Chapter 6
The first day of celebrations ended with a thrilling conclusion, on the night of a not so peaceful Christmas Eve[1] .
The second day was Christmas, which was also the last day of the entire school festival .
The vendor stalls reopened early morning at 10 AM . Due to last night’s fierce battle and publicity, a bunch of challengers had gathered the instant Shadow 1A opened their stall .
The students in charge of the stall, having gained experience from yesterday, handled their job with ease; they skillfully seated the customers, handed out face masks and plastic bags, cleaned and cleared the tables, and led the unwell guests away from their seats in due course .
Liu Yi Chen let off the students who were going to perform tonight, so they could have sufficient energy to deal with the performance . Only one-third of the students were left to attend the stall .
“Class Rep, I need some of your staff . ” While Liu Yi Chen had some free time on her hands, Feng Ping Lan came forward with a request .
“How many do you need?”
“About seven people, but if it’s possible, the more the better . ”
Liu Yi Chen raised an eyebrow, “What are you planning?”
“Hunting for prizes!”
“Isn’t it enough to bring your Contracts along? What prizes did you prepare?”
Feng Ping Lan moved closer to Liu Yi Chen’s ear, whispering his plan to her .
Liu Yi Chen’s eyes widened, then her lips cracked into a delighted grin .
She turned around, announcing to everyone present, “This stall will be temporarily closed for two hours after the current match ends . We’ll reopen at 1 PM . ”
She then took out her phone, issuing an order in their class’ group chat: To everyone in Shadow 1A, assemble in the classroom within ten minutes .
Feng Ping Lan stared blankly, “Class Rep? Are you sure about this?”
“We’ve made enough profit anyway!”
A vicious smile rose on Liu Yi Chen’s face, “It’s our turn to strike back . ”
Thirty minutes later, Feng Ping Lan led all members of the Society Research to the Supernatural Research’s vendor stall .
The Supernatural Research’s vendor stall stood alone, away from the other stalls . The tent was double the size of the other tents, a much more complicated interspatial spell put up inside . This was something Cao Ji Xian had used his privileges to obtain .
The Supernatural Research’s vendor stall did not sell food, instead it was an AR escape room .
The moment they stepped in, the scene turned into nighttime, and a classic European manor appeared before their eyes . The brown manor seemed to be dyed in blood with its night backdrop, with strange and thick woods surrounding it .
The Supernatural Research’s escape room had supernatural elements as its main theme, the scenario set in a duke’s manor of the nineteenth century .
There were massive iron fences surrounding the manor, a few students dressed as servants guarding the fences, their faces covered in streaks of blood . They were in charge of collecting fees .
Seeing Feng Ping Lan’s arrival, one of them immediately left to report to their club president .
“Wow! So cool! It feels like we’re actually in another country!”
“The president is not here…”
“Aiya, we’re not here for him . We’re customers here to play!” Feng Ping Lan spoke smilingly, looking around as he sighed in admiration, “This is really amazing! The setting is so realistic, and the house looks life-like! Are these costumes rented? Or are they handmade?”
“We bought ready-made clothing to modify…” The student on duty spoke with slight embarrassment at his praise, “If you guys are customers, the fees are sixty-nine dollars per person . ”
“It’s that expensive for this rubbish game?”
Conglong was the first to start complaining .
“We spent a lot of time on the set, and many of the tools inside are genuine antiques that came from that time . Besides, we even threw our money on the prizes for winning teams . ” The student explained .
Cao Ji Xian was a person who liked to impress by doing grandiose things, and had viewed this celebration as the stage to express himself . So as to make the name of Zephaniah’s Supernatural Research well-known among the various shadow academies, he had spared no effort in spending money on the setting and prizes .
Especially the prizes – so as to match the main theme, Cao Ji Xian managed to get his hands on a true crystal goddess statue left behind by an English duke . Apparently, the statue was based on the duke’s own Contract .
They were incredibly glad that no team had managed to win the challenge as of yet .
“How generous of the Supernatural Research Club . ” Liu Yi Chen smiled coldly, “I really am curious on how President Cao managed to raise enough funds for this . ”
The student on duty gulped, not daring to answer .
Feng Ping Lan drew out his wallet, taking out a large number of bills . Counting them, he then took out a few more bills .
