Chapter 28 A Wonderful Night at the Resort Hotel

There were quite a few scented diffusers available in the room, but only four in total, all made by the hotel itself using spices from the Dolo region. You smelled them one by one, trying to remember their scents.

After thinking about it, you decided to light all the incense. Once the room is filled with these scents, make sure you can immediately detect any of the different smells mentioned in the rules.

Once you've finished these tasks, you gaze at the rising steam and wait quietly.

You're not necessarily eager to enjoy a relaxing bubble bath to relieve the day's fatigue; you simply don't want to wait for terror to strike, but choose to proactively confront the lurking danger.

If it really does appear only at night as the rules say, and you can simply ignore it, that would be ideal. But rules don't lie; there are always traps and hidden opportunities within them.

Just like now, as the water slowly flows into the bathtub, a soft gurgling sound echoes on the tiled wall. Even as the water is about to overflow, you turn off the tap, and the surface remains still for a long time, as if the bathtub contains a pool of living water.

While waiting for the water to be released, you searched for the keywords "Dolo Mountains" and "water" and found that in this hidden gem of the Alps, water is often seen as a medium to another world.

Local legend also holds that ancient water spirits linger among the snowmelt streams deep in the mountains, luring travelers into getting lost in the mist, never to find their way home.

The sign for the Dolo Resort Hotel states that their hotel uses mountain spring water. Whether it truly possesses the numerous health benefits they advertise is something you may doubt, but these claims are likely to come true.

Your gaze is sharp, awaiting further changes in this tank of water.

Soon, as if something gently touched the surface of the water, the ripples on the surface were initially just slight waves, but as time went on, the ripples turned into small, rapid waves.

The sound of water gradually became more and more rapid, and a strange call seemed to come from the depths of the bathtub.

Your pupils contracted, and you could see clearly that a dark shadow emerged from the clear water, but it seemed to be blocked by some barrier when it touched the surface, struggling a few times but unable to climb out.

If it's late at night, something might crawl out of there, or even stand by your bedside watching you all night.

Until you discover it, violating the rule of ignoring it, and then—

Don't worry, since it's not late at night, you're unlikely to get into any trouble in the bathroom. You're only doing this because you're confident in your understanding of the rules, seizing the best opportunity to observe and experiment.

Make sure the bathroom door is locked and won't close by itself, then walk over and inspect the bathtub.

Calling things in the water ugly is an understatement; even someone who's seen plenty of strange things in the De Kingdom dungeon can't help but frown.

Without a doubt, the "creature" in the water that kept puffing bubbles and trying to make noise after noticing your approach was some kind of legendary spirit or fairy that could lure travelers. Unfortunately—

You point to the Bluetooth earphone in your ear and grin, showing off your white teeth.

This shows that plugging one's ears can indeed prevent being bewitched. But the elf did not feel defeated; he simply persisted in trying to communicate.

How can I make this thing disappear?

You try to connect the legend with reality: water is seen as a channel connecting two worlds, so when the spirits in the water begin to move, it means that the power of another world is trying to enter this realm.

The water surface is the medium. How do we cut off this medium?

Draining the bathtub water might not have much effect, but it can certainly make the faucet run spring water on its own, just like in many horror movies.

You look around, trying to find something in the room that can help you deal with the situation.

On a whim, you grabbed a bath towel and tossed it into the water.

The water was covered by a bath towel, like sealing a box with sheet metal. You could see the elf angrily slapping the towel, leaving small claw-like marks. After a while, it seemed that the elf itself got bored and simply left.

call.

You tell everyone about this discovery, and then instead of draining the water, you go to the room, pull out the waterproof sheet, and replace the towel that might sink in the water with it. Oh, and the same goes for the sink in the bathroom and the kitchen sink in the suite.

She stood outside the bathtub and took a quick shower.

Using the cleaning tools provided by the hotel, you scraped the water off the floor and pushed it down the drain. After all, you were worried that any water would give the water sprite a chance to climb out.

Wrap yourself in a bathrobe, and try to avoid looking at the large mirror that takes up the entire wall, lest something strange happen again. You also cover the mirror with a towel.

You sat on the bed to rest for a while, and when you went out, you found that under Xiaoming's instructions, Xiaola was using a free magazine to wet and paste on objects that might reflect light, such as glass, to act as mirrors.

