Chapter 31
Xing Nuo, looking at the male player’s contorted, frightening face, lowered his hand holding the rose.
He took a step back, glancing nervously at the male player, then at the buzz-cut player with the injured arm.
“Sister…don’t want…flower?”
Xing Nuo clutched the rose, blinked, and looked up at her.
The buzz-cut player glared at her crazed teammate, her chest rising and falling, feeling like she was constantly on the verge of a breakdown.
Since yesterday, no, since they entered the castle, their mental states had been subtly influenced.
Besides this male player, another female newcomer was also acting strangely.
The player team was constantly on the brink of arguments.
The buzz-cut player, thanks to a prop pendant she had acquired in a previous instance, was able to maintain a degree of sanity and was currently the most stable among them.
But even so, she often felt inexplicably irritable.
She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and was about to refuse the rose.
But Xing Nuo held it out to her again.
“Sister…flower…for you…good mood~”
The buzz-cut player’s patience was wearing thin, and she almost snapped at him.
But just as she was about to speak, she suddenly realized something—
“Good mood?”
She repeated the words, a sudden realization dawning on her.
Could it be…that the rose had some special effect?
Otherwise, why would the little master keep saying it could improve one’s mood?
She quickly forced a smile and asked:
“Does the rose really…improve one’s mood?”
Xing Nuo nodded emphatically, his curls bouncing, his eyes shining.
“Yes!”
Dad had told him so, it couldn’t be wrong!
The buzz-cut player, having survived many instances, might not be as powerful as the top players, but she was very perceptive.
She thought carefully, then, gritting her teeth,
she took a gamble.
The moment she accepted the rose, a system notification echoed in her mind:
[Congratulations, player, on obtaining a B-level prop – Rose from the Blood Rose Castle!]
[The rose is the castle master’s most prized possession. Its captivating fragrance can keep the user in a pleasant mood! All the servants in the castle adore it, but Master forbids anyone from touching his flowers, so they cannot have one.]
[System hint: This prop has no side effects or cooldown time. It might even have unexpected uses in critical moments!]
The system notification made the buzz-cut player’s eyes widen in shock.
A B-level prop!
A B-level prop cost almost ten thousand points in the player market!
And even then, they were rarely available, usually snatched up by high-level players the moment they appeared.
And this B-level prop had no side effects!
Her own pendant was only C-level and had a long cooldown time!
In that instant, she understood why the roses were so highly valued.
Planted by the castle master himself, guarded by countless monsters, even if the players knew they were B-level props, they wouldn’t dare pick one!
They would lose their heads before they even touched a rose!
It was only thanks to her inadvertently gaining the little master Xing Nuo’s favor that she had received one.
Overjoyed, she placed the rose in her spatial backpack and couldn’t resist hugging Xing Nuo, pinching his cheeks.
“Thank you, Little Master! I love the rose!”
Seeing her bright smile, the anxiety fading from her eyes, Xing Nuo smiled back.
“You’re welcome. Teacher said…help each other!”
Having only attended kindergarten for two days, Xing Nuo loved showing off his newly acquired knowledge.
As if he knew so much, like a grown-up!
Happy with his good deed, Xing Nuo, not minding his reddened cheeks, skipped back to the living room.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the fine fibers of the carpet.
Shen Wen sat on the sofa, holding a gardening guide, flipping through the pages, his head lowered.
“You picked my flower and gave it away?”
He didn’t look up, his voice cold, the only sound the rustling of pages.
Xing Nuo, who was humming a cheerful kindergarten tune, stopped and clutched his bottom when he saw his dad.
He remembered he was supposed to be injured.
“Dad…bottom hurts…”
He walked over to Shen Wen, slumped onto the sofa, and whined softly, sticking out his bottom.
Shen Wen snorted, put his book aside, and looked down at the little one who was clearly putting on an act.
“A sore bottom didn’t stop you from picking flowers?”
He reached out and smacked Xing Nuo’s bottom.