“Here . No need to give us the change . ”
The student on duty gawked at him . Although he was a little bewildered, he still collected the money, “This isn’t counterfeit, is it?”
“We’re law-abiding citizens, how could we possibly do such an illegal thing?” Feng Ping Lan smiled, “You can inspect every bill, we won’t be able to run if there are any problems . ”
After thinking for a moment, the student on duty retreated to one side .
“Go straight to the main house after entering the gate, there’ll be someone stationed inside to explain the game rules . ”
“Thanks!”
Feng Ping Lan’s group crossed the front courtyard, coming to the main house .
Morris had both arms raised, using all his might to push that wooden door . Both doors swung the widest they could, striking the walls, opening wide .
Feng Ping Lan’s group slowly and leisurely passed through in a row .
“Hurry up, you slowpoke!”
Cao Ji Xian’s shout rang out the moment they stepped into the house .
“And here I thought you were still bed-ridden, who knew you would recover so quickly . ” Liu Yi Chen ridiculed, “Oh, it’s to be expected, since you were the first to give up . You didn’t eat much of the infernal cooking . ”
Cao Ji Xian glared at them, “What are you doing here?!”
“To play, of course . We did hand in the fees like we’re supposed to, you know!”
“Is this how a servant addresses a guest?” Ivan shook his head, “What a horrible attitude, I’d like to speak to your manager!”
“I am the manager!” Cao Ji Xian bellowed angrily, “Humph, you’re probably here to trash my establishment! Don’t think I don’t know you’re posing as challengers so you can wreck my stall, so that I won’t be able to continue my business!”
“Not everyone acts like you, alright? We’re not that uncivilized . ” Liu Yi Chen rolled her eyes, “Oh, I get it . You’re scared, aren’t you?”
Cao Ji Xian was enraged, “Why would I be scared of a mere heckler like you?!”
“You’re scared of us winning the challenge, taking the prize, so you’re barring us from competing . ”
A provocative and contemptuous smile rose on Liu Yi Chen’s face, “Because you’re a despicable, gutless and simple-minded scumbag, you’re afraid of the ‘little game’ you constructed being broken in the span of three minutes . ” When she spoke the words ‘little game’, Liu Yi Chen deliberately used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air .
“Nonsense!” Cao Ji Xian bellowed . He wouldn’t allow anyone to look down upon his blood, sweat, and tears . “Since you’re not here to wreck the place, I won’t stop you . But don’t forget! There are monitoring equipment and detection spells set up all around the area, so if you try to damage the set or harm our workers, you’ll be immediately thrown out and made to pay five times the compensation!”
Liu Yi Chen smiled coldly, “We will abide by the rules, you’d better not try to act dumb when the time comes . ”
Cao Ji Xian retreated to one side, letting a student stationed in the hall take the stage .
The student was dressed as an old butler, his pale hair disheveled, an unnatural green light glowing on his aging, whitered face, having the devilish charm of several centuries ago .
There was a portrait hanging on the wall right in the middle of the hall . The woman in the portrait had gorgeous features, a pair of sparkling and translucent emerald green eyes, but there was a deep sense of melancholy and sorrow to be found between her brows . She had curly, voluminous orange hair, her long locks twisted into an indolent, fluffy bun, fastened with an elaborate green hairpiece that brought out her eyes .
The old butler spoke in an old, withered voice, “Evening, gentlemen . I cannot say anything to welcome you all, nor can I speak any words of well wishes . This place used to be a paradise filled with laughter, but it has now been reduced to a barren wasteland that fetters countless mournful souls…”
The old butler continued his tale, explaining the story’s setting and game to everyone .
The story was set in nineteenth-century England, where a duke had fallen in love with and married a girl of low-born status, in spite of those who opposed it .
On the night of their wedding, tragedy struck . All the guests and servants were slaughtered, and the duke had died in his bed, his heart dug out of his chest . The woman had vanished, her whereabouts unknown .
“…To leave this place of gloom and appease the anger of the ghosts, the only method will be to find seven keys of pure silver . Each of these seven keys repre—”
Cao Ji Xian coughed, giving the old butler a look .
