Chapter 4: Rose Manor |
Guess?
Lin Chen truly couldn't believe Qi Si was in the mood to joke at a time like this.
Just as he was about to say something, Shen Ming cut in, smoothing things over. "Don't mind Lin. He's new and doesn't know any better. His question was a bit blunt."
Qi Si smiled at Shen Ming, then grabbed an apple from the table and began to polish it, as if the matter were no concern of his.
He'd spoken his previous words in a jesting tone, one that could be interpreted in many ways.
If someone had teased him about it, he would have naturally backed down and shared the obvious conclusion.
But as it stood, the veteran players seemed completely unfazed by his secrecy, their attitude clearly stating that sharing clues was a courtesy, not an obligation. This forced him to wonder:
Does a team-based instance truly require players to work together? Is cooperation really the best way to clear it?
Interesting. No wonder Yezi used the phrase "getting screwed over and killed by someone in an instance"...
He paused, an unsettling, artificial smile spreading across his face. "Please forgive our discourtesy; it's just that the night is ill-suited for venturing outside. When the sun rises tomorrow, you will be free to admire the roses you have so eagerly awaited."
Qi Si listened, his mind automatically extracting the key information.
First, "the night is ill-suited for venturing outside" matched the rule: [Do not leave the castle at night].
Second, after sunrise tomorrow, the players would be free to explore the rose-filled garden.
On the system interface, the words [Beware the roses] were unsettlingly ominous.
There was a high probability of danger hidden among the roses, though its exact nature was unknown.
Still, to die by roses... the very thought was amusing.
The butler maintained a steady, metronomic pace, meticulously leading the way as he guided the group up the stairs.
The steps, built from piled stones, were uneven. Tiny plant roots grew in the cracks—or perhaps the steps had once been whole slabs of rock, forcibly torn apart by the tendrils.
The players trod cautiously on the broken steps, arriving on the second floor of the old castle in a tense silence.
A floor of about two hundred square meters revealed itself before them. The gray walls were mottled with grimy water stains, and the corners were overgrown with moss and ferns.
Three brown doorways were set grimly into the wall. The damaged sections of the wooden doors had been patched with wedges of varying age and material, creating a chaotic and mismatched tapestry of colors.
Similar to the first floor, a huge, cumbersome grandfather clock stood in the corner, constantly informing the players of the approximate time.
Time was clearly important in this instance.
The butler unhooked three keys from his waist and handed them to Shen Ming, who was at the front. "Please try not to leave your rooms at night. Each room can only accommodate two people. Be sure to keep the keys safe—they might just save your lives at a critical moment."
He lowered his voice to a whisper, as if confiding a secret, and the atmosphere suddenly grew eerie.
The players' eyes darted around in unison, warily scanning their surroundings. Just as they'd suspected, there was no second staircase.
If the staircase they had just climbed were to be blocked, they would be easily cornered—trapped like rats.
Qi Si looked at the butler and asked politely, "Sir, may I ask where the beautiful Miss Anna resides?"
The butler's eyes crinkled into a smile when he heard the word "beautiful," and he seemed exceptionally pleased.
He replied in a cheerful tone, "Miss Anna lives on the third floor... Oh, and there's one thing I forgot to tell you. Miss Anna dislikes guests prying into her life. If she discovers you've been to the third floor, she will be very angry."
So, as long as they weren't discovered, it would be fine?
It seemed a trip to the third floor was now unavoidable.
Qi Si stroked his chin, lost in thought.
At the same time, all the players heard a system notification.
[Rule Deciphering Progress Updated]
[New Rule Refreshed]
[9. Try not to go to the third floor. If you do, do not let Miss Anna discover you.]
Being able to ask the precise question to trigger a new rule was a skill in itself, whether it was intentional or not.
For a moment, the veteran players' gazes on Qi Si held a new degree of appraisal.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qi Si's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "And you, Mr. Butler? Where do you reside? If we need to find you, where should we go?"
The butler twisted his head, his joints letting out a dry *crack* like rusting machinery.
He smiled and pointed to the floor, his dark eyeballs looking as if they were about to fall out. "I live... underground. The very cold, very dark... underground."
Underground? But the castle didn't have a basement... The veteran players remained relatively calm, but Lin Chen's face had gone pale, and he looked as if he was about to faint from fright.
