chapter 50

After lunch, Tu Nan and Jenny returned to their room together.

The information Rose had provided that morning was useful, but it also aroused their suspicions.

Since there was a secret room behind the Mural on the first floor, perhaps there was a similar secret room in their own room as well.

Tu Nan asked the others, and it turned out that each person’s room had such a Mural.

“You want to do it, or should I?” Jenny glanced at Tu Nan, estimating the weight of the Mural. “Of course, I think it’s best if we do it together.”

The Xiao Bai in the Mural was lifelike, its beautiful mandarin-duck eyes so realistic that it gave the unsettling illusion of being truly watched.

“Let’s do it together,” Tu Nan said succinctly. “In case anything unexpected happens, we can help each other.”

Jenny had no objections.

The two of them climbed onto the bed, exchanged a glance, and reached out at the same time to take down the Mural.

It was harder than Tu Nan had imagined. The Mural was too large, a bit much for them to handle, and it seemed to have been reinforced somehow-the four corners were nailed tightly to the wall.

They struggled for quite a while but couldn’t get it off the wall.

“That’s odd,” Jenny wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Normally, a Painting like this shouldn’t be fixed to the wall.”

“Maybe they’re afraid it’ll fall and hit someone?”

After all, it was right above their bed.

But more likely, it was to prevent anyone from discovering the secret hidden behind it.

“The bottom two corners are manageable, we can reach them, but the top two are out of reach.” Jenny propped her chin on her hand and blinked. “Let’s just call Raphael to help.”

They weren’t going to sleep soundly in this room until they figured out the Mural today.

Tu Nan jumped off the bed, ready to go next door to find Fu Zhixing, but suddenly the door was knocked on.

At a time like this, someone was knocking.

Tu Nan and Jenny exchanged a surprised glance. Tu Nan walked to the door and asked quietly, “Who is it?”

“Miss Lita, it’s me.” George’s deep voice sounded from outside.

Tu Nan opened the door.

“Mr. George, is there something you need?” she asked with a smile.

“Due to my negligence, I forgot to remind you last night: please keep all the furnishings in the bedroom as they are. Madam detests those who damage the furniture. If you damage anything, she may expel you.”

They had just been thinking about the Mural, and George came to remind them not to touch the furniture.

Was it a coincidence, or intentional?

Tu Nan suppressed her doubts and nodded with a smile. “Of course, we are people of status-why would we do such a thing? Thank you for the reminder.”

George also smiled, his expression gloomy. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

He left quickly, turning to knock on the next door.

Tu Nan closed the door and looked at Jenny in the room, shrugging. “Now we can’t touch it.”

“A cover-up,” Jenny simply jumped off the bed as well. “Are they that afraid we’ll discover the secret behind the Mural?”

“What I’m more curious about is how they came so quickly.” Tu Nan frowned, glancing again at the Mural, the feeling of being watched growing ever stronger.

“Don’t you feel like we’re being monitored?” she walked over to Jenny and lowered her voice.

“That’s pretty normal,” Jenny also glanced at the Mural. “If we can’t touch it, at least we can cover it up.”

The two of them found a Blanket and covered the Mural.

The afternoon was free time.

Except for Alan, who was still weak, the others paired up and decided to take this opportunity to thoroughly explore the Manor.
According to George, except for the floors where the Lady and Lilith rest on the fourth floor, they could move freely throughout the Manor.

“Of course, just a friendly reminder, it’s best to stay away from the Maze on the outskirts,” George said. “If you get lost in there, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to find you.”

The Maze covered a vast area and was the only way in and out of the Manor. Without someone familiar with the route to guide you, venturing in recklessly would surely lead to getting lost.

This Manor was full of mysteries, and the strange Maze was no exception, but no one intended to explore it just yet.

By comparison, it was more important to get familiar with the Mansion and its surroundings.

In the morning, Tu Nan had noticed that many Roses were planted throughout the Manor.

These Roses bloomed brilliantly, their flowers emitting a strong fragrance, their red color almost enchanting.

She and Fu Zhixing took a rough tour around the Manor; the entire Manor was surrounded by a ring-shaped Green Maze, trapping them inside.

At the center of the Manor stood the Mansion, which had four floors: the first floor was the hall, Kitchen, and Dining Room; the second floor housed the servants’ quarters; the third floor was for the Players; and the fourth floor was the bedrooms of the Manor’s owners, Lilith and the Lady.

They found the Mural that Rose had mentioned that morning.

The person in the Painting was still Lilith, smiling, holding Xiao Bai in her arms, gazing at them with a gentle expression.

From the outside, nothing seemed amiss.

“Rose said they move the body at night,” Fu Zhixing deliberately lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear. “I’m afraid we’ll have to come back here again tonight.”

Tu Nan glanced at the Painting, also lowering her voice, “It’s not very safe here at night.”

“Let’s leave for now.”

Inside the Castle, Murals of Lilith hung everywhere. At first glance, the girl in the Painting seemed cute, but after seeing them too many times, a chill crept up their spines.

Only after stepping outside the Mansion did they finally find a quiet corner.

“I suspect those Paintings are their ‘eyes’,” Fu Zhixing frowned slightly. “There are Murals everywhere in the Mansion, even in our rooms. Every move we make is being watched.”

“The most important thing now is how to avoid these ‘eyes’,” Tu Nan lowered her head in thought.

“Did you forget about my Puppet from the last Instance?” Fu Zhixing smiled faintly. “After dinner, we can find an opportunity to let the Puppet return to our rooms in our place. The Puppet can follow simple instructions, and as long as nothing goes wrong, it won’t be discovered.”

“We must return to our rooms before Midnight,” he continued. “After twelve, the Weird will knock on the door, tempting Players to open it. The bedroom is the safe zone given to us in the night Instance. If we stay out too late, we might encounter danger.”

The two quickly agreed and returned to the Mansion.

By the time they got back, it was about time for dinner. Alan, who had been resting in his bedroom all day, finally left his room and appeared in the Dining Room.

“Thank you all for your hard work today,” he said apologetically. “Tomorrow, I’ll definitely join everyone in completing the task.”

“It’s understandable,” Fu Zhixing replied coolly. “Taking care of your health is most important.”

Qin and Jenny, who had acted together in the afternoon, also entered the Dining Room. Seeing Alan there, Qin showed a complicated expression.

Tu Nan noticed her look and glanced at Alan thoughtfully.

It seemed Qin had also sensed something was off about him.