The old butler paused, continuing, “…These seven keys are hidden in various areas of the house . You need to find them in order to open the paths leading to glory, and all brave participants of this treasure hunt shall receive an award bestowed by the ghosts . ”
Cao Ji Xian waved his hand to let the butler exit the stage . He walked over to Feng Ping Lan’s group, “Allow me to reiterate the rules: You’re not allowed to use any spells or demonic powers, you may not destroy the place, one-third of the antiques inside are real, I’ll have you compensate anything that is destroyed!”
“What a lowlife, you even interrupted someone’s masterful performance, the game’s atmosphere has been completely destroyed by you . ” Conglong furrowed his brows, “You’re practically the kind of teammate who says ‘my mom told me to eat lunch’ in the middle of a fierce battle, what a killjoy . ”
“Shut up! In any case, there are monitors all over the place, so you’d better not try anything!”
“Then you’d better sit behind the monitor and take a good look at us . ”
“I will!” Cao Ji Xian gave the old butler another look .
The butler took out a timepiece, pressing down, “Then, the countdown has started, you have forty five minutes to explore the house . ”
Cao Ji Xian raised a hand to point down the hallway, “You’ll find the first trial down that hallway, now get out of my sight!”
With them being pressed for time, Feng Ping Lan’s group hurried across the hallway and went through the door, heading deeper into the house .
When they had all left the hall, Cao Ji Xian immediately rushed to the monitor room, fixing his gaze onto the monitors to oversee the commands, instructing his members .
“Have those in the study on stand-by, the challengers will arrive in three minutes . Stop them at all costs! It’s fine if you go a little rough on them!”
The hallway was gloomy, long and narrow . The oil lamps on the walls flickered on and off, and light and shadows swayed, a ghostly silhouette moving sneakily towards them .
The interior decorations were splendorous and majestic, but it had an antiquated feeling to it . All the portraits and gorgeous wallpapers had splatters of blood and handprints all over them .
“Amazing!” Feng Ping Lan looked left and right, as if he was taking a walk through a museum .
“Isn’t this more or less the same as the one we saw during our visit to the Supernatural Research’s classroom?” Morris immediately pointed out .
“Oh! You’re right!” No wonder it looked so familiar . “But there are a few things that aren’t the same! The setting is much more realistic here!”
Zong Yu let out a clear sound of derision . He looked extremely reproachful .
“The level of an amateur…” Zong Yu reached out to touch the fresh blood on the walls, then sniffed it . He gave a disgusted look, “Poster paint? Are these Halloween decorations for an American cram school for kids?! If you can’t replace it with the blood of livestock, can’t you at least use the paint soaked in rusty iron to create a bloody smell… Tsk tsk tsk…”
Then, he walked over to the portrait of a sallow-faced noble lady whose eyes bore a look of resentment . He moved closer to it, his face almost touching the painting, then let out another disdainful scoff . “This portrait was printed…”
“It’s fine if it’s printed!”
“No sense of texture . ” Zong Yu used a finger to trace the upper-left border of the portrait, “There’s even a watermark from the source material’s website… Are they trying to make a fool of themselves… Heeheehee…”
Zong Yu led them onwards, looking left and right, continuously picking out mistakes and flaws in the decorations, his overcast and weird laughter ringing out the entire way there .
“Xiao Yu-er seems to be in high spirits . ” Feng Ping Lan lamented as he looked at his stout, fleet-footed figure .
“There are monitors everywhere, and people lying in wait . Everything he said must have traveled to the control room . ” Byriel spoke with a smile .
“Oh! Then we should probably tell Xiao Yu-er to keep his voice low—”
“Why? We haven’t even received the consultation fees from them!” Liu Yi Chen lifted her head, looking at the camera hidden by the decorative lighting, a regretful smile rising in the corner of her lips, “So work harder, won’t you?”
In the control center, Cao Ji Xian was so angered his body shook .
There was a door waiting for them at the end of the hallway, covered in specks of blood, as well as disorderly and frenzied scratches .
“There are people inside . ” Morris placed his ear by the door for two seconds, “At least nine of them . ”
“Cao Ji Xian must be stopping at nothing to obstruct us, I bet those little lackeys have even received the order to attack us . But we can’t attack or use spells to restrict their movements . ” Ivan looked at Feng Ping Lan . “What should we do?”
Feng Ping Lan scratched his head, momentarily unable to think of a countermeasure .
