Chapter 143
Chapter 143
There were no Dormitory players this time, which meant the players were more capable and experienced. It might also mean the instance was more difficult.
Cheng Miao swept her gaze over them. Besides the seven people in her group, the others’ positions made their team arrangements obvious.
Two young women hugged each other. Two men stood together. Beside them was what appeared to be a young couple, with the woman gripping the man’s hand so tightly that it hurt.
A group of two men and one woman was less common, but all three had a sharp, capable air. One short-haired woman reminded Cheng Miao of Yezi, who had died in the lantern instance.
The remaining two hadn’t formed teams and were alone.
The young man dressed in trendy labels formed a stark contrast with the serene young woman beside him, who wore linen and cotton, had a thick braid, and wrapped Buddhist prayer beads around her wrist.
The players were first dazzled by Jiang Chen’s and Gu Jian’s looks. Once they saw Qiudong clearly, they involuntarily held their breath and averted their gazes.
It wasn’t that Qiudong was unattractive. His beauty was simply overwhelming, like a savage beast suppressed amid the curling incense of a Buddhist temple. His edge was too sharp, forcing people to avoid it.
Everyone here was a veteran. One look at how Cheng Miao’s group stood told them these people all knew one another, so there probably wasn’t a Party-Wipe Player among them.
Only then did everyone relax and inspect their surroundings.
The players stood inside a dense forest. Unlike the woods at the beginning of the lantern instance, this place resembled a forest from a Western fairy tale.
Towering firs sealed off the sky so completely that it seemed like night at first glance.
No animals could be heard moving through the woods. An eerie silence hung over everything.
“Ding! Welcome, players, to the instance [I Can Never Be a Bride Again]. Celebrate Yuko’s birthday inside the castle to clear the instance.”
“Hint: Duo.”
Speak of the devil. The moment she thought the forest resembled a dark Western fairy tale, a castle appeared in the premise.
The hint gave Cheng Miao a headache. Just like in the apartment instance, she didn’t know which character the spoken syllable represented or what it meant.
After the notification ended, no NPC appeared. The players were briefly at a loss.
Cheng Miao narrowed her eyes at a dim yellow light that had appeared ahead and pointed. “There’s light over there. We’re probably supposed to go that way.”
Peng Sheng, the young man in trendy clothes, raised a hand over his eyes and spotted the light as well. He hesitated. “What if it’s a trap?”
Cheng Miao started toward it, stepping through muddy ground. “The instance wants us to celebrate someone named Yuko’s birthday inside a castle, which means the setting is the castle. Since no guide appeared, we have to find it ourselves.”
She looked up at the dark canopy, through which the sky couldn’t be seen. Worry entered her voice. “Don’t remain outside for too long. If we take too long to reach the castle, I’m afraid we’ll be punished.”
Qiudong had long since grown impatient. He held Cheng Miao’s wrist and steered her around the deepest patches of mud.
Qin Musong carried Qi Jiajia on his back and led Lin Zhu along Qiudong’s footprints.
Gu Jian whistled as he followed behind Jiang Chen.
Seeing these experts follow Cheng Miao toward the light without hesitation, the others struggled for a moment before joining the group.
With Qiudong supporting half her weight, Cheng Miao found walking much easier.
She looked at the silent Qiudong, then glanced back at the people behind them and lowered her voice. “I wasn’t wrong, was I?”
Qiudong looked at her. In the dim forest, Cheng Miao saw a flash of blue pass through his pale eyes. For some reason, it reassured her instead.
“Trust yourself. Don’t rely on me. Pretend I’m not here.” Seeing that Cheng Miao still wanted to speak, Qiudong added softly, “Contribution points.”
Cheng Miao understood.
Qiudong had given up his role as a receptionist and entered the instance with Cheng Miao’s team as an ordinary player, but he didn’t have a player account.
Even if Qiudong made major contributions inside the instance, they couldn’t be converted into Travel Coins. Worse, he might reduce everyone else’s share of the contribution settlement.
The moment money became involved, Cheng Miao’s mind cleared completely.
“Everyone, pick up the pace.” Cheng Miao turned back to remind them, then reached behind her, grabbed Qiudong’s expensive gray shirt, and pulled him forward.
Qiudong watched her recover her energy and silently curved his lips as he lowered his head.
An oil lamp hung from a fir tree every hundred yards, guiding the players onward.
After half an hour of walking, they reached the so-called castle.
It had Gothic spires, and the entire structure was a charred black as if scorched by lightning.
“Isn’t it a little too run-down?” Cheng Miao heard the two young women whisper behind her. The long-haired one was Xiao Wen, and the short-haired one was Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing was livelier and chattered the entire way.
Xiao Wen was steadier and constantly reminded her to watch what she said.
Cheng Miao thought young women were at their best when lively and adorable. Unfortunately, being too active in a place like this could easily lead to trouble.
She looked at Yun Su, who stood quietly to the side, fingering the string of Buddhist prayer beads around her wrist. Cheng Miao found her fascinating.
Yun Su carried a powerful Buddhist aura. She was so quiet and clear that she hardly seemed like a player in this Game.
Sensing Cheng Miao’s gaze, Yun Su turned and smiled at her. “Let’s go inside.”
The group reached the castle’s heavy iron gate and fell silent for a moment. Once they entered and the gate closed, brute force would never get them out.
Cheng Miao didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward and gently knocked with the door knocker.
The small window beside the gate slid open, revealing one of a man’s slightly bulging eyes. It rolled around as he inspected the players, then the window slammed shut again.
The iron gate opened with a tremendous crash.
The players had no intention of retreating. The sky outside was growing darker, and the encroaching darkness had almost reached their backs.
None of them was new. No one was curious about what would happen if the darkness swallowed them.
They filed inside. The moment the young couple entered last, the iron gate slammed shut again.
Cheng Miao watched the thin man in a red velvet robe tuck a brass key close to his body. He turned and smiled at the players. “Greetings, my dear guests.”
Cheng Miao’s group calmly bowed to their male host. The others, still slightly dazed, copied them.
The castle stood in the forest with no lights on, making it appear very dim.
The host led the players toward the main hall. “You have all come to visit Yuko. Welcome. Yuko is in poor health and is currently resting. I hope you’ll forgive her absence.”
Cheng Miao glanced at the enormous portrait hanging half concealed in the darkness of the hall. It depicted the man standing behind a beautiful woman as the couple smiled lovingly.
It appeared that the Yuko mentioned by the instance was the castle owner’s wife.
“You and your wife are a wonderful match,” Cheng Miao praised without revealing anything.
The man’s smile broadened. “Thank you, my dear guest. You may call me Kojima.”
“Yuko’s birthday is in five days, so please stay here for five days. The castle doesn’t have many guest rooms. I may have to trouble you to share two guests to a room.”
Kojima walked forward and turned on the lights, sounding apologetic. “The lighting in the castle is poor. I hope you’ll forgive us.”
The moment the lights came on, Cheng Miao heard a chorus of sharp inhales behind her.
Children reaching an adult’s knee were everywhere inside the castle. Some sat, others stood, and they were scattered throughout the space.
Most unsettling of all was a disturbing oil painting visible everywhere in the room.