Alice's Hell (36)-The Annex

There are two hidden sky corridors connecting the annex and the main building, located on the second and fourth floors respectively. Yu Xing followed behind the butler and did not encounter any ghosts to stop her along the way.

It seems that the demons born of evil can distinguish the employees inside the castle.

The butler's help to him was already quite blatant. Yu Xing believed that even if Alice was now an ugly, irrational monster, given her control over the castle, she might have already discovered her butler's "treasonous" behavior.

He'd better hurry, or Alice might wander over.

Yu Xing followed the butler along a route he had never taken before, turning several inconspicuous side streets, until he finally saw the so-called sky corridor.

The corridor was mostly obscured by an intricate black iron railing gate, and because the corridor was enclosed on all sides, he could not see the annex building in advance.

Coincidentally, the door had already been opened, but was slightly ajar, saving Yu Xing the trouble of figuring out how to get the key.

"It seems someone has already gone to the annex." The butler was slightly surprised, because he knew that both corridors were locked, with the keys guarded by two of the Combat Power physical monsters.

Yu Xing responded nonchalantly.

Huai and Huang Bai had been saying they wanted to find the corridor for a long time, and given their abilities, it wasn't surprising that they had found their destination after all this time.

Looking at Yu Xing's completely unsurprised expression, the butler couldn't help but think that someone could obtain the key and enter the annex without anyone noticing, which meant that there were more than just this one clever person among this group of tourists.

Perhaps... just like that previous fire, the tourists might actually succeed, after all, this time they have much more information and experience than the first time.

Having received reassurance, the butler stopped and nudged Yu Xing: "You go in. Alice is still living on the fifth floor. I have to stay in the main building; otherwise, it would be no different from directly informing Alice."

Yu Xing nodded. He hadn't expected the butler to lead him directly to Alice's bedroom. The butler's job was to do logistics in the lobby, so there would definitely be restrictions on his access to the annex.

In fact, the butler had already done everything he could to help him find the way into the annex without any effort; he couldn't ask for more.

Yu Xing walked to the railing gate, gently flicked his finger, and the gate opened slightly, allowing one person to pass through.

He paused in his steps, then turned back. "... Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

The old butler thought for a moment and said, "There are no monsters like yours in the annex, but you need to be careful not to be discovered by the nun. Neither the nun, the cook, nor I have any ability to kill, but we have ways to restrain the tourists and notify Alice. The cook doesn't interfere, but the nun is extremely loyal to Alice. If she catches you, you'll have to face Alice sooner rather than later."

"Thank you." A glint flashed in Yu Xing's eyes beneath his black hair as he looked at the old butler's upright figure and respectable attire—a mere decoration within the opulent castle. He nodded almost imperceptibly, making a gesture that was, for him, quite solemn. "And... goodbye."

If his journey goes smoothly, we may never see each other again.

As the foundations of Alice's Hell crumble, the butler will head towards the fate he was destined to have long ago.

Die.

For the butler, death was a relief. He was not young anymore, and his hair was all white. Perhaps what he had always been pursuing was to be laid to rest underground, undisturbed by these messy things.

No longer glancing at the butler, Yu Xing's eyes were slightly cool as he walked down the corridor. There were lights in the corridor, and he put his tinderbox, which he wouldn't need for long, back into his pocket.

Soon, he walked to the other side of the corridor. Since the annex was where Alice and the staff lived, there was no door blocking this side of the annex, probably because they trusted the staff.

After passing through the corridor, a small hall comes into view.

The hall was empty but exquisitely decorated, with the walls covered in intricate gold leaf that formed luxurious patterns.

Near the wall, coils of thin white ropes crisscrossed and hung, with clips holding photos of the same size to the ropes.

In an instant, Yu Xing recalled the mysterious witch's time capsule in Alice Paradise.

The lobby of the Time Cabin is just like this, with photos showing the things each person has experienced in their life. Some are people, some are scenes, and the blurry memories are clearly reflected in these photos.

It seems Alice preserved the Time Cabin and even moved it to the annex?

Yu Xing glanced casually at a few photos, then raised an eyebrow.

