"Is there something special about Dusk Cathedral?" The bartender placed a glass of fruit wine in front of Zheng Yichen, wearing an elegant smile, "You have already been exposed to the world's 'reality,' so you should realize that anything is possible."
The bartender didn't treat his knowledge about Dusk Cathedral as a secret treasure, "My understanding of Dusk Cathedral is quite limited. You've been there, so you should have noticed, right? Those who like it go there often, and those who don't may never return after one visit."
"Some people I know have analyzed this situation. The difference probably lies in the fact that some people choose Dusk Cathedral, and Dusk Cathedral chooses those people."
"So, I'm pretty lucky, am I? Since there's a Dusk Cathedral, could there also be a Dawn Cathedral or something like that?"
"Your imagination is quite rich."
"Can I take a look at the menu?" Zheng Yichen swiftly changed the subject.
"Ready to take on a new commission? Then let me remind you that once you accept this one, your novice period will be over."
Zheng Yichen appeared somewhat surprised by the bartender's words, "Is that so?"
The bartender smiled and shook his head, "Only here it is like this. It's not easy for novice hunters without anyone guiding them. If a little chitchat can help them relax, why not do it? Besides, you also ordered a drink."
"Then give me another one."
After the bartender refilled Zheng Yichen's glass with fruit wine, he brought out the 'menu' again.
The contents of the menu were mostly the same as before, but there were significantly fewer commissions for patrolling the breeding farms. Instead, there were more from the research institute, involving 'patrolling' as well as some overtly asking hunters to participate in some testing.
"These commissions require sufficient strength on your part," the bartender simply explained the type of commissions to Zheng Yichen. Patrol-type commissions involve a group of several or even more hunters working together, and even temporary teams can cooperate with each other.
The direct and explicit testing commissions are considered more dangerous. Although there are also ones that involve one against many or even provide equipment, the testing targets are stronger — those kinds of tests usually involve complete products.
And not the incomplete products you find in patrol commissions.
The difference in difficulty between the two is vast, and they are among the least favored commissions by less dedicated hunters.
"Aside from these types of commissions, there are also those that test drugs and the like developed by the research institutes. I think you surely wouldn't like those."
"Eating things haphazardly can lead to problems," Zheng Yichen nodded in agreement. Patrol-type commissions required significant time, whereas testing commissions were scheduled and could be completed on that day once the time arrived.
However, to complete these commissions, it was not enough to merely get beaten up. If the research institute was offering such commissions, it was with the intention that the participants might end up dead or crippled. Even if you were going there to get beaten up, you needed to show some results. Those who were instantly killed might not even get their medical expenses reimbursed. The demands were explicitly for hunters who were agile and strong, preferably with extraordinary abilities — were the incompetent hunters there to scam them?
"There's this kind of bounty?" Zheng Yichen spotted a bounty that made him somewhat surprised. The content of this bounty was, well, very common yet seemingly out of place here — a missing person notice??
He looked at what he had discovered — a missing person notice open to hunters. Glancing over the commission details, Zheng Yichen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, "Nobody would accept this kind of commission, right?"
The commission sought a missing 'Fog Traveler', who had not been kidnapped or met with misfortune but vanished while approaching an anomaly. Some hunters, unaware of the true nature of anomalies, might find it baffling.
It looked like a standard missing person case, but Zheng Yichen had entered an anomaly and interacted with the worlds connected to it. So it seemed that this disappearance might not have been voluntary; the Fog Traveler might have entered the anomaly without having time to return and remained there after the anomaly had disappeared.
It was also possible that upon passing through the anomaly, they fell into an ambush by the indigenous creatures and were killed outright. Either way, this kind of bounty was just to glance at, the kind with a very generous reward but with little likelihood of completion.
"The patron has offered a hefty sum, so it stays posted here. If some lucky Hunter stumbles upon the answer, then it's a win-win situation," the bartender said with nonchalance. "Do you want to give it a try?"
"Even if one doesn't accept the commission, as long as the person is found and brought back here, it can be completed on the spot, right?"
"Of course."
Therefore, Zheng Yichen turned his attention to other commissions. He found an intriguing one involving traces of an extraordinary species discovered in the southern forest of Hazy City; several incidents of injury had occurred to date.
"I'll take this one."
"Oh? Are you sure? It might be challenging for a novice hunter."
"Challenging, but not impossible, right? Otherwise, it wouldn't be listed in this 'menu'."
"Indeed," the bartender nodded slightly. "Among those injured, although many have died, there are survivors as well. Also, this task can be undertaken by multiple people. It belongs to whoever completes it first. If that's alright with you, I'll register you for it."
"Let's do that. I was just planning to find a nice spot to practice my shooting."
"If caught by a forest ranger, you'll be fined. Without taking up other jobs, such missions are more about luck."
"Let's handle one thing at a time. I want to experience it first."
After leaving the Night Banquet Bar, Zheng Yichen went to Dusk Cathedral to collect his weapons and make some additional preparations before heading straight for the southern forest of Hazy City. The mist in this forest was much heavier, and the forest rangers roamed mostly around the forest outskirts.
They didn't venture deep into the forest for two reasons: the persistent mist that made it easy to get lost, and the abundance of extraordinary creatures within. As long as no one ventured deeper, the outer areas were safe. On regular days, there were plenty of people hiking here.
But now, with incidents unfolding, the hikers were gone. The only presence was vehicles marked with symbols from various research institutes and hunters prowling nearby.
The scene before him made it clear that during major anomalies in Hazy City, ordinary people generally didn't need to worry about the anomalies affecting them too much. The level of activity at the site revealed as much.
There was no need to elaborate on the hunters; they were here specifically to find the strange creatures in exchange for money. The research institutes were self-explanatory. They had likely come for the extraordinary species.
For Zheng Yichen, the place was just as crowded whether he was there or not, making him want to turn around and leave. With so many competitors, even if he were fortunate enough to find the creature, those surrounding him were unlikely to play fair.