Chapter 14: Rose Manor (XIII) Clue Sharing

In the garden of Rose Manor, three earthen pits lay neatly across the ground like scars.

Inside each pit lay a mangled corpse; including the one dug up initially, there were two men and one woman in total.

These three corpses wore modern clothing, yet their faces were unfamiliar; at least none of the three people present recognized them.

Lying in the last pit was a girl no more than twelve or thirteen years old, her hair in pigtails. Her dress was shredded by vines, revealing crisscrossing bloody welts on her skin, making her look exceptionally pitiful.

Zou Yan had been following Chang Xu since the second corpse was unearthed, quietly watching him work.

After seeing the girl’s corpse, she took off her coat and covered the body, her eyes filled with compassion: “Poor child, may the Lord bless you.”

Chang Xu put the shovel back in the corner and analyzed expressionlessly, “We know one person dies a day, and the instance lasts for three days. These three should be the batch of players who entered the instance before us.”

“They might not be players, and they might not even be the group before us.” Zou Yan looked up at the sky. “I remember this instance has opened many times. If three people were buried in the garden every time, there wouldn’t be just these three corpses.”

Chang Xu said, “So, this could also be a hint or clue intentionally left for us by the instance.”

Ye Zi stood nearby listening to their discussion, looking thoughtful.

She suddenly looked at Zou Yan and asked, “You said you ‘remember this instance has opened many times,’ which means you learned about this instance in reality?”

“I only caught a glimpse of it on the Forum and didn’t look closely at their discussion.” Zou Yan’s expression remained unchanged, showing no flaws. “With three days of preparation and thousands of instances in the Novice Pool, I couldn’t possibly look through every single one. I thought rule-based horror instances would be simple—just be careful not to break the rules—so I skipped all instances of that type.”

Ye Zi seemed angered and gave a cold laugh. “What is there to prepare for other instances? It’s nothing more than seeing what Ghosts there are; if you run into them, you’re dead anyway. Any sane person knows that only rule-based horror is worth preparing for in advance…”

Zou Yan said apologetically, “Ye Zi, I’m sorry, I really didn’t consider that much at the time. I saw that most rule-based horror instances were team-based, so I thought even if I didn’t prepare, other players would have done their homework. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this…”

“Don’t change the subject!” Ye Zi’s voice suddenly rose. “You clearly know more information than us but are keeping it hidden. God knows what you’re planning! Brother Shen is already dead. Who’s next? Me?”

“Ye Zi, what do you mean by that? Don’t be unreasonable without evidence. I also have reason to suspect you’re judging others by your own standards.”

“Heh, then let me ask you, how did you know last night that as long as you covered your head, nothing would happen?”

Ye Zi gave a cold snort and turned to walk toward the castle gates.

She walked a bit too fast and her shoulder bumped into Chang Xu, the recoil sending her stumbling.

She felt a bit embarrassed and turned back to glare fiercely at Chang Xu before entering the door.

Chang Xu, the victim of this undeserved misfortune, slowly formed a mental question mark, once again feeling that the advice his seniors gave him was truly words of wisdom.

Yes, talk less, do more, stay away from crowds, and stay away from conflict… Rose Manor only serves breakfast and dinner; lunch is not provided.

Although the players were starving after a morning of toil, they had no complaints about this arrangement. After all, sitting at the same table as Miss Anna for a meal was true torture.

The Mechanical Clock on the second floor struck twelve times at a steady pace, the ethereal chimes announcing the arrival of noon.

Chang Xu climbed the stairs to the second floor alone. Looking up, he saw Qi Si leaning against his room door, holding a long red dress in his hand.

The long red dress should be a clue. Chang Xu made his judgment and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Is there something you need from me?”

Qi Si straightened up and smiled at him. “Brother Chang, want to go to the Third Floor to take a look together?”

They were just at each other’s throats, and now he’s suddenly suggesting cooperation; it seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it… Chang Xu asked, “Why ask me to go with you? From your perspective, you can’t rule out the suspicion that I killed Shen Ming.”

“But that’s not important.”

Qi Si shook his head gently. “Assuming your description of last night’s situation is true, I guess you have means to deal with the supernatural. I happen to be quite squishy; I’ll be finished the moment I encounter something eerie. I need someone capable of fighting to help handle special circumstances.”

