Chapter 125: The God of Biting

After hearing Qin Fei's question, the pig thought about it quite seriously for a moment before replying, "I'm hungry!"

Qin Fei gave up completely. It seemed that no matter how much food he fed the pig-men, he would never be able to extract any useful information from them.

The diamond crystal had dropped Qin Fei and Xie Nainai near the swamp for a reason. Clearly, the crystal had done this intentionally. It was likely because the curse within the pig-man village was linked to the "Evernight" mentioned by the crystal. It was highly probable that the merman curse in this village was one of the keys to unlocking the secrets of the "Evernight."

To find the source of the curse, Qin Fei and Xie Nainai decided to seek out the merman king in the village, hoping to obtain some useful intelligence. They arrived at the largest house in the village. The pig-man from earlier, having become friends with Qin Fei after being fed the honey-glazed frog legs, followed them along.

Upon entering the house, Qin Fei discovered that the merman king who had previously been sitting in the center of the room was gone. In its place was a giant, robust pig-man with sharp tusks protruding from its mouth. It sat cross-legged in the center of the room, leaning on a cane with its right hand. If one looked closely, they could see red and green scales on the giant pig-man's hands—a physical trait unique to mermen. It was evident that this giant pig-man was the former merman king, transformed back after the curse had been lifted.

Qin Fei recognized him immediately. This was the Elder Swamp Pig-man who lived in the swamp village during the Gorged event in the Don't Starve game. It appeared that the pigs in this village were not common pig-men, but rather swamp pig-men who had lived in the marshes for a long time.

Having returned to its pig-man form, the elder remained extremely lethargic, seemingly no different from before. Qin Fei stepped forward and gently nudged the elder's body. "Hey, wake up."

"Huh? What?"

The elder snapped out of his sleep. He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, scanned the room, and looked at Xie Nainai, Qin Fei, and the pig-man follower. "Hmph! I hate you goats; most goats are no good for pig-men!"

The "goats" the elder referred to were, of course, Qin Fei and Xie Nainai. Creatures in the Don't Starve world did not have the concept of "humans." The elder had likely seen the goats from the altars and assumed that Qin Fei and Xie Nainai, who also walked on two legs, were of the same species.

This realization gave Qin Fei a vital clue. Since the elder had seen the goats, he must know the specific reason why these swamp pig-men turned into mermen.

As Qin Fei pondered, the elder fell asleep again, snoring loudly. He drooled, muttering words like "scales... scales..." in his sleep. Watching the elder's dazed state, Qin Fei felt a sense of helplessness. He reached out and nudged the elder once more.

After waking the elder again, Qin Fei asked, "Do you know what the 'Evernight' refers to?"

Upon hearing the words "Evernight," a look of terror crossed the elder's face. He became visibly nervous and restless. "Evernight? Is the Evernight coming? The God of Biting must be angry!"

Qin Fei’s eyes lit up; the creature truly knew about the "Evernight."

After speaking, the elder began to ramble incoherently. He stood up and paced in circles around the room like a madman. Fearing the elder might suddenly attack, Qin Fei quietly stepped back to the entrance of the house. Once at a safe distance, he asked, "What happens when the Evernight comes?"

"The God of Biting will come, and it will spread a plague! We will all be turned into mermen!" The elder looked extremely agitated. He paced faster. "Our homes will be destroyed... Yes, the houses! Pig-men must repair the houses; only by hiding inside can we be safe!"

From the elder’s fragmented words, Qin Fei finally understood what would happen when the Evernight arrived. A monster known as the "God of Biting" would appear, spreading a plague that turned living beings into mermen. According to the elder, the "pig houses" could shield the inhabitants from the plague's curse. However, Qin Fei did not know how to build a pig house. If the plague arrived, he would have no way to hide like the pig-men to ensure his safety. He had to find a way to defeat the "God of Biting" or escape the continent before the Evernight began.

While Qin Fei was weighing his options, the elder produced several strange items out of thin air and placed them on the floor: a stone shovel, an axe, a pickaxe, a bucket that appeared to be fashioned from bones and wood, and a key.

Qin Fei recognized these tools immediately. They were the standard equipment used for gathering resources during the early stages of the Don't Starve game. The elder said to them, "Pig-men need to repair their houses, so you can trade wood for these items..."

There was no wood in the swamp, and these swamp pig-men rarely left their territory. This was why the elder wanted to trade tools for logs. Qin Fei was determined to get these tools. Items in the Don't Starve world possessed magical and potent effects. Perhaps because this was a magical plane, the golden spear he had previously looted had absurd attack power—bees and frogs were basically dispatched in a single strike. By the same logic, these axes and shovels were likely extraordinary as well.

Although Qin Fei intended to leave, he realized he had about 28 days before the Evernight arrived, so there was no need to rush. He decided to go gather wood and trade for the elder's equipment first.