Chapter 128, Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Lost Manor
By 6:30 p.m., most of the tourists had arrived at the banquet hall.
This is the largest banquet hall in the castle, originally designed by Cheng Yuzhou as a venue for wedding banquets, and can accommodate about five or six hundred guests.
Sixty-two people stood here, making the space seem somewhat empty.
The lights were not on, but thankfully there was still a huge sunset outside the window.
People were slightly anxious, wondering what strange things awaited them next.
They dared not disobey the ant, and all changed into the evening suits they had received from the chapel.
Yesterday, refugees were fleeing in a sorry state; today, they stand in a banquet hall, dressed in suits and looking radiant. This transformation, like the castle itself, leaves no one knowing what will happen next.
Song Xiaona glanced at her watch and then looked around.
Li Yufei and Cheng Yuzhou were not there.
She wasn't too worried. Through conversations with others, Song Xiaona learned that Cheng Yuzhou and Li Yufei had exchanged faith points for a dress.
It's obvious what that big-breasted, brainless vase is up to right now.
Something still doesn't seem right.
Although Li Yufei is brainless, she is not a complete idiot.
She has an impatient personality and difficulty controlling her emotions. Being trapped here must have made her extremely anxious. Song Xiaona remembers that for the first two days, she didn't even feel like eating.
Strangely, whenever she and Li Yufei were separated for a period of time, and Li Yufei reappeared, she would appear much calmer and more composed than before.
It was the same when we were first trapped, before the holy war, and even this time.
What method did Cheng Yuzhou use to quickly calm her down?
Song Xiaona pondered.
She still remembered that before the first Mass, she and the two of them made a pact to run away, but during the Mass, Cheng Yuzhou was the first to get the Holy Communion, claiming that he would have to eat from now on.
At the time, she didn't know he was Cheng Yuzhou, and she wondered why he was so sure they couldn't leave in a short time.
Judging from Li Yufei's current behavior, she seems to have gradually accepted the idea of staying here long-term; otherwise, she wouldn't have the mind to put on makeup and take photos here.
Did Cheng Yuzhou reveal something to her that made her give up the idea of leaving immediately...?
This is bad news. If even someone as reckless as Li Yufei gives up, they'll probably have a really hard time getting out.
Song Xiaona waited with a heavy heart.
At seven o'clock sharp, the bells of the castle and chapel rang.
The deep, resonant sound of bells echoed throughout the manor, and thousands of candles were instantly lit in the forty-eight copper chandeliers of the banquet hall.
As the echoes of the bells lingered, the light sound of high heels came from outside the door.
Song Xiaona turned her head, and a gradient of deep blue caught her eye.
A fairytale-like scene unfolded before people's eyes: just before the last bell rang, a tall and beautiful woman ran into the ball, her dress sparkling with tiny diamonds.
At the same moment, the ants entered through the front door, and most of the people's attention was focused on Li Yufei, who had arrived late.
A few admiring glances surrounded her. In this Cinderella storyline, the one who rushed in seemed like the daughter of the deep sea.
Her long hair was like beautiful algae in the sea, and her deep-sea-like dress perfectly outlined her graceful and flowing body lines, making her shine brightly under a thousand candles.
"Ha..." Li Yufei gasped for breath, clutching her chest, "We made it, didn't we? We didn't lose any points, did we?"
Cheng Yuzhou was pulling on her skirt from behind when he suddenly noticed the gazes that were fixed on Li Yufei.
“No, that’s perfect,” he said with a smile.
As he thought, everyone would be willing to go to great lengths to witness such otherworldly beauty.
There was really no need for them to rush away from the ghost stories. Being able to come here and contribute their faith to the goddess was such a rare and fortunate honor.
They should thank him.
Li Yufei checked her clothes, then her sharp fox-like eyes swept across the venue and immediately locked onto Song Xiaona.
Among those present, Song Xiaona's faith value was second only to Cheng Yuzhou, exceeding 30.
Therefore, her dress was made of exquisite materials, with a generous cut, and was stylish.
But she's nowhere near as good as her!
Li Yufei walked towards Song Xiaona with her head held high and chest out.
