Chapter 198: Mischievous Vivian 12

Chapter 198: Mischievous Vivian 12

Pinocchio stared blankly at Qin Fei.

The beautiful lady slightly opened her lips and asked, "Is the witch on the first floor now?"

Pinocchio: "?"

The boy didn't understand why the person in front of him was asking this; he had just said that he didn't know where the witch was.

"I don't—"

Before Pinocchio could finish his sentence, Qin Fei covered his mouth with his hand.

Brown understood what Qin Fei meant and stepped forward, warning fiercely, "Didn't you hear? Just answer yes or no when asked!"

The puppet was startled and nodded repeatedly.

"Is the witch on the first floor now?" Qin Fei asked again.

Pinocchio weakly replied, "No..."

His nose didn't grow longer.

"Is the witch on the second floor?"

"No."

His nose remained unchanged.

"Is the witch on the third floor?"

Pinocchio still answered, "No."

But this time, as soon as he spoke, his short wooden nose suddenly shot out like a spring after the rain.

Pinocchio hurriedly covered his face, but it was too late. The length of his nose wouldn't change according to the puppet's will.

The stick protruded through his fingers, leaving Pinocchio teary-eyed.

Sorry, Witch, I didn't mean to betray you!

The audience in the live stream hall almost laughed themselves silly. Qin Fei's move was indeed unexpected, but all the spirits had to admit it was highly efficient.

Satisfied, Qin Fei stood up, not forgetting to lift the puppet by the back of his collar. No matter how unwilling Pinocchio was, he had to follow them upstairs.

The third floor of the castle was currently closed off, guarded by two armored soldiers at the staircase entrance. Qin Fei released the ghost child to create a commotion, easily luring the two NPCs away.

The three of them sneaked up the stairs.

The third floor was dimly lit, with all the doors locked. Many portraits hung on both sides of the corridor. Qin Fei glanced at the frames and quickly looked away.

He carried Pinocchio under his arm and headed in a random direction.

Qin Fei realized that this little puppet was surprisingly useful.

Finding the witch in such a vast castle would have been extremely difficult, but now, Qin Fei could simply ask:

"Pinocchio, is the witch in this corridor ahead of us?"

Pinocchio was already quite proficient: "No!"

His nose didn't change, so Qin Fei immediately changed direction.

The ghost child returned, clinging to Qin Fei's shoulder, occasionally flashing a menacing grin at Pinocchio.

The puppet dared not move, not even daring to think about escaping.

"The paintings on either side of the corridor can be misleading; don't stare at them," Pinocchio whispered in warning.

It seemed the puppet had developed Stockholm syndrome, actually helping the captor who had kidnapped him. Even the affection meter above his head increased slightly, from 0% to 5%.

Pinocchio sincerely hoped that Qin Fei would find the witch quickly.

Although the lady seemed unfriendly, difficult people should be dealt with by other difficult people.

The witch might be able to handle it, but Pinocchio certainly couldn't anymore.

While using the puppet as a compass, Qin Fei occasionally asked other questions: "Do you know the witch's weakness?"

Pinocchio tensed up, realizing they were indeed after the witch.

Fortunately, he couldn't answer this question.

"I really don't know," the puppet said nervously, fearing that Qin Fei might elbow him if he wasn't satisfied with the answer.

"Alright then." Qin Fei changed the topic, "I heard that the witch knows the way through the rose maze in the back garden. Since you work for her, do you know the route inside?"

Actually, he had considered taking Pinocchio directly to the maze, but then he thought that the rose sea might not be an ordinary physical maze. If there were other mysteries hidden within, Pinocchio's nose alone might not be enough.

Pinocchio shook his head vigorously: "I don't know, I know nothing. I'm just a door painter."

They turned left, and Pinocchio pressed down his elongated nose caused by guiding them: "Are you also here to ask the witch questions?"

He thought they were here to cause trouble.

Qin Fei’s eyes flickered slightly as he responded to the puppet, "Mm."

"The witch can answer all the questions in this world," Pinocchio said proudly, raising his head. "Many people come to ask the witch questions."

"And then?" Qin Fei asked with great interest, "What happened to those people?"

Pinocchio gave an awkward smile, "They all died."

"However," seeing Brown’s face change instantly, it quickly added, "Before they died, they all got the answers they wanted."

Pinocchio’s wooden eyes rolled in their sockets, "There are two of you, and the old lady kills only one at a time."

Brown: "..."

Suddenly feeling a chill down his neck.

Brown glared fiercely at the puppet.

