The Gardener's Task

"When we first entered the Instance, we obtained a Dream Point on the outskirts. After opening the Castle, we lost consciousness. Although we were notified that we had died, we didn't have to restart the run like Luo Jiayu did. We were also notified that we had used up one Dream Attempts."

"So what we saw in the Castle back then might not have actually happened, or it might not be happening now, but a dream, a dream of the future or the past?"

Bai Ao seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to, but he couldn't possibly admit he didn't understand in front of the live stream audience, so he let out a sound of sudden realization, "Oh~"

Wang Ding looked at him. "You understand? I haven't even confirmed whether this idea is right or wrong, and you already understand?"

"I roughly understand. I'm not stupid."

"Yes, yes, you're not stupid." Wang Ding turned his head and said, "Let's keep searching. When we meet up, let's make sure we're the only ones who haven't found anything."

The Bai Ao immediately perked up; he certainly couldn't afford to lose face!

On the third floor, Tang Pin and Mi Chuchu had just reached the Corridor when they saw that the Eldest Miss's room was still lit up, and the two immediately fell silent.

Tang Pin gestured: Shall we go quickly?

Mi Chuchu glared at him: What's the rush? Go eavesdrop!

Watching Mi Chuchu quickly crouch and walk along the wall, Tang Pin took a few deep breaths to calm herself before quietly following.

No wonder people say that those who Dù'è to escape misfortune always encounter strange things; it's not just bad luck, it's also closely related to their reckless and suicidal spirit!

Mi Chuchu's thinking was simple: if there were clues, why wouldn't she go and check them out?

Which clue doesn't involve risk? Do you really think the Weird Instance they cleared were easy?

Inside the house, the Eldest Miss was questioning a servant.

"Is it clean?"

The servant nodded. "Everyone who knew was killed, and the one who helped was dealt with as well. The body was buried in the Back Garden."

"Very good, it must be clean, leave no evidence." The Eldest Miss admired the jewelry around her neck in the mirror. "Kane dared to lie to me, and that woman is incredibly audacious, even thinking I could set them free. She uses my power to act recklessly, and she thinks she can get away so easily?"

"Since you love each other so much, then die together. Burying you together so I can grow flowers will be a blessing."

The servant bowed slightly. "Don't worry, Eldest Miss. If the Countess and the Count ask, they will definitely say it has nothing to do with you! It was all our doing."

The Eldest Miss contentedly took a Ruby ring from her jewelry box and handed it to the servant.

The servant accepted it with both hands, then hesitated before speaking, "But..."

"Just what?"

"I just happened to see the Young Master taking a walk near the Racetrack when I left; I don't know if he noticed."

The Eldest Miss frowned. "Idiot, it goes without saying, he definitely knows."

"Then we need to..."

"It's alright, my youngest brother is very cunning. He thought he was hiding it well and no one knew, but even his silly brother Rong En was completely fooled by him."

The Eldest Miss chuckled, "He couldn't possibly expose me. No one would believe him, and he wouldn't be so foolish as to offend me."

"But letting him leave so easily isn't satisfying. How about this, call him here, I want to have a serious talk with him."

As she spoke, the Eldest Miss took down a bunch of keys hanging on the wall.

"Yes."

When Mi Chuchu saw the servant about to come out, she quickly pulled Tang Pin away.

So Kane and Qing Ge were killed by the Eldest Miss? Could it be that the last survivor at that banquet was the Eldest Miss disguised as a man?

There were too many people at the time, the visual impact was too great, and the expressions of the people who died were all distorted, making it difficult to see what they looked like.

Thinking this, they turned around and bumped right into a smiling face.

"Ladies, what are you doing?" The Butler smiled, blocking their escape route. His eyes, hidden behind his monocle, seemed to read their thoughts. "Are you looking for the Eldest Miss? Why don't you go inside?"

Meanwhile, outside the Castle:

An Ying threw the tools in her hand to the ground and stared at the motionless tree branches with a cold gaze.

He had settled on his work location here an hour ago, pruning tree branches in the dark night under the cold wind.

An hour passed, and he hadn't managed to cut a single branch.

He doesn't even know if he's angry because he can't cut a branch, or because he won't be able to return to the Castle if he doesn't complete the task.

"I wonder how the captain and the others are doing." An Ying murmured to herself, looking at the endless flower field before her and then at the Castles in the distance. "What are their jobs? Are they also out on missions?"

[HHH, so far I only see that you're an employee with tasks to complete.]

[You didn't watch Luo Jiayu's live stream, did you? She's in the kitchen cleaning fish, haha. She's a chef and she was called to prepare the ingredients.]

[This is outrageous! Is it really appropriate to kill a fish with a fish?]

[Sheng Qingqiao seems to be outside too? He's been squatting by the water for a long time; I wonder how far apart they are.]

[It looks better outside than inside the Castle; at least there's nothing eerie. All I have to do is trim the trees.]

[Don't speak too soon; failing to prune the trees and complete the task will only make things worse.]

An Ying reached out and touched the flowers. The flowers in the Garden were indeed blooming beautifully, each one perfect, with almost no damaged flowers, only some extra branches that were crooked.

Since pruning didn't work, he decided to walk further into the Garden, hoping to discover some Rules.

Although it was dark and he couldn't see the road clearly, he had walked this route several times during the day and remembered some of the routes, so he wouldn't get completely lost.

After walking about halfway, An Ying lowered her head and used the tip of her umbrella to touch the ground. Although the soil here was very flat, its color and feel underfoot were completely different from other places.

Looking further into the distance, he noticed that the surrounding land had been disturbed. Besides the rich fragrance of flowers, there was also a faint smell of rust in the air.

An Ying could guess what might be buried in this soil without even thinking.

He crouched down, gently dug with his hand, and the soil easily crumbled, releasing a strong, pungent smell of blood.

Now he was certain that there was a corpse under the ground.

He dug a few more times, and the ground made a strange "thump-thump" sound.

An Ying stopped what she was doing, carefully turned her face to the side, pressed her ear to the ground, and listened to the sounds in the distance.

It sounds like something is rushing towards us, accompanied by the sound of something dragging on the ground!

An Ying immediately opened her bamboo umbrella, her pink eyes fixed on the flower bushes in the distance.

A blur of motion flew by, and suddenly the flower bushes in front of them were smashed open. A familiar person rushed out, yelling and screaming, carrying a wooden bucket.

"An Ying!!"

Sheng Qingqiao's wailing was so heartfelt and pitiful; she was soaking wet and looked extremely disheveled. Seeing him was like seeing a savior.

An Ying scooped him up in one swift motion, and at the same time, she saw the thing chasing after him.

It was a cluster of flowering branches, unlike the small branches he had pruned. These branches were noticeably thicker and sturdier, as if they hadn't been pruned in a long time.