Chapter 69 Swan Castle (Three Watches in One)
[The Ghost Cult, the Female Guest's Study, the Werewolf Supervisor—the more I watch, the more I think, "It would be great if the three of you could just live a good life together!"]
[Congratulations to the female guest on the show "Heartbeat 1000%"! You have received 9 Sweet Coins from a viewer with the ID "Things I Want to See Won't Be Approved"!]
[Hahaha, it's true, it's rare to see a show's guest peacefully coexisting with multiple guest participants at the same time.]
Where are the vampire and the elf? Why aren't they here yet? All five of them should be together!
Yu Naixin took a moment to check on the two male guests in the banquet hall on the first floor.
The Elf Prince had discovered that his restrictions had been lifted by Yu Naixin and left the hall.
Coincidentally, just like during the second simulation, the Elf Prince wandered in the left corridor of the castle, gazing silently at the sea of red roses outside the window from time to time.
He seemed to be daydreaming, or perhaps deep in thought.
His deep blue eyes were like a calm, still sea. The elven prince stood quietly, revealing no outward emotion.
Yu Naixin understood.
The story of the red rose watered by the blood of a hundred maidens certainly had a great impact on the Elf Prince.
The vampire duke was also silent. Yu Naixin saw him finally wake up from his coma, then sit up, standing there like a doll that was about to fall apart, his whole body stiff and trying to maintain the balance of his joints.
Yu Naixin gently raised her right eyebrow.
What is the Vampire Duke doing?
She thought that the first thing he would do after waking up was to curse her fiercely, and the second thing would be to go crazy and search the entire castle for her, and then kill her.
Just like his reaction after Yu Naixin teased the vampire duke during the first simulation.
The vampire duke turned out to be so obedient?
Something unusual must be going on. Yu Naixin magnified the three-dimensional image that she could access with her princess privileges and observed the vampire duke's subtle facial expressions more carefully.
Thus, the vampire duke's numb and relieved expression, his licking of his lips, his sudden shiver, his painful yet pleasurable groans, and his trembling eyes revealing desire and anticipation—all of these were transmitted to Yu Naixin's consciousness in high-definition.
Yu Naixin: "...??!"
Yu Naixin's expression froze for a second.
She felt that her eyes and mind had been hurt without her knowledge.
What the hell is all this stuff?!
The vampire duke is actually a masochist?! He gets pleasure from being abused?!
Then why didn't the vampire duke show any of these hobbies during the first simulation, when she had the paper puppy bite him, the priest's folding fan cut a deep, bone-revealing wound on his back, and even blasted him with a grenade?
Could it be that the attacks she used before were too weak for the vampire duke, and only by using a "blood pact" like this time, and continuously tormenting the vampire duke's blood vessels with spiritual power for half an hour, could he feel anything and experience pleasure?
Yu Naixin blinked slowly, her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself, yet she still wanted to.
—So, when she detonated the scapegoat during the first simulation's ending, focusing her firepower on the vampire duke, wasn't that a huge reward for him?!
[What's with that female guest's expression? It's like she's seen something incredibly explosive!]
Are there fleas dancing the Four Little Swans in the flask she's holding?
[Holy crap, what the hell are those four little swans?! And this castle is just called "Swan," right?]
[This scene looks familiar. I remember when the Great Demon King first entered, he was suddenly staring intently at something in the princess's mansion on the fourth floor... Could it be that the princess has access to things that we viewers can't see?]
Yu Naixin's distraction was so obvious that even the Ghost Wizard couldn't help but stop demonstrating how to concoct a potion and looked at the female guest with some confusion.
The ghost wizard himself didn't realize that his mindset had changed from being full of apprehension and fear towards Yu Naixin when he first stepped into the laboratory to now being wholeheartedly dedicated to teaching Yu Naixin about potions.
Having such a student who grasps concepts instantly and possesses outstanding thinking and practical skills makes being a teacher a truly wonderful experience, even somewhat addictive.