The butler turned stiffly and walked toward the stairs with rigid limbs, descending step by step.
Only when his figure had completely vanished into the dark corner formed by the stairs and the wall did Shen Ming speak, his voice strained. "What does everyone think about this new rule, and the third floor?"
"It's a good thing Qi Si asked when he did. Otherwise, this rule probably wouldn't have surfaced until someone broke it." Zou Yan offered a smile to Qi Si, who was standing apart from the group.
She paused for a moment before continuing, "If we want to decipher the world's lore, we'll definitely have to go to the third floor for more clues. But if we just want to clear the instance, then we don't need to bother with it. We just have to strictly follow all the rules."
Lin Chen nodded in firm agreement. "Then let's focus on survival first. We can worry about the lore later."
No one objected. It was only their first day in the instance, and they were still ignorant of the situation. Further discussion would be fruitless.
The grandfather clock chimed seven times. It was getting late.
Yezi immediately grabbed Zou Yan's arm and said with a smile, "I'll room with you, Sister Zou. Please take care of me!"
It was natural for the two women to room together, but how the remaining four men should be grouped was up for debate.
Shen Ming looked at Lin Chen, his expression troubled. "Lin, you're the newcomer. Who do you want to room with?"
A hint of hesitation flickered in his eyes. "It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I'm not an official player yet either. I'm just a reserve, still stuck in the novice pool like you all. I'm not necessarily much stronger."
Lin Chen froze, caught off guard by the sudden question.
He knew, of course, that his status as a newcomer made him utterly undesirable.
Inexperienced, unable to offer much help, and a source of suspicion if he died—in a deadly game, this combination undoubtedly meant a high mortality rate and a lot of trouble.
Shen Ming appeared to be giving him a choice, but it was really just a tactic to shed responsibility.
No matter who he chose, that person would have an excuse to ignore him, and could even claim that Lin Chen had made the choice himself, that it was his own wishful thinking...
Seeing the pained look on Lin Chen's face, Qi Si let out a timely sigh and offered a reassuring smile. "Lin Chen, if you trust me, you can room with me."
People often think that only the weak form factions, while the strong walk alone.
But he was well aware of the limits of individual strength and never allowed himself to be constrained by stereotypes.
He wasn't averse to using certain methods to form his own group, as long as control remained firmly in his hands.
To put it simply: he used people.
Qi Si's eyes were half-closed, his raven-black lashes casting a small shadow on his eyelids. "My experience certainly isn't as extensive as Brother Shen's, but as long as you follow my lead, I'll do my best to keep you from dying at the hands of some monster."
Lin Chen was stunned.
From the moment Qi Si had triggered the new rule, he had already pegged the young man as a master player.
And now this master player, without any pretense, was willing to extend an olive branch to him in his most helpless moment...
Could such a kind, good person really exist in this treacherous, bizarre game?
Shen Ming, happy to get rid of this hot potato, immediately agreed. "Lin, you should go with Qi Si. I can see his abilities are no less than mine."
Lin Chen snapped out of his daze, nodding his head like a chick pecking at grain. "Th-thank you, Brother Qi! I'll do my best not to hold you back!"
Qi Si watched his new roommate's tearfully grateful expression and smiled, his eyes curving into crescents.
This so-called room assignment was, in effect, temporarily splitting the six-person team into three smaller groups.
He had never expected his teammates to be particularly useful anyway. As long as they were obedient and convenient to use, that was enough.
Looking around, only Lin Chen barely met those criteria.
Shen Ming naturally ended up with the remaining player, Chang Xu.
A teammate who looked like a capable fighter was always a welcome presence in a dangerous instance, and Chang Xu, who looked to be well over six feet tall, certainly gave off a sense of security.
Seeing that the groups were more or less settled, Zou Yan walked gracefully up to Shen Ming, selected a key, and with a smiling "Good night," headed for Room 1, to the right of the staircase.
Qi Si took in everyone's reactions, plucked the key marked "2" from Shen Ming's hand, and led Lin Chen toward the far end of the hallway.
In a game of mutual distrust, the sooner one controlled more pieces, the easier it was to gain a greater advantage.
He had entered this instance alone, his accumulated resources and experience lagging behind the other players. To win by surprise, he had to make full use of every card in his hand.
What he had to do now was to turn Lin Chen completely into one of his "own people" as quickly as possible.
(End of this chapter)
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