Xiao Lan, who utilised physical ability in his wall-phasing technique, waited for the system notification hopefully.
One second passed…
Two seconds passed…
Three seconds passed…
After waiting ten whole seconds, there were unexpectedly no system notifications at all! No notification of attracting the boss’s attention by damaging property, nor any notification of his poverty value increasing. It was as if he had just kicked a wall of air.
No, this shouldn’t be ah!
Wang Taidi made his way through the hole in the wall, and seeing Xiao Lan staring blankly in front of the door, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Lan’s voice wavered a little. “Why isn’t there any system notification after I damaged the environment?”
Wang Taidi pondered for a moment. “The one about attracting the boss’s attention? Some games are like this. The players have all sorts of guesses for why, like maybe some bosses or NPCs are just overbearingly rich and don’t care about this little bit of money at all.
“In any case, this means that it’s easier for players to look for clues.” With that, Wang Taidi ran off to inspect the door.
Li- little bit of money…
Xiao Lan suddenly felt pain well up in the depths of his soul. It was such a beautiful manor with so many antiques, so much poverty value… but he could only look on helplessly, unable to take a single one away.
Madam Bella, look at this wall; isn’t it beautiful? Can’t you give it a small place in your heart?
Right now, he keenly missed that miserly and exacting big brother Zhang Dong, who would add even a dropped couple of light bulbs to Xiao Lan’s tab.
The human world was worthless.
Perhaps Xiao Lan’s disappointment was too obvious. Luo walked over and gently patted his shoulder. “Sir.”
Xiao Lan sighed. “I’m fine. Let’s go ba.”
Pushing aside Wang Taidi, who was plastered against the door and examining the lock, Xiao Lan wasn’t in the best state, and had to waste nearly ten seconds this time before he could open the door. Under Wang Taidi’s admiring gaze, he pushed the door open.
Unexpectedly, behind the door lay a child’s room.
They could barely see what the room looked like in the light of the candles from the corridor.
The room used a great number of bows as decorations, and the chipped, flower wallpaper was peeling slightly. In the center was a bed with a beautiful silhouette; there was even an exquisite white lace bed curtain which hung around it. It was now decaying a little, but had probably originally been warm and comfortable. On the bed, sofa, and even the carpet were several toys covered in dust — it was probably a girl’s room.
Xiao Lan walked inside, and only then did the musty smell of a room that had been sealed for too long hit him in the face, causing him to frown. Unfortunately, the windows in this room were already sealed tight and there was no way to open them for air.
The room was dim and it would be extremely hard to search for clues. Xiao Lan was initially going to get Luo to secretly let out his shadow to probe around, but in the end, the in-app purchase player Wang Taidi directly took out an item similar to an emergency light, and the room immediately became a lot brighter.
Wang Taidi gestured with the light. “This is called a ‘nuclear emergency light’. As long as it isn’t damaged, it’ll stay lit no matter how long it’s left out. You can get it easily in the player hub’s trade zone. Most players will have something similar. When you have the chance, you should get one too.”
Broke Xiao Lan, who had nothing he could trade with: “…”
His personal assets right now consisted of just Luo’s envelope and Time Reversal. Moreover, they were bound items.
“Everyone, look at this.” Luo’s voice drew their attention.
Luo was standing by the sofa as he gently waved a piece of paper at them.
Xiao Lan went over and borrowed the nuclear emergency light to look at what Luo was holding. It was a drawing. The artist’s brush strokes were very childish and clumsy, and the drawing expressed a child’s delight.
It looked like the work of a child, but even then, the level of skill already far exceeded Luo’s futuristic, soulful artwork.
On the left in the drawing was a woman with long, curly hair and in a gorgeous gown. On the right was a small girl in a cute puffy dress and a bow clip. They were holding hands, but the girl’s face was blank and looked a little strange.
Below the woman were the words ‘big sister’ and below the girl was ‘Annie’. There was even a sentence at the very bottom: “Big sister is the gentlest person in the world, Annie loves big sister”.
Was Annie the owner of this room? Where did she and her big sister go?
They continued searching the room. After a short while, Xiao Lan found a medical record in the bedside drawer.
Xiao Lan was able to decipher the doctor’s wild scribbles with some difficulty.
It was a medical record of Annie’s condition. She had an unknown hereditary disease which caused the patient’s bones to morph and their looks to change. Their body would grow unnaturally, and their limbs would expand or collapse.
Perhaps this explained why Annie had no face in her drawing. She was clearly a young girl who loved beauty, but her face had changed because of her hereditary disease.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Uier, atlr gbbw ibbxfv ilxf j mtliv’r gbbw, jcv vlvc’a tjnf atf frrfcmf bo j sbecu ijvs.