Yu Naixin silently removed the restrictions on the Vampire Duke, then ignored the deeply hidden M and continued to study with the Ghost Wizard.
After independently creating a bottle of perfect-quality basic healing potion, laying a good foundation, Yu Naixin became more adept at formulating other basic potions.
In less than forty minutes, Yu Naixin had successfully made basic energy-restoring potions and basic buff potions, and the Ghost Wizard's demonstration naturally turned into higher-level potions.
It was only then that the ghost wizard realized that Yu Naixin was far more than just quick learner and good at remembering things.
She has her own unique understanding and approach to potion making.
The Ghost Wizard has been researching potions for over a hundred years, and his way of thinking has become fixed. He has explored the most efficient methods through his own experience, and has been using them ever since.
However, Yu Naixin was able to offer many novel perspectives from angles he had never considered before.
These views are not random fantasies, but are based on solid evidence and are feasible.
Yu Naixin was, after all, a novice apprentice. Although she could implement many of her ideas and achieve the desired results, in terms of efficiency, cost, and the effectiveness of the final product, she was not as good as the Ghost Wizard.
However, there were a few scattered ideas that truly inspired even the master potion master Ghost Wizard, giving him a pleasant surprise.
Yu Naixin observed the reaction of the reagent and expressed her discovery with some delight: "If the Five-Colored Wolfsbane is shrunk by 263 times instead of 260 times, the 88ja9 stable particle of its spiritual energy structure will still retain all its original characteristics."
"At this point, when it comes into contact with the blue light coral, which is 260 times smaller, the active particles of number 5we7k in the blue light coral's spiritual energy structure will no longer cause any conflict in spiritual energy efficacy."
"Although a conflict will still occur after about 12 seconds, there is enough time within those 12 seconds to proceed with the next step of preparation and maintain the relative stability of the particles on both sides!"
[...This live stream made me sleepy, both watching and listening to it...]
[That wolfsbane...I feel like I've heard of it somewhere before? Oh, it's when the female guest asked Ghost about this wolfsbane in the lobby on the first floor...]
[Help! Am I here to watch the live stream or to attend the lecture?!]
From the moment the Ghost Wizard first met Yu Naixin, the first female guest to appear on the "Swan Castle" episode, he was filled with astonishment and fear.
Later, during my interactions with Yu Naixin, these two emotions never ceased and continued to deepen.
But now, watching Yu Naixin smile as she put into practice what she had never been able to do for so many years and had never even thought of changing in this regard, the Ghost Wizard was filled with nothing but admiration for Yu Naixin.
This female guest, whose background is unknown, is an absolute genius when it comes to potions.
The front of the hood on his head had long since slipped backward as the ghost wizard continued to concoct potions, exposing his entire transparent face except for his eyes.
Normally, the ghost wizard would have pulled his hat brim back immediately, but at this moment he was looking at Yu Naixin with admiration and didn't notice anything amiss.
The werewolf knight standing nearby stared wide-eyed.
The werewolf knight couldn't understand what Yu Naixin and the ghost wizard had been doing for so long, but he could understand what the ghost wizard's reaction meant.
Is this still the ghost wizard he knew?!
They actually just brazenly revealed their true appearance like that?!
To be honest, deep down, the werewolf knight actually felt a bit of fear towards the ghost wizard.
This fragile ghost, despite having a much lower spiritual power level than him and being easily defeated by him, still manages to gain the upper hand in the battle for the female guests in "Moonlight Town".
The werewolf knight knew that the ghost wizard possessed a power completely different from his own.
So sometimes, he would consciously imitate some of the practices of the ghost wizard.
For example, agreeing to form an alliance with the ghost wizard in "Swan Castle" first, and also, during Yu Naixin's first simulation, taking the initiative to propose to the vampire duke, who had already made contact with Yu Naixin, that they should first form an alliance and then each rely on their own means.
Now, what the werewolf knight sees is that the ghost wizard, who is so unfathomable in his eyes, is so amazed by Yu Naixin.