“As for whether you actually killed someone, I don’t care. The best security guarantee is one’s judgment of the situation. In cases where morality is weak and ineffective, I only talk about interests.”

“Cooperation has a hundred benefits and not a single harm, while hostility only leads to self-destruction. Neither of us is a fool. What use is obsessing over social norms and public order other than wasting time?”

Chang Xu’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. Then he heard Qi Si add, “Besides, I can’t beat you. So for you, cooperating with me carries no risk, right?”

This logic was familiar and acceptable to Chang Xu, and he gave a slight nod of agreement.

Qi Si continued, “I’ve grasped the key to clearance for this instance. Going to the Third Floor is just to verify some of my conjectures.”

“If you cooperate with me, we’ll crack the world-building together, and everyone will be happy. But if you kill me, or let me die mysteriously—”

He gave a light chuckle. “Heh, you’ll have to guess the remaining clues on your own.”

Makes sense. Chang Xu nodded again, accepting Qi Si’s reasoning.

The next second, Qi Si, standing by the door, took a few steps back, yielding the doorway. “Since we’ve chosen to cooperate, why don’t we share the clues in our respective rooms as well?”

“Sure.” Chang Xu didn’t suspect anything and walked straight to the door, pulling his room key from his pocket and inserting it into the keyhole.

Qi Si looked at the defenseless back of the man’s neck before him, and for no reason, began to imagine the sensation of a blade gliding through skin. The temperature of blood soaking his fingertips would probably be as soft as sunlight.

His eyes darkened, and he added in a tone that couldn’t have been more fake, “I might have to trouble you to disclose some information first, Brother Chang. My teammate is still alive, and he’s quite petty; he’s never let me be the first to show my clues… Sigh, who would have thought Brother Shen would die so early?”

Chang Xu had no intention of being his straight man. Without a word, he turned the key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

Qi Si immediately dropped the hypocrisy from his face and followed behind with a serious expression.

The layout of Room 3 was much the same as Room 2: a large bed, an oil lamp, a desk, and two chairs made up all the furniture inside.

The notebooks on the desk were neatly stacked, with a sheet of Papyrus covered in writing placed on top—likely an organization of the clues.

Qi Si didn’t stand on ceremony either. He walked straight to the desk, picked up the paper, and began to read… 【I am ultimately trapped by time】

【Where dawn and dusk meet】

【Reincarnation, year after year】

【Yesterday reappears with me】

…【I do not know how long I have lived here, but I still remember that morning when I first arrived. A cold curtain of rain falling from the high heavens shrouded the world. Amidst the grey landscape, there was a touch of bright red, neutralizing those depressing colors into a charming and dreamlike lavender.】

【I reined in my horse outside the iron gates and saw such a lovely face through the window! She was so radiant that I instantly forgot the pouring rain and mistakenly thought I was in a bright, sunny day. She was Anna; I think I fell hopelessly in love with her from the very first moment I saw her.】

…【Anna and her sister Annie depend on each other, living in Rose Manor. Their parents passed away three years ago—truly unfortunate news. There are only the two of them in the castle, not even a maid.】

【Their family status had already declined during their parents’ generation. Their meager inheritance is only enough to maintain the manor, and they must rely on selling roses to make a living. I asked Anna about her future plans, and she said she might marry a wealthy upstart noble to improve their lives. “I want my sister to be happier than I am,” she told me.】

…【Anna and I soon fell in love. Annie seemed very dissatisfied with this, repeatedly claiming she didn’t need to trade her sister’s beauty for a better life. She seems to love her sister very much; how can I make her believe that I will love Anna forever?】

【I’ve written several letters home these past few days, trying to tactfully tell my father about Anna and me. Hopefully, there will be a good outcome.】

【If my father doesn’t agree… if she is willing to give up her status for me, we could arrange a time to… together at night… No, this idea is too crazy!】

…【That night, Anna didn’t come to find me after all, and I could only leave alone. I went home and spent a year convincing my father before returning to Rose Manor once more.】

【After being away for so long, Anna seems to have become a bit strange. The scent of roses on her is much stronger than before, a smell I don’t particularly like. She is very cold toward me; a few times when I looked back unexpectedly, I could see a coldness in her eyes that almost stung me.】

…【Anna told me she believes that death is the best nourishment for roses. I seem to understand something; it’s the worst possible conjecture, but if I can save her, I am willing.】