“Why don’t we destroy those monitors first!” Morris suggested eagerly, “We destroy the monitors and start beating them up, they won’t find any evidence anyway!” He had been cooped up for too long . He was able to stretch his wings a little during the Trials, but it had ended before he had enough . He was very much looking forward to battling to his heart’s content .
Byriel gave a light chuckle, “Simple-minded people really do live a blessed life, don’t they . ”
“You have a problem?”
“No need to worry, guys . ” Liu Yi Chen gave a vindictive smile, “I have an idea, leave this to me . ”
She turned to hand something over to Igor, whispering something into his ear, then walked over to twist the doorknob, pushing the door open .
Inside was a spacious study, a large wooden table placed in the center, wide bookshelves, sideboards, and a few sofas set up on either side of the wall .
The people hidden in the darkness lay in wait, biding their time for when they all stepped into the room so they could then reveal themselves and attack them .
However, Feng Ping Lan and the others were standing outside the door, they did not enter immediately .
Liu Yi Chen made a quick sweep around the room and found the monitor’s position .
“Igor, upper right corner!”
Igor raised his hand to aim at the monitor, throwing the thing Liu Yi Chen had given him . A white object separated as it hit the area above the monitor, and a square-shaped article tumbled down . It was a handkerchief, an eraser wrapped inside . The eraser had increased the handkerchief’s weight to make it convenient to throw, and was less likely to create any damage . The unfolded handkerchief fell, landing right above the monitor’s camera lens .
“Why can’t I see!” All Cao Ji Xian could see floral white, unable to make out what had happened . All he could do was to grasp the situation by relying on his earpiece .
“President Cao left something at our vendor stall yesterday . He forgot to take it away,” Liu Yi Chen spoke cheerfully into the room, “So I thought this was the opportune moment to return it to its rightful owner . ”
The students in the study and Cao Ji Xian behind the monitor were completely puzzled, not understanding what Liu Yi Chen was talking about .
“Have you forgotten?” Liu Yi Chen drew out a ramen bowl from her bag .
A few students hidden in the darkness who were quick to respond realized what Liu Yi Chen was planning .
“Fuck! No way!”
Sponsored Content
“You’re going too far! Put it down!” The students jumped out of the darkness in panic, trying to stop her .
Cao Ji Xian listened to his earpiece, completely unable to understand the situation in the study .
“What did she do! Report at once! Quickly report!”
Liu Yi Chen smiled, holding the bowl out before her, “This is empty . ”
The students breathed out a sigh of relief .
But Liu Yi Chen continued, “So, where did the contents go?”
“You can’t damage the set…” A student dressed as a zombie warned .
“We’re not trying to damage the place, we’re just leaving a little surprise . ” Liu Yi Chen explained smilingly, “We placed the shark’s fin soup your president personally created into little jars, sealed by paper . ”
“And?”
“During the game, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to place these little jars in the corners of the house . These little jars won’t cause any damage, but—” An evil smile rose on Liu Yi Chen’s face, “If you accidentally knock them over while cleaning up the stall, it might be a little troublesome . ”
This woman was a witch!
“While we’re hiding them, we will obstruct every single monitor in this house, you guys won’t be able to find anything . As members of the Supernatural Research, you have the chance of being moistened by the esteemed President Cao’s dew, consider it an honor . ”
“No! Don’t do that!” The members of the Supernatural Research were terrified, “You’re breaking the rules!”
“I’m not breaking the rules . The monitors are only being obstructed, not damaged, the rules of the game did not say we couldn’t hide anything . ”
“What do you want!” The zombie guy spoke, “Are you trying to threaten us into revealing where the keys are hidden?!”
“We’re not your president, we’re not as tasteless as him . ” Liu Yi Chen waved her hand exasperatedly, placing the bowl back into her bag, “You guys better behave while we’re searching for the keys, don’t get our way or harass us . ”
The monsters exchanged glances, tactfully retreating to the side .
In any case, they wouldn’t find the keys even if they didn’t obstruct them .
After making sure that the club members of the Supernatural Research did not move, Liu Yi Chen turned her head to look at Feng Ping Lan, “Hey, it’s your turn . ”
“Alright!”
