Chapter 31 Finding Patterns in the Hierarchy of Contempt + Moving to the Next Scene...
Nothing in the instance world is ever chaotic without a reason. Since the Mad Hatter's tea and pastries were problematic, you certainly can't let him force-feed you for 30 days.
Regarding how to deal with the daily mutual contempt that would take place over these 30 days, after experiencing the Mad Hatter incident, you specifically watched all the original works and derivative films related to the Mad Hatter.
At the Mad Hatter's tea party, Alice distracted the Mad Hatter by playing crossword puzzles. In the novel, Alice still enjoyed the tea and snacks, but the Mad Hatter's love of riddles was clearly a possible way to break the ice.
You searched for many cryptic word puzzles, the more bizarre the better, determined to capture the Mad Hatter.
It still started with you, nothing more than a barrage of disdain about your education, major, and family wealth. But this time, the situation is different.
Last time, just yesterday, the Mad Hatter appeared almost immediately after you finished criticizing Xiao Fang, but now that everyone has finished speaking, nothing has changed inside the room.
"Did I say something wrong?" Xiaoming asked, puzzled.
Look at each other. Although we are tired tonight, we are all in high spirits and our thinking is even more active than usual.
"It seems that's the only way." You sighed, opened your phone, and flipped through the downloaded original text with some frustration. "Perhaps, the characters will take turns appearing. Of course, in the worst-case scenario, there will be more than just characters from this book."
No one spoke, knowing that more changes would be disadvantageous for those of you who wanted to experiment and constantly find the rules.
But the worst of tonight has already happened; something that obviously won't kill you immediately won't be too intimidating. Little La is a bit listless, and Little Ming, sitting to her right, can only pat her shoulder to comfort her.
Waiting can be a bit tedious, but since the general rules mention "once," it's best not to preemptively panic and lose your composure. After you've already correctly expressed your contempt, continuing to talk in a panic might backfire.
Just when you were so bored that you started playing games to kill time and distract yourselves, a sudden gust of wind lashed against the walls of the cabin, making a piercing creaking sound.
Amidst the sound of the wind, a low and distant roar could be faintly heard, like the howl of some wild beast, or, upon closer listening, like laughter.
The atmosphere inside the room instantly became tense; this was an instinctive reaction.
The four of you couldn't help but sit closer around the small table, breathing even softer, as if afraid of disturbing the danger lurking in the darkness.
Xiaoming, Xiaofang, and you are all searching for terrifying creatures and related stories that might appear in Chinese literature.
Little La was a little confused and didn't know what they were doing, but she didn't want to just sit there, so she stood up and said in a low voice, "I'll go check the doors and windows to see if they're all locked."
Her voice trembled slightly, yet it carried a hint of forced composure.
You both nodded silently, and then you realized that Xiao La was out of the loop, so you quickly showed her your phone.
She touched her chest, took a breath, and smiled at you. Your gaze followed Xiaola's figure, watching her walk step by step towards the only door leading to the outside world.
First, she gently pushed the door to make sure the latch was secure, then she carefully felt around to check the window. Next, she tucked the curtains into the gaps that inevitably appeared in the wooden window due to thermal expansion and contraction.
Just then, Xiao La's movements suddenly froze. Her hand stopped at the edge of the curtain, and she seemed frozen in place.
She turned around and first looked at you, then at Xiaoming. Her face was very pale, and her eyes revealed an undisguised terror.
Your heart skipped a beat, and you instantly realized something was wrong.
"Little La... what's wrong?" you asked tentatively in a low voice.
Little La didn't answer, but just stared wide-eyed, as if she had seen something indescribably terrifying.
Her gaze pierced the darkness, fixed on a certain direction outside the window, her face contorted with unbelievable terror. Her slightly parted lips seemed to tremble, but no sound came out.
Following her gaze, you couldn't help but hold your breath and slowly approach.
The closer you get, the stronger the feeling becomes, as if something is silently watching you.
—A pair of eerie green eyes floated out of thin air in the night, emitting a piercing light.