Not entirely.

The photo does show the time, but it's no longer the tourist's; it's Alice's.

Steampunk style was displayed unabashedly before Yu Xing. Yu Xing saw familiar drop towers, clock towers, and claw machines playing strange songs.

My gaze shifted to the side, and the next photo showed a seed being handed to me by a hand hidden in a black sleeve.

The next picture shows a rosebud growing in a flowerpot, the soil of which is soaked in blood, resembling red soil.

Yu Xing stared at the black sleeve for a while. He knew that, according to the butler, the owner of the sleeve and the hand was the Great Wizard.

After a while, Yu Xing lost interest in continuing the tour. Besides records of rose growth, the photos also included many images of tourists dying tragically. Yu Xing had absolutely no interest in witnessing how people died. He looked around one last time, shook his head, and said, "... It's a pity... that Witch isn't here."

The woman with the noble and aloof expression left a deep impression on Yu Xing. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and her voice was also very pleasant, though she was a bit eccentric.

And then there's that little cat named Bad Luck, who seems to like him a lot, but he doesn't like cats that compete with lazy people for seats.

Oh, right, the Witch gave him an item called [Time Imprint, but he still hasn't figured out what it's for.

Wait... could Witch and wizards be related? When I first met her, Witch seemed to say she was here part-time?

The term "part-time job" is sometimes used by the game developers because the system panel displays various "part-time job markets."

"Hmm... never mind, they both have the word 'witch' in them, it's probably just a coincidence."

Shaking off the thoughts in her mind, Yu Xing stretched and walked towards the exit of the hall.

He just wanted to find the fifth floor quickly so he could go to the Rose Tunnel and meet up with Zeng Lai.

It would be even better if we could meet Huang Bai and Huai on the way. Those two seem to be very capable. With them joining us, the plan to destroy Rose will definitely go much more smoothly, provided that the fifth floor Alice's passage has no limit on the number of people who can enter.

Behind the exit was a corridor, and from here on, the traces of roses gradually intensified. The walls were inlaid with rose-shaped decorations, red and decadent. Whether it was an illusion or reality, Yu Xing could always smell a faint rose fragrance.

It seems that ever since Alice acquired a human form through the rose, Alice herself has come to love roses even more.

He sniffed uncomfortably, finding the smell unpleasant at all. The floral scent wasn't pure; it was mixed with many unpleasant smells, such as rust and rot. To describe the feeling, it was like the cheap perfume worn by the women who had confessed their love to him sometime in the past.

Its only effect is probably to refresh and invigorate the mind.

"Yiqing," he called softly.

Ever since arriving at the library and encountering the hysteriac, Yiqing has been hiding behind the dagger, pretending to be dead, as quiet as if she doesn't exist.

The dagger at his waist moved slightly, and a wisp of green mist emerged from his hoodie, leaving a cold sensation on his abs.

"They've arrived." Yi Qing materialized in the blue mist, transforming into human form and floating in the air. "What?"

Yu Xing: "It's alright, your smoke has the scent of Zhuzi." It smells better than the pungent rose scent.

Yi Qing understood what he meant and didn't care that he was being treated like Zhuzi- scented incense burner. He just felt that this person was Sheqing Ghost.

He chuckled with amusement at first, then opened his fan and gently waved it, his brow furrowing slightly. "This is the annex? It's much smaller than the main building."

The annex is newly built and only needs to provide accommodation for employees, so it doesn't need to be too large. Compared to the main building, it's a very small place.

Yu Xing hummed in agreement. From his current vantage point, he could see an upward staircase and a downward staircase at the end of the corridor. He walked quickly toward them. The staircases were winding, and it was clear that both the upward and downward staircases involved crossing a floor.

"Huh?" Yu Xing walked up without hesitation and arrived at the next level, which was the third floor, where there was another identical staircase leading upwards.

He paused for a moment, then a thought occurred to him, "The space in the annex is normal?"

"Maybe," Yi Qing said. "Aren't you going upstairs soon? Aren't you worried about that kid named Zeng Lai?"