"How is Xiao Fang?" You picked up the piece of paper that was placed aside, got back to work, and asked about Xiao Fang.

"We just called room service to bring her some common medicines. Maybe she'll feel better after she wakes up and drinks some hot soup." Xiaoming wiped his sweat, also a little anxious.

Health is the foundation of everything, and no one wants Xiao Fang to collapse before facing the strangeness of the dungeon.

You will be spending tomorrow night in a mountain cabin. The so-called "cabin" is really just a lonely little house with a dirt toilet, or even no toilet at all. It is only for hikers to stay overnight.

You've read many online reviews; let alone providing accommodation for someone who's unwell, even pampered young people might not get a good rest.

You don't understand why "you," who have booked expensive itineraries for the entire trip, would choose such a place to rest instead of a regular hotel on the mountaintop.

I can only say he just wanted to suffer.

You all stopped talking and silently finished what you were doing.

It was dinner time, and considering the stares from the other travelers when you entered the lobby, you decided it was best not to go to the restaurant.

In reality, this might stem from curiosity about tourists from Yazhou who haven't seen much of them playing here, but in the instance, it could trigger hostility and an attack on you.

Besides Xiao Fang, Xiao Ming had the best spoken English, so he was responsible for calling the front desk to order food to be delivered to his room.

The menu is labeled in both Chinese and English, "Fresh ingredients, updated daily, made to order." In reality, less than 5 minutes after you place your order, your suite's personal butler will quietly knock on your door.

This is a young man from the country named Luca. He has a finely crafted wheat-colored complexion. The people of the country are the result of long-term intermingling with the peoples of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. His deep features, unlike any other countrymen you have seen before, make his face look as if it has been sculpted.

You can hardly judge the age of a person from Ouzhou by their appearance, and you generally don't pay attention to other people's appearance. But at this moment, you can't help but wonder if he is a mountain dweller from the nearby area, based on his curly, thick black hair and his dark brown, watery, and innocent eyes, which is why he works here at such a young age. You might also wonder if he is just a slightly immature mature man because of his well-trimmed beard, the cologne-scented aftershave, and his elegant and self-satisfied demeanor.

Your gaze is so direct, with an unconscious intensity, that Luca certainly wouldn't miss it.

Just like Xiaoming said and the videos you've seen, Korean men are masters of flirting.

He winked at you, as docile as a lamb, and leaned slightly towards you as he set the table, revealing his strong forearms and the lines of his sides.

“Bon Appetit, madam,” he said.

He said it to everyone, but you know he was always watching you.

With those eyes that seemed to always be looking up, earnest, restrained yet passionate.

“Here’s a tip.” Xiaoming held up an orange 50 euro note and was about to hand it to him. If 50 euros wasn’t the largest denomination in your wallet, you’d think Xiaoming would have given you more.

He politely declined, saying, "It's my honor to serve."

At the same time, his gaze remained tenderly fixed on you, as if the whole world consisted only of you.

Even after he pushes the food cart out of your room, you are still immersed in his fragrance.

Xiao La looked at you and Xiao Ming with a strange expression: "Sisters, what are you doing?"

You remain oblivious, just like Xiaoming, sitting at the table, staring at the closed door.

"Hey, sister!" Even though Xiao La didn't know the situation, she realized something was wrong.

Seeing that shaking you wasn't working, Xiao La had no choice but to run to get a glass of cold water and pour it over your and Xiao Ming's faces.

This kind of stimulation makes you feel like you've been stabbed in the head by a cold blade, and then you wake up.

A foul stench, almost pungent, made you want to vomit. Xiaoming was no exception; her face turned ashen as she rushed to her room to vomit.

Little La looked at you two speechlessly: "You two are staring at that person like he's meat. I'm starting to wonder if he's some kind of succubus. I was thinking, is he really that good-looking?"

After saying that, her eyes darted around, and she glared at him: "Could it really be??"

"We're already like this, and you're only just realizing it?" You covered your nose and pouted helplessly at Xiao La.

I got up and opened the French windows on the balcony to let in some fresh air. In the summer, it might not get dark until 9 or 10 pm in Beiyi. Now I could just see the golden sunset over the mountains, with the glow of the sunset displayed perfectly in front of the French windows.

Thinking back to what just happened, you feel like your reputation has almost been ruined. You were just being habitually vigilant and observant of everyone, but you never expected that just looking at Luca would lead you into such an embarrassing situation.