“Still hurts?”
Xing Nuo yelped, his cheek squished against the sofa, and protested in his childish voice:
“Hurts!”
As if afraid his dad wouldn’t believe him, he rubbed his bottom with his small hand.
He peeked up at his dad.
Catching Shen Wen’s eye, he smiled, revealing his little rice teeth, and snuggled against his dad’s leg.
“Dad…Zaizai…needs rub…”
Shen Wen felt the unfamiliar warmth against his leg, the child’s cheek as soft as a cloud.
He frowned, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
He wasn’t used to having someone so close, clinging to him so dependently.
He disliked this inexplicable trust and affection, as if it placed a burden of responsibility on him.
Shen Wen didn’t want to be responsible for anyone.
He instinctively pushed the little one away and stood up, his eyes half-closed.
His lips pressed into a thin line, his expression cold, he walked towards the stairs without a word.
But just as he was about to go upstairs, he paused and turned around.
“Have the butler apply some medicine later.”
Not only had he not scolded him for picking his rose, but he was even having the butler apply medicine. Shen Wen felt like a saint.
But Xing Nuo didn’t seem to appreciate it.
Usually, when he was sick, Dad would kiss and hug him, take him to soak in the pool, and coax him to eat and sleep!
Thinking this, Xing Nuo pouted and buried his face in the sofa, feeling aggrieved.
Daytime Dad was too mean!
Zaizai had only picked one small rose!
As he sulked, the butler arrived and carried him upstairs to apply medicine to his bottom.
The redness on Xing Nuo’s bottom had already faded, barely visible.
But the butler still fussed over him, applying medicine with a worried expression, then went to report to Shen Wen.
“The little master is still young. Such a fall might require ten days to half a month of rest and recuperation.”
Shen Wen: “…”
His light-colored eyes filled with a hint of exasperation. He didn’t want to deal with the eternally dramatic butler and rubbed his temples.
“Don’t worry about him, he’ll probably forget about it after his nap.”
The butler thought this was unacceptable and was about to speak when Shen Wen interrupted him.
“Go downstairs and keep an eye on those strangers. They should be exhibiting some unusual behavior soon. Make sure they don’t make too much noise.”
Both Shen Wen and the butler had noticed the players’ increasingly erratic and violent behavior.
It was only a matter of time before these players met their demise in this castle.
The butler bowed obediently, nodding in agreement.
“What about the rose…the little master gave away…?”
Shen Wen closed his eyes and sighed.
“It’s just a flower.”
He had an entire garden full of them, what was one rose?
The butler nodded and respectfully retreated, going downstairs to instruct the servants to monitor the players.
Downstairs, in the players’ bedroom.
The male player stared at the buzz-cut player who had accepted the rose, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
“No, you took the flower, why are you still alright?!”
His face was contorted, repeating the same phrase over and over, his mental state clearly unstable.
The buzz-cut player, taking one look at him, knew he was a lost cause.
The other players were also irritable, but, thanks to their props, they managed to maintain some semblance of calm.
“This isn’t sustainable. We won’t last another day like this!”
A veteran player stood up, his face grim.
“We need to figure out what’s causing these mood swings, otherwise, we can’t guarantee that someone won’t snap and attack their own teammates.”
The buzz-cut player, being the most stable among them, nodded in agreement.
“I think we can rule out the rose.”
Having acquired a B-level prop, she wasn’t stingy and decided to share some information with her teammates.
A veteran player looked at her intently, his head lowered, deep in thought.
So, the rose wasn’t as dangerous as they had thought, but actually quite useful?
They continued their discussion, analyzing the unusual elements in the castle, until a rumbling sound interrupted them.
The female newcomer, pinching herself to stay calm, rubbed her stomach, her face pale.
“I’m so hungry. It’s been two days, and I’ve only had a bit of bread.”
They didn’t dare eat the castle food, and the cook had haughtily refused to cook for them anyway.