Xiao Lan closed the medical record. “Annie might have died when she was eight.”
Wang Taidi was rather sympathetic. “This child probably spent her whole life sick.”
After that, they found a second drawing.
In this drawing there was only the big sister, who was wearing a beautiful dress. Perhaps it was to magnify the big sister’s beauty, but the child also drew flowers everywhere around her with petals fluttering about exaggeratedly; it was obvious that the child liked her big sister very much.
But this time, she didn’t draw her sister’s face. Not only that, there were other even stranger things about this drawing.
Under the big sister’s feet were piles of human figures. From the clothes, they were probably female, and even looked a little similar to the clothes worn by the maids in the manor. The big sister was surrounded by a group of men in gorgeous suits who were all down on one knee, the expressions on their faces extremely fanatical.
This big sister looked like a queen bee receiving the adulation of the surrounding drone bees.
On the back of the paper, the child had written in her immature handwriting: ‘Annie still likes big sister’.
This ‘still’ gave off an ominous feeling. No one would use such a word to express that they were still the same as before unless it was a matter bad enough to cause a person to change attitude.
Was the thing that happened to the big sister related to why she lost her face in the picture? Did she get sick as well?
Conversely, Wang Taidi sucked in a cold breath. “Ss — why does this drawing look so weird? This big sister seriously looks fishy.”
Xiao Lan: “I have a guess, but I still lack some evidence.”
Right at that moment, Luo brought a plushie over. He flipped over the metal tag around its neck and passed it to Xiao Lan, who stared at it.
On it was written: ‘To my most beloved little sister’. The inscription was — Bella.
And now, the clues related to Annie were complete.
Xiao Lan showed the metal tag on the toy to Wang Taidi. “Annie’s big sister is Madam Bella. Madam Bella’s family has a horrible hereditary disease that will torture the patient until they change beyond recognition.
“Annie got sick when she was very young. She likes her gentle and beautiful big sister very much, while Bella didn’t show any signs of being sick until she was pretty much an adult. Perhaps, when the whole family thought she had escaped it, fate still didn’t let her go.”
“But this still doesn’t explain Madam Bella’s current appearance.”
“We probably don’t have enough clues yet.”
Even if the hereditary illness was that scary, it wouldn’t go so far as to change their species, right? Moreover, Madam Bella’s physique looked very strong, and was nothing like someone who had suffered many years of illness.
And there was Madam Bella’s temperament; Annie said that Bella was the gentlest person in the world, but none of that could be felt now.
They didn’t find any more information after that, so they withdrew.
At the entrance, Wang Taidi once again displayed the superiority of an in-app purchase player as he took out an item to restore the wall; not even a speck of dust remained on the floor. Xiao Lan was very envious when he saw this.
Why was it that they were both penniless paupers, yet the disparity between human beings was still this great?
After that, they decided to return to their rooms first to get some sleep.
When they passed by the kitchen, they could still hear Madam Bella singing. It seemed that she didn’t need to sleep as she persevered with researching dark cuisine in the kitchen.
This persistence and earnestness, paired with her cooking skills, seemed especially sad.
.
Returning to their rooms.
Xiao Lan keenly noticed that there were signs that his door had been opened; a strand which he had clamped in the door seam was gone.
He carefully opened the door, and was followed by Luo, who had noticed his strange expression.
The room looked normal, with everything quietly in place. Xiao Lan surveyed the room and didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. It was only when he lifted his head that he saw two upside down handprints at the top of the high window, as if someone had peeped into the room upside down from above.
The handprints were small, and looked like a girl’s.
This was the fourth floor, and the room was spacious and had a very high ceiling, so this floor was already separated from the floor above by a distance that was already larger than the height of a person. To leave behind upside down handprints like that, a person would have to be pressed against the wall like a lizard.
Was someone who could do this still considered a person?
The two of them looked outside, but there were no other clues apart from the handprints.
As he was closing the window, Xiao Lan accidentally bumped into an unknown ornament which had been placed next to it. The thing hit the ground and a sliver was knocked out of its delicate external appearance.
Again, there was no notification about damaging the setting or anything related to poverty value; Madam Bella clearly didn’t care about these things at all.
“Sir.” Luo’s voice drew Xiao Lan’s attention.
“What’s up?” Xiao Lan asked.
“Please allow me to stand guard over you tonight. There’s proof now that the room is already no longer safe.” Luo’s expression was very serious.
Xiao Lan thought about the mark on the door as well as the room they had opened. Finally, he glanced at the handprints on the window. Indeed, given the current situation, it was safer for the two of them to be together.
Luo continued to reason, “This is all for safely clearing the instance. You promised me that you would take me with you to clear instances together; moreover, you don’t have to worry that I’ll get tired from doing this little bit of standing guard.”