Morris put down his backpack . Feng Ping Lan bent down to unzip that heavy bag, busying himself for a moment . When he stood up, there was a 1 . 5 meter long stick in his hands . He then started to wave it all over the room, searching all over the place as if he was conducting some sort of weird ceremony . Throughout the process, the long stick would occasionally let out tiny sounds .
“That’s a metal detector!” A club member dressed in a suit and a knife stuck on his head recognized the tool in Feng Ping Lan’s hands, his eyes widening, “That’s a professional model, where did you get that?!”
“Oh! You sure know your stuff, huh!” Feng Ping Lan replied with a smile, “I borrowed it from the Geology Research Club . ”
“It’s just a game, is there a need to be so serious?”
“Just think about your president’s conduct, it explains a lot . ”
All the students of the Supernatural Research gave him understanding looks .
“The metals in this house are different, he won’t be able to detect anything!” Another student of the Supernatural Research spoke, refusing to admit defeat .
“No, he’ll detect it . ” The student with a knife stuck on his head said, his face darkening . He explained, “Every metal has a different reaction to the metal detector’s wireless electromagnetic waves . From these discrepancies, the detector will be able to sense the metal’s category . ”
Feng Ping Lan looked at that student, complimenting him in wonderment, “Woah! You know quite a lot! Amazing!”
The student with a knife on his head smiled modestly, “I just know a little . ”
After making a round, Feng Ping Lan wasn’t able to detect anything . He lifted the detector, sweeping it across the sideboards and bookshelves .
Beep-beep-beep!
When the detector passed one of the bookshelves, the metal detector let out a clear sound .
Feng Ping Lan placed down the detector, taking out each and every book from that section . He then saw a silver key on the wall behind those books .
The Supernatural Research students let out annoyed groans .
With the first key in their hands, the group quickly left for the next destination .
When they crossed the winding corridor and ascended the staircase, a tall and sturdy figure appeared . It was a student dressed as a gardener’s ghost, an ax in his hand, fresh blood and scars covering his face, blocking their way with a mean look on his face . A number of people also appeared below the staircase .
“To proceed, you’ll have to pass my test…”
“Your little tricks won’t work here, there is nowhere for you to hide something on the staircase!”
“Aiya, looks like Cao Ji Xian has started using his brain . ”
“What do we do now?”
They were surrounded by a bunch of armed enemies, but they couldn’t use their weapons, nor any spells .
Feng Ping Lan anxiously looked out the handrails, gauging the height .
They were currently about two meters from the ground . They could let the Contracts jump then catch them—
At this moment, Su Li Wan spoke .
“Hello,” She said very politely to the gardener ghost, “May I ask if you are Student Zhao?”
The ax-toting, blood-soaked gardener jolted, “You know me?”
“You are the Supernatural Research’s section chief of events, I read your profile while the Society Research was examining the Supernatural Research’s information . ” Su Li Wan gave him a courteous yet approachable smile, “You are very attentive in making your records . ”
The gardener kept a straight face, saying severely, “It’s no use trying to butter me up, I will do my best to hold you back from passing through!” Saying this, he waved his ax to demonstrate his strength .
“Oh, I just wanted to talk to you . ” Su Li Wan continued politely, “Although it might seem a little presumptuous to mention this at this moment, I wasn’t able to find a suitable time to respond to your question . ”
“What question? What did he ask you?” Ivan was curious .
“About the letter Student Zhao sent to me . ” Su Li Wan looked at the gardener, looking a little embarrassed, “He sent me a letter at the start of the month . It was very… Mm, heartfelt . ”
The gardener immediately refuted, “How did you— No, you’ve got the wrong person, I’ve never written any love letters to you . ”
“How did you know it was a love letter?” Ivan thought it was hilarious, pointing out his blind spot .
Sensing a whiff of gossip, the Supernatural Research students halted their movements . No one rushed up to attack them, all of them standing where they were to see what would come next .
“I guessed! With your qualifications, that you would receive love letters is a reasonable guess!”
“Although there wasn’t a name written on the letter, there were characters labeled as the Supernatural Research’s Events Team printed on the letter . And of all the Supernatural Research’s event records, your writing was the only one that matched the letter . ” Su Li Wan said courteously, not a hint of malice to be heard in her fine and soft voice, as if she was purely trying to solve a problem that had been plaguing her for days, “Moreover, there was also a receipt placed inside with your name on it…”
Pitying sighs rang out, all the Supernatural Research students expressing their sympathies upon this matter .
