Chapter 3: Night of the Blood Moon (Part 3)
The dinner ended safely within the time set by the butler.
Liang Yugang took a big gulp of red wine and suddenly met Nan Huan's questioning gaze.
The red wine that he hadn't had time to swallow had soaked his collar due to his violent coughing. He looked at Nan Huan in embarrassment and shock.
Nan Huan had just discovered that not all players at the long table were like the man with dark circles under his eyes, who had such a strong reaction after eating meat.
Excluding the possibility of a game gathering players with such strong tastes at the same time, the most likely scenario is that players have ways to deal with this rule.
The man with dark circles under his eyes obviously didn't have this solution, and he would definitely trigger some rules or punishment because of having dinner.
So for him, the best solution now is definitely to find someone to take the blame for him.
So it was not difficult to guess that the sudden curiosity in myself was his doing.
The other party's reaction has already given Nan Huan the answer.
"Well, thank you for your answer, and thanks for the props."
Otherwise, the skill task would not be unlocked so quickly.
Although the mission is risky, it is a good opportunity for Nanhuan, who has nothing to lose, to get something for nothing.
She raised her lips, but there was not much of a smile on her face.
Soon, the man with dark circles under his eyes, along with the woman beside him, glared at Nan Huan fiercely and went upstairs.
Following them was the man with a crew cut who was sitting farthest away.
However, the man and woman on the left did not leave immediately. It was not until the others went upstairs that the female player closest to Nan Huan spoke carefully, "Liang Yu and Bai Wei are the famous killer couple in Order Without Order. They often use players from the same dungeon to explore the rules. Another player who entered the dungeon with us disappeared after being called away by Bai Wei in the afternoon. If Liang Yu used a prop on you just now, you must be careful at night."
As if she was worried that Nan Huan wouldn't believe her, she explained, "I have no ill intentions. It's just that the difficulty of this instance is not high. As long as everyone doesn't deliberately frame us, everyone can get out safely."
Her face was a little pale, as if she remembered something bad.
The male player next to her patted her on the shoulder.
"Thank you for your reminder. I will be careful at night. Just call me Anan."
Nan Huan thanked them politely. She could tell that the two men had no ill intentions, but after all, she didn't know much about this game, so she didn't reveal her real name.
He didn't even follow up on the other party's questions and reveal his identity as a new player.
"I'm Li Shuai, she's Xiaoxue. We're not particularly good players and can't help you much, but if you need anything, you can come to us."
It might be because of Nan Huan’s previous series of reactions at the dinner table that the two of them not only did not doubt her identity as a new player, but instead regarded her as an experienced old player.
Nan Huan did not explain. After both parties said good night to each other, Li Shuai took Xiaoxue upstairs.
[Ding, congratulations to the new player for unlocking the skill mission——]
Just now the system was busy watching the fun. After all, it didn't expect Nanhuan to be able to guess so much just through a slight change in curiosity.
After watching the excitement, it finally remembered its own serious business.
[New player skill task - stealing midnight snacks
Task description: You were originally a well-behaved person, ready to follow the housekeeper's instructions and stay in your room to have a good rest. But as the clock struck midnight, you smelled a strange fragrance coming from the kitchen, and suddenly you became indescribably curious and decided to go to the kitchen alone to have a midnight snack.
Completing this task will unlock the player skill.
The mission has been started, I wish you good luck. 】
When the cold reminder sound ended, the corners of Nan Huan's mouth twitched unconsciously.
Did you have anything to do with eating tonight?
I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still some time before midnight.
She had no intention of going back to her room and waiting for midnight.
After all, the distance between the dining room and the kitchen is much closer than the bedroom. The task requires going to the kitchen alone. The distance from the bedroom is not short. Who knows what kind of ghost things will appear on the road.
She did not forget the black air that overflowed from the edge of the carpet.
However, sitting and waiting for death was not Nan Huan's favorite battle plan, especially -
She leaned against the chair, turned her body, and looked at the half-open kitchen not far away.
Rhythmic knocking sounds came from inside, again and again, and were particularly obvious in the empty restaurant.
Nan Huan didn't know what he was thinking. He reached out and picked up the red wine on the table that he hadn't touched all night, and shook the glass.