Just how amazing must Yu Naixin be?!
At this moment, the werewolf knight's admiration for strength was satisfied to the highest degree.
The princess he wanted to serve was not only an excellent dancer, but also had a beautiful appearance, elegant demeanor, and wonderful personality; she was even exceptionally intelligent!
[Congratulations, female guest! The male guest "Werewolf Knight" has reached 100% affection for you!]
You will receive additional generous rewards during the settlement process after this program ends!
Suddenly, a system notification that the male guest had a high level of favorability brought the entire live stream back to life from its stagnant state.
【! Full affection! I knew the little witch would reach full affection!】
[He really is a wolf in sheep's clothing! He was consistently the one with the highest favorability rating among the female guests!]
[I finally remembered that we're in the live stream of the dating reality show "Heartbeat 1000%", not a "Veteran Wizard's Potions Tutorial" class...]
[This is hilarious! I was so bored with the female guests' segment that I went to check out the elf and vampire's side. The elf was still like a statue, except he'd moved from the lobby to the hallway. The vampire was going upstairs, seemingly wanting to find the female guests, but he was moving very slowly, looking reluctant and struggling. It would have been better to just come back and look at the female guests!]
[Damn, I almost fell asleep and didn't even realize it was already 6:51! There are less than ten minutes until the 7:00 deadline!]
The werewolf knight's favorability rating was full, which was something Yu Naixin had expected.
She determined through two previous simulations that the Werewolf Knight was the male guest most likely to win her favor, and then she targeted him accordingly, making him the first person she directly interacted with in the real-life scenario, all for this very result.
Looking up at the werewolf knight's eyes, which were practically bulging with pink hearts, Yu Naixin noted down the event that ultimately made the werewolf knight's favorability rating full: the ghost wizard showed amazement at her. Then she continued to communicate and experiment with the ghost wizard.
Yu Naixin was of course aware that it was almost seven o'clock. No matter how focused she was on her studies, she could not forget that she was currently in a dating reality show fraught with danger.
But she did not take any further action.
Yu Naixin has only one purpose in starting the simulator this time: to acquire as much knowledge and experience as possible in potion making.
This stuff is really hard to learn. Yu Naixin felt that when she first opened the book "Systemic Anatomy" at the beginning of her freshman year, even the dense text and pictures in the nervous system chapter were not this difficult.
Fortunately, after taking the Spirit Awakening Pill and gaining spiritual power, both her physical constitution and mental abilities were greatly improved; otherwise, Yu Naixin would have given up on this plan altogether.
She chose this path because she knew she could succeed.
[Why isn't the female guest in a hurry at all? It'll be 7 o'clock in less than two minutes!]
Wait a minute, it seems the female guest deliberately left the vampire and elf outside! When the four male guests were in the banquet hall earlier, it was clear the werewolf and the ghost were wary of them; the vampire and the elf were probably the two strongest among the male guests!
Yes, the female guest specifically chose the werewolf and the ghost, the two weakest male guests, to be with her. She's already won over one of them to the maximum extent of her favorability, and the other seems to have gained a lot of favorability as well. With their help, getting through the deadline shouldn't be too difficult!
As Yu Naixin calmly continued her learning experiment, seven o'clock finally arrived.
When the clock struck that moment, all the male guests at Swan Castle seemed to have received the system's notification and realized this as well.
The werewolf knight's ears twitched, and he subconsciously looked down at the floor beneath his feet.
He remembered that when he was searching Swan Castle in phantom form with the ghost wizard, the ghost wizard suggested that they first familiarize themselves with the general structure of the castle before conducting a detailed, carpet-like search. What they saw was that the central round tower had three floors, the fourth floor was inaccessible, and the corridors on both sides only had one floor.
The three of them were currently on the third floor of the central round tower; the vampire duke and the elf prince could only be on lower floors.
A cold glint flashed in the werewolf knight's eyes.
If the Vampire Duke and the Elf Prince come to kill him... even if he can't beat these two male guests, he must fight to the death to protect Yu Naixin!
