Chapter 226
Chapter 226
They ate their way through a wide assortment of breakfast dishes.
Seeing how happily Cheng Miao slurped her noodles, Qi Jiajia leaned over for a bite.
Sure enough, the heat brought her to tears again.
“Sister Miaomiao, won’t eating snail rice noodles first thing in the morning upset your stomach?” Lin Zhu swallowed as he looked at the fiery red bowl and its distinctive aroma.
“Nope,” Cheng Miao said, eating happily. “Lots of people back home have rice noodles or wheat noodles for breakfast. They’re just as oily and spicy.”
She took a sip of broth and pronounced, “Food without chili ain’t got no soul.”
Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they cleaned up the dining area and gathered in the living room. They remembered Qiudong saying he would explain this instance after they got back to the Grand Hotel.
Soft, soothing music played over the speakers. Qiudong batted at the hydrangeas on the coffee table a couple of times before speaking.
“This instance was very difficult. You all noticed, didn’t you?”
Everyone nodded. Qiudong considered his words.
“You can think of it as an advancement instance. Quite a few of the players who entered had reached the threshold for advancement.”
Cheng Miao raised an eyebrow. The others were one thing, but she really had not thought Song Guoqiang’s and Chang Qing’s teams were that capable.
“Ahem. It wasn’t as difficult while those two teams were still around. If they’d all stayed alive, I don’t think you would have been blocked from submitting your answers.”
Cheng Miao understood. All the players at the lower level had died, causing the instance to suddenly increase its difficulty. That was how they had ended up unable to submit answers while physically unwell.
Cheng Miao pressed her fingers together. “Why does that happen?”
Qiudong sighed. “Remember when I told you not to ask too many questions?”
Cheng Miao paused. Was this why…
Qiudong jumped onto her lap and looked up at her. “Survival Inn has a mechanism that assesses how much players understand about the Game.”
“Once a player knows enough, advancement instances become available. They eliminate some players whose abilities aren’t up to the task but who are already approaching Survival Inn’s core secrets.”
Another question occurred to Cheng Miao. “Then how do other players learn this information?”
Qiudong’s expression grew more serious. “In fact, anyone who’s been here long enough will pick up at least a little about Survival Inn. Most veteran players do. It’s only a question of how long it takes.”
“You don’t interact with other players much, but fortunately, I joined you. So, for players who haven’t been at Survival Inn very long, you actually know quite a lot.”
Qiudong shook his paws, then tucked them neatly beneath him. “But there’s usually only one advancement instance. Afterward, the difficulty won’t be deliberately increased like that again.”
Only then did Cheng Miao breathe easier. This instance had been full of sinister twists. Being unable to submit their answers at the end had directly caused Kong Fan’s and Ma Yang’s deaths.
Still, whatever else had happened, clearing an advancement instance meant they had taken another step forward.
Qiudong looked at the honey water Cheng Miao had made and licked his nose. “If you want to know more, there are some things I can tell you now.”
“But,” he cautioned, seeing the keen interest in all four pairs of eyes, “you already know most of the things about Survival Inn. What comes next has to do with things like why it exists…”
“For people without strong resolve, that knowledge can affect their ability to clear instances.”
Qiudong spoke honestly. Survival Inn had made many players’ lives unbearable. Given a chance to learn why it existed, they had chosen to hear the answer without much thought.
But after learning the truth, most had lost the will to continue clearing instances. Many who had a chance of clearing the Game had even given up and stayed for good.
The group’s initial excitement slowly settled.
Of course, the reason Survival Inn existed could not be simple. But wavering resolve was the greatest danger when clearing an instance.
If this secret affected even one person’s state of mind, it could bring disaster upon the whole team.
Cheng Miao considered it. She and Qin Musong were determined to return home, so it did not matter when they learned the secret.
If knowing it could jeopardize their ability to clear instances, there was nothing wrong with leaving it for later.
As for Qi Jiajia…
Watching her carefully add hot water to a mug containing a chocolate marshmallow ball, Cheng Miao knew she did not care about it at all.
That left Lin Zhu.
Lin Zhu was quick-witted. Everything Cheng Miao had considered had occurred to him too.
He gave it some serious thought. “Why don’t we leave it for now? Clearing instances is what matters most at this stage. Once we’ve cleared the Game, we can look into it properly.”
Qiudong nodded inwardly. The ability to keep their composure was another key factor in whether a team could last.
People who made a fuss over everything were liable to crash and burn.
None of them tended to dwell on things. Having decided not to learn more for now, they put the matter aside.
Cheng Miao’s room package included two Alaskan Malamutes and several little white sheep.
She watched Qiudong indulge his feline instincts for once, riding a Malamute as he chased the sheep.
Lin Zhu was filling the hot spring pool while Qi Jiajia fiddled with the temperature changer.
Before long, pure white snow covered the ground. The vast grassland had become an endless snowfield.
Tired of running, the sheep huddled together with the Malamutes to rest.
After resting for a while, the Malamutes brought them ice cream. Cheng Miao and the others settled into the hot spring amid the soft meadow, eating macarons and ice cream.
“Hey, Sister Miaomiao, this is kind of like having a job, isn’t it? Working in real life is more tiring than entering instances. You have to work every day. When would you ever get to enjoy luxuries like this?”
Lin Zhu submerged himself completely, leaving only his head and little topknot above the water.
“A job isn’t nearly as dangerous.” Cheng Miao lazily fanned herself, one fair hand resting outside the pool as she played with the snow.
“Brother Qin’s job is dangerous.” Lin Zhu tilted his chin toward Qin Musong.
Qin Musong nodded. His work certainly was not easy either. “But my job doesn’t involve seeing ghosts.”
Remembering his fear of ghosts, they all burst out laughing together.
Qin Musong’s face reddened slightly, whether from their laughter or the heat. He watched them indulgently and let them laugh to their hearts’ content.
“This time, I realized a lot of items really are useful.”
After soaking for a while, Cheng Miao pushed herself up to sit on the edge of the pool and rest. “Without the stamina recovery items, we would have been in serious trouble.”
Qin Musong stood and went inside to fetch the tea tray. Glittering droplets of water made his physique look even better.
“Exactly. We can go take a look at the general store later. Since we don’t have any wishes right now, we might as well exchange some coins for items to protect ourselves.”
They said the general store sold everything, but when the four actually reached White Wolf Grand Hotel’s store, they were still stunned by how little they had imagined.
The general store occupied three floors and stocked countless products. At the entrance, guests could choose between having a sales assistant accompany them and explain the merchandise or browsing on their own.
“How is this a general store? It’s a supermarket! No, a royal superstore!”