Chapter 199: Mischievous Vivian 13

Chapter 199: Mischievous Vivian 13

Brown's mouth gaped wide enough to swallow a dozen eggs.

The ghost baby, who had just served as a significant obstacle on the witch's path and successfully made her fall flat on her face, was now excitedly crawling towards the black blood flowing everywhere. Qin Fei grabbed him by the nape of his neck and lifted him up.

"Let's go." Qin Fei tossed the ghost baby onto his shoulder.

The sixth dance had already ended.

The golden bird, tethered by a thread, flew joyfully above Brown's head. It looked too conspicuous, so to avoid causing a commotion when they approached the crowd, Qin Fei reached out and gently cupped it in his palm.

The bird did not resist, finding a comfortable position to sit down. It continued humming the song from earlier but no longer sang the lyrics.

Pinocchio was nowhere to be found outside the door; he must have hidden somewhere else.

Qin Fei didn't have time to chase after him now and rushed out with Brown at breakneck speed.

Since the fourth dance had ended, the back garden had been opened to the guests, and fewer people remained inside the castle. Many had moved into the garden.

As Brown descended the stairs, he kept sniffing and frowned. "What's that smell?"

The strange odor assaulted his nostrils.

Now that he thought about it, he had smelled this since entering the castle, but it had only briefly appeared before, not drawing his attention.

A hint of contemplation flashed in Qin Fei's eyes. "It's the smell of lamp oil."

Indeed, he had smelled it before, but the scent had only lingered near a few standing candelabras and wall lamps before they went upstairs.

Qin Fei had initially assumed the quality of the lamp oil used in the castle was poor, but now it seemed otherwise.

In the ballroom on the first floor, the prince still bumped around like a headless fly.

Ever since parting ways with Qin Fei, he had been fixated on finding the beautiful lady again to express his feelings to 'her.'

Qin Fei stealthily pinpointed the prince's location and dashed down the stairs while he wasn't looking.

The closer they got to the first floor, the stronger the smell of lamp oil became.

Brown even began feeling dizzy and lightheaded, with his temples throbbing. He covered his nose and mouth until they burst out the back door into the open air, where the dizziness slightly subsided.

There were quite a few people in the back garden, but most NPCs stayed on the lawn rather than venturing into the maze-like sea of blue roses.

At the entrance to the rose sea stood a warning sign:

"After entering the rose sea, please leave by midnight. Otherwise, you're on your own."

With only a few minutes left until midnight, it was no wonder the guests dared only to linger near the entrance.

Before them lay a narrow, dark path.

Rose vines intertwined to form short walls on either side, barely reaching an adult's shoulders, emitting an intoxicating fragrance.

Brown started feeling dizzy again; the scent was overpowering, seeping directly into his brain.

He tiptoed and leaned over the hedge, peering to the other side. All he saw was darkness, with twisted stone paths extending into the distance. The view beyond was blurred as if smeared with a black marker.

Qin Fei took a deep breath and whispered, "Are you ready?"

Brown nodded nervously.

"Run!"

On Qin Fei's command, he released the bird.

One end of the thread was still in Qin Fei's hand, and the bird flew forward. Their entry into the rose sea caused nearby NPCs to exclaim in surprise.

But they ran so fast that no one dared to chase them.

"Who are those two?!" an NPC exclaimed in shock.

"I don't know," the person beside him shook his head regretfully. "How reckless. I doubt they'll make it out alive..."

Qin Fei and Brown were swiftly darting through the rose sea.

They needed the golden bird to lead them to the fountain pool, something Qin Fei had already communicated to the bird when they were downstairs.

Whether the bird understood or not, it chirped a few times and continued lying calmly in Qin Fei's palm.

Regardless, the bird now flew with purpose, providing some reassurance to the anxious Brown.

The bird flew incredibly fast, and so did the two men. The eighth dance had ended, and the break would be brief before the ninth dance began.

They still hadn't found the mermaid Lu Cheng.

Moreover, they knew nothing about the castle's secrets.

The fragrant wind brushed against their cheeks like a sharp blade dipped in cream, sweet yet lethal.

The eerie cold wind made Brown shiver uncontrollably.

On both sides of the path, the roses trembled in the wind. The night was deep, and there were no lights in the rose sea. The intertwined branches and leaves of the roses formed massive, ghostly shadows.

"Watch your step!" Qin Fei's warning voice carried over the wind from ahead.

Running too fast, Brown's heart pounded wildly due to the lack of oxygen, and his thoughts were crushed under the pressure.

He was completely unable to discern the meaning behind Qin Fei's words, but his body reacted before his mind did, jumping up on the spot with a blank expression.