To be honest, it wasn’t just his neck that felt cold; his back was also shivering with cold.

Brown couldn’t understand how Qin Fei could still calmly converse with the characters from these strange tales in such a sinister and eerie corridor?

The carpet in the corridor was fluffy, and stepping on it felt like sinking into quicksand, as if one would be deeply engulfed at any moment.

Portraits hung on both sides of the corridor.

Ever since Brown stepped onto the third floor, that sense of being watched, which had followed him in Bluebeard's Villa, reappeared.

Although Brown looked back several times and found nothing unusual with the frames, he knew clearly in his heart that the people in these paintings were staring at them.

Brown swallowed and hurriedly caught up with Qin Fei’s pace.

Ahead, the puppet compass made a significant breakthrough, and Pinocchio’s nose locked onto the corridor ahead.

Qin Fei’s slightly lowered eyelids suddenly lifted.

He asked, "Is the witch in the room at the end of the corridor?"

Pinocchio: "Yes."

His nose didn’t grow longer.

Brown’s eyes suddenly lit up.

The music from the ballroom on the first floor drifted into their ears, and now they were already dancing the fifth dance.

As if sensing someone invading the corridor, the hanging paintings on both sides suddenly began to shake violently.

The frames hit the walls with a thumping sound, and the flat oil paintings bulged outward, like bubbles bubbling.

The figures in the paintings seemed to be struggling to get out.

"Don’t look at them, run forward!" The corridor paintings were originally a dangerous obstacle, but unfortunately, with Pinocchio as a traitor, they became easily overcome.

Qin Fei’s gaze remained firm, unaffected throughout, while Brown was terrified, feeling a strange attraction from the walls, trying to pull his attention sideways.

"Look at me."

"Look at me for a moment."

A gentle, untraceable whisper sounded in Brown’s ear, as if a pair of soft hands were slowly caressing his face.

Brown was not moved at all but was rather frightened.

Having no choice, Brown simply closed his eyes tightly, even if he stumbled because he couldn’t see the road, tripping over his own feet and falling flat, he still dared not open his eyes, continuing to stumble forward.

"Thud!"

With a dull sound, Brown crashed into the wall at the end of the corridor.

Qin Fei couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his mouth, patting Brown’s shoulder, "Alright, we’re here."

Qin Fei released Pinocchio. This little puppet had helped them so much, so he naturally couldn’t just hand it over to the witch.

Pinocchio tried to slip away, but Qin Fei grabbed his collar again, grinning, "Don’t go far, I’ll find you when I’m done."

The ghost infant squatted in front of the puppet, glaring fiercely, as if warning it: Even if you go far, I can still catch you.

Pinocchio almost cried again, feeling that its future would eventually be ruined by this madam.

Qin Fei didn’t care about leaving psychological scars on the child, reaching out and pushing open the door in front of him.

What appeared before them was a dark room, different from the castle’s luxurious and beautiful decoration style. This room was empty, without furniture or decorative portraits.

Only in one corner stood a large wooden chest, next to which a few candles of varying heights burned on the floor.

An elderly person draped in black sat with their head bowed behind the candles, and a small bird covered in golden feathers fluttered its wings, flying in the air.

It sang as it flew:

"My mother killed me."

"My father ate me."

"My sister picked up my bones and buried them under the banyan tree."

"Ahh~ Buried under the banyan tree~"

Hearing these eerie lyrics, Brown shivered again, but Qin Fei narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, looking at the favorability prompt in the darkness.

"Witch of the Castle: Affection Level - Unapproachable (No one should dare to think of gaining any favor from the witch. Greed can cost you your life!)"

"You have come."

An old and hoarse voice echoed in the darkness. The witch, shrouded in black veils, lifted her head, revealing a face covered in wrinkles.

She seemed unsurprised by their arrival; her cloudy eyes were like deep, stagnant water.

The air was permeated with a faint stench, as if something had died in this room long ago.

"It's an honor to meet you," Qin Fei replied with a smile.

His overly calm response seemed to startle the witch.

The witch's interested gaze swept across Qin Fei's face.

She spoke softly, "Why have you come to me?"

Qin Fei blinked. "I came to you not to ask a question but to borrow something from you."

Qin Fei looked at the little bird circling above the witch's head.

During the time he had been inside, the bird kept singing that same song.

Qin Fei stared at it for a while.

He felt that this bird seemed eager to leave the witch's vicinity, but there was an invisible wall around her, blocking all its escape routes.

"You want to borrow it?" The witch showed a knowing expression and smiled meaningfully. "It is my most precious child. If you want to take it away, you must first pay a price."

