The darkness before him vanished, and Gu Xinghe realized that his vision seemed to have returned to normal.

He opened his eyes, and the previous hallucinations seemed to have vanished.

He patted the tentacles that were still surrounding him, and they obediently returned to the shadows.

An extra force had emerged, trying to pull him ashore.

It was clear that Chris, who was sitting on the ground, had embraced him and released his hands from the spear.

At this moment, Gu Xinghe saw white mist emanating from the hilt of the spear and the palm of his hand.

Cold fog formed due to extremely low temperatures.

This seems to confirm that his recent fall into the deep sea was not just an illusion.

He still vividly remembers the terrible, muddy feel of the seawater and the lingering fishy smell in his nose.

Gu Xinghe looked at his right hand, which was completely uninjured.

The cold touch he had felt earlier made him think he had even been frostbitten.

He slowly moved his finger joints, thinking that his hands were frozen by the low temperature.

But when I actually touched my palm, I found that it was just normal temperature.

Gu Xinghe looked down at his palm, making it impossible for Chris to see his expression.

She didn't know if he felt resentful or guilty for not being able to pull out the spear.

She lifted Gu Xinghe's hand, placed her palm against her cheek, and gently rubbed it.

"Don't be angry, it's okay."

She did not say that she was not angry.

Gu Xinghe gently stroked Chris's face with his warm palms.

"I'll take care of that spear and then rescue you."

"Of course, I've always believed in you."

Of course I know, because you were the one who saved me in my past life.

Gu Xinghe felt sorry for Chris, who had always believed in him.

In this secluded space, he and Chris enjoyed this moment of tranquility.

So, is there any way to solve your problem?

But it was as if they hadn't heard Gu Xinghe's question.

Chris's answer was evasive and completely ignored his question.

"Xinghe can conduct experiments in the laboratory on the first basement floor these two days."

If you want to test the alchemical potion after it's made, there are currently four suitable targets in the manor.

Also, remember to practice your dance diligently!

Chris winked at him playfully.

Although she wasn't always by his side, Chris seemed to know everything about his current situation.

"Okay, now I'm going to sleep!"

Although it was just a "consciousness escape".

But for Chris, escaping from that state of imprisonment was not an easy task.

Therefore, Gu Xinghe and Chris rarely met in the castle.

It's because she actually spends most of her time sleeping in this secret room.

See you at the banquet the day after tomorrow!

At this moment, Chris desperately needed to fall asleep, but she was also clearly avoiding Gu Xinghe's questions.

I don't want you to go looking for the saintess of the Thorn Cult.

The saintess of the Thorn Cult is the key person he is looking for.

Gu Xinghe pondered as he listened to Chris's thoughts.

Rose Manor is located in Rose Town, a remote border town that is independent of other countries.

As for the Thorn Cult, he might have a chance to encounter them in future game instances.

Gu Xinghe lifted Chris's hair and kissed her on the cheek.

In fact, this should be considered his first real contact with Chris.

Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt that the other person's cold body seemed to have warmed up a little from his touch.

Gu Xinghe patted Chris's head again, who was sitting on the ground, and then prepared to leave.

[They actually stole a kiss!]

Gu Xinghe, who had already turned around, couldn't help but smile.

Very well, just like he was back then, the other party is pretending to be asleep.

After exiting the underground laboratory—

Side quest completed

[Rewards will be distributed after the main quest is completed.]

The mechanical electronic voice rang in Gu Xinghe's ears after a long time.

The game system itself has a very low presence throughout the entire game.

And it is clear that his side quest has been perfectly completed at this point.

After all, the mission description was to uncover the secrets hidden within the Rose Manor, belonging to the manor owner.

Instead of solving it.

The seemingly high-ranking manor owner is actually just a prisoner trapped in a secret room.

They were sealed and imprisoned by the thorny spear and could not escape.

The Rose Manor covers a vast area, but the only place that truly belongs to her is that small, secluded room.

This is the estate owner's biggest secret.

In fact, the way to clear the Rose Manor instance is not difficult.

The main mission is simply a seven-day survival mode.

The challenge lies in the fact that players must remain clear-headed amidst the existing pollution in the world itself, compounded by the pollution of Rose Manor.

If you are calm and rational enough, it's not impossible to tough it out by sheer willpower.

However, if you want to complete the side quests...

Rose Manor itself has become a semi-exploration-oriented instance.

They wanted to uncover the secrets of the manor owner.

The simplest way is to start from the bottom and gradually expand your position's scope of action within the manor.

For example, the other four players.

Basically, they can only move freely within four designated areas: the banquet hall, the kitchen, the warehouse, and the small garden.

After expanding their operations, they need to start looking for opportunities to sneak into the library to read and get a first glimpse of the strange and the unknown.

Then they would mix them into the botanical garden to harvest medicinal plants for alchemical potions.

After improving your mental strength and rationality, you can slowly explore the secrets of the manor owner.

None of these steps can be omitted.

Otherwise, if we just rush straight to the basement...

It's estimated that they might be killed face-to-face by the guards hidden in the manor, or by the excessive contamination on the thorn spear.

As for Gu Xinghe's way of passing the level, he was carried from the starting point all the way to the finish line.

There are no puzzle-solving or exploration steps in the middle of the process.

After all, this is the ultimate secret to cheating.

[Huh! Gu Xinghe's live stream is back online!]

[Yay! Another unique romance and food movie to watch!]

[Forbidden, good!]

Is this really Gu Xinghe? Are you sure it hasn't been possessed by some strange thing?

Even if the player's body is truly possessed, the live stream will disappear once the player's consciousness vanishes.

After exiting the laboratory on the first basement floor of the castle, the familiar sounds of online discussions echoed once again.

This made Gu Xinghe realize that his live stream had been turned on again.

At the gate, Eiffel, who had been waiting silently, smiled the moment he saw Gu Xinghe.

Gu Xinghe carefully examined Eiffel.

Eiffel was noticeably different from the other manor servants.

Gu Xinghe gradually realized that he might know why Chris was so feared by the Thorn Cult.