The usual dungeon missions are all about finding the exit, but this time, it’s just about being a guest? Is it enough to just stay here for three days? Or will the task of finding an escape exit be released later?
Zhou Zhou had a lot of questions in his mind, but the wind and rain outside were too strong, and he couldn't discuss the matter with his companions. He could only go in first.
There was a blue-gray arched stone door in front of the castle. Zhou Zhou, who was standing at the front, was about to knock on the door, but the stone door actually opened a crack towards the inside.
In a gap two fingers wide, a cloudy eye was revealed. The eyelids were drooping and the bags under the eyes were very obvious. The emotionless eyes looked up and down at the three people outside the door. A faint orange light shone from below, illuminating the half of the other person's face.
He was a very old man with deep wrinkles on his face. Even under the warm light, his skin looked gray and aged.
Just as Zhou Zhou was about to say that they were here to complete a mission, he heard the old man say in a hoarse voice: "You must be travelers passing by. It's raining so hard outside. Come in and take shelter from the rain."
The stone door on one side was half open. The old man stood behind the door and looked at them expressionlessly, motioning them to come in.
"Oh, thank you." Zhou Zhou thanked the other party, then put the leaves in his hand used to block the rain outside the door and walked in.
Lan Ya also left Ye Zi standing outside the door, followed Zhou Zhou in, and said thank you stiffly.
Elvia was the last one to come in. He glanced at the old man behind the door. The old man was hunched over with one hand behind his back and the other holding a lamp. Most of his body was hidden in the shadow behind the stone door. His clothes were also dark, and he looked like he was almost blending into the shadow.
If the light in my hand hadn't illuminated half of the old man's face, it would have been difficult to find him in the dark.
The arched door of the castle is made of stone. Just by looking at the two fan-shaped scratches on the stone brick floor, you can tell that the stone door is definitely not light. The old man has been holding the lamp, so how could he open the stone door with just his other hand? The force is a bit too great.
Or is there a mechanism behind this door?
Without expressing her doubts aloud, Elvia nodded to the old man and said thank you.
At this time, the three of them were standing near the door and did not move forward. After all, this was an owner's place and they could not walk around without permission.
The old man did not respond to everyone's thanks, and no one knew what he did, and the stone door closed automatically.
The dull sound of the door closing brought Zhou Zhou back to his senses as he was still looking at the castle hall. He watched the old man pick up a black cane from the wall, then walk forward silently, leaning on the cane with one hand and holding a lamp in the other.
Although the old man didn't say anything, Zhou Zhou still followed him.
"Boom, boom, boom."
The old man walked unsteadily and very slowly, and it took him several minutes to walk a short distance of just a few steps.
Zhou Zhou did not rush him. He followed the old man slowly and entered the hall of the castle. On the right side was a stone fireplace with a few burning logs in it. The flame was not very strong and looked like it was about to go out. There were a few mahogany chairs near the fireplace.
The old man led the three of them straight to the fireplace, and raised his drooping eyelids slightly. Zhou Zhou seemed to understand what he meant.
"Are you going to leave us here by the fire?"
The old man nodded, then turned around and walked away slowly with his cane.
There were five mahogany chairs. Zhou Zhou and the other two sat together, looking around the castle and talking in low voices.
The castle was too quiet. After the old man went upstairs, he could no longer hear the sound of his cane, and the sound of wind and rain outside the window became very quiet. I don't know if it was because of the sound insulation of the castle or if the heavy rain outside had indeed become quieter.
Only the fireplace closest to them could occasionally emit a few tiny popping sounds.
Lan Ya looked around and whispered, "I feel a little depressed here."
Zhou Zhou nodded. Indeed, there were no windows in the hall, and it was built with thick dark stones, which made people feel depressed.
Besides, it was really too dark here. Apart from the fire in the fireplace, the entire hall was lit by only a few wall lamps hanging on the stone walls, emitting a hazy glow.
"This dungeon is a bit strange. The mission is to stay here for three days, but there is no instruction to find an escape exit. So what should we do to pass the dungeon? Does it mean that we can pass the dungeon if we stay here for three days?"
Lan Ya didn't know either. She had followed Yue Ling to do dungeons before, and each time the mission to pass the level was to find the exit. This was the first time she encountered such a situation.