“Section Chief… Did you pull an all-nighter to finish the records again?”
Sponsored Content
“Section Chief always makes a mistake whenever he’s feeling sluggish . ”
“He’s so busy he has to write a love letter in the clubroom, poor Section Chief…”
The gardener was unresponsive, his face gone rigid . He did not answer .
But his heart was dripping blood, letting out an earth-shattering roar on the inside .
Ahhhhh! He was an idiot!
“—To answer your question,” Su Li Wan spoke once more, pulling everyone’s attention back to her, “I already have a response, but I didn’t have a means of contacting you . ”
Their breaths were caught in their throats, listening quietly .
“Hey! What’s Team 7 doing?! Don’t just stand there! Hurry up!”
Cao Ji Xian’s shout rang out from their earpieces, but everyone ignored him . The Supernatural Research students pulled out their earpieces, removing that clamorous noise to continue observing the big piece of gossip before their eyes .
“Thank you for your praises and recognition . I am very happy, and very touched . So,” Su Li Wan said politely, “I think that finding a producer to collaborate would be more effective for the club’s publicity, compared to inviting a celebrity to make a speech . In addition, I would suggest handling the newcomer’s training within the school grounds . It’s too costly to hold the training outside the city, let alone outside the country . Raising the club’s expenses to four thousand yuan seems to be a bit too much, since the previous reported club expenses was five hundred yuan per person, so raising it eightfold is a little extreme . ”
Everyone stared blankly at her . Only members of the Supernatural Research knew what had happened .
“Oh my god! Section Chief, you actually put the club’s activity survey into the letter?!”
“How could you make such a mistake, didn’t you inspect it before handing it in?”
The gardener stood still at his spot . His expression was already dead .
Someone, please kill him right now .
“Oh, also,” Su Li Wan continued, an angelic smile rising on her lucid and elegant features, “I would be very happy to become your friend . ”
The gardener’s body shook, and it was like a thunderbolt shot from the clear skies and someone had struck an ax down on his head .
“Goodness…”
“It’s so cruel…”
The members of the Supernatural Research couldn’t help but click their tongues .
“Cheer up, Section Chief, you still have us . ”
“Ahhhhh—” Please let him die!
The gardener tossed his ax to the side, let out a crumbling wail of despair, turning to madly run away .
“Section Chief! Wait!”
“Section Chief, calm down!”
The club members below the staircase hurried after him, and Feng Ping Lan’s group retreated to both sides to let them pass .
Su Li Wan blinked, smiling, “Did I say anything impolite?”
“You just used an ax to shatter a boy’s heart into pieces . ”
Although the entire process was a little baffling, in any case, the crisis had been averted .
They hastened their footsteps up the staircase, heading to the next checkpoint .
The second checkpoint was a storehouse .
There were wooden boxes of various sizes piled up in the storehouse, as well as furniture covered in white cloth .
Feng Ping Lan took out the metal detector . After making a round, he realized that there was a strong signal coming from all over the place .
He opened the wooden boxes; there were silverware placed in them . With the numerous interferences, they were unable to use the metal detector to sense the key’s exact location .
“Looks like those guys are trying to stall for time, placing all the silver in here before we arrived . ”
Feng Ping Lan made another round probing out the area up and down, and after realizing that there were no reactions to be detected anywhere . No matter in the boxes, cupboards, or chandelier, it no longer reacted to silver .
“Aiya, we’re in quite a pinch . ” Feng Ping Lan switched off the detector, “Looks like we’ll just have to search through everything . ”
Everyone started rummaging through the boxes and cupboards, searching for anything that could hide the key .
Ivan bent his waist to open a box, dumping everything that was in it onto the floor . There were about a dozen tiny boxes in it, “So much junk! I’m so sick of this!”
He tore open each box in annoyance .
Feng Ping Lan took a look around the entire room, then at his companions who were striving to search for the key . He became lost in thought .
All this junk had been placed here to disturb their search, so they must have been prepared in a rush .
Every wooden box’s exterior looked similar, and the books on the bookshelves had also been largely identical with slight differences . By rummaging through them like this, the positions had shifted . If the key was hidden among them, how was the Supernatural Research supposed to determine the key’s location?