After pouring all the red wine into the cups and plates beside him that had not been cleared away yet, he carried the empty wine glass and walked barefoot to the kitchen.
I don't know if it's a psychological effect or a deliberate setting of the game.
Unlike the bright restaurant, the candlelight becomes dimmer as you get closer to the kitchen.
Nan Huan saw his shadow on the ground gradually blurring, but the noise coming from the kitchen became more and more obvious.
Unlike the rhythmic knocking sounds just now, after getting closer, Nan Huan could distinguish that the sound was more like someone chopping something with an axe.
The axe fell again and again. It was obvious that the thing was not easy to chop. When it rubbed against the axe, there was a sticky feeling, which made the rhythmic sound pause for one or two seconds, and then repeat.
The kitchen didn't have a door, it was just blocked by a piece of dark red silk.
The silk was quite long, with the lower half hanging down to the ground. The end seemed to be stained with water, and under the dim candlelight, it looked like dark red blood, with a faint fishy smell.
Nan Huan stood at the door and did not rush in. He held his breath, lifted the thick silk with one finger, and observed the environment inside.
The kitchen space is not very big. There is a large cabinet on the side against the wall. There is some red wine on the top layer, various tableware underneath, and some ingredients on the table.
In the center is a stove with a copper pot hanging in the middle of the stove.
The matches were crackling and the copper pot was bubbling with steam.
Even from such a distance, Nanhuan could already smell the same fishy smell as the venison on the table.
But dinner was over, why did the chef seem to be still cooking?
Who is this meal for?
Could it be my midnight snack?
Thinking of this, Nan Huan curled her lips in disgust, and then her mouth suddenly froze, as if she realized something was wrong.
The sound of the axe chopping things stopped at some point.
When Nan Huan thought of this, he suddenly felt that the firelight in front of him was blocked by something. When he looked up again, he met the chef's lifeless eyes.
Obviously, when he walked in the restaurant, he made so much noise, but he just moved in front of him silently, looking at him as if he was looking at a piece of dead meat, especially-
Nan Huan didn't turn his head, but just glanced at the other person's right hand, which was holding an axe.
Non-lethal liquid was still dripping from the end of the axe, leaving a dark red trail on the ground.
"What are you doing here?"
The chef seemed like a programmed machine, asking questions expressionlessly.
It seemed that in the next second, if Nan Huan couldn't give a legitimate reason, he would pick up the axe and chop it directly on Nan Huan's head.
Nan Huan could feel his heartbeat quicker than usual, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
But she did not run away the moment she was discovered. Instead, she held the wine glass and calmed herself down.
"I've finished my red wine and would like another glass, please."
She handed her red wine glass to the chef, and when she spoke again, her voice was exactly the same as when she was sitting at the main seat and instructing the butler to change her steak.
It was as if she was not there to peep, but really just to ask for a glass of wine. Her tone was natural and her movements were smooth.
The chef did not answer immediately, but kept staring at Nan Huan.
It seemed as if she wanted to find some flaws from the other person's face or body language, but Nan Huan's mental quality has always been good. Facing the chef's suspicion, she behaved very frankly.
Finally, the chef's lifeless look finally relaxed for a moment.
"The kitchen is a bit messy, Miss, please don't barge in. I'll go get you some wine."
The chef took the wine glass from Nan Huan's hand, gave some instructions, and then turned to the cupboard to pour wine for Nan Huan.
As his address to Nan Huan became less rude than before, his movements returned to their previous clumsy state.
Nan Huan knew that this trick should work, so when the other person turned around, she took the opportunity to look at the kitchen that she had not finished looking at just now.
I found that on the left side of the kitchen, in the corner not far from the stove, there was a neatly stacked pile of firewood.
However, there was a dark red mark on a small area in front of the firewood.
It can be seen that the chef was chopping something here just now.
The distance was quite far and the kitchen was very dark, so Nan Huan had to squint his eyes and search the firewood pile again.
Then she saw a small piece of white bone-like thing hidden behind the firewood. There seemed to be a bunch of blood stuck on it. Before she could take a closer look, she saw something.