When he looked down, he realized that he had just narrowly avoided a rose vine winding its way along the ground.

The vine coiled on the ground in circles, swaying like a snake, seemingly annoyed at having missed its target.

Brown broke out in a cold sweat!

"Tha... "

He wanted to thank him, but his voice was broken and fragmented.

The fragrance of these flowers... something wasn't right.

Brown thought hazily.

The scent seemed capable of affecting one's mind, and the blue rose sea was entirely different from an ordinary maze. Each rose branch had its own consciousness and moved constantly.

In such a maze, it would indeed be impossible to leave without a guide.

Fortunately, they still had that little bird.

Brown hazily lifted his head.

The bird's golden tail feathers swayed in the night wind, emitting a brilliant light like a sun rising in the night sky.

"Run faster!" Qin Fei panted heavily.

But the darkness shrouding the flower sea was gradually fading, and not far away, they could vaguely see the outline of a towering fountain.

Qin Fei gritted his teeth and sped up.

Brown's condition, however, was not as good as Qin Fei's. He hunched over, stumbling and barely keeping up behind Qin Fei.

Each blooming rose seemed to call out to Brown, tempting him to stay, to get lost in the sea of flowers and never leave.

Thorny vines wrapped around his ankles, and the thorns that pierced his skin acted like living mouths, continuously sucking his blood.

Brown felt his life force draining away.

His vision darkened.

He was about to give out.

At this critical moment, Qin Fei slowed down and grabbed Brown's wrist.

The young man's grip tightened, the pain from his wrist bone spreading to his brain, bringing a moment of clarity to Brown's mind.

"Faster!"

Qin Fei forced the words through clenched teeth.

Lifting his head, he looked at the bird's silhouette.

"Keep up with its speed."

"Look at it, don't look anywhere else," Qin Fei warned Brown.

Although the roses' mental influence didn't work on him, it had a significant effect on Brown. The light emitted by the golden bird could alleviate this situation to some extent.

In fact, Qin Fei himself was already struggling, his lungs stinging as if needles were piercing them, ready to explode at any moment.

But he dragged Brown through the flowers.

Ahead, the shape of the hot spring became clearer, and they could even hear the sound of rushing water.

Before both reached their limits, the bird finally stopped in mid-air.

"..."

Brown instantly collapsed, sitting on the ground.

"We... we made it!" The NPC stared straight ahead, unable to help laughing.

"Haha! Hahahaha!"

"We really made it!!"

He had almost thought he was going to die among the roses.

Brown turned and grabbed Qin Fei's hand, tears streaming down his face in gratitude. However, another voice, even more excited than Brown's, hit their ears:

"You finally found me!!!"

In the fountain, Lu Cheng's upper body was bare, only covered by two shells on his chest.

His lower half was submerged in the water, but the shimmering rainbow ripples revealed that what lay beneath was not human legs, but a huge fish tail.

Brown stared at Lu Cheng, dumbfounded.

Clearly, the three people drawn into the fairy tale had all received gender-swapped roles.

But unlike Qin Fei, who perfectly suited a dress, and Brown, who, though pale and delicate, could pass off wearing a dress without too much awkwardness,

Lu Cheng was a sunny, athletic man with broad shoulders and long legs outside the tale.

He had short, neat black hair, and his angular face wore a tearful expression: "I've been waiting so long, I thought the flowers would wilt."

Brown shivered involuntarily.

...

Why did he feel like turning around and leaving?

Qin Fei suppressed his twitching eyelids and spoke calmly, "We've found you. What's next?"

The tasks assigned by the system to players should be synchronized. Lu Cheng had also received the same information that Qin Fei had heard.

Lu Cheng twisted in the fountain, showing a shy expression.

"This version of the tale is different from the original. The little mermaid, tempted and captured by vicious humans, needs two good friends' hugs to grow human legs and escape the palace, returning to the sea."

The mermaid blinked and said.

A wave of ellipses flooded the live stream chat. Viewers in Qin Fei's stream were all shouting about how cringeworthy it was, while Lu Cheng's fans covered their eyes.

Embarrassing.

Truly embarrassing!

Qin Fei & Brown: "..."

It was unbearable to watch.

This was the real horror story!

After two reluctant hugs, a soft light flashed over the fountain pool.

Lu Cheng put on a pair of shorts, then swiftly climbed out of the fountain.

"It's almost midnight, and the task isn't over yet," Lu Cheng said succinctly. "I know what will happen tonight. We need to speed up."

In the players' task panel, besides "Find the trapped little mermaid before midnight," there was another task, "Prevent the ■■■ in the palace."

