114 A Feast of a Hundred Devious Tales (8)
Why should we listen to Lamb?
One minute later.
The new captain, who climbed in through the window, patted his dark hands that had just touched the corpse and tried to look serious as he extended his hand: "Hello, my name is Xiya, you can also call me Yaya."
Qin Fu'an looked at her hand, raised an eyebrow slightly, and smiled as he touched the back of her hand with hers: "Hello, Captain. My name is Qin Fu'an, and the other one is Xie Zeyuan. You can call him Yuanyuan; he likes that name very much."
Being called captain made Xi Ya cough awkwardly, her eyes darting around, and she said dryly, "Um... so we're teammates now?"
"Of course." Qin Fu'an nodded. "So, Captain, do you have any plans for the future?"
Xi Ya: "Hmm... let me think about it, you, you don't have to rush..."
As she pondered, her body had unknowingly leaned against the stiff corpse standing behind her, but Xi Ya was completely unaware, or perhaps she had already gotten used to it.
After all, for corpse transporters, corpses are companions on life's journey, far more reliable and trustworthy than living people.
"Do you know any other players in this instance?" Xi Ya asked, snapping out of her daze.
Qin Fu'an shook his head, "It's just me."
“Alright then,” Xi Ya quickly offered a plan of action: “We’re not in a hurry to clear out the roses, because in my experience, these roses can’t be killed by ordinary methods. We need to think of another way, so I want you to come with me and look for more clues in this castle.”
She explained, "Before, I was alone, and my corpses were mindless, making it difficult to find more clues related to the dungeon. In addition, with the presence of the monsters and other hunter players, I basically didn't find any useful clues last time."
But now she has teammates, and they seem trustworthy.
Xi Ya looked at Qin Fu'an with bright eyes and asked him, "What do you think? If it's feasible, do you want to come with me, or should we continue to act separately?"
Qin Fu'an didn't hesitate for long and answered directly, "I'll go with you."
He was still holding a seed in his hand. Having obtained a seed in this instance, Qin Fu'an had already guessed the type of seed.
Now that Xiaoyunduo is also killing each other with those strange players, Qin Fu'an has no use in the past except to expose his special abilities. So he plans to use this time to get to know the new captain and get to know each other's personalities and strengths so that it will be easier to cooperate in the future.
“Then come with me. I’m already very familiar with the castle.” Xi Ya nodded and, without delay, quickly led the way after putting away the corpse.
Neither of them used any lighting tools, but Xi Ya's destination was clear. She was indeed quite familiar with the castle and was able to skillfully avoid areas with many people and ghosts, so the journey was relatively smooth.
Qin Fu'an noticed that she consciously avoided the rose vines climbing on the walls or floors along the way.
"Besides attacking players, are there any other things we need to be careful about with these roses?" Qin Fu'an asked as they dodged the rose vines together.
Xi Ya carefully avoided a flower branch hanging from the ceiling and whispered, "Be careful of the rose, be careful of its flowers, leaves, branches... and even its fragrance."
“But these are all random.” Xi Ya stopped in front of a door, but instead of immediately reaching out to push it open, she turned around and said seriously to Qin Fu’an, “In this instance, the Rose is more dangerous than the Hunter and the Monster, but the Rose rarely attacks on its own initiative. Many times, even if players use various methods to clear away its rampant and growing branches, it will not make any move.”
"Even now, after so many ghosts and players have died, we still haven't figured out the pattern of Rose's different ways of killing. We can only try our best not to disturb it, or... not to get close to it."
After Qin Fu'an nodded in understanding, Xi Ya carefully pushed open the door.
It was pitch black as well.
Qin Fu'an reached out to stop Xi Ya, who was about to go in first, and laughed, "This kind of charging into battle is not something the captain should do."
Xi Ya was stunned for a moment, and the person who had been standing next to her had already gone inside.
Qin Fu'an found candles and lit the room.
The flickering candlelight cast a dim, clear glow over everything in the room.
Xi Ya followed him in, glancing around curiously for a few moments.
"Aren't you very familiar with this place?" Qin Fu'an flicked a few drops of spiritual energy that were emanating from his fingertips.
“I’m only familiar with the route. I’ve come here by chance before and come in before, but I’m alone. It would be too dangerous if there were lights, so I always come in the dark.”
The sudden light at night is like a bright, clear target for those creatures that can move freely or even thrive in the darkness, telling them that their prey is there.
But now that she had teammates, Xi Ya looked at the flickering candlelight and suddenly felt a little safer.
Fire, the greatest invention of nature and humankind!
After a brief conversation, the two quickly began searching the not-so-small house.
"Based on its location, this room is not where the castle owner lived; it's more like a secluded guest room or a servant's room."
As Xi Ya spoke, she looked around the room and frowned, saying with a puzzled expression, "But now it seems that this room doesn't quite match up. Its furnishings are too exquisite and luxurious."
If you ignore the ubiquitous rose vines, you can see a lot of detail in this room.
It has a very homey feel; whether it's the decor or the exquisite and expensive details, the first impression it gives is one of warmth and comfort.
Of course, the darkness, the candlelight, and the rose vines added a touch of eeriness to the room.