"Let's wait and see." Elvia didn't find anything unusual around her, so it would be better to observe first.
"Boom, boom, boom"
The stairs here were also built of bricks, close to the wall, with no handrail on the other side. The old man walked down the stairs with a cane. He hung the lamp on his wrist and held a black plate in his hand.
Under the gaze of Zhou Zhou and others, the old man came over and placed a plate in front of them, with three small croissants on it.
The three of them looked at each other, then each took a piece from the plate.
"Thanks."
This croissant looks golden in color, but when I held it in my hand, I found that the soft bread had become cold and hard. I don’t know when it was made.
Elvia was holding the bread in one hand, wondering if there would be any problem. Zhou Zhou had already taken the bread and started eating it. Although it really had no moisture at all, Zhou Zhou was not picky about food, and after a few bites, most of the bread was gone.
Lan Ya was a little wary at first. After all, this was a game copy and anything inside could go wrong. But seeing that Zhou Zhou was almost finishing his bread, she also started eating in small bites.
Alvia: “…”
The old man stood by and said nothing, just looking at them expressionlessly. Suddenly, the old man walked towards the door and casually placed the plate in his hand on the cabinet in the corner.
Zhou Zhou originally wanted to go with them to take a look, but the old man turned around and looked at him. Zhou Zhou interpreted the other party's meaning as asking him to sit down and not come over, so Zhou Zhou sat back obediently.
The three of them looked towards the door. The light there was too dim, and Lan Ya could not see clearly, but the other two were staring at it intently. She still tried to open her eyes wide, staring at the old man's hunched back, trying to see something.
I saw the old man standing at the door, putting his crutches against the wall, and then I don't know what he did, but he opened the stone door a crack and looked outside.
Although Zhou Zhou and Elvia did not see how the old man opened the stone door, they clearly saw a person standing outside the gap, and from the sound they heard, there was more than one person outside.
But how did the old man know that there was someone outside? Alvia suddenly thought that his hearing was very good. Before the old man walked to the door, he didn't hear anyone talking outside at all, but the old man was able to notice it at the first time. It seems that this old man has many hidden problems.
"We followed the map..." A male voice suddenly sounded, but was interrupted by the old man halfway through his speech.
"You must be travelers passing by. It's raining so hard outside. Come in and take shelter from the rain."
It was exactly the same words he said when they were outside the door before. From the time he met the old man until now, he had only said two sentences, and these two sentences were exactly the same.
The stone door was opened and a group of people came in. These people should also be players. After coming in, they looked around and saw the three people sitting in front of the fireplace. They were stunned for a moment, and then nodded to the three people.
Zhou Zhou and Lan Ya also nodded at them.
Then these people walked straight towards Zhou Zhou and the others. The male player in the front asked, "Are you here to do a dungeon too?"
Zhou Zhou nodded: "Yeah."
"It's Castle Night too?"
"You all too?" Zhou Zhou looked at the players behind him, wondering if they were from the same team. There were actually ten of them in total.
The male player laughed heartily: "Looks like we have to do the quest together."
While Zhou Zhou was chatting with the players, Elvia noticed something unusual. When they came in, the old man took them to the fireplace and gave the three of them some bread. But after these people came in, the old man followed slowly at the back, and now he is standing not far away watching this place, with no intention of giving food to these players.
His eyelids were drooping and his eyes were half closed, making him look like he had fallen asleep while standing. So why were his two behaviors different? Was it because they were the first to come in? Or is there another reason?
Elvia glanced at the large group of players that poured in. They were looking at the interior structure of the castle with curiosity. Some were amazed at the uniquely shaped wall lamps on the wall, and they were commenting on the various decorations in the hall. The originally quiet castle became very lively with the arrival of these people.
Or maybe it would only bring noise. Alvia looked at the old man deeply, turned her head and said nothing more.
However, after Zhou Zhou chatted with the male player for a few words, he suddenly discovered that the remaining two mahogany chairs were occupied by the two players who ran over first, while the owner of the castle, the old man, stood in the corner holding a lamp and said nothing.
Zhou Zhou quickly stood up and asked the old man to come and sit down.
The old man still didn't say anything, just shook his head at Zhou Zhou.