Even in the same dress, she looked much better than Song Xiaona, let alone with twice the size of her dress. She had to show it off.
As the two approached, Dean whistled first, "Our Yufei looks absolutely stunning today."
"Really?" Li Yufei laid out the tea set that Song Xiaona usually used. "Actually, it's not too bad. If Xiaona had a stylist with good taste to dress her up, she wouldn't look too bad. Her outfit today actually looks quite expensive. Hmm... Honey, what do you think? Do you prefer Xiaona or me?"
After Li Yufei finished speaking, she glanced at Cheng Yuzhou out of the corner of her eye.
Although he uses Zheng Jianbin's skin, I hope he doesn't use Zheng Jianbin's brain.
Doesn't she know which side he likes? Asking that question is just to annoy Song Xiaona. Just praise her, no need to praise Song Xiaona, no need for "But Miss Song is very elegant and generous today," no need!
Cheng Yuzhou, as expected of a veteran of the anti-Song Xiaona alliance, did not disappoint Li Yufei's expectations. "Feifei, you can't compare yourself to others. It's too unfair to them. Don't bully them."
Li Yufei mentally gave Cheng Yuzhou a high five. Yes! Great!
Song Xiaona rolled her eyes. It was Zheng Jianbin who was supposed to be standing here, and she still had the mood to say a few words to disgust Li Yufei.
But since it's Cheng Yuzhou here, there's no need for that.
She was blunt: "The red wine is right there. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll pour it over your head."
Li Yufei: ……
She stepped back slightly, protecting her incredibly expensive and beautiful limited-edition dress, before saying sweetly, "Xiaona, are you unhappy? You were so kind to give me juice when we came. I just wanted to talk to you a little more. Dean, you should try to appease your girlfriend."
With Zheng Jianbin, who had been holding her back, replaced by Cheng Yuzhou, Li Yufei felt like a powerful center who had finally found her best support when facing Song Xiaona, and she had much more energy to fight.
Dean gave an awkward laugh.
He glanced at Cheng Yuzhou, and the sense of unease in his heart grew stronger.
Is that really Zheng Jianbin...? In just a few days, Dean felt that he was becoming more and more of a stranger.
Despite seeing familiar features, he seemed to be looking at a complete stranger.
Especially the other person's eyes; the occasional eye contact, those dark and deep gazes sent chills down his spine.
"Thank you, Goddess."
At the front of the banquet hall, seven nuns stood on either side, while two priest ants preached.
"Tonight, we gather here to celebrate the victory in the holy war, to reward our courage and piety, and to welcome the awakening of the beautiful, brave, righteous, kind, resilient, and powerful Princess Psyche, who will once again protect her followers."
They raised their glasses, attracting everyone's attention.
Li Yufei forgot about the battle with Song Xiaona and focused her attention on the ants.
Let us raise our glasses to celebrate this glorious moment!
In an instant, four side doors opened, and tiny ants, each about half a person's height, walked in.
Unlike priest ants, they do not have wings on their backs.
A dozen or so ants dressed as waiters carried trays laden with wine glasses.
Upon suddenly seeing so many ants, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
Especially Li Yufei, Song Xiaona, and Dean, whose expressions immediately turned ugly.
I thought that eliminating the ten divine ants would give me a chance to break through this space, but I didn't expect there to be so many backup troops.
They look very different from priest ants, but no one is sure if they will grow up, grow wings, and become the new priest ants.
After everyone had received their wine and the children had received their juice, the priest raised his glass first and shouted, "Thank you, Goddess!"
After more than a week, everyone gradually got used to praying before eating and drinking, and this time they even joined in by shouting, "Thank you, Goddess."
Li Yufei's expression changed slightly, and she leaned close to Cheng Yuzhou's ear and whispered, "It seems like we've missed saying this many times."
Whenever she ate out and was alone with Cheng Yuzhou, she would often forget. And Cheng Yuzhou never reminded her!
Cheng Yuzhou replied softly, "I think it's a matter of location. Have you noticed that you don't need to pray before meals in rooms on the seventh floor?"
Li Yufei was slightly surprised.
That's really true.