After meeting the eyes of all four of you, those eyes blinked slightly, and you felt as if they were smiling, before quickly curving into thin, green crescents.
Just as you were contemplating the possibilities, the eye vanished into the darkness, as silently as it had appeared.
Xiao Ming asked in a low voice, "Then...what is that?"
You ponder: if this monster is related to your "contemptuous" behavior, what role could it play? So many possibilities flood your mind that you can't quite put your finger on it.
Hehehe~
A deep, chuckled voice broke the silence from inside the room.
"Oh dear, look at the little creatures in this little house, they're trembling with fear."
It was a soft, whiny voice, but his tone and pace were like that of someone teasing a child. Unlike the Mad Hatter's chaotic way of speaking, his words were very easy to understand.
You both turned around at the same time, but saw nothing.
Suddenly, a pair of glowing eyes appeared on the wall of the hut. Then, the outline of the eyes slowly emerged, revealing a strange smile.
It was a peculiar creature; its face and eyes appeared first, while its body remained hidden in the air, appearing both ethereal and real. Its bright eyes and slightly upturned lips held a mocking smile, as if laughing at your restraint.
All the details of the character's appearance match those of the Cheshire Cat from the same book as the Mad Hatter.
Even knowing that the other party's appearance is not a good thing, seeing this cute and ambiguous character from your childhood memories pop up in front of you, you still can't help but take a step forward and want to pat its fluffy head.
"Meow!" The cat breathed on you, then regained its elegance and slowly reappeared in front of Xiao Fang.
"Who are you?" Xiao Fang asked in surprise.
"Who am I? Heh, I'm just... a smiling passerby." The cat-headed creature smiled at her. "But you... you am incredibly amusing to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cat's head disappeared again, leaving Xiao Fang standing there dumbfounded.
Just as the four of you were looking around in confusion, that extra-exaggerated smiling face appeared next to Xiaoming again, and the cat's voice carried a hint of playful coldness.
“Fear? Fear is such an interesting emotion. Especially when a little person is trembling with fear at the unknown.”
Xiao Ming was not swayed by the fluffy thing at all. He simply stepped back, frowned, and asked coldly, "What exactly do you want to do?"
"Me? I don't want to do anything, I just think...it's interesting." The cat's smile grew even brighter, and its soft voice drifted into your ears. Unlike the deep, masculine voice described in the book, the words that came out of the cat's throat were inexplicably cold.
You've lost your desire to pet the cat, and you sit up straight, thinking about how to deal with it.
The cat disappeared again, its sound echoing in the air, as if countless speakers were installed in the room, bombarding your eardrums with reverb.
A moment later, the cat's smiling face jumped onto the small table. After scanning the area, it suddenly moved closer to your face, almost touching your nose, revealing a set of white, sharp teeth, and a mischievous glint in its eyes.
“It’s really pleasing to see your expressions,” he said softly. “So, I’d like to give you some small gifts… gifts you can choose from.”
The cat finally appeared on your upper bunk, sitting casually on the edge like a real big cat. With a wave of its front paw, two exquisite silver plates appeared in the air.
Each plate contained four cookies: one plate with warm, light-colored cookies, and the other with deep, dark-colored cookies. The two colors created a striking contrast. The cookies had a subtle sheen and emitted an enticing aroma; just looking at them and smelling them made one imagine how delicious they would be.
The cat leisurely wagged its tail, scratched your bed as if it were its own den, and looked at you with a contented expression, lazily saying, "Come on, come on, make your choice. This is a very rare opportunity!"
Looking at the plate of cookies, you ask, "What's the purpose of these cookies?"
The cat's smile deepened, its eyes gleaming with a mysterious light, as if concealing countless secrets.
"Light colors will make you feel relaxed and happy, as if you've returned to your most comfortable place; while dark colors will reveal your inner secrets... But, who knows the price?"
His words were understated, yet they were clearly a warning, or even a rule, that could not be ignored.
The four of you exchanged glances, and you could all see the wariness in each other's eyes.