"Yes, although he's basically no longer at a loss after receiving my previous hints, I'm still worried that Alice might discover his location and go looking for him directly." As she spoke, Yu Xing quickly climbed the stairs again, confirming the good news.

The space in the annex is actually normal!

In other words, its staircases are fixed at the corners, stacked one floor at a time, unlike the maze-like structure in the main building that can drive people crazy.

If that's the case, then getting to the fifth floor would be a piece of cake for him!

Soon, Yu Xing went straight up to the fifth floor.

A rich scent of roses wafted through the air. Large swathes of red roses were planted on both sides of the corridor, stored in black porcelain jars. They were vibrant and deep, like clusters of burning red clouds, much like the ring around the giant eye above the castle. They were very beautiful.

Yi Qing stood there in a blue robe, a scene that should have been a clash between intensity and elegance. Yet, inexplicably, any hint of elegance seemed out of place, as if it had been ostracized.

"I don't want to stay here." The blue- Sheqing Ghost floated directly behind Yu Xing, slightly off the ground, and placed his hands on Yu Xing's shoulders, as if using Yu Xing as a railing. He put a tiny bit of weight on him, making Yu Xing aware of his displeasure.

Yu Xing himself didn't like these roses either, but this was the first time he had seen Yi Qing show any disgust. You see, Yi Qing hadn't shown any discomfort in the two deserted villages in the advancement Yugi.

He asked, "Why?"

Yi Qing replied, "It's too dirty."

"Dirty?" Yu Xing didn't expect Yi Qing's answer to be like this. As they walked along the sea of flowers on both sides, he continued to ask Yi Qing, who was lying on his back, "Why is it dirty?"

Yi Qing forced a disdainful expression onto his otherwise refined demeanor. "These flowers are filled with deliberately evoked bloodshed, sin, and fear, which contradicts what they truly need."

"This place, which was originally meant for atonement and the pursuit of truth, has now degenerated into filth. Isn't it disgusting? The smell makes me want to vomit."

Only ghosts can sense the difference, because they are most familiar with these negative feelings.

Yu Xing thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're right, it's very dirty."

Alice, driven by her own desires, transformed from a just manager of Paradise into a complete degenerate, a transformation largely attributable to the Great Wizard.

If given the chance... he really wanted to see what kind of organization the "wizards" were, and what role they played in this Absurd World.

If it's an organization that can travel between different worlds... doesn't that mean that understanding this organization brings him one step closer to the high-level secrets of this Absurd Deduction?

Of course, it seems too early to think about these things now. Yu Xing walked along, opening doors in the corridor. Behind these doors were functional rooms, mostly showrooms, filled with sculptures, paintings, handicrafts, and clothing—a dazzling array.

Therefore, Yu Xing can basically confirm that Alice is the only person living on the entire fifth floor, while the other employees live on other floors.

There are so many unimportant rooms that the staff can't even find a place to stay.

Just as Yu Xing was looking at the last double door inlaid with various gemstones, Yi Qing, who was clinging to him and wouldn't let go, suddenly turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated, his voice gentle and steady yet leaving no room for doubt. "Hide."

Yu Xing's eyes sharpened. Trusting the Sheqing Ghost, she quickly crouched between two pots of roses, using the thorny branches to conceal herself.

Once he was sure his position wouldn't be easily spotted, he shifted his gaze and peered out through the gaps between the flowers.

A dark figure stopped not far away, as if it had heard some noise. It looked around suspiciously, and a cold feeling lingered on its handsome, expressionless face.

Yu Xing narrowed her eyes, wondering to herself, "Why would a nun be on this level?"

His gaze moved downwards and he saw that the nun was holding a golden watering can with a long spout and a wide, disc-shaped top.

"..."

Come to the fifth floor to water the flowers?

The nun found nothing in the end; her stagnant gaze fell on the red flower bushes in front of her, and she picked up the watering can and began to water the flowers.

The water gushing from that long spout... was blood red.

The crimson liquid was poured onto the roses, and instantly, a fragrance a hundred times stronger than before filled the air, rushing straight into Yu Xing's nose.