Based on the Werewolf Knight's past experience in "Moonlight Town," female guests can successfully leave the show's scenario as long as they solve the deadlock or survive for a period of time after the deadlock arrives.
The deadline in "Swan Castle" is a dungeon-style event where guests are cleared out; there are no puzzle-solving elements, and you can only get through it using the latter method.
If all that's required is to hold off the Vampire Duke and the Elf Prince so they don't harm Yu Naixin, the Werewolf Knight is quite confident he can do it.
After all, Yu Naixin herself is so smart, with her cooperating with me, we can definitely succeed!
The thought of fighting alongside Yu Naixin and fighting side by side made the werewolf knight's heart pound with excitement.
After being endlessly trapped in "Heartbeat 1000%" for so many years, engaging in one endless battle after another with the Ghost Wizard, the Werewolf Knight had long been tired and weary.
As a guest in the instance, the Werewolf Knight was aware that once he reached a certain level of affinity with a guest on the show, he could leave the original instance together.
He was also completely willing to sacrifice all his life and spiritual power to become a special spiritual artifact that could bind Yu Naixin and follow her wherever she went!
Furthermore, the higher the spiritual power coefficient of the dungeon guest, the more of their own will they will retain after being transformed into a special spiritual artifact in this way.
Those dungeon guests with a spiritual power coefficient below 180 are basically just inanimate objects, but someone like him, who has become the strongest dungeon guest below the Domain Lord, can still possess some self-awareness.
Then, he can always protect Yu Naixin and become her most useful weapon!
In stark contrast to the werewolf knight, who was full of enthusiasm and anticipation, another male guest, the ghost wizard, who was also next to Yu Naixin, had a completely different thought process at this moment.
The pleasant teaching and learning atmosphere was completely shattered by the seven o'clock bell. The ghost wizard glanced at Yu Naixin, who seemed oblivious and was still focused on preparing the liquid in the test tube, and his mind began to stir.
The deadline for this episode is that all restrictions on the four male guests are lifted, allowing them to do whatever they want within the entire episode's venue.
Although the so-called restriction was largely lifted after Yu Naixin allowed the Ghost Wizard to go up to the third floor with her to the laboratory, the Ghost Wizard's actions were no longer confined to the banquet hall, and he no longer had any additional requirements to fulfill his hunting conditions for Yu Naixin.
However, there are still very obvious differences between them.
For example, Yu Naixin's authority as the castle owner will be greatly reduced, and the restrictions on places that the four guest characters in the instance could not enter before will be rendered ineffective.
Yu Naixin had nowhere else in the entire Swan Castle that was absolutely safe to hide.
and……
The ghost wizard showed no sign of anything amiss and quietly withdrew his peripheral vision.
He continued to use the Silver Tin Thunder Blade to cut the amber-like substance on the outside of the wind pterosaur's toe bone, explaining as before: "Your Highness, the Silver Tin Thunder Blade has a very strong cutting ability and can easily cut the toe bone inside. Please watch my technique carefully."
Moreover, after teaching him for so long, Yu Naixin's wariness of him would have decreased somewhat.
Or perhaps Yu Naixin was so engrossed in learning about potions that she didn't pay much attention to the subtle changes around her.
After so much time, the Ghost Wizard could certainly sense how serious and focused Yu Naixin was on making potions.
The ghost wizard's hunting condition is to make the female guest drink a potion he made called "Kiss of Death".
He had already made many batches of the potion and stored them in the cloak's storage pouch, so he could take them out and use them at any time.
The "Kiss of Death" appears as a pink liquid, but the color is not very strong. If a small portion is taken out and placed into a darker-colored potion, it can be disguised perfectly.
Then, we'll find a way to get Yu Naixin to drink it without her noticing, even if it's just a tiny amount, and the hunting conditions will be activated immediately.
The "Kiss of Death" will paralyze Yu Naixin's entire body, rendering her unable to move. Meeting the hunting conditions will allow the Ghost Wizard to kill Yu Naixin and achieve final victory.