Seeing that you didn't move, the cat tilted its head, licked its paws, and laughed even more happily: "What, scared? Don't you like the feeling of making a choice?"
You rub your fingers together, thinking about how smoothly your conversation with the cat has flowed like never before; perhaps the cat itself is the key to unlocking the mystery. So you look up at him and calmly ask directly, "Do we have to choose? What will happen if we don't choose?"
He blinked, feigning thoughtfulness, then said in a mysterious tone, "Choice... is a wonderful thing. After all, how boring would life be without choice?"
Every word he uttered carried a subtle implication, yet was full of contradictions, as if he were deliberately going in circles, making it impossible for you to see through his intentions.
Sure enough, he would never tell you the truth easily, but he would gradually reveal details that would allow you to guess and ponder.
You tried to clarify things further, asking, "What exactly is this 'price' you're referring to?"
The cat looked up at the ceiling, pretending to be deep in thought, then chuckled softly, "The price... it might be inner peace, or it might be a little pain. Who knows? Only after making the choice will one understand."
"There's obviously something wrong with these cookies," Little La whispered to you, when suddenly the cat meowed behind her head: "I can understand you~"
Little La jumped up and landed behind Xiao Ming. Xiao Ming patted her hand, then looked at the cat who had returned to your bed and spoke to you in a normal tone: "This food was problematic to begin with. But the Cheshire Cat's words in the book are always strange, so he might be trying to lead us to make the wrong choice."
Xiao Fang nodded, then frowned and said, "But can we not choose? Let's skip yesterday's afternoon tea, but I feel like I can make my own decision about today's."
"I'm afraid that if I don't eat it, there will still be problems." You feel like you're in a dead end.
Hearing your conversation, the cat grinned even more smugly, its mouth almost stretching to a 360-degree angle. It coughed to interrupt you, pointed a paw at the cookies on the plate, and whispered, "Whether it's joy or the revelation of secrets, every choice is a journey. But how will you know the end of the journey if you don't keep going?"
Choice? Journey? Rules of the world of leaving children?
The cat represents not the minor rules of the current scene, but the rule-making will of the entire instance.
You pondered for a moment, your thoughts leaping and diverging, trying to grasp every possible logic as if in a dream. Finally, you understood something, looking directly at the cat: "You mean, our choices are actually a process of self-discovery?"
Just as the original work is ostensibly a children's book, it actually contains numerous metaphors for the shaping of society and the self.
The Cheshire Cat didn't answer directly, but looked at you with a smile and said softly, "Who knows? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. After all, some things can only be answered by experiencing them yourself."
An idea gradually forms in your mind. The choice of this plate of cookies is not a simple matter of eating or not eating, but a deeper game.
If you swallow it rashly, you may be influenced by unknown forces, but if you don't choose, you may be trapped in this fog of choice forever.
If the Mad Hatter is merely forcing you to have afternoon tea, the Cheshire Cat is more like a guide, smiling at you with his green, upturned eyes blinking, anticipating your next move.
Your guess probably pleased him so much that his figure flickered like a light bulb, appearing and disappearing, and his laughter only reached your ears, unnoticed by others.
You take a deep breath, make your decision, and look up at the others, saying, "Perhaps this choice isn't just about cookies, but a test of our will. The Cheshire Cat's appearance may just be to confuse our judgment; the real test is whether we can stay true to ourselves."
The words faded, and the room fell silent again. You stared at the two plates of cookies in front of you, recalling the hallucinogenic effects of the tea from yesterday, and how this rule of mutual contempt subtly shaped your personality. You vaguely guessed that these foods might change your mood or even your way of thinking.
Xiaoming had also thought of these things and insisted, "I still think that not choosing is the best choice. He gave us the opportunity to choose for no reason, probably just to make us lose ourselves in the process." Her gaze swept over the plate of cookies, and her eyes revealed deep wariness.
You admit that Xiaoming makes sense, but instead of choosing what seems safe, the oppressive atmosphere inside the cabin, which feels like a staged drama, and the laughing cat, all seem to be implying that you must take action.