Stop thinking about his name! You hold your head in your hands and silently scream in your heart.

The cold wind blowing against my face did nothing to make me feel any better.

The smell from the guest room is too strong; I wonder how long it will take to dissipate.

It's peak tourist season in the Dolo region, and this hotel is already fully booked. Changing to another room is probably not an option.

etc.

You suddenly realize something.

You turn and stride towards the living room, pick up the phone and dial the front desk: "We need a housekeeper, there's a strange smell here."

Xiao Ming, who had already come out of his room and was sitting at the dining table picking at his food with no appetite, suddenly raised his head upon hearing this and met your gaze.

You nod and put the phone down.

Stereotypes can be very harmful.

You've seen events happen without any apparent reason, things that seem to happen and then appear at some point as if they were always there.

I thought that was the case for rule 2, that the room would develop an unwanted smell on its own, completely ignoring the fact that it was because of Lu... Ugh, stop thinking about his name! Every time I think about it, his face appears in my mind, making my heart inexplicably tremble, like I'm sick, how annoying.

In short, isn't that the strange smell that the butler is using to invade your room?

Whether he was actually the guest room butler is another matter. When you look back, you realize that you didn't seem to pay any attention to that person when the butler was helping you carry your luggage and showing you the way.

The sound of footsteps rang out, followed by a completely different voice from the one that had just brought in the food: "Ladies, I've brought my colleagues to help you clean your rooms."

Xiao La sat closer to the door and subconsciously got up to open it. She then realized that you and Xiao Ming were both standing still and didn't seem to be moving. She looked a little confused, but still silently sat back down.

As you pass by Xiaola, pat her on the shoulder to show encouragement. Having any sense of vigilance already puts you ahead of many others.

Xiao La didn't understand, while you and Xiao Ming were already on high alert after what happened just now, so of course you didn't miss anything strange: the corridor outside the door was covered with such a thick layer of wool carpet, and it didn't make the slightest noise when you walked by, so how could this person make such loud footsteps?

It's yet another trap within the rules. The footsteps marked for appearing at night are still mingling with the people you're waiting for during the day, ready to tear you apart at any moment.

Seeing that you did not respond, the knocking gradually changed from a polite three knocks followed by a pause to a banging on the door. The door panel vibrated slightly under the force, making a chilling sound.

When all else failed, the thing outside the door began to wail and howl at the door, its whimpers mixed with groans, sounding like it was cursing filthy things.

Hehe, if you don't understand, then there's no way to launch an attack against you.

Little La, sitting on the sheep's head, saw you smiling and smiled too. You patted her head and felt a strange sense of tenderness towards this silly child.

Judging from what happened in the bathroom, strange phenomena occurring late at night are more dangerous. This thing outside the door is probably just a paper tiger, and since you've closed all the doors and windows, you're safe no matter what. Even if the noise is outrageous and frightening, you'll be safe if you cover your ears.

Ah, just a few minutes ago, you seemed to have opened the window to let in some fresh air.

As if echoing your ominous feeling, a subtle sound suddenly came from the French windows of the balcony, which were facing away from the three of you.

Through the narrow, slightly slanted window, a long arm covered in grayish-white scales is slowly reaching inward.

Because the glass was covered with paper, blocking the view, you couldn't see how many "people" were outside, nor could you see the monster's body. You could only see its long, twisted arms with sharp nails, groping for the doorknob to open it completely instead of opening it diagonally.

"Oh my god!" Little La exclaimed, her hand gripping yours instantly freezing.

Both you and Xiaoming lost all color in your faces, especially you, who are usually so cautious, yet you fell for it twice today.

Your lips trembled uncontrollably as you tried to recall the rules, but the rules here only taught you how to avoid them. Even the things in the bathroom were things you came up with yourself after researching the customs!

But this thing has nothing to do with customs. How are you going to investigate it? Where are you going to start? Are you all going to lose your lives here?

While you were brainstorming, Xiao La had already moved past her initial fear. Seeing that your two older sisters didn't react, she made a snap decision, pushed you further away from the balcony, grabbed a small stool, and ran towards the balcony.

While you and Xiaoming were dumbfounded, this young Ms. La was already furiously beating that arm.

"Get away! Get away!" she shouted as she hit him, as if to bolster her courage.

While Xiao La's courage is commendable, it seems to have only served to delay the inevitable.