Once the plan succeeds, Yu Naixin will have no chance of escaping.
After all, the Ghost Wizard had done a lot of research on spiritual power. After being in such close contact with Yu Naixin for such a long time, he could basically conclude that Yu Naixin's spiritual power level was pitifully low.
Although the Ghost Wizard couldn't understand how a powerful and experienced guest on the show could have such a low spiritual power coefficient, he had observed it repeatedly and concluded that there was no problem.
Not to mention that in the banquet hall on the first floor, the ghost wizard witnessed Yu Naixin drinking two doses of Qi-restoring medicine to restore her spiritual power in order to punish the vampire duke.
The Ghost Wizard is certainly very familiar with and has studied props like healing potions and restorative medicines, which are frequently used by guests on the show.
He could tell at a glance that Yu Naixin was drinking one dose of basic Qi-nourishing medicine and one dose of intermediate Qi-nourishing medicine.
The healing and restorative medicines don't work instantly; they only work when consumed completely.
The fact that Yu Naixin could continue attacking the vampire duke for the same amount of time after drinking two doses of the Qi-nourishing medicine is enough to prove that her spiritual power coefficient is quite limited.
Moreover, judging from Yu Naixin's appearance, she clearly didn't intend to stop after drinking two doses of Qi-nourishing medicine. If she had enough spiritual power, she probably would have punished the vampire duke even more.
All indications suggest that Yu Naixin's actual spiritual power is not a significant threat.
What's truly terrifying about her is her unexpected yet highly effective methods, rather than her inherent strength.
If it's impossible to deceive Yu Naixin, forcibly administering a drug laced with "Kiss of Death" to her is not an impossible option.
The ghost wizard's brain was already racing, figuring out how to get Yu Naixin to drink what he had carefully prepared.
This stealthy method is likely to go unnoticed by that brainless idiot werewolf knight. He can avoid a direct confrontation with the werewolf knight and escape with Yu Naixin once the hunting conditions are met.
In any case, the werewolf knight is no match for him in terms of speed.
Before the hunting conditions are met, he needs to focus on teaching Yu Naixin for a while longer to avoid arousing her suspicion.
It's impossible for the Vampire Duke and the Elf Prince not to make a move against Yu Naixin after the deadline. At that time, they will have to rely on the Werewolf Knight to resist and restrain these two male guests and buy him time.
Grind the cut windwing dragon toe bones into powder. The ghost wizard's mind had already gone through countless steps, planning out all aspects of the process.
He planned to naturally teach Yu Naixin later how to judge some high-level potions by tasting them.
As an example, even though the Ghost Wizard himself drank a potion laced with "Kiss of Death," it had no effect on him.
After all, to prevent himself from being betrayed by the show's guests when he met the conditions for the Great Hunt, and to avoid being harmed by the potion he made, the Ghost Wizard had specifically trained himself to develop drug resistance so that the "Kiss of Death" would not interfere with him.
Seeing that he had already drunk it, Yu Naixin found it easier to try drinking some herself.
The ghost wizard finished grinding the windwing dragon's toe bones and said calmly, "Your Highness, let's continue."
*********
In the left corridor of the castle, the Elf Prince also received news that the deadline had arrived and the restrictions had been lifted.
He stood tall and elegant by a window, gazing at the sea of red roses outside. Maids would occasionally pass by, letting out soft gasps of amazement upon seeing him, then blushing as they secretly sized him up.
The Elf Prince was already used to such gazes.
However, after Yu Naixin brutally exposed the deepest scars in his heart, and then felt that gaze once again, the Elf Prince had mixed feelings.
Before he was imprisoned on "Heartbeat 1000%", he was actually someone who could walk freely in the sunlight.
According to the selection criteria of "Heartbeat 1000%", even if he were to join, he should be a guest on the show, not a supporting guest.
If he hadn't insisted on watering the red rose with the blood of young girls, he could have lived freely outside. Even if his secret were discovered, he could have simply left and moved to a new place.