At the very least, continued silence would only exacerbate the unease, and perhaps that was the Cheshire Cat's true intention.
“How about this, I’ll eat one. Maybe it will verify the true function of the biscuit and provide some clues for everyone,” you said. “The worst that can happen is that I’ll vomit up some filth, or maybe I’ll get some bad luck.”
You just casually said that last sentence to ease the tension, but it made everyone's expression change, especially Xiao Fang's. You were also surprised to realize that it might actually be true.
Xiao Ming glanced at you and sighed, "Since that's the case, then let me try it. Even if I'm the one chosen for the next event, at least I'll have another chance."
You were taken aback, but Xiaoming had already walked in front of you, picked up the dark-colored cookie that looked rather ominous: "Hesitating might actually make things worse. Forget it, let's just leave it at that."
After saying that, she stuffed the biscuit into her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.
Watching her pupils dilate, and her standing frozen in place as if struck by lightning, you quickly helped her up and tried to move her back to her own bed.
Fortunately, Xiaoming recovered in a short while.
“It’s nothing serious,” she said. Since it concerned everyone, Xiaoming didn’t speak with certainty. “This feels more normal than the Mad Hatter’s tea. We can ‘do it’ later.” Xiaoming still didn’t say the word “vomiting” in front of the cat, but just gestured to his neck. “Let’s choose this one.”
"OK."
Since that's the case, you no longer hesitated, picked up the cookie Xiaoming had chosen, and put it in your mouth.
Instantly, a subtle sweetness spread across the tip of the tongue, carrying a certain relaxing comfort. The taste was gentle and sweet, so warm that it made one involuntarily relax.
But just then, a strange feeling quietly emerges from the depths of your heart.
You feel as if you're in a hazy dreamscape, the scene before you begins to distort, and the surroundings gradually blur. The familiar cottage slowly becomes unfamiliar, the walls and floor seem to be dissolving, replaced by a lush green meadow, a clear blue sky, and warm sunshine; everything seems perfectly peaceful.
You stand there, mesmerized, in this dreamlike world, a strange sense of ease gradually washing over you. All your worries and anxieties seem to have vanished, and the world before you becomes peaceful and pure. You can't help but smile, feeling as if you've returned to a carefree time, as if everything is under your control.
But as this sense of ease continues, a feeling of unease slowly begins to grow within you.
Yes, this ease is not real; rather, it feels like an emptiness stripped of genuine emotions.
If you let it continue, your own thoughts may be completely stripped away as you slowly drift away.
Stay true to yourself! These are your own words.
Even if you manage to concentrate, you can easily return to reality.
“This is edible!” you said with a smile, taking Xiaoming’s hand.
In your daze after you ate the biscuit, Xiao Fang and Xiao La did the same thing, and the cat also left completely with the remaining biscuits.
Xiao Fang woke up at this moment, but Xiao La frowned and looked pained.
"Is she alright?" You all gathered around her, very worried.
"She ate the same cookies as us, how could this happen?" Five more minutes passed, and Xiao La was still the same. You and Xiao Ming were equally anxious, after all, it was at your insistence that Xiao Ming took the lead in eating these cookies.
Five minutes later, no matter how you called out to Little La, it was to no avail.
“Is it possible that the cookies are fine?” Xiao Fang suddenly said. “Don’t you guys feel that ever since we started this instance, our ‘personal will’ has been constantly tested? If so, is it possible that this time is the same: the cookies are actually all the same except they look different, but we firmly believe that there are no problems, or that we can overcome the problems, so they don’t affect us.”
Xiao Fang makes a good point, and it's quite reasonable. After all, Xiao La's trust in the three of you is definitely not as strong as your trust in each other. She has just experienced such a bizarre and strange event as the Pale Mountain, and her mental state is unstable.
After thinking it over, the three of you had no other choice, so you simply leaned close to Xiao La's ear and kept muttering things like "It'll be alright" and "You made the right choice."
With a violent eye movement, Xiao La woke up, looking even more dejected.