Zhou Zhou always felt that this was not good. Although the old man had asked them to warm themselves by the fire before, now they had occupied all the chairs in the hall, leaving the elderly standing. Even if the elderly did not sit, Zhou Zhou did not return to his seat, but stood up and added a few pieces of firewood to the fireplace.
His place was taken by another player with quick eyes and hands.
Lan Ya glanced at the seats occupied by others, and then watched Zhou Zhou add firewood and walk towards the old man. She quickly got up and followed him.
She didn't know much about the dungeon and didn't know how to pass it. Plus, she wasn't very brave, so the best way was to follow her teammates.
Alvia glanced at the two of them and followed them.
The seats they left vacant were immediately taken by other people.
Originally, he wanted to chat with the old man, but the old man stood there motionless, like a statue. Even when Zhou Zhou asked him what his name was, how old he was this year, and whether he had eaten today, he did not answer. At most, he raised his eyelids and glanced at him.
Zhou Zhou saw obvious disdain in the other person's eyes, and thought he talked too much.
Zhou Zhou blinked, and that was it. He still didn’t say anything.
The old man stood in the corner, watching the other players rummaging through the drawers in the living room looking for clues, while the three players next to him stood in a row with him, watching the players together.
Suddenly, the old man came towards the door again, holding the lamp and leaning on the cane. This time, Elvia followed the old man and came to the door with him.
Zhou Zhou and Lan Ya didn't know what Alvia wanted to do, but they were on the same team, so they followed the old man in a line.
The old man said nothing about their following and Elvia's obvious inquiry. Although he tried to drive Elvia away with his eyes, he was not as obedient as Zhou Zhou and kept staring at the other's hand.
The old man gave up trying to drive people away with his eyes and ignored them. He just repeated the previous process, saying the same words, and brought the players outside in.
This time, Elvia saw it clearly. If he pressed a certain brick behind the stone door lightly, the door would open a little. If he pressed it all the way down, the stone door would open completely. After he let go, the stone door would close immediately.
Including the two players who came in this time, there are now a total of fifteen players here.
The two new players greeted Zhou Zhou and his friends, and then greeted the other group of players. There were more and more participants in Nightmare City, and the rules of some dungeons were also familiar to everyone. When facing some unknown creatures and scenes, keeping in touch with others and resisting together is the best option. Being alone is very dangerous and has the highest elimination rate.
The people in the castle were still chatting, but the topics they were talking about were all speculations about the dungeon and changes in the clearance tasks.
It seems that these players don’t know why this time’s clearance copy is different from usual.
The old man was still standing in the original position, and Zhou Zhou and the other two were also standing there. They originally thought that the old man was standing here waiting for the next batch of players to arrive, but a few minutes later, he suddenly walked into the hall.
"It's time to rest now. I'll take you to your room to rest."
The old man's voice was hoarse. In such a noisy environment, only a few players who were closest to him could hear it. The rest were still looking for clues and discussing what would appear in the copy.
"It's time to rest now. I'll take you to your rooms to rest." The old man repeated with a blank expression. The noise of more than a dozen players echoed around the closed hall, but many people still didn't hear it.
Zhou Zhou couldn't bear it anymore, so he quickly stood next to the old man and repeated his words loudly.
This time everyone heard it clearly.
But the way they looked at Zhou Zhou was particularly strange.
"Are you an NPC?"
Zhou Zhou was indeed, but now he would not panic because of these words, but said calmly: "I am not the NPC of this copy, I am just relaying the words of this uncle."
Zhou Zhou looked at the old man with an expression that said, "Please continue."
The old man said nothing more. He walked upstairs with a cane in one hand and a lamp in the other.
The players looked at each other, knowing that the plot was about to begin, and quickly followed the old man.
The old man walked very slowly, and everyone could only follow him slowly.
"The owner of the castle lives in the spire at the top. He doesn't like strangers, so don't make noise at night and don't disturb him, otherwise..."
The old man turned around and glanced at everyone, his cloudy eyes full of indifference: "You will bear the consequences at your own risk."
"When you get up tomorrow morning, you can leave. My Lord likes quietness."
Leaving tomorrow? But the mission is to stay for three full days.
Everyone immediately realized that this might be the first challenge and successfully stayed for three days.
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