...But it's too late to say anything now.
From the moment you embark on this path, there is no turning back.
The Elf Prince narrowed his eyes slightly.
It's seven o'clock; the banquet was originally scheduled to begin here.
Yu Naixin moved the banquet time forward, but she couldn't affect the feast enjoyed by the four guests.
The safe zone that originally existed in Swan Castle became meaningless after the death line. As long as you catch up with Yu Naixin and control her, you can directly complete the hunting conditions and win this dungeon.
A gentle breeze blew by, and the cluster of red roses closest to the window swayed.
The Elf Prince's eyes narrowed even deeper, a faint, cold glint flashing within them.
The female guest on this episode is quite special.
In particular, it made the Elf Prince wonder if her blood was any different from that of the ordinary female guests in "The Rose Spire".
For example... he could cultivate the hundredth red rose that he had been longing for day and night?
The next second, the Elf Prince's figure vanished from the corridor.
The two maids behind him who were whispering and covering their mouths were suddenly stunned.
Where are they?
"This distinguished guest seems to have gone upstairs?!"
**********
The Vampire Duke had reached the top of the second staircase of the central round tower; just one more step and he would be on the third floor.
He was really torn about whether or not to go see Yu Naixin.
On the one hand, the humiliation and shame that Yu Naixin, this lamb, inflicted on him was unprecedented in his life, which greatly angered the vampire duke.
On the other hand, the vampire duke had to admit that only Yu Naixin could give him that unique pleasure.
As a guest with a spiritual power coefficient of 306, the Vampire Duke knew very well how exquisite the method Yu Naixin used was.
Seeking out Yu Naixin would be embarrassing, but not seeking out Yu Naixin would be unsatisfying.
This caused the vampire duke to take several tens of minutes to walk from the banquet hall on the first floor to the top of the stairs on the second floor.
The news of the impending death deadline failed to reach the Vampire Duke's attention immediately.
It took the vampire duke a while to realize that, oh, the entire Swan Castle was now free of restrictions on him.
Just then, the Elf Prince arrived.
Seeing the vampire duke blocking the entrance to the third floor, the elf prince thought that he had arrived before him and would chase after Yu Naixin like he did.
There was no need for conflict at this time, so the Elf Prince did nothing extra and waited for the Vampire Duke to come up and make way for him.
However, the Elf Prince waited for three or four seconds and found that the Vampire Duke remained motionless, still blocking the entrance.
Elf Prince: "...??"
He was completely baffled: "Duke, what are you doing?"
The vampire duke was engaged in a fierce internal struggle when he was abruptly interrupted. Somewhat annoyed, he turned around and looked at the source of the sound.
"Get out of the way!" the elf prince said impatiently.
He was already quite far from Yu Naixin, who was accompanied by two male guests. If they were delayed, Yu Naixin might fall into the hands of the werewolf knight and the ghost wizard first!
Faced with the cold face of his mortal enemy and nominal "father," the vampire duke finally became a little wary and realized that the other party wanted to hunt down Yu Naixin.
The vampire duke was instantly displeased.
No matter how he decides to deal with Yu Naixin, this female guest is not for anyone else to touch!
A thick mist of blood rose from his body, and the vampire duke sneered at the elf prince: "You want me to step aside? Elf, since when did you get the right to say that?!"
Elf Prince: "...??!"
The Elf Prince never expected that simply asking the Vampire Duke to make way would cause the other party to immediately enter a fighting stance!
Yu Naixin, who was paying attention to the commotion downstairs, was also caught off guard.
Yu Naixin originally wanted to try to use the "blood pact" to instruct the vampire duke and make him slightly weaken the fighting power of the other male guests.
As a result, the vampire duke actually did it on his own initiative?
-----------------------
Author's note: Three updates yesterday and two updates today!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-08-20 23:47:18 and 2024-08-21 23:56:49!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Chujianyue (10 bottles); L_x.ying and Yaoyaoyao (1 bottle each);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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