only a few ordinary residents with numb expressions passing by, but nothing untoward happened.

Just then, a vegetable market appeared ahead.

The scale of the market looked massive, covering almost an entire neighborhood.

Looking from afar at the entrance of the market, against the dark silhouettes, rows of stalls extended endlessly into the depths, out of sight.

In the pitch-black field of vision, only blurred outlines and slight movements of human figures could be seen, but what actually lay inside remained entirely invisible.

"Young man, if this is your first time at the vegetable market, you'd better read the rules here."

The chestnut-selling granny spoke in an eerie tone.

At this moment, Chen Ye turned his head and saw a sign placed beside the market entrance.

The text upon it was dripping red, resembling twisted and writhing fresh blood, still clearly visible in the darkness—

[Respected guest, welcome to Yongan Market. Please read the following rules carefully:]

[1. The market is open from midnight 0:00 to 6:30 AM;]

[2. Market prices fluctuate according to supply and demand. Any time-limited fluctuations fall within the scope of equivalent exchange;]

[3. Yongan Market only accepts currency transactions. Sellers must strictly adhere to market prices and ensure product quality, otherwise it will be regarded as a violation of the rule of equivalent exchange;]

[4. Upon entering the market, it is best to cover your eyes. Remember never to look directly at anything here!]

[5. Causing arbitrary harm is prohibited. Engaging in aggressive or dangerous behavior will result in punishment commensurate with the severity.]

[6. Anyone who violates any of the above rules will remain here forever...]