Doll Castle (7)

The newcomers shuddered.

They were no fools. Clearly, they understood what he had left unsaid: besides searching for clues themselves, they could also uncover them by sacrificing lives.

But no one could guarantee they wouldn't be the one forced to test a clue with their life... And so the newcomers, who had been full of reluctance moments before, obediently lowered their heads one by one.

Seeing that his warning had hit home, Zhao Yi knew when to stop. "In that case, let's split up and explore... We can exchange clues at noon."

No one objected, and they went their separate ways.

Bo Yi walked alone along the castle's third floor.

The third-floor corridor was spacious, with a thick carpet that felt soft underfoot. Perhaps because the castle had only one master, no one seemed to clean this floor; dust drifted through the air in clouds visible to the naked eye.

There was also only one room on the third floor. Its door was made of heavy oak, completely unlike the thin, faintly rotten doors of the guest rooms, and exuded an ancient, imposing air. Exquisite, lifelike patterns were carved into it, and gold trim along its edges made the entire door look even more luxurious-with a door like this, the room beyond undoubtedly belonged to the castle's master.

Bo Yi stood before the door. His detector showed no reaction-the master wasn't inside, so he pushed the door open.

Stale air, dust, and the musty smell of wood rushed into his face, making Bo Yi frown involuntarily. Standing in the doorway, he surveyed the furnishings: thick dust covered every corner, and heavy curtains blocked out the already dim light outside. The room's exquisite decorations had all faded, and even the chair at the dressing table had split open to expose the shriveled foam within.

A dressing table?

Bo Yi's gaze slowly returned to the dust-covered dressing table. By then, the room had aired out enough, so he simply walked over.

The dressing table was crowded with cosmetics, and its mirror was so covered in dust that he could barely see into it. He picked up a container at random and opened it. The cream inside had gone moldy, and the pungent fragrance mixed with the smell of rot was far from pleasant. Bo Yi replaced the lid and put it back, uninterested.

The mirror reflected his figure hazily. Perhaps because dust covered its surface, two figures appeared in the blurred reflection.

Bo Yi's hand paused as he put the container down. Slowly, he raised his eyes. In the mirror before him, a white figure stood some distance behind his reflection, watching him.

She still wore that long dress whose original color was impossible to make out. Her long black hair completely obscured her face, and she stood motionless before the wardrobe.

Bo Yi stared at the figure in the mirror for a few seconds, then abruptly turned around.

There was no one before the wardrobe. Only dust drifted lightly through the air.

Frowning, he set down the item in his hand and walked over to the wardrobe.

Creeeak-

The heavy wardrobe door swung open. Once the dust inside had settled, Bo Yi could see its contents clearly-the wardrobe was full of dresses. Although they were all covered in dust, and some of the fabric had even faded, there was no denying that these were all women's clothes, and none would fit the master's build.

Clearly, this could no longer be explained away as an unusual hobby of the master's-the owner of this room was undoubtedly a woman.

Bo Yi closed the wardrobe and slowly made another circuit of the room. After confirming there was nothing else to discover and that the woman in the mirror wouldn't appear again, he left.

Bang. The sound of the door closing echoed through the empty corridor, and Bo Yi stopped thoughtfully.

The corridor was unusually bare, especially the empty wall opposite the room. Even the narrow corridor outside their guest rooms was covered in paintings, so why was this one... No, wait. Bo Yi narrowed his eyes. Why are some patches of this wall a different color?

He approached the nearest discolored patch. It was only slightly paler than the surrounding wall, so he wouldn't have noticed without looking closely. Its shape was also very regular, a neat rectangle that looked somewhat familiar, almost like...

An idea suddenly flashed through Bo Yi's mind.

Picture frames!

These are the shapes of picture frames!

They had the same shape as the portraits in the gallery, only larger. Hanging on the wall, they had kept some of the dust off, leaving the patches beneath them paler than the exposed areas.

But... where had the paintings that once hung here gone?

Absorbed in his thoughts, Bo Yi suddenly felt two gentle tugs on his clothes.

He slowly lowered his head.

Pan Lulu was holding the hem of his shirt, her face anxious and hopeful. "Hey, could I team up with you...? I-I'm not very brave, and I'm a little scared..."

Bo Yi slowly frowned.

He was a little obsessive about cleanliness. However, his aversion was different from most people's-it applied only to living humans. No matter how disgusting or slimy an anomaly was, Bo Yi could touch it without batting an eye. But when it came to people, he couldn't tolerate even the slightest close contact, not even through clothing.

So, "Sorry." Fighting the urge to disinfect his clothes immediately, he avoided Pan Lulu's hand, pinched the corner of his shirt between his fingers, and swiftly pulled the hem free of her grasp. "I'm more used to being alone."

"Besides..." Bo Yi looked up at the third-floor corridor.

Although it was daytime, the third-floor corridor had no windows, leaving it shrouded in darkness. Spacious yet completely bare, it was no less frightening to walk through alone than the gallery. "If you could come up here by yourself to find me, you can't be that timid..."

With that, he ignored the hurt expression that appeared on Pan Lulu's face and turned to leave.

By the time he went downstairs, the other players were also returning to the hall one after another.

But before they could gather to exchange information, clang, clang, clang- a resonant bell rang out.

It was noon.

As soon as the bell fell silent, bang! The double doors to the first-floor dining room flew open.

"Good afternoon, my honored guests..."

The master, who had been nowhere to be seen all morning, sat at the head of the dining table, smiling at the players outside the doors. "I've prepared a sumptuous lunch for you all."

His smile was as warm and welcoming as ever, but his tone brooked no refusal. "Please, take your seats..."