Screams and howls passed through the thick walls, forming muffled echoes in the stairwell between the walls. Some instruments became more prominent while others were muted. When the sound reached the ear again, it felt strange, as though a clumsy key change were being performed.
"Are we leaving already?" Fris finally could not help asking as they descended the narrow stairwell.
Liu Fengming had successfully cleared the trial at the last moment, placing the final mask dictated by the Nuo Ritual's rules over his face. It truly gave off a sense of completion.
But according to Fris's experience from back then, such a selection game should only have been the prelude to the climax of the event. It merely granted "authority" to those grotesque or comical masks, making it easier for the participants to immerse themselves.
At its core, a Nuo Ritual was a king's game that took turns satisfying the desire for power.
Though the essence was the same, the rules varied. Fris was genuinely looking forward to what changes would come next. If they left now, he would be a little disappointed.
The people following the two of them were all "honest folk" who had not rushed into the crowd earlier to jostle and rub against others, whether out of reserve or some other reason.
True to the repressed nature of "honest folk," they all stared eagerly at Ronan's... the back of his head.
Ronan did not respond until he reached the first-floor stairway entrance. "Coming down now should be just right."
Someone had already run ahead and opened the fire door. Without that layer of obstruction, the earlier sense of warped melody and timbre was swept away. Once the sound returned to normal, it somehow seemed even clearer and more pleasant.
So, habits really were a terrifying