"I think I heard your voices," Little La said, describing her terrifying dream in a daze. "Thank you for helping me."
You said some encouraging words to each other, then turned off the lights and went back to bed to sleep.
The little girl, who was sleeping head-to-head with you, patted you gently, as if she wanted to talk to you for a while.
"The signal is bad, there's no internet," she said, a little embarrassed.
"It's nothing," you said. "What's wrong?"
"Sister, to be honest, without you, I feel like I would have died here a long time ago. But I might not always run into you again, will I?" Xiao La said in a trembling voice.
This is a very private and personal matter, and you don't know how to respond to it. The last instance was just your first instance; you've grown so fast that you can now provide some protection for "newbies."
"Don't overthink it," you can only say. "Everyone grows step by step. Sometimes it's all about brains, but more often it's all about luck. This dungeon is indeed quite difficult and has a lot of variations, but if you manage to survive, future dungeons might become much easier, and by then you'll have a wealth of experience."
Xiao La didn't say anything, but told you some of her inner feelings, and you comforted her one by one.
"Sisters, it's so good to have you all here," Xiao La said, shrinking back into her blankets.
I don't know if she took your words, which were probably just meant to comfort her, to heart, but she seemed a little less stressed, and you felt relieved too.
"It's alright, go to sleep early. After today, we'll have plenty of time to rest before heading to Buddha City," you said. Listening to Xiao La's breathing gradually becoming even, you also drifted off to sleep.
I probably had too many dreams these past two days, from day to night, so I had a rare good night's sleep.
As you said, for the next few days you went back to the resort hotel and just ate and drank. Every day you only went out to the neighborhood to check off your "travel" tasks when there were the most people, and then quickly went back to lie down.
Strange events happen frequently in those hotels, but you've become so accustomed to them that you handle these emergencies with the same ease as eating or taking a bath.
The only danger and point that requires some thought remains the daily round of disdain—but as the days go by, your understanding of this matter and the rules becomes clearer.
First of all, it's undeniable that all the characters are from the classic Chinese novel *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland*, which makes things much easier for you. Every day, from the moment you open your eyes to the moment you close them, you're searching for story interpretations, especially those mind-bending, dark videos. You even watch them while eating, and then try to summarize the patterns yourself.
You discover that engaging with these characters is not only a battle with them, but also a struggle with yourself.
For example, on the first day at noon, after finishing the disdainful remarks, a strange knocking sound broke the warm and leisurely midday.
The sounds outside the window were intermittent, as if the visitor was eager to enter but hesitant.
Peeling back the magazine pasted on the glass, you see a rabbit wearing long earmuffs and with a somewhat crazed expression. It's holding a tray with four steaming cups of milk tea.
The effects of milk tea are the same as before: "With just one sip, you will feel infinitely relaxed, as if you are floating on a cloud, and even... able to forget yourself."
You couldn't help but think to yourself, "As expected of the UK, they don't need to keep offering food that puts Tiger on the edge of the law."
Recalling how this character in the original work encouraged and seduced the protagonist, you exchanged a glance and decided to ignore his temptations this time, no longer listen to him, no longer ask questions, and no longer look at him.
Anyway, he can't get into your room.
You put the magazine back on, and you hear him jumping around outside, shouting, "Just one bite, and you'll experience an unprecedented sense of liberation; all your burdens will vanish." He keeps repeating these words, hypnotically trying to penetrate your defenses.
You remind each other not to respond or be curious.
Gradually, the March Hare's voice grew weaker until it disappeared completely.
The next day, you still performed this step at noon.
But it wasn't until evening, after the butler who brought the food left, that you lifted the lid of your soup pot and found a whole walrus dressed in a tattered tuxedo.
He floated on the soup, his eyes deep in shadow, but his smile revealed a greedy intent.
The walrus scooped up a handful of glistening oysters from your soup pot.
He seemed completely oblivious to how ridiculous he looked, and as his shaky, fatty body crawled out of the pot, he bowed to you all: "These are the 'delicacies' I specially prepared. Thank you all for your hard work, please enjoy them."