The chef had already poured the red wine and blocked his view again.
Use silent actions to indicate that it is time to leave.
Nan Huan took the wine glass, put down the silk, turned and walked towards the restaurant.
The sound of chopping something came from the kitchen behind him again. Now Nan Huan was sure that the chef was not chopping firewood. The sound was more like chopping bones, especially the bones with flesh and blood still stuck on them.
"Miss, it's time to rest. I'll take you back to your room."
Before Nan Huan could walk to the seat at the table, the butler who had disappeared silently just now reappeared in front of him.
As he spoke, he had already skillfully picked Nan Huan up and carried him horizontally again, not giving him any chance to refuse.
Nan Huan realized that the game didn't want him to find loopholes, and the starting point of the skill task must be his bedroom, so he stopped struggling.
I just held the wine glass in my hand a little more firmly.
However, she always felt that the butler was too skilled in holding her.
The butler followed Nan Huan's line of sight and saw the wine glass in the other's hand. There seemed to be some expression on his face.
But because the mask blocked her face, Nan Huan discovered that her eyes were not as cold as before, and even revealed a hint of doubt.
"I don't sleep well, so drinking some red wine before bed can help me sleep."
This glass of wine will be useful if kept, Nan Huan made up a reason.
The butler nodded, retracted his gaze, and did not pursue the matter further.
The way back to his bedroom was not far, but the housekeeper walked very steadily. Nan Huan leaned in his arms with peace of mind, observing the other person closely.
Although she was not heavy and the housekeeper looked very slender, her breathing did not become heavier at all while going upstairs. Even the red wine in Nan Huan's hand did not ripple.
Until she was put back on the bed where she woke up, Nan Huan was still considering how to speak without being noticed.
But the housekeeper knelt down on one knee at the head of the bed, held Nan Huan's ankle, and took out a plain handkerchief from his pocket, apparently wanting to wipe his feet.
The slightly cool fingers were touching my ankle.
Nan Huan couldn't help but tremble slightly, and then she quickly tried to retract her legs.
Before, Nan Huan only treated the butler as an NPC in the game who acted according to instructions, like a robot without a soul.
Being carried by the other person can, on the one hand, save her limited physical strength, and on the other hand, it is in line with the character of the eldest lady she plays.
But the other party's current autonomous and more intimate behavior made Nan Huan unable to just regard her as an NPC who acted according to instructions. She was not used to anyone other than that person having such intimate behavior towards her.
But the hand holding her ankle suddenly increased its strength, "Don't move, it's dirty."
The housekeeper was very tall. When she knelt on one knee, she was almost as tall as Nan Huan who was sitting on the bed. She spoke in a rare firmer tone, but she never looked up, as if wiping Nan Huan's feet was a very important matter.
The familiar tone startled Nan Huan.
The butler's movements were very gentle, as if he was holding some rare treasure in his hands.
"I will ask the maid to prepare shoes for you tomorrow morning. Go to bed early at night and don't go out casually. If you need anything, you can find me in the room on the east side of the third floor."
As she spoke, she had already loosened her grip on Nan Huan's ankle, and her eyes lightly passed over the glass of red wine that he had placed on the bedside.
Before Nan Huan could come to his senses, her voice seemed to have returned to that androgynous tone.
Nan Huan was startled and forced himself to stop thinking about it and focus on the skill task at midnight.
Although it was unclear whether the housekeeper's last sentence was hinting at something, Nan Huan had already gotten the information she wanted without even asking.
Peace returned to the castle.
As twelve o'clock got closer, the candlelight in the room became dimmer. The more places the light could not reach, the more ferocious the black air oozing out of the carpet became.
Taking advantage of the increasing shadows in the room, they gradually climbed onto the bed curtains, as if testing Nan Huan's bottom line bit by bit, but they did not notice the confidence in the other's eyes.
A wisp of black air found the right opportunity and poked its head out from over the bed curtain. When it wanted to take advantage of the situation, it found that the person who had been sitting at the head of the bed hooked his finger at it.
Then, the black air rolled towards Nan Huan's fingers uncontrollably. After touching the slender fingers, the wisps of black air immediately disappeared, as if they were absorbed by the other party.
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