"Muh," Elena pouted, her gaze shifting to Pamela. "And where are you going?"

Pamela flinched, her mind racing for an excuse. With a forced laugh, she replied, "Uhm . . . toilet?"

"You're not going anywhere," Elena declared firmly, grabbing Pamela's hand and deftly attaching a vine-like bracelet around her wrist.

Pamela's eyes widened in surprise as she inspected the intricate design of the bracelet. At least it was pretty, but that was hardly the issue at hand here!

She attempted to remove it, but Elena dismissed her struggles with a nonchalant wave. "That won't come off your wrist until I say so."

"Guk. You can't do this to me! I'm a goddess, and you're just mere souls! You're out of bounds here!" Pamela protested, her voice rising in frustration. But a stern look from Ren silenced her protests.

"Augh . . . I mean . . . I, uh, like this bracelet. It's very fashionable," Pamela stammered, her resolve crumbling under Ren's gaze.

Ren and the others paid no heed to Pamela's outburst, their attention focused on the task at hand. Ren kept a wary eye on their surroundings, his hand never straying far from his staff. "We'll stay only as long as necessary."

"Let's go and find an inn, then," Evie suggested, taking the lead.

The four of them proceeded to the center of the town, Pamela reluctantly trailing behind them, her movements hindered by the bracelet tethered to her wrist.

This was completely opposite to what Pamela had in mind. They were supposed to be her prisoners, not the other way around.

She could go to the guardians, but she was certain that they would report her actions to the Goddess of Smiles and Happiness.

Being captured and used as a guide, Pamela's reputation would surely plummet even further, and she would become the laughing stock of the Gods and Goddesses once again.

Pamela would rather die than let that happen!

Resigning herself to her fate, Pamela could only sigh in frustration. So much for being the Goddess of Luck and Fortune.

However, their plans to quickly find an inn were thwarted when they stumbled upon a festival taking place in the town square. Music filled the air, and townsfolk danced and laughed with abandon, their smiles never faltering.

"What? What's going on here?" Evie remarked, her curiosity piqued by the festivities. "They're having a party with the storm approaching?" Elena inquired. Pamela explained, "They're having parties every day, come what may. This is the city of smiles and happiness, and no storm would dampen that."

"But isn't it dangerous?" Evie asked, concern evident in her voice.

Pamela looked to the side and sighed warily. "It is. But if you have complaints, take them to the management. Just a word of advice, though don't complain. Keep a low profile here if you want to pass through without problems."

Elena approached the souls who were smiling and laughing without care while thunder roared in the sky above.

"Why aren't you going to take shelter? The storm is about to hit here," she said, her voice tinged with concern.

The souls looked at her with creepy smiles that seemed frozen in place. "It's fine. No storm can make us unhappy and stop the festivities."

Elena frowned deeply. "But you could die."

The soul let out a laugh. "I'm already dead! Besides, if I die again, then I'll die happy!"

Elena didn't know what to say. The soul's response was beyond comprehension.

"Anyway, never mind that. But why aren't you smiling? Aren't you . . . happy?" the soul voiced out, its tone oddly haunting.

Elena suddenly felt uncomfortable and forced a smile before slowly retreating back to Ren and Evie.

"It's no use. They're acting like they're under a spell or something," she muttered, her unease evident.

Pamela took a deep breath. "That's what will happen to you if you stay in this town any longer than a day. You'll fall into a trance and only think of happy thoughts. This is the place where depressed and sad souls come to forget their sorrows. If you want to escape the sadness, then this is the place to be."

"That's why there are so many souls here," Evie commented, her voice hushed.

"This place is like a euphoria for souls that just want to be happy," Elena muttered, her tone tinged with sadness. "How sad."

"Then that means that this place is like under the spell of the goddess," Ren pondered aloud.

"Spell?" Pamela waved her hand dismissively. "No. No. No. More like this town is her entire domain."

Ren and the others fell into a momentary silence, processing Pamela's words.

". . . Isn't that bad?" Evie broke the silence, her voice filled with concern.

Suddenly, the thunder rumbled so loud it felt like the earth itself was shaking. Each boom reverberated through the air, sending vibrations that seemed to penetrate to the very core of one's being. It was a deep, guttural sound that rolled across the landscape, filling the air with an ominous sense of foreboding.

With the thunder came the rain, a deluge that fell from the sky in relentless torrents. The droplets were harsh, cold, and unyielding as they pelted down, drenching everything in their path. The raindrops seemed to have a mind of their own, lashing out with ferocity as they hammered against the ground and anything else in their way.

Accompanying the rain was the wind, a fierce force that swept through the town with a fury unmatched. It howled and whistled through the streets, bending trees and toppling anything not securely anchored to the ground. Loose objects were sent tumbling through the air, caught in the tempestuous winds and carried away into the storm.

Despite the chaos unleashed by the storm, the souls of Smiling Town remained unfazed. They continued to smile and laugh as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, their expressions frozen in an eerie display of eternal happiness. It was as if they were completely immune to the forces of nature, untouched by the tumultuous events unfolding around them.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, Ren wasted no time in urging the group to seek shelter. "Let's get out of here," he said, his voice barely audible over the roar of the storm. Without hesitation, they immediately set off in search of an inn to wait out the tempest, their footsteps quickening as they sought refuge from the relentless fury of the elements.