“Wait . ” Feng Ping Lan spoke, stopping his friends’ search, “The key isn’t placed among the junk . They set this all up just to exhaust our time . ”
He looked around the room, his gaze halting just above the windows . The windows in the other rooms were all painted, only the windows here were genuine .
He walked over to the window, pushing it open, several pots of graveyard plants placed outside . He recognized them as the garden plants in front of the club complex . Not even the basins had been switched out, the words ‘Zephaniah Academy property’ marked on it, looking like it had been temporarily moved here to fill the spot .
He reached out to touch one of the pots . The soil of one of the pots was slightly loose . Digging it, a silver key emerged .
It was public property after all, and the Supernatural Research’s members didn’t dare to bury the key too deeply, since they would be berated by the workers if the plants were damaged .
With the second key retrieved, they headed to the next checkpoint .
The group passed the hallway, heading down another staircase to reach the servants’ quarters on the first floor .
Pulling the door open, what they found inside was a spacious bedroom, several beds placed on either side, maidservants covered all over in blood lying in each one of them .
When Feng Ping Lan and the others stepped into the room, the maidservants all leaped out of the beds, bludgeons and other weapons in their hands, launching a wave of attacks at the intruders .
“That despicable scumbag, sending girls to face an attack!” Morris frowned, receiving a baseball bat that was aimed at him, using some of his strength to easily pluck the baseball bat away from her hands .
“No matter who they send out to us, we can’t attack them . ”
Fortunately, the Contracts were keeping the illusionary spells in the setting and room intact . Under the circumstances of not being able to use any spells, it might be a little troublesome to face the demons without returning the blows .
The maidservants outnumbered Feng Ping Lan’s group, each one of them launching repeated attacks at them . While they weren’t using aggressive weapons, it hurt being hit by them, and they could only dodge without hitting back . They were just too occupied to search for the key .
“Li Rui would definitely be very happy if he was here . ” Feng Ping Lan smiled as he evaded the attacks, “It has always been his dream to be surrounded by girls . ”
Sponsored Content
“Why are you mentioning him right now?!”
“Oh, it just popped in my mind . ” Thinking of his good friend, a smile rose once again on Feng Ping Lan’s face, “He even crafted a wool felt bracelet modeled after a peach a while ago, saying it was for the person he liked . ”
“Focus!”
In midst of the fierce battle, Byriel swayed languidly within the crowds, dodging their attacks like he was dancing .
A maidservant leaped to his front, a fist covered in sap gloves about to land a blow on him .
Byriel didn’t dodge, merely revealing an astonished expression, “Oh! You surprised me . ”
Almost as if she was burnt, the maidservant immediately retracted her hand, “Ah! I’m really sorry . ”
“What surprised me wasn’t you, but…” Byriel reached out a hand to lift her fingers wrapped in black gloves, “That this pair of tender and lovely hands would be paired with such an ugly thing, defiling their beauty . ” He gently removed the sap gloves, throwing them to one side, then nodded in satisfaction, “All done . ”
The maidservant looked blankly at Byriel, stuck at her spot, as if she had lost the ability to think . “T-thank you…”
“You’ve worked hard . You look very tired, you probably need more rest . ” Byriel said gently, “Would it be possible for you to tell me the key’s location, so that we can end this pointless farce as soon as possible?”
“This…” The maidservant hesitated .
This wasn’t supposed to be her shift; she was filling-in momentarily as support today . It would have been fine if this was just normal overtime work, but Cao Ji Xian was ordering them to attack the challengers, this was completely different to the rules of the game! She hadn’t wanted to come, nor did she want to comply with his orders! But Cao Ji Xian was the club president, and also a scumbag . He would make her things difficult for her during club hours if she didn’t comply .
“Can you give me a slight hint?”
The maidservant glanced at the people in battle, lowering her voice, “You can find the other maidservants, one of them ‘knows’ the location of the key…”
Byriel raised an eyebrow, smiling, “Thanks . ” With that, he left a kiss on the delicate back of her hand . The girl let out a squeaky little sound, looking like she was about to pass out from where she stood .
Byriel turned, dodging the other consecutive attacks as he observed the situation within the scene . Not long after, he discovered a clue .
