"Mother, the Prince in the castle is hosting a ball. We need more money to buy decent clothes, and yes, a carriage."

"Don't worry, my darling daughter. As long as we chop up and sell the two people you tricked, we'll soon have enough money. That Fatty has a lot of meat on him."

"That's not enough. It would be great if that old hag in the forest would lend us the money. It's such a headache. Maybe we should think of other ways to get her money."

Fatty leaned against the door, his face ashen as he listened to the conversation outside.

Chopped up?! he thought. I've never heard of such things in fairy tales!

"Sh-she-she... It's bad enough she trafficks people, but she kills them before selling them?" The supermodel was also pressed against the door, stammering as he spoke.

Because night had fallen so quickly, the two hadn't had a chance to light any lamps. In the dim room, Fatty and the supermodel pressed themselves tightly against the door, straining to hear, daring not to make even the slightest sound.

"And... and those hunched-backs she mentioned... do they eat people?" the supermodel continued to stutter.

If Fatty hadn't heard him speak normally before, he would have thought the supermodel actually had a stutter.

Fatty quickly covered his mouth. "Shush!"

He was afraid the supermodel, lacking self-control, might make a noise and alert the two people downstairs.

Fatty couldn't recall any fairy tales featuring chopped-up human remains. However, since this instance was named "Broken Fairy Tale City," it had to be a corrupted fairy tale world. This is just too corrupted...

Just then, the sound of something blunt scraping across the floor came from downstairs.

Fatty's face paled as he listened intently for a few seconds. It sounded like someone dragging an axe on the ground.

There's no doubt that sound is heading for us, he thought.

The mission is to escape this broken fairy tale world, but we don't have a single clue right now! And we need to stay alive to escape this damned place! We're about to be chopped into mincemeat by Elizabeth!

Fatty hadn't experienced many instances, but definitely a fair few. This was the first time he'd encountered an instance that threatened to turn him into mincemeat right from the start.

Panicked, Fatty scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on the only window.

Seeing the window, he suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled a blue-covered book from his bag.

[Protagonist's Cliff-Jumping Immortality Law]

[Function: When the holder falls from a high place with this book in hand, there's a 60% chance they won't sustain any injuries.]

This book was a special item Gu Mian had obtained during the "Bizarre Great Train Escape" instance.

Forget 60%; even with a 99% chance of not getting hurt, Gu Mian would always be in the remaining 1%. So, this artifact was useless to him.

Therefore, Gu Mian had simply tossed it to Fatty, figuring Fatty had better luck.

Fatty clutched the [Protagonist's Cliff-Jumping Immortality Law]. Even if I'm unlucky enough to fall into that forty percent... the Doctor also gave me another piece of junk!

[Dilapidated Winch]

Its function was to hoist people, but it was highly likely to snap mid-air.

Using both items together, I can first attach the winch. Even if the winch snaps midway, I'll still have the [Protagonist's Cliff-Jumping Immortality Law] in hand. Both items can't fail at the same time, right?

Beside him, the supermodel, flamboyant as ever, was still nervously listening to the sounds outside. That axe sounds like it's coming upstairs!

Fatty had already dashed to the window.

Strangely, although night had just fallen, the moon was already quite high.

Fatty had no time to ponder this. He anxiously pushed open the window and peered down, trying to estimate the height.

But the moment he stuck his head out to look at the ground, his blood seemed to freeze solid.

An icy gust of wind hit his face, making it hard for Fatty to breathe.

The second-floor window wasn't too far from the ground, and below was soft grass; even if he jumped, he likely wouldn't get seriously injured.

The problem lay elsewhere.

The sisters were below.

The two sisters stood directly below the window, their faces devoid of expression as they stared blankly upwards. He had no idea how long they had been there.

Jumping now would be suicide.

Fatty had no choice but to retreat. He hadn't expected them to be waiting right under the window. If he jumped now, he'd land right in their embrace!

Normally, I'd be thrilled to jump into the arms of two beautiful women, but today is different. These two beauties downstairs are clearly up to no good!

Thinking this, Fatty furtively took out another item.

It was also something Gu Mian had given him.

[Penguin Brand Cough Syrup]

Taking out this item would attract a great deal of aggro, but throwing it could stop whatever was chasing him for half a minute. Whether it was a human, ghost, cat, or dog, even police chasing a suspect would be forced to stop.

Fatty suddenly realized all his special items were things the Doctor hadn't wanted. In that instant, he suddenly felt like a little boy rummaging through trash, overcome by a profound sense of life's hardships.

But now is not the time for such feelings.

He clutched the [Penguin Brand Cough Syrup] tightly, planning to throw it the moment Elizabeth came after them with the axe.

The harsh SCREECHING grew closer.

The two inside heard the axe finally being dragged up the stairs and stopping right outside their door.

Any moment now... she'll be in.