Cheng Yuzhou smiled and said, "Only the person ranked number one in the Golden Faith can enter the room on the seventh floor. I think this is a kind of privilege, which helps us avoid some work."
The truth is that he used his energy to fight against the rules and punishments that were imposed on Li Yufei.
Li Yufei suddenly realized, "So that's how it can be done."
After raising their glasses and drinking together, the priest spoke again: "The roses, the sunshine, and every blade of grass and tree here have witnessed your words and deeds. The goddess has seen your performance in the holy war, and in order to reward the extraordinary brave, she will bestow honors upon the heroes."
Two nuns stepped forward, one carrying a gold tray and the other a silver tray. On the exquisite trays were scrolls in gold-red and silver-red, respectively.
The priest on the right unfurled the silver-red scroll and read aloud to the crowd: "On behalf of the great goddess Psyche, I hereby proclaim the stars and moon, shining with noble brilliance amidst the raging storm, who sacrificed their souls for..."
Li Yufei frowned, and it was making a buzzing, operatic sound, as if it were saying something.
Without her having to ask, Cheng Yuzhou explained in a low voice, "It should be the second and third place winners in the announcement of the Holy War."
"Why not first place?"
Cheng Yuzhou gestured with his eyes to the unopened scroll in the golden plate: "The first one might be there."
After a long string of praises, the priest's deep voice paused for a moment before finally revealing the answer: "They are: Wang Chenghuan, the man of glory among the stars!"
“What kind of title is this?” Li Yufei whispered in Cheng Yuzhou’s ear, “‘Glory Star Cheese King’, it sounds like a new Burger King product.”
Cheng Yuzhou choked, and Song Xiaona next to him looked over in surprise.
Cheng Yuzhou suppressed his lip and whispered to her, "It's Wang Chenghuan, a man of the Stars. Brother Wang, the one who went to the rooftop with us."
Li Yufei blinked. "Really?"
Song Xiaona shook her head and rubbed her forehead.
The priest closed the scroll: "And—Song Xiaona, the Glorious Moon Hero."
Li Yufei glared back, "What are you shaking your head for! What right does a mere piece of moon cheese have to shake your head at her?"
Another priest picked up the scroll from the golden plate and declared, "On behalf of the great goddess Psyche, I hereby announce the most dazzling and radiant hero of this holy war."
A golden-red scroll opened before it, and it read aloud in a more resounding tone: "He cut away the poisonous weeds among the roses, drove away the evil birds that shrouded the light of day, and led the believers through the darkness... His deeds shine brightly, and his piety moves God."
"Let us celebrate the birth of a hero, celebrate the glorious and illustrious Zheng Jianbin!"
Li Yufei bit her lower lip hard and forcefully pierced her palm with the newly designed wave-patterned nail art.
Sun Cheese Zheng Jianbin, Zheng Jian…
She didn't even work this hard when she did the "Don't Laugh" challenge.
She was holding her breath so hard her muscles were twitching, and the crowd around her actually gave her a few heartfelt rounds of applause.
This is hilarious!
"Please come forward, three heroes, to receive the goddess's blessing."
The ants stood solemnly in a row. The three approached them, and the nun presented them with three silver platters carved with roses.
Inside the silver plate was a delicate little box.
"What is this?" Wang Chenghuan asked, puzzled.
No one answered his question. The ants waited until they took the box away, then retreated to the side.
“You have proven your piety.” The priest said solemnly and with satisfaction to Cheng Yuzhou, “According to custom, the goddess will bestow a territory upon the most outstanding hero.”
They turned to the side, and suddenly, a virtual map of the manor appeared before everyone's eyes.
“This is…” Song Xiaona opened her eyes.
Everyone's attention immediately became highly focused.
“Choose the territory you desire, and you are free to do as you please there,” the priest said.
Cheng Yuzhou looked up. "I don't quite understand. Could you explain it to me in more detail?"
The priest turned around and pointed his slender forelimbs at an empty shop on the town's commercial street: "For example, you can set up this land as a 'bakery,' or you can set it up as your private villa."