Finally, Xiao Lan nodded in agreement.
But when he lay down in bed, he again felt that it wasn’t quite right.
Luo stood in the dark like this and didn’t move as he stared at Xiao Lan. In the dim moonlight, his tall and straight figure looked like a monster, and his unconcealed golden pupils glimmered like that of a stray cat looking at a grave in a cemetery, which increased the pressure…
It would be weird if Xiao Lan could sleep!
Helpless, Xiao Lan patted the space beside him. “Luo, why don’t you lie down? In any case, the bed here is wide enough.”
Luo’s voice rang out, a smile in it. “Sir, I don’t need to sleep.”
Xiao Lan: “Then just treat it as assuaging the conscience of this heartless boss of yours a little ba.”
“Alright.”
After that, Xiao Lan felt the space beside him dip and a body without warmth drew close. Luo’s sleeping posture was very proper, and to maintain his stillness, not a breath or a pulse could be sensed from him, as if he was in standby mode.
He was so still he was like a corpse.
This… was still a lot of pressure ah. It was possible Luo truly didn’t quite understand what it meant to be ‘still’ in human terms.
Forget it, just let it be ba.
In this sort of strange situation, Xiao Lan thus sank into a deep sleep; he didn’t notice the person next to him reveal a satisfied smile in the dark.
.
The next morning, the maids led the players downstairs to another dining hall.
They thought that they would encounter Madam Bella’s lovingly cooked torment, but unexpectedly, breakfast looked extremely normal. Next to the beautifully toasted and fragrant bread were perfectly cooked sausages and eggs, paired with cheese and salad. It looked surprisingly tempting.
The players were a little hesitant, except for Qi Ning, who looked like he could survive on air. He played with the table knife and didn’t show the slightest interest in the fragrant food on the table.
One couldn’t help but wonder if the reason he was so thin was because he starved himself.
At that moment, the player whose door had a white mark on it last night suddenly slammed his hands on the table and stood up angrily. “How can I eat this?! I want to eat the food Madam Bella cooked!”
One by one, the players turned to look at him.
They saw his agitated expression as he waved his hands wildly. “What is this? Only Madam Bella’s cooking is delicious; don’t you guys think so?!”
The other two players who had eaten Madam Bella’s cooking at last night’s banquet also agreed emotionally.
“Right, right, right! These things simply aren’t edible!”
“Hurry up and remove them!”
“I already feel sick just from smelling it!”
“Housekeeper, I want Madam Bella’s food!”
It appeared that this unlucky fellow had been unwittingly ensnared last night. These three seemed to have already lost their usual judgement and now only had Madam Bella in their hearts.
Wang Taidi quietly said, “So it turns out that eating Madam Bella’s food will get you addicted? Not only is this game an insult to my aesthetics, it doesn’t even let off my sense of taste.”
After that, he recalled Xiao Lan’s cooking skills from last night; he trembled and decided that it was still better not to talk about this topic.
Leaving Xiao Lan alone to be bewildered.
At that moment, the housekeeper was drawn over by the disturbance and appeared in the dining hall. Her chin was still raised as she said expressionlessly, “How can Madam Bella prepare all three meals for you as if she’s a chef? Whether you can enjoy Madam Bella’s handiwork again depends on your performance.”
The three people became excited.
“For Madam Bella, I’ll do anything!”
“Me too!”
“Please instruct me! I’m willing to do anything!”
The housekeeper’s lips curled in satisfaction. She beckoned the three people over and they left. The dining hall instantly quieted down.
Xiao Lan reached out to pick up a piece of toast. The housekeeper’s words and the three players’ behaviour indicated that this food hadn’t been prepared by Madam Bella, so they could eat with peace of mind.
Xiao Lan even wanted to seize this opportunity to grab some food and put them in his storage space. In the end, however, the system prompted: “The aforementioned object is not an item and cannot be stored”. It seemed that it didn’t allow players to use this method to avoid danger.
Xiao Lan could only regretfully eat a little more.
.
After breakfast, Xiao Lan and Luo continued searching for clues inside the manor.
The fifth floor of the manor belonged to Madam Bella, and a maid stood guard at every flight of stairs, so it wasn’t easy to enter. They currently hadn’t gotten to the point where they needed to approach Madam Bella to search for clues, so Xiao Lan gave up on this floor for now.
The two of them went to the manor’s library.
Although it was called a library, it was in fact much larger than many bookstores in reality. Each and every one of the bookcases were as tall as the ceiling and towered over them. There were also plenty of candles which gave off light. A tall ladder had been placed on the side, and there was even a sofa and table close to every single bookcase for people to sit whenever they wanted to flip through a book.