Their backs pressed tightly against the wall opposite the door, they swallowed hard.

Fatty had been clutching the cough syrup for so long that his palm was slick with sweat, yet there was still no sound from outside.

Just as they were beginning to think the person with the axe outside had left, the door suddenly opened a crack with a CREAK.

The room was very dark, but the corridor outside was lit by candlesticks.

Blinding light streamed in through the opening. A face appeared in the gap, staring intently at the two inside.

Illuminated by the candlelight from the hallway, the face was pale and incredibly sinister, a stark contrast to Elizabeth's gentle and lovely appearance during the day.

But it was unmistakably the same face.

Fatty nervously gripped the [Penguin Brand Cough Syrup], ready to throw it at any moment.

But then, the mouth below the nose on that face suddenly moved. "You're in luck. I need your help with something."

「The sky was pitch black.」

For some reason, though the place had been warm during the day, it became extremely cold when night fell.

Moreover, the night seemed to last a very long time, at least much longer than the brief day.

The Little Dwarfs' home was a small wooden cabin. It was more than spacious enough for five Little Dwarfs, but with the addition of Princess Heitang and Gu Mian, who carried a large guitar, it felt a bit cramped.

The furniture was all miniature; even the chairs were like small stools. Gu Mian didn't dare sit too heavily on his, afraid he might break something and have to pay for it.

Gu Mian, currently oblivious to how much he was crowding their home, sat at the dining table, looking at a small bowl in front of him.

The small bowl contained a simmering meat broth with chunks of meat floating on top. The rich aroma filled his nostrils, tantalizing his taste buds.

The Little Dwarfs' dining table was long, accommodating all five of them and one large princess.

Gu Mian sat beside the princess's designated seat.

Princess Heitang was in the kitchen dishing out soup, while several Little Dwarfs chattered animatedly, telling Gu Mian about the forest.

"Guest, you probably don't know much about our forest, do you?" said the Little Dwarf holding a shovel, sitting opposite Gu Mian.

For some reason, these Little Dwarfs didn't even put down their tools while eating. Gu Mian suspected they might even sleep clutching them.

A Little Dwarf carrying a pitchfork sat next to Gu Mian. Gu Mian didn't plan on asking their names one by one. Since each Little Dwarf had a different tool, he decided to mentally nickname them accordingly:

Shovel, Axe, Hammer, Pitchfork, and Saw.

Pitchfork spoke up, "Not far from here lives Little Green Hat's family. It's just her and her grandfather. Her grandfather is very wealthy; they say he owns enough assets to buy half a castle!"

Axe suddenly interjected, "But Little Red Riding Hood said they've been threatened by werewolves recently. She mentioned often seeing werewolves lurking near her home. Speaking of which, I don't know why, but there seem to be a lot more werewolves around lately..."

Gu Mian recalled seeing Little Green Hat earlier that day; she had seemed to be frantically searching for something.

"Far from us, there's a villa where a lady lives with her three daughters. I heard the youngest daughter isn't biologically hers, but they seem to have a good relationship."

Sounds a bit like Cinderella, but not quite.

Since this instance is a counterfeit, the creators must have plagiarized many stories and then added their own twists and adaptations.

Saw asked curiously, "By the way, guest, the Prince in the castle is hosting a ball soon. Are you also going to attend?"

This is definitely the Cinderella plot. So, this instance has mashed many fairy tales into one world? It's a bit of a clumsy mash-up.

Gu Mian touched his chin. You wouldn't believe me if I said I was thrown in here completely bewildered.

After a moment's thought, he nodded. "That's right, I'm here for the ball."

Maybe I can even try on Cinderella's lost glass slipper, assuming the plot develops as I imagine.

Setting those thoughts aside for now, after the Little Dwarfs had eagerly finished telling Gu Mian about the forest, they seemed to get hungry and quickly gulped down all their meat broth.

After the Little Dwarfs had finished their broth and were wiping their mouths, they noticed that Gu Mian's bowl remained untouched.

"Drink... drink up—"

The Little Dwarfs raised their hands in a synchronized gesture, their eyes fixed on Gu Mian, seemingly desperate for him to drink the broth.

This scene is quite eerie.

Gu Mian looked at the seven figures staring intently at him and didn't move.

Just then, Princess Heitang emerged from the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup.

She placed the bowl at her seat and then looked at Gu Mian. "Guest, I'd like to discuss something with you. Could you come with me privately?"

With that, she walked a few steps toward the door of an adjacent room, then glanced back at Gu Mian, as if signaling him to follow.

Gu Mian glanced at Princess Heitang, then at the Little Dwarfs who were still seated, their eyes fixed on him.

These Little Dwarfs are a bit odd, Gu Mian thought. Sometimes they're like soulless puppets; even the range of their movements is identical. Strange...

Mulling this over, Gu Mian stood up and walked towards Princess Heitang's room.

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