Players, Please Board the Train

Xu Huo quickly finished his portion and pulled over the second plate before asking, ”The castle has been turned upside down. Was Mr. He’s body found?”

Mr. Dong was the Dungeon Boss and had absolute control over the castle, even capable of manipulating the building to devour players. The fake He Pu shouldn’t have been able to hide He Pu’s corpse.

”Perhaps Mr. He’s body is not in the hands of the fake He Pu.”

Mr. Dong remained utterly unperturbed. ”The master was merely a passerby here. There’s no need to trouble ourselves to find him after he has left.”

After hearing this, Xu Huo had a feeling of ’just as expected’. Mr. Dong did not place the same weight on the real He Pu’s death and his remains as a normal person would.

”Will this castle continue to serve as a dungeon site?” he asked again.

”No,” Mr. Dong said. ”The wanted criminal has been captured. No one else will die in the castle.”

”Did you inherit this castle?”

”I am merely the butler.”

”Then what will happen to this castle afterward?””It will await an heir.”

”If this castle were to be auctioned, could I buy it?”

”You could.”

The answers were brief, but Xu Huo paused for a moment before asking, ”Did Mr. He leave a will?”

”He did,” Mr. Dong replied.

This answer wasn’t too surprising. He Pu, who could collect so many items, shouldn’t have been easily killed by a music-oriented player. He was a man full of secrets, so it wasn’t strange for him to have made arrangements for the people and matters around him.

Since there was a will, this castle wouldn’t be auctioned off.

The second plate of fried rice was finished. Xu Huo took out his Lighter and lit a cigarette he had brought from Zone 014, casually asking, ”Did Mr. He have relatives in District 011?”

”Unclear.” Mr. Dong took away the plate and meticulously wiped the already spotless tabletop with a towel.

In the vast castle, under the warm yellow light, a mute butler busily moved about.

Xu Huo watched in the dining room for a while before going up to the second floor. Whether it was Mr. Dong’s perverse sense of humor or not, it was actually the same room he had stayed in on his first night. However, everything in the room had been replaced.

”What kind of characteristic is the one you used?” Xu Huo placed his hand on the vase holding flowers. ”The one that can make objects reverse time.”

”Static Reversion,” said Mr. Dong, who was arranging brand-new bath towels.

”It doesn’t work on living things?”

”It does not.”

”It also cannot restore an object to its original form?”

”It cannot. It can only preserve the external appearance.” Mr. Dong added an extra sentence, ”Mr. Xu, rest early.”

Xu Huo nodded.

Before dawn the next day, he went to the third floor. The room where the fake He Pu had stayed and the adjacent music room had been remodeled. It was clear Mr. Dong disliked him intensely, as not a trace of the original furnishings or decorations remained.

The study, however, was still a study. He walked in and continued flipping through the notes He Pu had left behind.

Mr. Dong delivered his breakfast and then silently left. After reading the notes for a while, Xu Huo looked up out the window and saw Mr. Dong heading to the garden maze.

The garden maze at the back had been set on fire by him. The burnt roses couldn’t come back to life. Mr. Dong was clearing the dead plants and planting new ones.

Suddenly, Xu Huo felt a sharp pain on his face. The facial restoration mask automatically peeled off, but it felt like a layer of skin was being scraped directly off his face. After the pain, his face swelled up, his cheeks bulging as if stuffed with steamed buns. Drinking a healing potion didn’t help, so he had to go to the bathroom and apply cold compresses.

Close to noon, Mr. Dong came to deliver his lunch. Seeing his face, he brought some anti-inflammatory ointment. Using it didn’t reduce the swelling, but at least it stopped the pain.

He spent that entire day in the study. During that time, Ran Ying contacted him once, but he didn’t answer the call. Instead, he sent a text message saying he wasn’t available at the moment.

Ran Ying was inviting him to dinner again.

This time, Xu Huo declined, straightforwardly saying his pockets were empty and that it wasn’t proper to always let a girl pay.

Ran Ying sent a video message. She had just bathed, wrapped in a short, snug bathrobe, idly drying her hair as she said, ”If you’re short on money, I can introduce you to a job?”

”Wouldn’t that be joining the Enforcement Department?”

”Your player rank isn’t high, but you’d be fine as internal support staff. The pay here is good. Work for half a month and you’ll have enough to treat me to a meal.”

The last sentence had a teasing tone. Xu Huo didn’t answer the question directly, instead replying with ”Busy with something.”

Compared to the Enforcement Department, he was more interested in the Game Government’s base.

But there was no rush.

Compared to breakfast and lunch, dinner was much more sumptuous. Mr. Dong even remarked, ”The new chef has started work.”

”That fast? Has the inheritance matter been settled?” Xu Huo paused.

Mr. Dong responded with silence.

For the next few days, Xu Huo spent his time at Rose Castle. Most of it was whiled away with books and notes. Regrettably, he didn’t find any information about the Perfect Potion among He Pu’s belongings, but he did learn a lot of game-related knowledge.

Additionally, he vaguely sensed something strange about Mr. Dong. His attitude toward him wasn’t at all like that toward a guest. It was a bit like his previous attitude toward the fake He Pu—no, it was even more meticulous, taking care of his food, drink, and daily routine down to the smallest detail.

Take the chef matter. Initially, he thought it was just a normal hire, but the chef was changed twice in between. The final chef’s cooking better suited his palate.

Midway, he tried to sound out Mr. Dong, but gained nothing.

Strange as it was, Rose Castle was a very safe place, and he had no plans to leave for the time being.

”I’ll leave this afternoon,” Xu Huo said to Mr. Dong during lunch.

”Do you need anything prepared?” Mr. Dong poured him a glass of water and asked, ”What would you like for dinner?”

”Thank you, but no need. I might not come back,” Xu Huo said.

Mr. Dong said nothing more, seeing him off with impeccable courtesy. He remained standing in place, watching until Xu Huo had walked far into the distance.

Xu Huo withdrew his gaze. His face, now an entirely new and ordinary one, was calm. He took a car away from the castle and, as agreed with Deng Xuan, headed to the transitional zone between the ancient city district and the main city district.

He got off the vehicle early and entered a pre-selected shopping mall building, observing the square outside from the tenth floor.

At the appointed time, Deng Xuan appeared and entered a beverage shop, sitting by the window to wait.

Shops in the main city district all had privacy partitions. Even a single-person seat could activate frosted glass, preventing outsiders from peeking. Since Deng Xuan was waiting for someone, sitting by the window made him very conspicuous.

Xu Huo easily spotted two people in the flowing crowd who were watching Deng Xuan. The three exchanged glances, so they likely knew each other.

Only when Deng Xuan started checking the time more frequently did Xu Huo go downstairs. He entered the beverage shop, stepping off a rented flying skateboard.

Deng Xuan appeared somewhat impatient, speaking into his communicator, ”I don’t think he’s coming...”

Before he could finish, he suddenly saw a man in a tracksuit, carrying a skateboard, walking toward him.

It was normal for players to alter their appearance. Deng Xuan was about to speak when the other person walked past him and went to the front counter to buy a cup of juice.