Welcome to Rose Castle
[Countdown 3]
【two】
【one】
[The instance is now open. Please pay attention to the castle bells. Each ring will eliminate three players.]
Main Quest: Find the Rose Boy who died in the castle within seven days.
Side Quest: Find the Bully
The rules for this round of the game are as follows.
[Rule 1: You must rest before midnight and wake up promptly at 8:00 AM]
[Rule 2: Do not touch the rose mechanism inside the castle]
[Rule 3: All male players must change into skirts]
As soon as Rule 3 was announced, a heated argument erupted among the players. One veteran player shouted, "Why do we have to wear skirts? It's absolutely inappropriate! Skirts are what women should wear! Judge, did you issue the wrong quest?"
The judge smiled slightly, though he was nowhere to be seen; his voice was chilling and eerie.
Instead of answering the veteran player's question, he said something meaningful.
[Friendly Reminder: The bully could be any one of you. Be careful in the castle haunted house, especially the little dolls in the shop windows. If you fall for their tricks, you'll fail and be eliminated on the spot.]
We wish all players a pleasant experience in the Rose Dungeon!
The judge disappeared.
A mysterious box appeared in the hall, opened automatically, and slowly expanded into shelves. Each tray held a folded dress, with a rosebud on top and words on the rose leaves.
It reads: Please allow the roses to bloom.
There are a total of ninety-eight outfits.
In other words, there are currently 98 male players in Rose Castle.
Female players are more emotional; they know the story of Rose Boy, but shouldn't this setting be a school?
Some new players can't accept skirts and haven't experienced the horror of the infinite flow. They are stubborn and refuse to wear them. On the other hand, some veteran players, although unwilling, still obediently put them on.
Not everyone is averse to wearing skirts.
There was one who stood out among a group of male players.
He was about 1.9 meters tall, dressed in black with white hair that reached his waist. His cold eyes were clear and deep. Even without speaking, he exuded a natural air of nobility.
Except for a few stubborn players who refused to change their clothes, everyone else was already dressed. Li Su leisurely went to get the pink outfit, which was a short, puffy skirt.
Many male players changed into skirts, which was extremely offensive.
They were so awkward that it looked quite ridiculous.
When I came out of the locker room, I was ridiculed by many people, both men and women. Even though the men had changed into the same clothes and were being mocked in the same way, they still didn't shut up.
Until Li Su came out.
The noisy hall fell silent instantly. Straight, fair legs were captivating. The man was tall with perfect proportions, and had waist-length silver hair. The pink dress he wore gave him an androgynous beauty.
He used the stem of a rosebud as a hair tie, half-up his hair, and wrapped the rose around his hair as an ornament.
The players in the lobby couldn't take their eyes off it.
It's 9:18 PM now, and there are still two hours and forty-two minutes until midnight. There's still time to look for clues.
Rose Castle, glamorous and extravagant.
Many new players don't think this is a horror game.
A magnificent crystal chandelier hangs in the center of the hall, and fresh flowers adorn the walls, making the players feel as if they are in a fairyland. The entire castle is dazzlingly beautiful, so much so that they feel no sense of danger or even urgency.
Ignoring those gazes and without hesitation, Li Su walked straight to the second floor. As he moved, the other players in the hall also began to explore on their own.
The judge's kind reminder must be heeded.
If you don't take his words seriously, you'll be the next NPC.
With only two hours left, Li Su chose to enter the haunted castle, which shocked some veteran players. They were 100% certain that Li Su was a newbie, as only a newbie would be so thoughtless.
Just like those who don't follow the rules and aren't afraid of death.
The haunted house has no door, just an arched arc with roses on both sides and a plaque above that reads: Forbidden Rose Land.
The more beautiful a place is, the more dangerous it is.
"Hey, handsome, wait for me."
Li Su didn't stop, and continued walking in.
The boy caught up with her. She was wearing a princess blue dress, and her skin was fair. Her features were not particularly lively, but rather regular. The contrast of her wearing the dress was striking, and she didn't have the same stunning beauty as Li Su.
But it's still better looking than someone who's big and burly.
He caught up with Li Su and took the initiative to introduce himself.
"My name is Chi Lulu, and I'm a newbie player. Are you one too? Can we team up?" She kept her eyes glued to the man as she spoke, unable to look away.
Li Su frowned, completely ignoring Chi Lulu.
Take a closer look at the so-called 'castle haunted house'.
It occupies an area of at least 400 square meters, with two walls partially blocking the view. The walls are covered with cabinets and transparent display cases.