The maidservants were throwing blow after blow in rapid succession, someone filling in another’s spot the moment they stepped down, with no gaps between their attacks . However, there was one maidservant who was mixed among the crowds, moving along to the chaos, but did not launch any attacks of her own .
The other maidservants, too, moved in a synchronized manner, subtly blocking in front of her as if they were protecting her, not letting Feng Ping Lan and the others approach .
A smile lifted in the corners of Byriel’s lips, and he leapt forward, spun his body and took the chance to land before that particular maidservant, making her back into a wall .
“Violet in the garden of roses . Would you be willing to hand the key over to me?”
The maid servant blinked, startled, “Why are you asking me…” They were all dressed similarly, so why had Byriel picked her?
“I do not know, it must be an instinct . ” Byriel asked in a mellow voice, “There is also something I would like to ask you; why does the sight of you draw me in so? Do you have an answer?”
“Uh! Um…”
“Is the key with you?”
Byriel took measure of her – his look and attitude caused the maidservant’s heart to beat a little faster, as if her clothes had been reduced to nothing under his gaze, how shameful!
Byriel reached out towards the hem of her skirt, “It doesn’t seem to have pockets . ” Then, he lifted both of her hands, taking a look . “Nor is it in your hands . Then… where is it?”
The maidservant did not answer . She felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her throat .
The other maidservants seemed to sense something unusual about the situation, halting their movements one after another .
They did not step up to stop him, nor did they continue attacking . All they did was stand there, looking anxiously in the corner, waiting to see what would come next, observing that scene that only appeared in idol dramas, listening to that ambiguous stage dialog, their hearts starting to throb .
A true and genuine kabedon[2]! That bad boy’s teasing was making their cheeks redden, their hearts pound! This was the scene every girl dreamed of!
“Hey, aren’t you guys going to attack?” Conglong asked .
All the girls turned their heads at the same time, shushing Conglong and stopping him from ruining the moment .
“Shh! Be quiet!”
Even Simo was among them .
Byriel stared at the maidservant, lightly placing down her hands .
“If it isn’t on the outside, could it be…” His gaze slid down the maidservant’s neck .
An excited disturbance rippled through the girls .
“What’s that guy doing! Trying to act out an X-rated movie?” Morris humphed disapprovingly .
“Shh!”
Byriel’s hand lightly touched the girl’s neck . She trembled, the hairs standing up on her skin, but the touch seemed to burn .
His slender fingers slid to the back of her neck, and with a hook of his finger, picked up the string of a silver necklace, then pulled it gently towards himself . Hanging at the end of the chain was silvery-white key .
Byriel pulled the key off with a light tug . “Thank you . ” He placed a kiss on the key .
Bashful moans rang out among the girls .
“What’s there to cry about! You girls are weird!” Displeased, Kaido gave a light humph .
“Of course there is!” Simo, who had kept her silence all this while, seemed to have had some kind of switch turned on inside of her, and spoke abruptly, “That key was pressed up against her chest earlier, the key still contains her body warmth and fragrance . Kissing that key is just like kissing your chest – it’s a brief and euphemistic action, but it’s much more enticing, much more arousing than a direct touch! Your desire has been evoked, but you have to hold it in, such a contradictory entanglement of wanting yet not being able to want, of being unwilling yet accepting, is the true catalyst of provoking the senses—”
“That’s right, that’s right!” The girls nodded their heads incessantly .
Realizing her loss of composure, Simo immediately fell silent . Lowering her head, she blushingly explained in a small voice .
“…I’m just… Someone told me about it a long time ago, I happened to recall it… That’s something someone said on TV, I happened to see…”
“Which show did you learn that from?” Conglong was baffled, “Is it that film with a lot of human skin shown throughout the entire thing?”
“N-No! Not entirely! Just two-thirds… No! Just one-third— Ah!”
The atmosphere turned awkward, everyone falling silent .
“Uh, we’re pressed for time, let’s head to the next checkpoint!” Feng Ping Lan spoke to change the subject .
“Right right right! Let’s move . ”
The group hurried to leave the room, as if they hadn’t heard anything at all, and headed to their next destination .
TL Notes
[1]
‘Not so peaceful Christmas Eve’: Christmas Eve is called 平安夜 in Mandarin, which is literally translated as ‘Peaceful Night’ .[2]
Kabedon: slapping the wall fiercely to produce a ‘don’ sound