chapter 82

Chapter 82

Lu Li put the stone back into his wristband.

The footsteps of the man behind were getting closer. “Hurry up and hand it over!”

Lu Li unhurriedly took out the mirror and held it up toward the fountain.

In the mirror, the pool’s water was all blood.

The pool, its edges, and the entire hall were shrouded in a terrifying blood-red.

So, there wasn’t a single drop of clean water here.

Lu Li put the mirror back into his pocket, stood up, and looked at the furious Noble Gentleman in surprise. “Are you talking to me? What stone?”

“Even if you are honored guests, you can’t…!” The Noble Gentleman paused – Lu Li’s hands were empty; there really was no stone.

He muttered to himself suspiciously, “Did I see it wrong…? I must have spent too much energy preparing this grand Masquerade Ball and my eyes are playing tricks on me.”

“Sorry, I wrongly accused you. Get your masks ready; the Masquerade Ball starts in half an hour. Let me take you to dinner first.”

The Noble Gentleman invited them up a step. Luo Jia Bai, lifting his skirt, walked next to Lu Li and grumbled, “These old-fashioned Nobles! They insist on pairing one male with one female!”

Lu Li glanced at him. “You don’t look strange in a dress.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Luo Jia Bai’s mouth twitched. When he wore a dress during Game Night, he’d been mocked by a hateful Evil Spirit. Now that he was out of the room, he had forced himself to treat all the NPCs and Players in the game as potatoes.

But Lu Li, this potato, had far too strong a presence – especially that dazzling brooch, which made his aura cold and aloof, completely out of place among the Nobles in the hall.

Luo Jia Bai was curious. “Where did you get that suit? It looks more expensive than Feng Shan’s.”

Not far away, Feng Shan was walking over with a dark face, followed by Song Changrong, whose face was even darker.

Song Changrong was tall and older than the other Players. Walking in a long dress was almost a comical performance.

He walked just behind and to the right of Feng Shan, looking up at him with deep emotion in his eyes.

But when Feng Shan turned back impatiently to speak to him, that look instantly became a flattering and ingratiating smile.

Lu Li looked at Feng Shan’s black suit. “Same as his. 5,000 points per set in the Shop.”

Luo Jia Bai clicked his tongue and commented, “He wears a 5,000-point suit like it’s worth 500. You wear it like it’s worth 500,000.”

“Especially that brooch. Is there a brooch in the Shop?”

Lu Li seemed to recall something and smiled. “It was sent by __.”

Luo Jia Bai: …

“All right, I get it, the Evil God sent it, right?” He waved his hand knowingly. Seeing Lu Li’s smile, he felt a deep sense of helplessness and reminded, “The Evil Gods in the Necromancer Game are not your friends. They’re evil and cunning, always thinking about how to devour you completely.”

Luo Jia Bai pointed at the brooch. “Who knows, maybe there’s some mechanism inside that could kill you!”

As he spoke, he didn’t see the step beneath his feet and nearly tripped.

The Audience in Lu Li’s Live Stream Room racked their brains:

[It wasn’t a Live Stream Room malfunction last night! The Streamer just said the Evil God’s name, but it was blocked by the Necromancer Game. I’ve never seen this before. I know some Players are bound to Evil Gods, but not only can they say their Evil God’s name, Game Night is also open for viewing.]

[Maybe the Streamer is bound to an Evil God who really doesn’t want to be exposed?]

[First, rule out the Supreme King. There are only ten lords in total. Of the currently open Live Stream Rooms, four can be ruled out. Among the remaining six, whose ability is resurrection?]
[Any ghosts working under the Evil God who can speak up? I’ll post it on the Forum and ask around!]

[Reward: Spirit Money*10,000. This is the first time I’ve seen a censored word. I remember censored words are something the Developer sets when the game first launches, right? The Streamer looks great in a suit-really can pull off any style. If only I had enough Spirit Money, I’d give the Streamer a new outfit every day!]

Luo Jia Bai nearly fell headfirst, but Lu Li reacted quickly, grabbing him and setting him safely on the ground. “There are steps here. Let me help you.”

“You’re so thoughtful.” Luo Jia Bai looked at him gratefully as he took Lu Li’s arm.

The Gray Brooch shimmered with a dim, eerie light.

Suddenly, a pit appeared beneath Luo Jia Bai’s foot on the step, and he stepped right into it with a thud.

He twisted his ankle badly and landed face-first on the ground.

The Noble Gentleman turned at the sound, showing a look of disapproval. “Miss, please refrain from such improper behavior.”

Luo Jia Bai scrambled to his feet, rolling and crawling. Lu Li reached out to help him up.

Another pit appeared under Luo Jia Bai’s foot.

He had just gotten up and then fell again.

Luo Jia Bai: ???

Lu Li said, “How strange.”

This time, Luo Jia Bai pushed away Lu Li’s hand, alarmed. “Wait, maybe you shouldn’t help me for now.”

It actually felt safer to walk by himself.

Of all people, it had to be him-if it had been anyone else, they’d probably already be unable to walk after so many falls.

Meeting Lu Li’s sincerely kind face, Luo Jia Bai couldn’t help but feel the Gray Brooch looked even more conspicuous.

He pleaded with Lu Li, “If we have to dance later, I’ll just say I twisted my ankle. Let’s both skip the dance, okay?”

–

The Players sat along one side of the long dining table.

Servants filed in, placing plates before each of them.

Multiple dishes were placed in front of everyone.

Noble Gentleman said, “Guests, please enjoy some appetizers.”

A Servant announced, “This is fish liver.”

“This is chicken leg.”

“This is steak.”

Each dish was exquisitely plated, with a single withered leaf decoratively placed atop the meat.

Lu Li looked up, seeing the crystal chandelier hanging from the glass ceiling.

Outside the glass, a dense tree was hidden in the darkness, its long, drooping branches like Tentacles wrapping around the entire hall.

Today was Full Moon Day.

At this moment, two Moons were about to overlap, hanging together high in the sky. Moonlight poured through the glass ceiling into the hall.

It also illuminated the Nobles, who chatted and laughed as they ate their meat.

Mirella remained in low spirits throughout.

Luo Jia Bai noticed her repeatedly opening and closing her hand, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Mirella looked at her hand in confusion. Though she was only touching air, she felt a powerful sensation of something solid. Uncertain, she said, “Someone is crying. And not just one person-many people are crying.”

Luo Jia Bai felt the hair on his neck stand up. He looked around, but every Noble wore only satisfied, ravenous smiles, their desires fully sated.

Lu Li picked up his knife and fork, cutting into several appetizers on his plate. Though the dishes were different in appearance and type, inside they were all the same red meat.

He asked Mirella, “Who’s crying?”

“I can’t understand what they’re saying. Maybe they’re not human, nor animals, but a kind of lifeform that only exists in this Instance.”