Chapter 4 Sophia’s Castle (2)

Chapter 4: Sophia's Castle (Part 2)

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy. Bao Yan, seated opposite, remained impassive, as if he hadn't seen anything, but only Shi Wu knew that Bao Yan was ignoring him.

Bao Yan sat upright, his hands folded on the table, his entire body resembling a sculpture from an older era, even his breathing seemed precise and measured. Only his metallic golden pupils watched him, devoid of any emotion.

Shi Wu curled his lip in boredom.

Then he turned his head and began carefully scanning the room.

The entire hall felt heavy and oppressive. The walls were dark bronze stone. The ceiling hung high, a dim yellow crystal chandelier casting mottled light and shadows. An old-fashioned clock at the end of the long table pointed to 4:45. The walls were adorned with eerie paintings and ancient tapestries. Beyond the staircase, wrought-iron railings and hidden corridors were faintly visible.

These elements combined didn't suggest a dining room, but more like a secret tribunal.

A voice suddenly cut through the silence.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Zhou Xun."

The speaker was a middle-aged man sitting to Shi Wu's right. He wore a gray-blue uniform, his hair somewhat graying, and he had an efficient air about him. "Are you all total newcomers?"

"Newcomers?" The one who spoke up first was a young man wearing an orange light-fabric outfit. He seemed relatively bold, but even in this situation, he looked slightly dazed.

Zhou Xun spoke again, his words succinct and without mincing words. "Then let me give a brief introduction. Roughly a few months ago, a 'virus' suddenly erupted. As you can see, this 'virus' periodically pulls infected people into instance worlds. Only by completing the tasks given by the system can you return to reality."

This relatively bold young man interjected, "Doesn't that count as a kind of alternative full immersion game?"

Zhou Xun nodded slightly. "Essentially. But unlike a game, it doesn't require any neural interface, and no one knows exactly how it spreads or infects. Moreover, if you die in an instance, you die in reality too. So everyone must be careful."

At the left side of the dining table, a man wearing a white bespoke suit next to Bao Yan looked somewhat puzzled. "Are instances very dangerous? Aside from the system itself?"

Zhou Xun continued patiently explaining. "The higher the star rating of an instance, the higher the danger level. This beginner instance is one star, already the lowest. As long as everyone follows the rules, doesn't touch things they shouldn't, and doesn't say things they shouldn't, generally there won't be any problems."

"Furthermore, after completing the task, you receive completion rewards. The higher the difficulty, the rarer the rewards you can obtain. You can directly choose what you need, or you can choose to bank the reward. It's said that after reaching a certain number of times, there's an ultimate reward—what each person desires most in their heart."

"I personally have participated in six instances, the highest being three stars. The system randomly selects people who have participated in multiple instances to guide newcomers. This is already my second time guiding a beginner instance."

"Wow, you're a veteran!" the young man exclaimed, his voice carrying some excitement and an attempt to get close. "Veteran, my name is Qi Lan. I'd appreciate your guidance during this instance!"

Qi Lan was very outgoing. Having buttered up Zhou Xun, he started asking the fashionably dressed young woman to his right.

Because Qi Lan remembered that when the white-haired man died, everyone else was shocked or screamed. Only this young woman showed not a trace of fear on the surface.

"What's your name, miss?" Qi Lan asked with a grin as he leaned over.

The fashionably dressed lady couldn't be bothered with him. She raised a hand to adjust her curls tinted by the light, her eyes full of disdain, her words also laced with sarcasm. "Lili Su. This is my third time in an instance."

"Ah, so you're experienced too..."

Before Zhou Xun could finish speaking, he was interrupted. The haughty lady glanced meaningfully at the person beside her. "Don't think that just because I've been in three times, I have an obligation to carry newbies. I'm here to survive, not to do charity." After saying this, she disdainfully kicked the blood-stained chair next to her.

Zhou Xun's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but he couldn't say anything. After all, willingness to guide newcomers was purely personal. Unwillingness wasn't something to criticize.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "The rest are probably all newcomers. Everyone should introduce themselves first. As I said at the beginning, my name is Zhou Xun. I'm also getting older. You can call me by my name or Uncle Zhou."

The man in the white bespoke suit on the left slightly inclined his head. "Hello, I am Ino Fion."

"Is that the legendary Fion family from the Empire?!" Qi Lan widened his eyes. "To think I'd get to meet someone from the Fion family one day. My life is complete."

Ino Fion glanced at Qi Lan but didn't reply.

The woman in the black dress seemed somewhat fragile, leaning against Ino Fion. The two probably knew each other. Her appearance and speaking voice were equally gentle. "My name is Lysa."

Next to Lysa, a youth in a white hoodie who'd faded into the background since entering the instance spoke up. "Hello everyone, I'm An Ze."

