Chapter 129: SAN Value Too Low
In the world of Don't Starve, the most common lighting tool is a lantern made from fireflies. These fireflies are quite large, and their nocturnal glow is more than enough to illuminate a person’s entire body. A single firefly, while continuously glowing, lasts for approximately one full day before dying naturally. However, if these fireflies are placed inside a sealed bottle, they stop glowing and enter a state resembling hibernation. This characteristic allows them to be captured and stored for later use.
During the day, Qin Fei and Xie Nainai searched near the Pig Village for a cave entrance leading to the underground world. At night, they would catch fireflies flying around the village. After three days, they finally discovered the entrance to the subterranean world beneath a giant boulder near the Pig Village. Over those few nights, they had managed to capture about a dozen fireflies, storing them in glass bottles. When needed, one simply takes the fireflies out of the bottle and places them inside a mesh net. Split between them, Qin Fei and Xie Nainai had enough to last for five days.
After tying these firefly lanterns to their waists, Qin Fei, Xie Nainai, Big Nose, and Caesar the Pig descended into the cave. Upon entering, Qin Fei was greeted by a forest of giant mushrooms. These massive fungi were almost entirely blue. Their texture was incredibly hard—even Caesar the Pig could not knock them down; only the stone axe in Qin Fei’s backpack could manage to fell these mushroom trees. The trunks could be used as fuel, and blue mushrooms grew on top of them. Seeing these, Caesar the Pig rushed forward without hesitation, plucking and devouring them with great relish, clearly enjoying the meal. Qin Fei did not stop him; he stood by, silently observing the pig’s reaction, as he could not be certain if these blue mushrooms were toxic. Even in a game one has played many times, it is impossible to recall every single detail, and it was quite normal for Qin Fei not to remember the effects of the blue mushrooms. After eating them, Caesar the Pig seemed to have no adverse reactions other than leaving a few piles of dung, which put Qin Fei’s mind at ease. It appeared the mushrooms were safe. He and Xie Nainai spent a significant amount of time gathering a large pile of blue mushrooms, and they also fed Big Nose, who had not had a full meal in days.
After passing through the blue mushroom forest, Qin Fei and Xie Nainai arrived at a bizarre location. It was strange because it was covered in countless enormous carrots, standing four or five meters tall. Could this be a carrot house? Qin Fei immediately recognized their origin: they had reached the Bunny Village.
Carrot houses are built by the rabbit-men of the underground world, using carrots and wood as materials. Rabbit-men are intelligent creatures similar to Pigmen; they walk upright on two legs, speak human language, and can communicate with others. They are also extreme vegetarians who will attack any creature in their field of vision carrying meat. However, since Qin Fei and Xie Nainai kept their items in their spatial backpacks, they had no need to worry about this.
Upon seeing the carrot houses, Caesar the Pig immediately rushed over and began gnawing on one. "Hey! You can't eat that!" Qin Fei stepped forward to pull him back, but the pig’s strength far exceeded his own, and he could not budge him. Although the carrot houses did contain some carrot, they were primarily made of wood. Finding them too hard to chew, Caesar the Pig eventually gave up. Seemingly alerted by the commotion, a rabbit-man over two meters tall hopped out of the house. It glanced at Qin Fei and Xie Nainai, then looked at Caesar the Pig and cursed, "Stupid pig!" Pigmen have excellent temperaments, and Caesar the Pig paid no mind to the insult. Qin Fei stepped forward, intending to ask about the surrounding area, but the rabbit-man seemed uninterested. After berating the pig, it hopped back into the carrot house and shut the door. Qin Fei looked disappointed; compared to the Pigmen, the rabbit-men seemed much harder to communicate with.
As the Bunny Village was generally free of predators, it was a safe place to rest. Qin Fei decided they would stay the night. After lighting a campfire, he, Xie Nainai, and Caesar the Pig sat around the fire, eating the blue mushrooms they had collected. Qin Fei had tried roasting them, but cooked mushrooms provided no satiety and caused a slight numbing effect, so they decided to eat them raw instead. The blue mushrooms were quite large; after eating nearly five, Qin Fei felt notably full.
Full and satisfied, Qin Fei lay down by the campfire to rest. Suddenly, he noticed the surroundings dimming. He heard strange whispers and clamor in his ears, and black, shadow-like monsters began to appear around him. Qin Fei immediately realized something was wrong. This was a sign that a sentient being's sanity was dropping too low in the world of Don't Starve. He thought back, certain he hadn't done anything to lower his sanity. According to the game's mechanics, standing near creatures like Pigmen or rabbit-men should stabilize or increase sanity, not decrease it.
Wait. The blue mushrooms he had just eaten were toxic!
Thinking of this, he turned to look at Xie Nainai. As a girl, she ate much slower. Just as she held the third mushroom, preparing to take a bite, Qin Fei grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Wait! Don't eat that! These mushrooms are problematic..."
"Huh? They're poisonous?" Xie Nainai looked at him, thinking, *You've already eaten nearly five and you're fine...*
Qin Fei didn't answer; his own condition was already deteriorating. As his sanity plummeted, the auditory hallucinations grew increasingly severe. The eerie whispers grew louder and louder, eventually drowning out everything else, until he could no longer even hear Xie Nainai’s voice. Meanwhile, the bizarre shadow creatures began to close in around him.