Upon hearing this, Song Xiaona immediately asked, "Then could it be set up as a portal connecting the manor to the outside world?"
The ant said indifferently, "You can go to the outside world at any time, but only the land within the goddess's sight is a safe place of light."
Song Xiaona frowned. Was going out still a death sentence...?
Cheng Yuzhou asked, "What about the hospital? How big of a hospital can I build?"
"Yes, hospitals!" people responded immediately. "Hospitals are very important!"
"That's good, it would be best if there was a hospital nearby!"
Song Xiaona frowned.
In just eight days, these people had already started planning their future living needs, following Cheng Yuzhou's line of thinking, and had the mental expectation of staying here for a long time.
This is not a good sign.
"The scale of the building is determined by the power of the goddess, and the power of the goddess comes from the faith of the believers." The priest raised his hand, and a huge crystal ball appeared, hovering above everyone's heads.
People looked up and saw that the bottom of the huge crystal ball was covered with red and gold sand, which occupied about 3% of the crystal ball's volume.
"What is this?" Song Xiaona asked.
“This is the sum of everyone’s faith power,” the priest said. “The more golden faith power there is, the more extensive the goddess’s power will be. With the current faith power, it is enough to establish a Clinic.”
Hospitals are divided into three levels and ten grades. The highest level is the well-known Grade III Class A, while Grade I Class C is the lowest level, similar to a township clinic.
Cheng Yuzhou pondered: "Could you give us a detailed explanation of the function of the Goddess's powers?"
The priest nodded: "The goddess's power benefits her people. The stronger the power, the wider the land where light shines, the more prosperous and wealthy the territory will be, and the stronger the barrier against evil will be."
This new news was very important, and people immediately started discussing it.
"Okay, thank you." Cheng Yuzhou nodded to Ant. "Please let us discuss it, okay?"
The ant agrees.
Cheng Yuzhou faced the crowd and said, "Everyone, this is what I think."
He spoke, and the others gradually stopped their discussion and looked at him.
"First, I'd like to know if any of us have physical disabilities or are running out of our daily medications."
They were all tourists; none of them needed medication to stay alive.
Someone caught Cheng Yuzhou's unspoken meaning: "Is Mr. Zheng not planning to build a hospital?"
“I want to accumulate more faith power to enhance the goddess’s authority,” Cheng Yuzhou said. “The scale of Yi Bing is too low. It can’t even be called a clinic; it’s probably just a health service center.”
"To meet basic medical needs, we need to upgrade to at least Level 1C or Level 1A. At the current rate, I think it's possible to achieve this after the next holy war; we just need to wait two weeks."
"I see." Everyone understood his thoughts and asked each other if anyone they knew urgently needed medication in the next two weeks.
Song Xiaona suddenly interjected, "If praying to the goddess can heal all wounds, what's the point of building a hospital?"
"Oh right!" people exclaimed in realization. "There's absolutely no need to build a hospital." "Yeah, isn't that a complete waste?"
Cheng Yuzhou lowered his eyes and explained, "The effects of prayer that we have seen so far are only on external damage. But we are not sure whether organ diseases, osteoporosis, or anaphylactic shock can be cured by prayer."
"However, I also think that the hospital is not such an urgent priority. As Ms. Song said, most injuries can be healed by prayer, and the establishment of the hospital can indeed be postponed."
“Really?” Song Xiaona crossed her arms and smiled. “Mr. Zheng is so thoughtful. He even thought of organ diseases, osteoporosis, and anaphylactic shock. I thought you were building the hospital with the aim of having an obstetrics and gynecology department.”
Cheng Yuzhou turned around and met her gaze.
Song Xiaona raised her eyebrows, neither flinching nor avoiding the question.
Even though praying to the goddess could cure him, Cheng Yuzhou proposed building a hospital instead.
What are some things that prayer cannot solve and that definitely require hospital intervention?
Childbirth.
She knew, of course, that he wasn't in a rush to get Li Yufei pregnant—he was encouraging other couples.
The more people there are, the more believers there are, and the more prosperous the manor becomes.
Is Cheng Yuzhou going to build his kingdom here?!