Those of you who know the original story by heart know what kind of creature this walrus is. Maybe once you start eating it, you won't be able to stop, and maybe your stomachs will burst.
The walrus seemed unsurprised by your resistance, and simply sang softly:
"I'm not an ignorant brat."
If the guests want to refuse me, they must first win the debate.
Each oyster represents your inner 'self'.
It's your choice whether you leave the shell or eat all of it.
If you want to understand yourself.
How can you not eat?
Perhaps you will be lost forever.
If they ignore my good intentions…
Although it's not even a complete idiom or a doggerel, you can accurately extract one thing: it seems that these characters will have some interactions after they "go back" to the book.
Clearly, this walrus is here to deceive you with a mission and experience.
The walrus in the story cruelly devoured all the oysters; it seems that the oysters were an even more irresistible temptation for him than you are.
You firmly replied, "The true self doesn't need to be devoured or sacrificed. We won't abandon our authenticity just to conform to your definition of 'self'." Then, you took the initiative, mimicking his tone and singing:
"Why don't you try it yourself, esteemed sir?"
How can one not enjoy food that has been prepared with such great effort?
Hypocritical humans only appreciate soft flesh.
True gourmets know that nutrition lies in avoiding waste.
The walrus's face twitched slightly, and finally, unable to resist the temptation, he pounced on the pile of oysters and began to chew them voraciously.
After swallowing the last oyster shell, the walrus himself became a piece of meat in the pot.
The story on the third day is more interesting. Two egg-shaped brothers, one fat and one thin, stand at the door. They appear like the Mad Hatter and then stay at your table, refusing to leave.
However, they didn't come to deliver food; instead, they handed you a mirror.
The skinny Egg Brothers chuckled lightly, their tone flippant, "Hypocritical brats should take a good look at themselves!"
The chubby egg brother clumsily raised a mirror that was even bigger than his current size, and without saying a word, shone it in your direction.
Before you know it, you'll see your own reflection.
The reflection in your mirror shows an extremely indifferent and weary woman, her face devoid of any emotion, her eyes empty and numb.
"That's a really lame trick." As you say this, you snatch the mirror away—of course, you won't say it out loud, but for a moment, you really feel a chill and question your image in other people's eyes.
You stand quietly in a circle, looking at each other, not at your reflections in a mirror: "We are each other's mirrors, and our true selves can be seen through each other's care and trust."
Meanwhile, you point the mirror at the Egg Brothers, and with a scream, one of the brothers turns into a rotten egg, and the other into a burnt fried egg with its shell still attached.
The two brothers vanished instantly, but you were given a mirror.
“We’re really lucky.” Xiao Ming played with the mirror, quite pleased. “I counted, there are only a few dozen characters in the whole book that I can name. I guess the way to deal with this rule is to find out the logic of the confrontation through the different characters’ speeches, or like now, to obtain props.”
In this way, the daily verbal battles become much easier. You don't want to rely entirely on props; you'll still try to handle things yourselves first, and only if that fails will you use the mirror to drive them away.
After spending the remaining days in this relaxed manner, you checked out of the hotel, drove away from the Dolo Mountains, returned the car to the rental company, and then began the next part of your trip.
Heading to Buddha City.
This night in the city of Buddha is just a rest stop on the cruise, but the "you" in this scenario values enjoyment and is unwilling to suffer even a little hardship for just one night.
Traveling along the Arno River, the silhouettes of ancient bridges and Renaissance buildings sway on the steaming river in the afternoon.
The souls of countless artists and poets seem to still linger here; what permeates the air is not only the scent of time, but also the accumulation of art and humanity.
Soon, the vehicle entered the courtyard of the Four Seasons Hotel, a luxurious place hidden in a corner of the city center.
As you step out of the car, concierge staff immediately greet you with smiles and gentle, polite greetings, while deftly taking your luggage away. The hotel entrance is understated yet elegant; upon entering, magnificent architecture and a courtyard filled with sculptures and frescoes unfold before your eyes, as if you have entered another world.