Here, Xiao Lan tried looking for records on Madam Bella’s family. Even if classified information wouldn’t be kept in a library that was open to guests, basic information and the family’s glorious achievements would generally be kept here for the family to show off a bit.
However, there was surprisingly nothing to be found at all when Luo released his shadow for a meticulous search.
There was an empty area on one of the bookcases. It looked like it had once held many books, which had all been moved later. It was as if this family didn’t exist, and information on them was sealed tight.
Could this be Madam Bella’s doing? She didn’t want people to learn about her family, so much so that even people in the manor also called her by her first name; not once had anyone mentioned Bella’s family name.
Suddenly, Xiao Lan discovered a tiny crack on the edge of the ancient bookcase. He gently poked it, and discovered that it was a small vertical drawer. There was a circular board on the side, and when lifted, it revealed a little keyhole.
It looked like a hiding place for treasure, and it seemed that it had been so long that even the person who had hidden the treasure had forgotten about it. Xiao Lan first confirmed that there were no mechanisms nearby, before he carefully opened this drawer.
Inside the drawer was a dazzling golden dagger. There were exquisite carvings on it, and it looked very high-class.
【Name: Demeter’s Blade (High grade item, unbound)】
【Ability: Makes you look very rich. Us nouveau riche stand out from the masses even when peeling fruit】
【Description: The toy of a wealthy family】
What use was this ability?!!
However, what was a toy of a wealthy family? Suspicious, Xiao Lan held the dagger in his hand.
“Poverty value decreased by 300k. Xiao Lan has been corroded by capitalism! A disgrace to the poor!”
Xiao Lan: “…”
He then put the dagger back in its place.
“Poverty value increased by 300k. Mended his ways, Xiao Lan can still be saved.”
The fuck! Don’t tell me that I can’t even use expensive items?!! What sort of damn setting is this?!!
If he couldn’t use costly items in the future…
Xiao Lan imagined it for a moment: Him battling other players in the future, and the opponent taking out a famous heirloom knife/famous peerless sword/God-level magic staff, while he took out — a broomstick?
Anyone could tell with one fucking glance that this wasn’t imposing at all!!!
The author has something to say
Xiao Lan: Becoming rich is impossible; I won’t ever become rich in this lifetime.
Ooh~ the golden dagger should be given to Wang taidi! He would need this! I literally squealed when Luo showed a satisfied smile when holding XL! Btw, what’s up with Madam Bella? Don’t tell me…did she do something to Annie to try get rid of the disease? But even if she did, why are there tusks on her face? Why does she look like a wild boar? So many questions i want to know the answer to…😭
Thanks for the chapter!
Tbh it reminds me of this thai monster who eats human, but essentially it can control itself height and form unlike madam bella
thanks for the chapter
Poor Xiao Lan he should forget about ever getting rich in this life.😂
Thx for the chapter 😘
Am I the only one who thinks that the current Bella is actually Annie? That she eventually couldn’t stand her sister’s transformation and took her place?
I think so too.. the bone transformation informatiom was also a bit fishy
I agree
So that girl is madam bella’s sister and now is haunting the manor?
Luo ehehe I saw you there, you naughty boy
Thank you for the chapter!! ❤️❤️
Thanks for the chapter!
Luo, I adore you. Look at you all happy just laying next to your Xiao Lan! 😍
Also, does Xiao Lan really need to be rich? Is there anything his Luo can’t do? 🤔Thanks for the chapter ❤
The game is too cruel to XL 😂😂
Thanks for the chapter!!
Can Luo keep the dagger?? It matches his eyes and elegant appearance~
Thanks for the chapter♡
Give Luo the dagger +1…. although Wang Taidi might need it too considering his skill HAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
thanks for the chapter oh my god they slept on the same bed!!!!!! In human form!!! (Right… am i right….)
uwu uwu
Luo was like “Just as planned” when he could climb XL’s bed again xDD
Thx for the ch (≧▽≦)/
Poor Xiao Lan xD
Thank you for the chapter ♥️
Annie, are you okay? So, Annie are you okay? Are you okay, Annie ~ 🎶
Just me? Okay 。。。 〜〜:(；ﾞﾟ’ωﾟ’):
Thanks for the hard work !
XDDDDD
Just take it hahaha. Thanks for the chapter 🥰
I find the author’s note more believable if you imagine him crying and shaking his fist in defiance 😏
Jajajajajjajajajajaj
Gracias por traducir
🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for the chapter ❤️
Why not get the item to exchange later for more practical things, after all it is a ‘high grade’ item.
HAHAHA Poor xiao lan 😂😂
It saddened me that he can’t use expensive items but i laugh when it was mended. Really Advent World it is😆
He could sell it?
get someone else to pick it up?