The corner of Bao Yan's mouth twitched slightly. He decisively used a fake name. "Suoen."

The others all looked at Shi Wu, the last one to introduce himself.

Feeling everyone's gaze, Shi Wu paused in stroking his finger on the gem-inlaid dining table. After pondering for a few seconds, he revealed a meaningful smile. "My name is Boyan Sigou."

"Wow." Qi Lan cooperated in building the atmosphere. "That's a rare name. It feels very special."

Shi Wu nodded with a smile, clearly very satisfied with Qi Lan's remark. "Yes, it is indeed very special. It's a name specially chosen to remember someone."

Qi Lan was clearly a drama king. He exaggeratedly placed both hands over his chest, affecting a deeply sentimental look. "That girl named Gou must be very happy, to be remembered by such a handsome guy like you."

The atmosphere around the "remembered" Bao Yan instantly dropped several degrees. Those golden eyes fixed intently on Shi Wu. He caught the implied meaning perfectly well; this was indirectly calling him a dog.

"Bong. Bong. Bong."

The moment the clock pointed exactly to five o'clock, the entire manor sprang to life. A rustling sound filled the air.

A man in a gray uniform appeared at the end of the long table from nowhere. He bowed slightly, his manners impeccable.

"Guests, dinner time is next. Please enjoy your meal."

The moment the gray-clad attendant's voice fell, the small doors on both sides of the hall quietly opened, sliding apart soundlessly as if controlled by an invisible force.

Then, several servants in neat uniforms filed in. Their steps were light, their faces expressionless. Each held a silver tray, placing exquisitely crafted dishes—long extinct across the stars—before everyone.

Every dish also resembled a carefully designed work of art, brightly colored and uniquely shaped. Even the aroma was somewhat unusual, carrying a hint of unpleasantly cloying sweetness.

Just as the dishes were completely laid out, an old man in a wheelchair, stooped over, appeared at the end of the servant procession.

He wore a black tailcoat, with a strangely shaped metal badge pinned to his chest. His eyes were cloudy, the wrinkles on his face so deep they seemed carved into the bone. His gray-white hair was neatly combed back, revealing high cheekbones.

The old man didn't speak. He was slowly pushed by the servant behind him to sit at the head of the long table, the host's seat.

His emotionless gaze swept over everyone one by one, as if appraising inanimate objects, sending chills down their spines.

The air instantly became even heavier. Even the normally boisterously laughing Qi Lan instinctively hunched his shoulders.

After a long while, just as everyone was about to lose their composure, the old man finally spoke.

"Welcome, everyone. I am the master of this manor, Sullivan."

As his voice fell, the air suddenly became still.

"Now is dinner time. Please, honored guests, enjoy your meal slowly."

Everyone looked at each other. No one dared touch those seemingly delicious delicacies.

The next second, a sudden, mechanical-sounding female voice rang out in everyone's minds. Unlike System 000's hypocritical pretense, this one was truly devoid of any emotion.

"Due to detection of a special event, task requirements have been resent. Please, all participants, immediately check your personal panels."

As the voice fell, a pale blue transparent interface appeared before everyone's eyes, floating in the air like a projection, but only visible to themselves.

Zhou Xun spoke up to remind everyone. "Concentrate to open or close it. The panel is privately visible only. No one can see anyone else's content."

With that, his gaze swept over everyone once more, and he paused before adding, "Until we've fully confirmed each other's stances, I'd advise against sharing mission info too freely."

"Especially since, if the system determines you've 'leaked critical information,' it may trigger a penalty mechanism."

Everyone knew exactly what that "penalty mechanism" meant.

Tension thickened again, broken only by the fading footsteps of the servants as they withdrew.

Shi Wu stared at the blue light screen floating before his eyes, a gleam of keen interest surfacing in his gaze.

"Name: Shi Wu"

"Identity: Distinguished Guest"

"You are one of the distinguished guests, invited to attend the manor owner's banquet. Note: Your information may be incomplete; please act and speak with caution."

"Main Mission: Find Sophia. Side Mission: Leave Sophia's Castle."

[Side Mission Hint: Danger lurks beneath the "truth."]

"Due to a special event, this side mission is now compulsory, and the instance difficulty has been raised to two stars. Completing the side mission will grant additional rewards."

A line of vivid red text suddenly pulsed a few times at the bottom of the panel, as if to draw Shi Wu's attention.

"Special Note: You have been bound to a teammate. Reach a high affinity level to unlock access to the teammate panel."

In one corner of the interface, a gray avatar floated quietly, its outline blurred, its gender and features unclear.

A teammate?

Shi Wu let out a low whistle.

This was getting more and more interesting.

Author's Note: