Chapter 121: Gluttony (Part I)

As Qin Fei discovered the diary, the Merman King beside him remained with his eyes closed, seemingly detached from everything happening around him.

The diary Qin Fei found contained no written text. Instead, the entire volume documented events through simple, rudimentary sketches. Qin Fei turned to the first page. It depicted a small village where a crowd had gathered in the center, appearing to be celebrating something.

He turned to the second page. The number of figures was much smaller. In the center of them stood a giant goat, strangely positioned upside down. Beside the goat was a uniquely shaped altar.

This is...

Upon seeing the goat and the altar, Qin Fei’s memory was immediately jogged. He recalled that in the game *Don’t Starve*, there was indeed an event involving mermen, a goat, and an altar: the Gorge event. During this event, the Goat and the altar would appear near the player, and the Goat would communicate the altar’s hunger for food. The participating players then had to craft various delicacies to satisfy the altar's demands. If the players failed to provide enough food, they would be cursed by the altar upon the task's failure, transforming them into hideous mermen.

The content drawn in the diary was almost identical to the Gorge event in the game.

Thinking of this, Qin Fei eagerly flipped through the subsequent pages. Sure enough, the following drawings depicted villagers placing various types of food into the altar. In order of placement, they were: grilled frog legs, berry-meat skewers, meatballs, fish stew with radishes, and honey-glazed meat.

When the villagers, having exerted all their effort, finally completed the altar's last request—the honey-glazed meat—something went wrong. For reasons unknown, the entire village was cursed by the altar anyway, transforming them into the group of mermen seen today.

The sketches ended there. Qin Fei glanced at the photo on the wall showing the chubby man holding a chicken leg, then turned his gaze back to the Merman King in the center of the room, deep in thought.

So, the entire village of mermen, including the King, were humans transformed by the altar's curse. Qin Fei had a sudden realization: no wonder these creatures could speak human language. The term "Merman" could also be interpreted as "Fool-man." The curse effectively stripped them of their human intelligence, which was why they were called Mermen.

A chilling thought crossed his mind: what if Xie Nainai had also been turned into a merman?

The diary was filled with rough pencil sketches, and the figures all looked essentially the same. Even with careful observation, it was impossible to identify who exactly was depicted. Therefore, Qin Fei could not be certain whether Xie Nainai had fallen victim to the curse.

Regardless, his top priority now was to break the curse on the Merman Village. Once these creatures were turned back into humans, he could gather more information about this world from them—and perhaps even find the whereabouts of Xie Nainai.

Qin Fei put the diary back and left the King’s room. After wandering the village for a long time, he finally found a dry well in an inconspicuous corner that closely resembled the altar from the diary. The only difference was that the altar in the book featured a goat’s head, while this well had an inverted goat’s head carved onto its surface.

The well was covered by a transparent lid made of an unknown material. Through it, Qin Fei could see various food items placed within. The altar seemed to possess a magical preservation property; the dishes looked as fresh as if they had just been prepared. The altar-like well was not deep, measuring less than a meter. Even from that distance, Qin Fei could smell the aroma of the food, which made his mouth water.

Inside were the grilled frog legs, berry-meat skewers, meatballs, and fish stew with radishes—the only thing missing was the honey-glazed meat mentioned at the end of the diary. Qin Fei hypothesized that the villagers’ transformation was likely due to the failure to place that final dish into the altar. He suspected that they hadn't managed to craft the honey-glazed meat in time, leading to the curse.

Qin Fei decided to craft the missing honey-glazed meat himself and place it in the altar to see if it would break the curse. He mounted Big Nose and left the altar, heading toward the pond where the mermen fished. According to his gaming experience, honey-glazed meat was crafted using one portion of meat and some honey.

Occasionally, frogs could be seen by the pond. Each one was about the size of a basketball. They didn't look easy to deal with, so he couldn't be reckless. Qin Fei took the golden harpoon he had snatched from the Merman King out of his backpack and stealthily approached one of the frogs. He thrust the harpoon down with force.

*Thwack.*

The golden harpoon was indeed a high-quality piece of equipment; the frog was skewered instantly and died on the spot. However, the moment he killed it, all the other frogs in the pond charged toward him, seemingly seeking revenge for their fallen companion. Their tongues could extend over a meter, and when they struck, it felt like being hit by a sledgehammer. The force was far beyond what a normal frog should possess.

Realizing the situation, Qin Fei quickly abandoned the idea of fighting them. After stowing the dead frog and the golden harpoon in his backpack, he climbed onto Big Nose’s back and fled the scene at full speed.