The arm, as if completely oblivious, had already stretched in completely, and then a blurry face peeked out from the crack in the window.

In that instant, you imagined Sister Y desperately trying to crawl out of your phone, and that horrifying, ugly thing with its flesh stretched to the extreme—wasn't that Luca?

The good thing is that, seeing him in this awful state, you won't feel that damn flutter in your heart when you think of Luca's name anymore.

Looking at Xiao La, and thinking back to the methods you and Sister Y used to fight against her, you felt uncertain, but you had no choice but to give it a try.

"Xiaoming, go and hold the window open for her!" Almost the instant you blurted out the words, Xiaoming had already run over to join the physical exorcism.

Meanwhile, you rush to the sofa, grab the remote, turn on the TV, and frantically change the channels.

Of course there are! How could there not be? You're not a sports fan, but you know there are many sporting events in the summer. On the way here, Xiao La was looking for radio stations playing music, and several she flipped through were all sports commentary.

Got it!

On the lush green field, male football players are sweating profusely, while the commentator is shouting passionately. Even through the electronic screen, you can almost feel the same atmosphere.

Then, you dashed towards the window. Part of the monster's body had already entered the room. As you approached, you were almost vomiting again from the stench of rotting flesh and wet, nauseating smell emanating from it.

"Stop hitting him, Little La, let's break him together." You said, ignoring the disgust, and reached out to grab the monster's claws.

"Okay." As the one with the most powerful output, Xiao La noticed a change in his subordinates the moment the TV turned on. The monster was no longer blindly burrowing in as if it were not afraid of pain, but was obviously starting to try to resist.

Little La doesn't know why, but Little La knows you're very capable, so listening to you is the right thing to do.

You two, one of you cracking your knuckles and the other grabbing your wrist and pushing outwards, managed to shove the monster out the window. It was strong, but it was no match for the three of you strong women. It futilely grabbed and punched wildly. With your countdown of "1, 2, 3", the three of you worked together and shoved the monster back out the window.

Click, the window is closed.

You and Xiaoming both collapsed back onto the sofa, exhausted, mainly mentally drained.

Little La was very excited, after all, this was her first time facing a monster head-on and even driving it away with her own hands. Her eyes sparkled as she asked, "Sister, tell me quickly, how did you make it controllable?"

You pointed to the commentator who was still passionately delivering his speech: "The general rule is that free fighting is civilized when watching a ball game. In other words, you can fight while watching a ball game. Extending this further, as long as there is a ball game on, anything present can be attacked."

Little La exclaimed "Wow!" in admiration, and Little Ming gave you a thumbs up.

Knock knock knock.

"Again?" Xiao La jumped up nervously, shaking her head back and forth, looking at the door and then at the window.

"It's alright, go open the door. This time it should be for real," you said weakly.

Seeing Xiao La's energetic appearance, you shed tears of envy.

This time, it was indeed the actual butler and hotel staff—a pot-bellied American man with no recollection of him and several cheerful and enthusiastic aunties.

The aunties were vacuuming the air haphazardly with their vacuum cleaners when, just as Xiaola asked you, "Is this how you use a vacuum cleaner?", the strange smell in the room had disappeared. They then prepared beautifully folded scented wax flowers for you, with the same scent as what you'd expect in the room.

The butler walked up to you apologetically and suddenly knelt down on both knees, which startled you. You almost snuggled into Xiaoming's arms along with Xiaola.

As expected of Xiaoming, he is knowledgeable and experienced. After calmly communicating with the housekeeper, you all watched as the housekeeper and the aunties removed the original dishes, and a few minutes later, they brought in brand new dishes.

"To express our apologies, we will provide you with five days of complimentary dinner vouchers. We wish you a pleasant meal." The butler, sporting the classic mustache and slicked-back hair of a typical Korean man, nodded slightly in farewell.

Your stomach has been rumbling for a while now, and looking at the dazzling array of dishes, you're even more drooling.

"I'll go call Xiao Fang," you said, while Xiao Ming took Xiao La to re-check all the windows and doors of the suite to make sure everything was in order.

Xiao Fang left her room door ajar, intentionally so that others could inspect or modify her room or observe her condition.

"The food is here, get up and eat some?" You walk in, gently sit on the edge of her bed, and push aside the swollen blankets.