The master bedroom, like the kind of room where something is bound to happen in a horror movie.
You might even see a bleeding corpse if you glance under the bed.
Qin Fu'an reached out and picked up the oil painting hanging on the wall.
A very stylish medieval oil painting, with large areas of vibrant color applied, which makes the boy in the painting, who is also painted with oil paint, appear somewhat mottled.
This is an oil painting of a single person, but upon closer inspection, there are many elements in the painting.
A well-dressed but calm-looking young man, a white dove affectionately perched on his shoulder nuzzling him, the shape of a small castle, and a large cluster of blooming roses behind him.
“It seems like he’s the real owner of this castle,” Xi Ya commented, leaning closer.
Qin Fu'an stared at the boy's eyes in the painting, illuminated by the candlelight, and chuckled as he put the painting down. "Maybe it really is."
“Look at this I found.” Xi Ya held up what she was holding.
It is a letter.
The envelope was very clean, without the blood and gore typical of horror movies. Holding it in my hand, I could even smell the faint fragrance of roses.
Xi Ya opened the letter and read its contents with Qin Fu'an by candlelight.
Soon, her movements froze.
"..."
Xi Ya held her breath, clutching the letter, and looked at Qin Fu'an in astonishment.
His expression was visibly horrified.
It's like seeing a ghost.
Qin Fu'an reached out and took the letter from her hand, folded it, and put it back in the envelope.
"Don't worry, this might just be a little joke the villa owner is playing on us."
After all, there are no old letters that would refer to the reader as an "intruder".
Xi Ya swallowed hard, glanced around, and then whispered, "Isn't the owner of the castle Lan Bai? He even chose this place to hold the banquet, didn't he?"
But now it seems that the "person" living in this secluded room has a more special identity?
And what's more! He might still be alive! Watching us!
Xi Ya isn't afraid of ghosts or eeries, but... she didn't notice this at all during her last dungeon run.
The thought of how she had wandered aimlessly around this room in the dark, with a pair of eyes always silently watching her in the shadows…
The ducks bristled, the ducks were terrified.
Qin Fu'an gently lifted a slightly stiff rose vine, a smile hidden in his eyes, and teased, "Just because Lan Bai says he's the master doesn't mean he is. Maybe if the real master heard you say that, he would secretly sulk."
Xi Ya: "..."
With hands clasped together, a polite bow, and a muttered apology, the whole process was incredibly smooth.
This routine looks like it's been done a thousand times, making it hard not to suspect what she's done and how many times this has happened.
"The letter said that he hoped we intruders would not damage the flowers he was growing..." Xi Ya sighed with a bitter face, "But Lan Bai also wants us to clear all the roses in the castle. Isn't that just making things difficult for us?"
"But why should we listen to Lan Bai?" Qin Fu'an asked curiously.
“Uh…” Xi Ya froze, a flash of inspiration struck her confused mind like lightning.
Yeah, why should we listen to Lamb?
Because Lambeth is the owner of the castle? Because Lambeth asked all the guests to help him remove the roses from the villa? And because... Lambeth said that whoever completes the task will get a wish, so everyone was caught up in the monster's influence and naturally did the same thing?
Through repeated conversations and the atmosphere they created, several clear equations had been etched into their minds.
Lamb = owner of the castle.
The task issued by Lanbai is to clear the roses.
Mission complete = Get a wish = Successfully leave the castle
In other words, the player's main quest has been replaced by quests issued by Lambeau without their knowledge.
In fact, the main quest doesn't mention anything about completing Lambeau's mission, nor does it say that Lambeau's wish would allow them to leave the castle alive.
Maybe it will work, but what if it doesn't?
These thoughts flashed through her mind quickly. After figuring out the large amount of blurred information, Xiya stood there, feeling cold all over.
It turns out we were wrong from the very beginning.
"No wonder...no wonder in the last dungeon, even though some players cleared the most rose vines, the dungeon still wasn't over..."
At the time, the remaining players all thought that player had already been sent out by Lamb, so after the dungeon restarted, most players tried their best to clear out Rose, even cooperating with the monsters, just to get rid of the player occupying the spot, but...
What if the players who made their wishes don't leave the instance?
Where did they go?
The ending seemed to require no guessing. Xi Ya took a deep breath to calm the lingering fear in her heart. She looked at Qin Fu'an, and after her breathing calmed down, she said to him, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I might never have been able to get out of this dark night."
Because after each restart, her memory of the main quest only became more and more blurred. In the end, all that remained in her mind was the task of clearing the roses, which Lamb and the monsters repeatedly emphasized. She would do everything in her power for that so-called wishing opportunity.
It was like stepping into a swampy mud; if Qin Fu'an hadn't pulled her out in time, she would have sank deeper and deeper until she finally succumbed and died.
[Author's Note]
Duck: I almost really quacked!
Anzai: (Using an abacus) How much merit do I gain for saving a duck every time? And if I save it a few more times...
Anzai: A super stable way to make money by exploiting the Heavenly Dao!
(Leave of absence notice: I'm taking a bus to Ganzi tomorrow, so there will be a break from updating for a day or two.)
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