Thinking Forest Mansion (1)

After they got off the bus, Tang Cha and Fang Rui were already waiting at the stop.

Only when they saw that Lu Jiancheng had suffered nothing worse than a few minor injuries did they relax.

"Eighteen people went past just now. Including us, that makes twenty-two players in this instance." Fang Rui once again put her formidable investigative skills and logical thinking to work. "But what I don't understand is that the sign at the stop clearly called this place Birdsong Forest. Why does the system call it 'Witch Forest'?"

"Could there be a witch living in the forest?" Tang Cha asked.

Fang Rui shook her head. "It might mean something else."

The forest saw few visitors. Perhaps it had just rained; the soil was very damp.

Large patches of mushrooms grew beneath the trees, and squirrels occasionally bounded past.

Hei Hei had long since run out of patience and gazed pitifully at Ji Xun with little black-bean eyes.

As though admitting defeat, Ji Xun took Hei Hei out of his pocket and set the little creature on the ground. "Go play. Come find me in a bit."

Hei Hei scampered into the woods. Tang Cha asked curiously, "Ji Xun, since when did you have a rat?"

Ji Xun replied, "Picked one up in the sewers in the last instance."

"Eww..." Tang Cha looked disgusted.

After walking for who knew how long, they finally caught sight of the players who had set off before them.

When Ji Xun and the other three arrived, the players merely glanced at them before looking away.

The players had split into several groups, with those who knew one another chatting quietly.

Not far from them stood a luxurious three-story mansion.

Through the screening trees, they could see neatly tiered shrubs in the front courtyard and a fountain glittering with rainbow light in the sunshine.

Judging by the exterior alone, the owner of this mansion had to be either rich or powerful.

A man in an old-fashioned tailcoat emerged from the mansion. He wore pristine white gloves, and every movement was impeccably courteous. Upon seeing the players, he bowed slightly in a perfect gentleman's greeting.

"Welcome to Thinking Forest Mansion. I am the butler of this residence."

[Welcome, players, to the instance-Thinking Forest Mansion]

[Instance duration: five days]

[Number of players: twenty-two]

[Instance background: legend has it that a witch lives at the far end of Birdsong Forest. Passersby often hear wails coming from her home...]

[Main quest: who killed the mistress of the house?]

[Friendly reminder: this is a mystery-solving instance. Players have only one chance to submit an answer]

[Enjoy the game!]

The butler led the players through the front courtyard to the mansion's entrance.

"My employers were a deeply devoted pair of newlyweds, but misfortune befell them last month." The butler led the players inside, explaining as he walked, "You have been invited here to discover who the murderer was."

"How did your employers die?"

One of the players spoke up first, and the butler led everyone into the entrance hall.

The building was designed in a medieval European style.

The entrance hall faced the staircase on the first floor. On either side of the stairs stood an iron soldier holding a spear.

Although a month had passed and the mansion had been cleaned several times, traces remained.

Thanks to his experience in the Uninhabited Village, Tang Cha immediately spotted the flecks of blood on the wall.

There were bloodstains in the gaps of the soldiers' armor, too.

Seeing that the players had all noticed something, the butler said, "The mistress was hacked to death with a kitchen cleaver near the entrance hall. The master was lying in a pool of blood. Though he had no external injuries, he was already dead when he was found."

Ji Xun pointed at the spear in one soldier's hand. "Whose blood is this?"

The butler's expression shifted slightly before he answered, "The maid's. For some reason, she fell from the second-floor railing. When she was found, she was impaled on the spear."

Tang Cha sucked in a breath.

"Where were you and the others at the time?" a female player asked.

The butler answered without hesitation, "The cook and I had gone into town to buy daily necessities and ingredients. Only the master, the mistress, and the maid were in the mansion."

Yet when the butler returned, he discovered that all three were dead.

"Could an outsider have done it?"

The butler shook his head. "I don't know, but outsiders rarely pass near this mansion. Even the people from the nearby village never come here."

"Because of Witch Forest?" Fang Rui asked.

The butler gave her a surprised look before replying, "Exactly. The townspeople all say a terrifying witch lives in this forest, and they warn their children not to play nearby. As it happened, my master preferred peace and quiet, so he allowed the rumor to spread."

"I see."

A photograph of the couple who owned the mansion hung on the wall by the first-floor staircase. In it, the master rested a hand on the mistress's shoulder, and both were smiling.

As the butler had said, they looked like a very happy couple.

"Something's odd." Fang Rui lowered her voice. "Look at the mistress's clothes."

The mistress wore a simple black dress. As she sat, its wide skirt trailed across the floor, and she wore a black-and-white hair accessory.

The master's clothes, by contrast, were rather elaborate. The shirt beneath his tailcoat was embroidered with exquisite patterns in silk thread, and its colors were brighter as well.

Ji Xun glanced at his own black trench coat and felt there was nothing wrong with the mistress's clothes.

"If you looked at these two separately, what would your first impression be?" Fang Rui asked.

Tang Cha thought for a moment. "The mistress's outfit looks a little lifeless."

Especially that hair accessory. Perhaps it was an association formed in childhood, but black-and-white accessories worn on the head always brought certain unpleasant things to mind.

Lu Jiancheng got straight to the point. "The mistress looks as though she's going to a funeral, while the master is dressed the way you'd expect a newlywed to be."

Tang Cha disagreed. "This mansion has a medieval European style. Maybe black and white are festive colors to them?"

The players quietly discussed the situation with their teammates while the butler watched them with a smile.

"There are nine bedrooms in total on the second and third floors. You may choose whichever you like." The butler raised a hand as he explained, "The cook will also prepare three meals a day for you at the appropriate times."

The dining room was just to the right of the staircase.

"Wow-" Tang Cha's mouth fell open. "It's just like what you see on TV."

Candlesticks and fresh flowers adorned the long dining table, and even the dining chairs had been wiped spotless.

"The cook is excellent. You'll have a chance to try his food shortly." As though suddenly remembering something, the butler hurriedly added, "Oh, yes. The cook has a rather peculiar temper. He dislikes guests eating any food other than what he has personally prepared. I hope you'll understand."

There it was!

A death condition.

The players exchanged looks, seeing caution in one another's eyes.

A delicious aroma wafted out of the kitchen, and the players involuntarily swallowed.

"That smells amazing." Tang Cha craned his neck to look into the kitchen.

A man in a chef's uniform was working at a frantic pace, while an earthenware pot bubbled away on the stove.

The butler entered the kitchen. A little later, he turned to the players with a troubled expression. "The cook didn't expect so many guests today, and he's a little short-handed. Would anyone be willing to help him?"

A side quest!

The players' eyes immediately lit up.