No one would believe her if she said that, but she could use a more direct approach to shatter his image in people's minds: "Sorry, but besides pregnancy, I can't think of anything else that absolutely requires a hospital. Jianbin, you and Yufei are currently in the honeymoon phase, and... well, there really aren't any contraceptive methods here. If you suggest building a hospital..."
"Maybe I'm being a bit sensitive. After all, Yufei and I are the same age, both at an age where we're thinking about having children." Her words were full of meaning. "If I may ask, you two shouldn't... have any, right? Everyone's busy escaping for their lives, so there shouldn't be any, right? You wouldn't be the kind of person to abuse your power for a woman, would you?"
The three questions in succession created an awkward atmosphere.
Many people glanced at Li Yufei in the audience.
Everyone knew that the young couple had a very deep affection for each other and were inseparable.
Although most people thought Mr. Zheng was a gentle and rational good man, Li Yufei's appearance and figure were also exceptionally stunning, and Mr. Zheng cherished his wife so much.
Humans are inherently selfish.
Awakened by Song Xiaona's words, people couldn't help but reflect on whether they had trusted Zheng Jianbin too much.
Cheng Yuzhou saw through Song Xiaona's intentions. She used mudslinging to provoke him and the crowd, attempting to rival him.
He spoke coldly, "I wouldn't go so far as to..." "You're overthinking it." A cold, beautiful female voice forcefully interrupted the conversation from below.
Everyone turned to look. The stunningly beautiful woman crossed her arms and said to Song Xiaona with a displeased expression, "Song Xiaona, aren't you asking a question you already know the answer to! It's been over twenty years, and I still don't know if he's fertile or not. What are you worrying about!"
How annoying, always bringing up the most sensitive topics. Last night, this guy even dried her off like a piece of meat.
Everyone was shocked, and several gasps were heard.
A look of surprise lingered between Li Yufei's displeased expression and Cheng Yuzhou's astonished face.
Mrs. Li's displeasure was so genuine;
Mr. Zheng's panic and embarrassment were so obvious.
Whether it's due to organ-related issues, hormonal imbalances, or psychological barriers, all questions have been answered.
Mr. Zheng's complete obedience and overly cautious behavior towards his wife was actually a sign of his indebtedness;
His more gentle and considerate personality than that of ordinary men may not be entirely unfounded.
The men looked at Zheng Jianbin with surprise and amusement, while the women felt sorry for and sympathized with Li Yufei.
The suspicions that had just arisen about Cheng Yuzhou quickly dissipated. Song Xiaona glared hatefully at Li Yufei, wondering whose side she was on when it came to leaving!
Li Yufei glared back fiercely. What did this have to do with leaving? She knew perfectly well that Cheng Yuzhou was a shy young man, so why make him embarrassed in public!
Song Xiaona was furious. Cheng Yuzhou was ashamed. Who was it that caused all this trouble? Didn't she have any self-awareness at all?
"Ahem." Cheng Yuzhou coughed lightly, bringing everyone back to their senses. "At least for now, Miss Song and I agree that there's no need to open a hospital."
"Getting back to the main topic, what are everyone's thoughts on this piece of land?"
Cheng Yuzhou received the award, but he sincerely sought everyone's opinion. Even if Mr. Zheng's virility was questionable, he was indeed a good person.
"How about opening a laundry room?" someone hesitated. "We have plenty of food and drink, but it's inconvenient to do laundry."
"Then why not just open a clothing store?"
"I said I'd open a weeding shop, and of all the devils, poppies are the most troublesome."
"Birds are troublesome too, might as well just fire a gun at the branch."
"None of us know how to use guns, it's too dangerous. What if someone gets hurt?"
After a noisy, chattering discussion, someone finally remembered that this was a perk for Cheng Yuzhou.
They asked, "Mr. Zheng, do you have any good ideas?"
Cheng Yuzhou pondered for a moment, "I do have an idea."
What is it?
He glanced at Li Yufei out of the corner of his eye and said, "I need a wheelchair shop."
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Author's Note: Having written this far, I'm about to unleash a bizarre and drastically altered version of a town simulation management game = =
The next chapter brings another essential part: the boss chase.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
