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The hermit remained silent for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts.

Then, she slowly began to speak:

"Before the full moon begins... no, according to my investigation, it should begin before the full moon."

"In my area, people have been going missing one after another, but strangely, after they went missing, many people claimed to have seen them, and even chatted, ate, and done tasks with them."

"What's even stranger is that after a while, these people would suddenly reappear in public, and then..."

As if recalling some unpleasant scene, the hermit paused, a hint of disgust creeping into his voice:

"They would die quickly in the presence of others, as if... as if they melted, turning into a pool of red and white liquid, and then only a shell remained."

After hearing her words, everyone else gasped in shock.

"Oh my god, that scene... ugh, I can't even imagine it, it's driving me crazy!"

The moon sighed softly and turned its head away.

The hermit nodded and continued:

"And that is indeed the case. These heinous incidents have occurred one after another, all in public, each time causing riots and even leading to mental breakdowns in some people."

Hua Wuye, the Hanged Man, asked in a deep voice:

"Didn't you try to investigate? Doesn't the guild have any professionals skilled in divination or fortune-telling, or even any means of monitoring and recording?"

The hermit sighed softly:

"Yes, I am even skilled in divination myself, but... all my divination results show that these people were already dead when they went missing."

"We continued to try to piece together what happened after they went missing, but the results were completely blank; we couldn't find any clues at all."

"I also tried to strengthen the monitoring and recording of the population, but after several days, I couldn't find any pattern at all—some of the people they came into contact with before and after their disappearances might also disappear, while others remained unharmed, and the same situation was also found among those who went insane when they died suddenly."

"Moreover, the number of people who go missing and die each time is not fixed, as if it is a gang crime, but there is no clue."

"I can only put everyone in home quarantine, but the full moon is still ongoing, and everyone has things to do, so it's simply not realistic. Everyone in our guild is living in fear and can barely keep things running..."

Listening to the hermit's story, Xiao Yun lowered his head and silently opened the system.

Soon, a message appeared before my eyes.

[Preview: The Hermit has encountered trouble. A King-level monster—the Thousand-Faced Demon—is lurking in his area, constantly disguising itself as others and manipulating the fear throughout the region, pushing it to the brink of collapse...]

"The Thousand-Faced Demon..."

Xiao Yun's eyes lit up when he saw the name.

"Perhaps this is the opportunity that will allow me to obtain this special profession!"

Without hesitation, Xiao Yun sent another message.

[Trailer Information: The Thousand-Faced Demon]

[Rank: Seventh Sequence (King-level)]

[Ability - Thousand Faces: After devouring any creature, it can inherit its memories, abilities, and soul aura. Once inherited, it cannot be detected by any means of calculation, detection, or divination other than those two major ranks higher than the Thousand Faces Demon.]

[Ability & Psychological Suggestion: ■■……]

[Ability: Unspeakable Fear: ■■……]

"Interesting, it can actually block the system's search to some extent..."

Xiao Yun became increasingly certain of his guess, but he also thought of some details:

"We can try to get involved in this matter, but we can't bring it up ourselves; we have to let the hermit bring it up."

"Moreover, the hermits said they could barely function, but the forecast system said they were on the verge of collapse."

"The hermit... is hiding something, so there might be some hidden story, or those two haven't fully revealed their abilities, making them more troublesome than I imagined..."

While pondering, Xiao Yun discreetly observed the hermit.

The hermit finished recounting the events, gave a wry smile, and earnestly requested:

"I hope everyone can give me some ideas. As long as you have any thoughts or ideas, I'm willing to exchange them for any resources I have."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire gray fog fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone lowered their heads in silence, occasionally letting out a sigh.

"There are far too few clues. Based solely on your deductions, there are countless possibilities: an internal traitor, a spy sent by a foreign enemy, a strange monster..."

"I can't help you either. Every era has its unique biomes, and as far as I know, there are many monsters and even natural phenomena that can do this, but they are slightly different from what you described."

"I think it's simple. Just kill everyone else, and you'll increase your strength too—a win-win situation!"

"Ahem, Ms. Power, we're more peace-loving here..."

Everyone offered suggestions, hoping to be of some help.

But the hermit simply shook his head, and the light in his eyes slowly faded.

Just as she was about to give up, Death, who was sitting opposite her, suddenly looked up.

"I might be able to help."

The hoarse voice echoed above the gray fog, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

The Moon, the Warrior, and the Hanged Man were filled with anticipation, while the newly arrived Demon and Lady of Strength were filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

Xiao Yun said calmly:

"I've read an ancient book that describes a king-level monster called the Thousand-Faced Demon, whose behavior and abilities are very similar to your description."

Everyone nodded in agreement, marveling at his erudition.

The hermit was also excited, but Xiao Yun waved his hand.

"But I'm sorry, madam, you seem to be deliberately avoiding the seriousness of the matter. The chaos caused by the Thousand-Faced Demon, and the dangers involved, are definitely not as simple as you make them out to be."