It was filled with small dolls, both male and female.
They wore pretty little dresses and stayed obediently in the display case for people to admire.
Having a phobia of dolls can be very creepy. Chi Lulu is one such person. As soon as he entered, he felt a chill and subconsciously moved closer to Li Su. The man retreated and moved away from the boy.
His cold eyes swept over her with displeasure, and he warned, "Stay away from me."
Chi Lulu trembled: "...I'm scared."
Countless people come to the horror world out of fear, so Li Su is used to it. He glances at the boy, then looks away after only a second, focusing his gaze on the small doll in the display case.
Ge Deng—Ge Deng—
Footsteps echoed in the silent space. Li Su didn't move, nor did Chi Lulu. The sounds came from all directions.
Chi Lulu gasped, nearly scared out of her wits, and ran quickly toward the exit. Just as she made that thought, the archway that had been without a door moved out from the left with a door splattered with blood, with a loud bang, so eerie it sent chills down her spine.
Thump thump—
Chi Lulu's heart nearly jumped out of her chest, and she collapsed to the ground.
Terrified, she crawled towards Li Su, grabbed his leg, and cried out in a trembling voice, "Save me, I don't want to die, there's a ghost!"
Li Su lowered his head, disgusted, and tried to pull his leg back, but the other person was holding him too tightly, so he couldn't stand it and kicked it away.
Ge Deng—Ge Deng—
The footsteps sounded just like the Grim Reaper coming to claim her life. Chi Lulu was so frightened that she cried and curled up into a ball. 9:58, 9:59, 10 o'clock sharp.
The dolls of the Forbidden Rose Garden have arrived.
It's like a mechanical puppet equipped with batteries.
In the silent space, countless sounds of joints turning echoed, and a sinister atmosphere filled the air, making people feel suffocated. Chi Lulu hated herself for not fainting, and her whole body trembled as if she were being shaken.
Li Su remained calm, continuing to examine the cabinet.
Once ten o'clock had passed, the dolls seemed to be given a soul, doing their own things in their own dedicated cabinets.
Some dolls are folding blankets, some are opening cabinets, some are sleeping, and some are playing music with eerie sounds.
A few roses were added as decoration.
For a fleeting moment, the doll in the shop window looked remarkably like the ghosts in the cemetery's tomb.
"Welcome to the Forbidden Land of Roses."
A sweet voice rang out, very approachable. Human curiosity is boundless. Even though Chi Lulu was terrified, she couldn't help but look up to see who was speaking.
A half-meter-tall display case doll was staring at him with a sinister smile.
The sheer terror overwhelmed Chi Lulu. She scrambled to her feet and threw herself at Li Su, crying out, "Help! The doll is talking! The doll can talk! What do we do? How are we going to get out of here? Are we going to die here tonight?"
Li Su was annoyed to death by him; he was like a leech, sticking back on even after being kicked away.
"If you come any closer, I'll kill you right now, before the clock strikes twelve!"
The man's threatening voice was no less eerie than the atmosphere of the forbidden rose garden, and Chi Lulu was once again successfully frightened, her body stiffening.
My brain is only half-used.
The clock struck twelve? Did the judge say so? Wasn't the rule that you had to find a place to sleep before midnight?
His mind quickly went blank, his eyes glazed over, and he looked like he'd gone mad.
"Dear players, what are you looking for?"
No one answered, so the puppet changed the question.
"Are you looking for a way to get through customs?"
Still no one answered.
The doll, with its exquisitely detailed and strangely 'lively' features, and a sinister glint in its eyes, coaxed, "Tell me your goal for clearing the level, and I can help you."
Chi Lulu was terrified and trembling as she prepared to speak, when Li Su knocked her unconscious. Who knew this idiot came in without even reading the instructions? There was a line of small characters below the plaque:
You cannot provide task information to the doll.
The puppets here belong to the castle's mechanisms; if they are allowed to extract information and violate the rules, they will be immediately eliminated.
Li Su glanced at all the display cases on the nine walls.
Apart from the half-meter-tall doll that was lying in the cupboard with a sinister smile, everyone else was doing their own thing.
The puppet kept talking.
They wanted to lure Li Su.
The man didn't even give him a glance.
Finally, my gaze fell on the eighth wall, the second window in the second row.
No clues.
But a small doll caught his eye.
While the other dolls were doing the creepy things that NPCs are supposed to do, he was the only one who sat cross-legged on the princess bed with his feet up, picking them up and smelling them, showing a disgusted expression.
