chapter 39

She had been prepared to see a young girl, but unexpectedly saw a male face.

Why was Cinderella a man?

“Hello.” Fu Zhixing reached out his hand to her. “I’m your teammate in this Instance, Fu Zhixing.”

Tu Nan looked at his outstretched hand and voiced her doubt.

“Isn’t Cinderella supposed to be female?”

Fu Zhixing’s expression was calm. “Occasionally, Instances have this situation. If there isn’t a suitable candidate, the role a Player takes may differ from the original gender.”

Commonly known as cross-casting.

Tu Nan actually preferred her teammate to be female-it would be more convenient in the Instance. But she didn’t show it and calmly reached out her hand.

“Hello, my name is Tu Nan.”

“Tu Nan?” Fu Zhixing nodded. “The one who bears the blue sky and is not stifled by it, and now you will chart the south-good name. Nice to meet you.”

Tu Nan was a bit surprised that he knew the origin of her name. She reciprocated politely, nodding to him. “Fu Zhixing, your name is also very good.”

Fu Zhixing’s lips curled into a smile. “There will be plenty of chances for small talk. Why don’t we enter the Instance first?”

Tu Nan nodded; she was thinking the same.

The two quickly reached a consensus.

[Loading Instance for you… This Instance is-Princess and the Pea.]

[You have been invited by the Manor Owner to her Manor to compete for the chance to become the playmate of her Young Daughter, Lilith. Lilith suffers from a leg ailment, has been frail and sickly since childhood, and is deeply cherished by the Manor Owner. She has sworn to find the best playmate for her daughter and has offered a huge reward for it.

You are greedy for wealth and have sworn to seize this opportunity, so you came to the Manor with your friend.

But behind all this, something seems to be hidden…]

[Instance Task: Uncover the secret behind the Manor.]

[Role you will play in this Instance: Lita]

[Please remember the following Rule:

Ta’s will is above all Rules.]

Ta? Who is this Ta?

This time, there was only this one Rule.

Not hard to remember. Tu Nan pressed the confirm button.

[Instance information transmission complete. You are about to enter the Instance. Have a pleasant game.]

…

She opened her eyes in a bumpy Carriage.

Beside her sat a blond, high-nosed man with deep-set eyes.

The two exchanged a glance. Tu Nan whispered, “Early Sleep?”

The man nodded. “Fairy Tale Book?”

The code was correct.

“My identity this time is an orphan named Lita. I came to the Manor to compete to become the playmate of the Manor Owner’s Young Daughter.” Tu Nan quickly reported the information she had.

“My identity is a teacher named Raphael. My purpose for coming to the Manor is the same as yours.” Fu Zhixing reported his identity as well.

He lifted the Carriage curtain and glanced outside. It was a deep darkness, thick fog swirling everywhere. The horses pulling the Carriage made rhythmic, regular clopping sounds, heading toward an unknown destination.

“We should be on the way to the Manor now,” he said in a low voice. “This Instance has more than just the two of us. Be careful.”

Tu Nan nodded, her expression grave.

As soon as she entered the Instance, her mood involuntarily grew heavy.

Fu Zhixing glanced at her. “Close your eyes and rest for a while.”

In an Instance, you have to seize every opportunity to rest, because you never know when you’ll get your next chance.

The two closed their eyes and stopped talking.

No one knew how long the Carriage traveled. Eventually, the bumping stopped, and the Coachman’s voice came from outside. “We’re here. You’ll have to walk the rest of the way yourselves.”

Tu Nan opened her eyes and lifted the Carriage curtain to look outside.

They should be at the entrance to the Manor. The night was deep, and she faintly smelled a trace of floral fragrance.

“Let’s go,” Fu Zhixing said.

The two got off the Carriage one after the other.

The Coachman quickly drove the Carriage into the thick black fog behind them and disappeared from sight.

It seemed that this Instance location had confined them within the Manor.

Once Tu Nan got off, she saw five people standing not far away-three men and two women. One man and one woman stood together, while the other two men and one woman stood together, forming two groups.

When the five saw them get off the Carriage together, they immediately cast wary looks their way.