The hermit's body froze.

Xiao Yun lightly tapped the table with his fingertips and calmly said:

"It disguises itself as one of your people, blends in among you, and creates chaos."

"The more you fear it, the stronger it becomes."

"According to my estimate, you have already lost nearly a thousand people, all of whom were powerful professionals. Your region is already teetering on the brink of collapse due to fear. Even if you manage to survive until the night of the full moon, you will not escape the fate of total annihilation."

"The day you completely break down will be the day it reaps its harvest from everyone..."

The hermit's pupils constricted sharply, and he cried out in alarm:

"you……"

"You've been hiding this because you're afraid that if you tell anyone, no one will dare to help you."

Xiao Yun casually uttered his last words, then leaned back in his high-backed chair, quietly observing everyone.

The gray mist trembled around the hermit, revealing the turmoil in his heart.

The others remained silent, their emotions no longer surprise, but horror.

How did Death know?

Everyone inevitably thinks this way.

The amount of information contained in Xiao Yun's words was terrifying. He knew more about what had happened than the hermit himself, and it was as if he had witnessed the whole thing from beginning to end.

"Does anyone in this world truly know everything...?"

The hermit was filled with doubt and uncertainty, and his gaze toward Xiao Yun became increasingly complicated.

Xiao Yun didn't explain, but simply nodded slightly to her:

Am I right?

silence.

A long silence followed.

The hermit sighed softly and spoke in a low voice:

"right."

Her voice trembled slightly:

"More than 800 of us died, including more than 100 ninth-sequence members, more than 20 eighth-sequence members, and even... the seventh-sequence members were affected."

"Just as you said, it seems that once you confront the fear it causes, you can't avoid the fate of death."

"We...have no other way...if this continues..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.

Xiao Yun nodded and said:

"I can help you."

The hermit suddenly looked up, his eyes shining.

"But this is a king-level one."

Xiao Yun said calmly:

"Moreover, it is an extremely difficult king-level beast to deal with. Its abilities are bizarre and it is ten times more dangerous than a normal king-level beast!"

"Therefore, the price will not be low."

The hermit was silent for a moment, then asked:

What do you want?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yun's lips curled up slightly as he looked at the old man at the head of the table.

"Mr. Tower, could I speak with the hermit alone about the rest?"

Mr. Tower nodded and raised a hidden barrier, enveloping Xiao Yun and the hermit within it.

After isolating himself from the others, Xiao Yun wasted no time and said directly:

"All the loot dropped by the Thousand-Faced Demon is mine, and I also want half of your guild's inventory as payment."

"impossible!"

The hermit resolutely refused, waving his hand:

"Although we are on the verge of collapse, if we were given that many resources, even if we survive by sheer luck, we would not have the means to continue living in the face of the increased difficulty of survival after the second mysterious resurgence."

"Besides, you only provide information; I still have to send people to implement it and try things out, which is simply not worth the effort..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Yun suddenly chuckled:

"Who said I only provide information?"

As he spoke, Xiao Yun took out a roll of parchment and tossed it to her.

"This is... an initiation ritual? The inheritor of the eternally burning blood... who is this?"

The hermit frowned, but then, recalling Xiao Yun's words, he suddenly understood what he meant.

"You want me to summon you so you can resolve this matter yourself?"

The hermit's words were full of disbelief.

"That's right."

The hermit fell silent.

Xiao Yun was not in a hurry; he simply waited quietly.

He knew the hermit would agree.

Because she had no other choice.

But the hermit's next words made him pause slightly.

"Mr. Death, what you just said, was it a guess, or do you actually know?"

Xiao Yun raised an eyebrow:

Is there a difference?

"have."

The hermit's voice suddenly calmed down, completely different from the panicked and helpless woman from before.

"If it's just a guess, then you're gambling. If you win, you take half of our fortune; if you lose, you might lose your reputation, but I'll lose everything."

"If you really know, then you're not gambling; you're using my inevitable loss to make a sure-win deal with me."

Xiao Yun remained silent.

The hermit continued:

"So I want to know, are you a gambler or a businessman?"

After the gray fog cleared, Xiao Yun's lips curled into a slight smile.

Interesting. The hermit before me is more interesting than I imagined.

Even though she was already at her wit's end, she was still able to calmly test his bottom line.

Xiao Yun lightly tapped his fingers on the table and said calmly:

"I never make risky trades."

The hermit was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed:

"Then there's no problem."

"I can't agree to the guild's inventory, because I'm not the guild leader after all."

"The physical loot dropped by the Thousand-Faced Demon should be yours, and as payment, I will offer something of sufficient value."

The hermit kept everyone in suspense, then whispered:

"A Grade A item..."

Grade A item, not Grade A- item!

Xiao Yun's eyes lit up, and he sat up straight.

"Okay, but I need to inspect the goods first!"

To everyone's surprise, the hermit chuckled softly:

"I will summon you in an hour."

"You'll find out then."