"Tonight at midnight, this palace will catch fire, burning everyone attending the ball to death," Lu Cheng said slowly.

Qin Fei's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he understood.

Indeed.

It was arson.

From the moment he smelled the oil, he had suspected this, but he hadn't had time to find evidence.

Qin Fei released the bird again, and the three followed the golden tail feathers, sprinting forward. This time, Lu Cheng and Qin Fei flanked Brown, significantly increasing their speed.

While running, Lu Cheng said, "I've really had bad luck this time! As soon as I entered the tale, I found myself in the sea, turned into a fish."

At that moment, Lu Cheng was stunned. The vast, dark ocean stretched endlessly, with only him, a single fish, floating in the water. Not far from Lu Cheng, a huge ship was anchored in the sea.

The ship was pitch-black, without a single light, looking like a ghost ship. But as the only clue within sight, Lu Cheng managed to climb onto its deck.

Recalling this, Lu Cheng looked pained. "This cursed tale is truly toxic. In the original story, the little mermaid trades her tongue with the sea witch for legs, but I was a fish from head to toe!"

Who knew how he managed to drag himself up onto the deck using his abs and tail!

In short, if not for his vine talent skill, Lu Cheng might have been stuck at the first hurdle, unable to even board the ship.

"After boarding the ship, I saw a man unconscious on the deck," Lu Cheng said.

He could tell he was in the tale of the little mermaid and recognized the man as a prince from his elaborate attire and the crown lying nearby.

No matter how one thought about it, this prince must be an essential part of the tale, so Lu Cheng began to help him.

"The prince was soaking wet, with no visible injuries, looking like he had fallen into the water and been pulled out. So I... cough, performed CPR on him."

Even now, Lu Cheng still felt awkward recalling it.

He had sacrificed so much in this instance!

"Right when I started CPR, as soon as I touched his mouth, he opened his eyes," Lu Cheng said with a dejected face.

In fairy tales, a kiss from true love awakens someone, so Lu Cheng didn't doubt it.

"But who would have known," the poor player gritted his teeth, "it was all an act!"

There was no accident with the ship, and the prince hadn't fallen into the water.

Everything was a trap, designed to lure him, the fish, aboard.

"They had long been targeting the mermaid in the water, wanting to capture one as a gift for the neighboring royal family."

Lu Cheng inadvertently became that unfortunate offering.

Lu Cheng looked disgruntled. "If my appearance were more enchanting, maybe I could have triggered some side quests, but instead..."

Neither male nor female.

Forget about the prince; every time the prince saw Lu Cheng on the ship, he looked at him with disdain, saying Lu Cheng ruined his fantasy of mermaids.

Lu Cheng: "..."

He might as well have been a male mermaid.

But until just now, before being rescued by Qin Fei, those two shells seemed to be glued to him, impossible to remove.

"In short, I spent a day and night on that ship, completing the little mermaid's tale, and then was sent into the palace."

With the help of the vines, although Lu Cheng was inconvenienced, he managed to gather quite a bit of information.

"The king in this castle suffers from a hidden illness and needs to use live sacrifices to extend his life every now and then," said Lu Cheng. "The one responsible for this task is a witch who resides in the castle."

Brown's expression turned astonished, and Lu Cheng quickly noticed something was amiss: "Have you already met the witch?"

Qin Fei nodded: "To be precise, she's already been taken care of by me."

"Damn!!!"

Lu Cheng's voice cracked as he shouted.

He lost his balance and nearly stumbled, only managing to steady himself by grabbing Brown's shoulder: "What, what, what do we do now?"

Lu Cheng spoke rapidly, like a machine gun: "Tonight's arson was arranged by the witch. The king, tired of living in constant fear, wanted a permanent solution, so the witch came up with this plan."

If enough people were killed all at once, the king would gain lasting peace and health.

"Since the witch is dead, does that mean our mission is already complete?" Brown wondered aloud.

Lu Cheng gave a bitter smile: "But we're still here."

If killing the witch was the way to stop the arson in the castle, they should have returned to the Weird Tales Hotel by now.

As they spoke, the three had already reached the edge of the sea of roses.

Qin Fei released the silk thread in his hand, and the golden bird regained its freedom. However, it did not immediately fly away.

Instead, it circled above Qin Fei's head and began to sing loudly:

"The bird in the cage always wants to escape."

"At dawn and dusk!"

"Thank you for fulfilling the bird's wish!"

"The secret is: kill the king! Kill the king! Kill the king!"

After singing these lines, the golden bird flew away without looking back.

Qin Fei and Lu Cheng's eyes suddenly lit up.