The witch pointed to a box nearby.

"Go to that box and fetch something for me," said the witch.

Qin Fei did not move immediately. He was pondering the information Pinocchio had revealed before entering.

The witch always killed those who asked questions.

But similarly, she would answer their questions.

From the moment Qin Fei entered the room and saw the box, he had some speculations, which were further confirmed when he heard the golden bird's song.

This was a very famous story from "Grimm's Fairy Tales," "The Juniper Tree."

In that story, a wicked stepmother tricked her stepson into opening a box to retrieve an apple inside.

When the stepson lifted the heavy lid and put his head in, the stepmother slammed it shut, breaking his neck.

According to the story's progression, anyone who opened the box would die.

Therefore, the witch must provide the answer before the box is opened.

Qin Fei thought, if others could do it, so could he.

With this realization, Qin Fei felt no pressure. He raised his head and bargained casually, "I can help you get the item, but how do I know you'll give me the bird after I hand it over?"

Witch: "?"

How did this noble lady suddenly become like a street thug?

The witch suppressed her discomfort and continued to entice, "Give me the item first, and I promise not to deceive you."

Qin Fei shrugged, "Give me the bird first, and I promise not to deceive you."

Witch: "..."

The witch took a deep breath!

In the past, she told them the answers first because she knew they couldn't escape.

But the bird above her head...

Qin Fei crossed his arms, propped one foot up, and tapped it on the ground, looking like someone who had nothing to lose.

The witch gritted her teeth.

How could there be such an annoying person, haggling here?

If possible, she wished to drive this inexplicable fellow away right now, but she couldn't bear to.

There weren't many strangers left in the castle, and it was rare for someone to visit...

The witch rummaged under her robe, found a spool of thread, and tied one end around the bird's neck.

Then, reluctantly, she handed the other end to Qin Fei.

"Here, take it." The witch looked unwilling.

Instantly, the invisible cage around the bird seemed to disappear, freeing it from being confined only around the witch's head.

Although the thread still limited its freedom, the bird was delighted, even chirping more joyfully.

Qin Fei took the thread and handed it to Brown, then faithfully approached the box.

The witch's gaze grew increasingly fervent.

Under the witch's close watch, Qin Fei opened the lid and pretended to look inside.

In the farthest corner of the chest lay a golden apple, shimmering brilliantly.

What pure gold it was! It was tempting enough to make anyone who saw it reach out to pluck it. However, after staring at the apple for two seconds, Qin Fei looked away without any hint of temptation.

"Huh?" The player exclaimed in confusion, "Why is there nothing in this chest?"

Witch: "?"

The witch doubted she had heard correctly, "What did you say?"

"I said there's nothing in this chest," Qin Fei replied with an innocent face.

This chest was extremely large and deep. If he had followed the witch's command to reach for the apple inside, he would have had to insert his entire upper body into it.

But now, he stood upright beside the chest.

Due to the chest's size, the witch sitting on the other end could not see what was inside at all.

Qin Fei's expression was so sincere that the witch felt momentarily disoriented.

"So, what exactly do you want me to fetch for you? Air?"

Qin Fei showed a worried expression, "Or perhaps, there should be something in this chest?"

"Why is it gone now? Oh my god, oh no, could it have been stolen!"

Witch: "?????"

The witch widened her eyes.

The witch, who was usually adept at deceiving others, was genuinely swayed by Qin Fei's emotionally charged words.

How could there be nothing?

Impossible.

Could it... really have been stolen??

If it was stolen—her suspicious gaze fell on the little bird in Brown's hand.

Finally unable to contain herself, she stood up and took a few shaky steps forward.

The moment she rose, a tremendous force suddenly came from behind, something rammed into the witch, causing her to stumble and lose balance, falling forward.

And Qin Fei, who had been blocking her view of the chest, abruptly stepped back a large step.

The witch's eyes widened in fury!

It's over!

She's been tricked!

She tried to steady herself, but it was too late. Despite wearing a dress, the young and strong player was not hindered. Qin Fei pulled the witch over and forcefully pushed her head into the chest, slamming the lid shut with his other hand!

Bang!

A scream echoed from within the chest, and blood splattered everywhere!

The entire process happened in the blink of an eye.

Brown, who had not read this fairy tale, was completely bewildered throughout. Seeing the witch die, he opened his mouth in shock.

"Brute force conquers all." Qin Fei clapped his hands.

Dark, dirty blood spread beneath his feet, yet he seemed oblivious, his demeanor relaxed and composed.