With a slight raise of his thick eyebrows, he wondered if the little doll could smell anything.
past.
Below the small doll was another half-meter-tall doll. BJDs may not have much else, but they are exquisite. It was dressed in a butler's uniform and knocked on the glass of the shop window when it saw Li Su approaching.
"Tell me why you came in, and I'll let you out."
"There are one hour and forty minutes left until midnight."
"If you can't get out, you'll be wiped out by the instance."
"Player".
"Player?"
"Are you listening, player?"
The little puppet above got annoyed and exclaimed, "Stop shouting, he must be deaf!"
8101 Doll: "..."
Each doll in the display window has a number: half-meter doll 8101, small doll 8202. Nan Yu had picked at his toes enough and was about to lie down and rest. This was his 10th day as an NPC.
It's so boring.
As soon as I transmigrated into this body, the original owner of the body... and then I became an NPC, spending all my time hiding in a small closet scaring people.
Turtle said that if he were a player, he would only need to complete the game to fulfill the mission in this world.
If it's an NPC, the situation isn't good. We don't know exactly how to escape. Turtle went to look up information. Before leaving, he comforted Little Lampwick, telling him to be a good little puppet.
The castle is guarded by the Judge, and the glass cabinets are unbreakable unless he opens them from the inside. There's no need to fear the players; he just needs to do his job as an NPC.
Li Su tapped the glass with his index finger, stared at the number plate, and smiled: "8202".
Little Lampwick had just lain down when he saw that magnified handsome face through the glass. Luckily, he was a dog in his previous life, traveling all over the world, which lessened his megalophobia.
I didn't want to pay attention to it.
Think of yourself as an NPC, whose main task is to extract information from the players.
The dolls' memories will be erased at specific points. When the player is killed, their memories are basically wiped clean. Only in this way can the emotions be more genuine and realistic.
Then I thought about it again.
This player seems to be deaf.
I called out to 8101 just now and he didn't respond. I know he won't listen to me if I talk to him. I don't want to waste my breath. I'm going to crawl under the covers and get ready to sleep.
Just as the little doll was about to fall asleep, Li Su knocked on the shop window again, "8202."
8101: "8202 wants to sleep, my dear player. You can chat with me."
"Player?"
"Player?"
"The countdown is about to begin. If you don't find a room before midnight, you might be eliminated."
"Player?"
After calling 8101 N times, Li Su still didn't respond. It couldn't help but suspect that the player was really deaf. It rubbed its arms and made a sound of surprise, almost managing to get the fallen player to reveal what it had said.
It's both a pity and infuriating.
"What's your name?" Li Su asked 8202.
Unable to sleep because of his noise, the little doll threw off the covers, got out of bed, and stared at Li Su in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass.
"What's your name?" Li Su asked again.
I fell in love with this little doll at first sight. It's beautiful and fun, and it seems a bit familiar. Maybe I've seen this BJD before.
Little doll: "Isn't there a number on it?"
Li Su: "I want to know your real name."
The little doll said, "Dolls don't have real names, they're just numbers, okay? You're a really strange player..." Then, realizing the other person wasn't deaf, it blinked and asked, "You can hear me?"
Li Su nodded, his eyes crinkling into a clear smile. He had felt an immediate liking for the little doll; it was small and very pretty.
"Great! Can you tell me why you've come?"
Li Su smiled: "Why should I tell you?"
"Because...because it's almost midnight, and if you don't find a place to sleep soon, your life will be in danger." The little doll wasn't entirely lying; if you didn't follow the rules, you really would be eliminated.
"Isn't this the room?" Li Su asked.
Little doll: "..."
8101: "..."
Other dolls: "..."
Little doll: "This doesn't count."
Li Su teased the doll: "But I think it counts."
Little Doll: "How can that be? A room is a place to rest. This is our place to rest, not yours, the players."
Li Su shrugged, his gaze still fixed on the little doll. The more he looked at it, the more exquisite it seemed. His bedside table was made of fresh flowers, and from a human perspective, the little doll was incredibly cute.
"Is it said that players and NPCs can't rest together?"
Little doll: "..."
Okay, it seems like it wasn't mentioned, but this is the Rose Forbidden Zone, a place that all players avoid like the plague when entering this instance.
8101: "Player, this is the Rose Forbidden Zone. No lingering is allowed!"
Li Su finally turned his gaze to the big doll, but only for a glance, before carefully examining it from the first wall.
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