Xiao Fang groaned a few times, threw off the covers, revealing a face as pale as paper, and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay, I'll get up now."

Looking at her, you can't help but worry: "Are you really okay? Should we call an ambulance? Don't worry, I think since our mission is to travel, it's normal for unexpected situations to occur during the trip, and it won't necessarily punish us."

"No need." Xiao Fang took your hand that was supporting her and stood up shakily. "There might be new rules at the hospital, and it will only be more difficult to deal with there."

She smiled at you and said, "It's really nothing. It shouldn't just be because of motion sickness. The Mad Hatter's tea and snacks were probably the main reason."

“We ordered soup. Have some, and then sleep with me tonight so I can take care of you.” You led Xiao Fang out of the room.

"It's okay, I can manage on my own." Xiao Fang was still very strong-willed, patting your hand, "Thank you."

Seeing her stubbornness, you couldn't say anything more.

However, Xiao Fang actually perked up a lot when she saw the table full of food.

The hotel's menu naturally blends traditional northern dishes with the unique flavors of the mountains. These Alpine-style dishes are also influenced by Austria.

This appetizer features locally sourced goat cheese paired with honey, walnuts, and fresh figs. The cheese is smooth and delicate without any gamey taste, perfectly complementing the sweetness of the honey. The crunchy walnuts add a layer of texture, while the figs bring out a rich yet refreshing flavor.

Another appetizer was smoked ham served on crispy toast. Its rich aroma, with a subtle smoky flavor, combined with the perfectly toasted bread dipped in olive oil, created a complex and delightful experience, perfectly showcasing the authentic charm of the Dolo region.

The main course is very large. This roasted venison is said to be freshly hunted, but Xiaoming, based on his experience, can tell you that it is definitely raised by the villagers.

Venison is a must-try specialty in Ouzhou Township. More fibrous than beef, venison is very resistant to overcooking. After careful preparation, it becomes crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. The accompanying Porta wine sauce is sweet and rich, with a hint of wild fruit tartness, perfectly balancing the venison's rich flavor.

As a staple food, Korean dumplings are made from bread, milk, eggs, and ham or bacon, and are shaped like balls. Unlike Korean dumplings, the word "dumpling" here specifically refers to "stuffed dough food." The dumplings are placed in a bowl of rich meat broth, making them look more like noodles.

The hotel kitchen prepared a chicken and vegetable soup for Xiao Fang, along with some thin noodles and a small bowl of roasted potatoes.

Upon seeing the roasted potatoes, Xiao Fang's face darkened even more. But potatoes are indeed a mild and easily digestible food, so she had no choice but to pick up her fork and eat them with a bitter expression.

Unlike the puff pastry apple rolls and cheesecake desserts prepared for you, the chef served her baked apples.

It's really interesting to talk about culture. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that hot apples can replenish qi and blood, and traditional Chinese beliefs also hold that heated apples are good for the stomach and intestines.

With Xiao Fang watching longingly, you had no choice but to give her a little bit of other food with a stronger flavor.

After a hearty meal, you all collapsed onto the sofa, rubbing your bellies.

After the meal, Xiao Fang felt much better and joined you in discussing tomorrow's itinerary.

Looking at the plans you've made, you facepalm and smile wryly. You really do have to hike and climb mountains wherever you go, haha.

You plan to visit Dolo's most famous "Three Peaks," three sharp, knife-like peaks that jut out from the ground. They are beautiful and magnificent from afar, and the view from the top is also very atmospheric.

Fortunately, there is a cable car. The actual climbing or hiking plan is only about 5 kilometers around the three peaks, and then you can go to another high mountain plain that seems to be on the edge of the clouds to check out the overall scenery of the Dolo Mountains.

The cabin is right there.

After spending the night there, you will watch the sunrise and then come back down the mountain.

The plan for the next few days was simply to go out and wander around this mountain and that field, which was quite leisurely.

"Good night." Everyone returned to their rooms to prepare for tomorrow's tough battle.

Lying on an extremely comfortable bed, you still feel uneasy and toss and turn, unable to fall asleep.

After playing on your phone for a while, you were just starting to feel sleepy when a soft murmur drifted into your dreams like a gentle breeze.

You dreamed that you were a princess.

There was also pure white, small flowers, a huge moon, and blood.

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Author's Note: Good morning! By the way, Tiger really loves Italian ravioli, I recommend moms give it a try!