Stepping into the hotel lobby, you are immediately struck by the sight before you.
Sunlight streamed through the glass ceiling, bathing the entire lobby in a warm glow. Several Renaissance sculptures, dignified and beautiful, stood in the center of the lobby, while the surrounding walls were adorned with classical oil paintings and exquisite plaster carvings.
You notice that many guests are lingering here, some quietly admiring the artwork, and others talking in hushed tones.
In real life, Xiao La studies art. Ever since she learned that you were going to stay at a luxury hotel converted from the famous Medici family garden, she has been very excited and has been chattering about it the whole way.
Even if you don't know much about these artworks, you'll still be captivated by them, even just from the perspective of aesthetic appreciation.
A receptionist greets you with a smile and just the right amount of friendliness, and she quickly checks you in.
Xiao Ming took the initiative to lead the conversation, while everyone waited. Meanwhile, a staff member brought out a refreshing welcome drink and casually mentioned the hotel's history.
"This building was once the Palazzo della Graldesca Palace, which is several hundred years old. Many of the decorations here are 17th-century frescoes and antique furniture."
Her account was more detailed than Xiao La's, but you were suddenly jolted awake from your aesthetic perception.
A mountain resort hotel can become the site of so many outrageous incidents. And what kind of trouble will these genuine antiques bring you?
After confirming your check-in information, the staff member politely bowed slightly and asked you to follow her to the Royal Suite.
The other side of the lobby leads to a corridor, lined with Renaissance-style ornaments in the style of the Uyghurs, as well as some works by contemporary artists.
The flowing colors and delicate brushstrokes on the frescoes along the way create a series of moving scenes. Noticing your interest in the frescoes, the staff member gently explained, "These frescoes are mostly the work of renowned artists from our country. Each one conveys a unique artistic theme and reflects the splendor of the Renaissance. If you stop to admire them, you might even hear the whispers of the figures in the paintings."
She smiled, and apart from the silly-looking Xiao La, the three of you broke out in a cold sweat.
She shouldn't have said it, because now that she has, you actually see a handmaid in a mural winking at you.
"Sure enough, good days don't last more than five days," Xiao Fang whispered in your ear, utterly dejected.
You are the same.
Especially upon reaching the suite floor, the moment the staff opened the door, the lingering, old-fashioned smell unique to centuries-old buildings, even when paired with luxurious Neapolitan-style decor and a sunny breeze, inevitably created a sense of oppression.
As you look up involuntarily, following the trail of wallpaper and murals throughout the house, you see a ceiling covered with delicate frescoes depicting a heavenly scene. Amidst swirling clouds, countless angels, saints, and divine figures gather, each face turned toward you, looking down upon you.
Every pair of eyes is depicted with exceptional detail, carrying an elusive light. Some seem to be full of scrutiny, some reveal unspeakable sorrow, while many more are like silent, deep pools, revealing no emotion yet instilling unease.
No matter which angle you look from, no matter which corner of the suite you are in, you will feel like you are being watched by countless eyes.
"There are no check-in rules." Xiao Fang flipped through the booklet, a hint of regret and unease in her voice. Her voice was a perfect reminder to you.
"Let's go out to eat, or even just sit in the garden for an afternoon."
“This room is beautiful, but let’s wait until we’re tired and then come back to sleep,” you said. You interrupted your own gaze; if you looked any longer, you felt like you would be sucked up and enter “heaven.”
However, even if you don't look, you might have a feeling that something strange and indescribable will happen in this room on this one and only night you stay.
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Author's Note: Sorry, I've been moving these past few days, and my chronic procrastination means I'm still not done... I'll do a giveaway later to thank all the moms for their support!! I should be able to update with 20,000 words on Friday and Saturday, and then I'll continue moving on Sunday... So tired and sleepy, boohoo.
Ah... so the prize draw isn't available yet. I'll just send out red envelopes in the comments section after I finish writing these new chapters, hehe.
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