“They should all be Players,” Fu Zhixing whispered to her.
This was the first time Tu Nan had seen so many Players inside an Instance.

The gates of the Manor were tightly shut. They waited for a long time, but no one came. One of the men in the three-person team was clearly growing anxious.

“What’s going on? Why hasn’t anyone come to greet us yet?”

“Don’t rush,” the Woman beside him replied coolly. “The Players probably haven’t all arrived yet.”

“There are already seven of us. Are there still more Players?”

Everyone knew that the more Players there were, the harder the Instance tended to be.

They waited another ten minutes or so before, finally, a Carriage came “clip-clopping” out of the black mist.

When the Carriage stopped, a girl of about eighteen or nineteen jumped down.

Everyone instinctively looked at her.

The girl seemed oblivious. After jumping off the Carriage, she stretched vigorously, yawned, and said to the Coachman, “Sir, your driving skills really need some work. You jolted me so much along the way, I feel like my bones are about to fall apart. Good thing I’m young and healthy-anyone else would’ve tried to scam you for compensation by now.”

…

To see such a lively character inside an Instance was truly unexpected.

Everyone glanced at her, even Tu Nan couldn’t help but look at the girl a little longer.

Wasn’t she afraid of angering the Weird?

The Coachman’s face was deathly pale, with dark circles under his eyes-clearly not a normal person.

After hearing her words, the Coachman slowly lifted his head and looked at her.

Everyone couldn’t help but feel a chill for the girl.

“Sor…ry…” the Coachman spoke slowly, his voice weak and eerily unsettling. “The road is rough…”

…?

You use the creepiest face and tone to say the politest words?

“It’s fine,” the girl waved her hand generously. “I’m just understanding and kind-hearted.”

The Coachman, his face expressionless and pale, drove the Carriage away.

Only then did the girl bounce over, looking at them in surprise. “Wow, there are so many people here!”

Everyone: …

Is she a Player or an NPC?

Many people had this question in their minds.

Before anyone could speak, the iron gates behind them, which had been tightly closed, finally moved.

The tall iron gates slowly opened, and a man in a black tailcoat stepped out from the Manor. His face was calm and solemn, exuding a deathly aura that did not belong to the living.

“Good evening, everyone. I am the Manor’s butler. You may call me George. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Madam has been waiting for you all for quite some time. Please, follow me.” His voice was hoarse, and he carried an oil lamp in his hand. In the dim night, he was like a ghost whispering in your ear, making everyone’s hair stand on end.

The group exchanged glances and, without a word, followed George into the Manor.

Only after entering did they realize how vast the Manor was. One could not see its end at a glance, and the internal paths were intricate and winding, with small trails everywhere. They had no choice but to stick close behind George, lest they lose their way and get lost.

George led them into a massive Green Maze. Tu Nan tried to memorize the route, but the sky was dark and there were simply too many forks; she soon gave up on the idea.

The greenery around them must have looked magnificent during the day, reaching about two meters high. The path was so narrow that only two people could walk side by side.

Apart from the greenery on both sides, nothing else was visible. In the darkness, these tall plants seemed rather eerie.

Occasionally, a chilly breeze would blow by, causing the more timid ones to shiver involuntarily.

The strange girl who had arrived last looked at the greenery on both sides with great interest. She moved closer behind George and asked, “Uncle Butler, isn’t this just like a Maze? Aren’t you afraid people will get lost?”

George glanced at her. “This is meant to prevent thieves. Anyone entering or leaving the Manor must pass through here. Without a guide, thieves coveting the Manor’s treasures will get lost in here, until they starve to death, or…”

He only finished half his sentence, then suddenly smiled. Under the flickering oil lamp, his face was full of deep lines, and his smile was especially unsettling.

Unfinished words are always more suggestive. Many couldn’t help but look around nervously, their minds filling with terrifying guesses.

They followed George for about another fifteen minutes before he finally stopped.

Before them stood an extremely grand and magnificent House, its walls covered entirely with Boston Ivy, leaving no gaps.

“We have arrived,” George said in a low voice.