Chapter 2983: Game Item "Ice and Snow World"
A mental-type instance?
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Wei Mang again. "Does the manor have any past stories?"
The formation of an instance usually has some origin. For the Wang Family Manor to form an A-grade instance, it likely required a combination of favorable timing, geographical advantage, and human factors.
Wei Mang's face lit up with joy, and he quickly took out materials about the manor he had prepared in advance.
"The Wang Family Manor was built over three hundred years ago. It was originally the residence of a high-ranking official, but he was a corrupt official who exploited the people. Someone broke in and killed him and his family, throwing all their heads into the lake. There have always been rumors of hauntings."
"After the residence sat vacant for a while, it was bought by a wealthy merchant. But not long after they moved in, a member of the family went mad and mistakenly put arsenic into the tea, poisoning the entire family to death. The household servants stole some valuables but were caught by the authorities before they could escape the city. They were brought back, confessed everything, and were all shot dead in the lake."
"After that, the residence changed hands several times in a short period. The final buyer thought the lake was unlucky, so they filled it in and turned it into a shooting range. But soon after, the owner was implicated in a rebellion case and his property was confiscated."
"Later, it passed through many owners, but none of them had good endings. The previous owner kept the manor vacant before transferring it to the Wang family."
Over several centuries, anyone who lived there basically died unnaturally. For a house like that, anyone who bought it would have to be praised for their tough luck.
"The Wang family lived there for three generations. During a turbulent period, the family suffered heavy losses, and the manor was taken away. It wasn't until Xiao Hui's parents' time that they got it back, but by then the manor's area had been greatly reduced. The Wang family only occupied a small portion of the original estate."
"After Xiao Hui's parents passed away, her father's cousin moved into the manor as her guardian to manage the Wang family assets. Xiao Hui's leg could have been treated, but it was delayed until she became disabled. She spent her childhood and adolescence locked up in the manor, with little time for schooling... Xiao Hui didn't enter with a ticket. If it's a mental-type instance, it's no wonder she's trapped inside."
"Do you think the instance's situation is related to the Wang family's past?" Xu Huo asked.
"From the information my companions sent back, the manor's layout is about the same as it is now," Wei Mang said. "The background should be the present."
"No one mentioned the instance introduction?" Xu Huo asked again.
"No." That was what Wei Mang found strange. Those two went in specifically to find Wang Xiaohui. The first thing they should have done upon understanding the situation was to write down the instance introduction clearly. Even if it's a mental-type instance, it shouldn't be so confusing that they couldn't tell reality from illusion immediately upon entering.
They only learned the instance's grade and name from a ticket player who appeared in the manor instance. However, when that player found out the instance was in a closed venue, they left immediately. The few tickets Wei Mang had now were all bought at high prices.
Xu Huo nodded, quickly finished reading the manor's information, then sent a message to Nie Xuan asking if his people had sent any news.
"No." Nie Xuan replied quickly, also telling him that he had to leave soon; the Enforcement Department had many matters waiting for him.
Xu Huo asked him to leave two people outside to coordinate.
"Very little information has come out of the instance so far. Wait a bit longer; soon there will be ticket players willing to take the risk," he said, looking at Wei Mang. "Go ask the Wang family's relatives again if there are any other clues about the manor and the Wang family."
Based on the current situation, if it's a mental-type instance, the intermittent and unfocused information might be due to influence. That's both good and bad—at least the personal panel isn't blocked, and they can still contact the outside.
But an A-grade mental-type instance in a closed venue is probably on par with the previous Wisteria Instance.
"Take your things back first," Xu Huo said. "We'll talk after Wang Xiaohui is rescued."
Wei Mang saw hope. He felt that Xu Huo might no longer lack items, so he said, "Game items might be useful."
Xu Huo touched the square box on the table, and a game notification immediately popped up:
[Congratulations, player Passerby A, for obtaining the game item: Ice and Snow World.]
[When activated, this game item can form an ice-sealed space around the holder, ensuring the holder is immune to all external attacks. However, ice melts easily, so each use lasts only three seconds.]
Three seconds of use time, immunity to all attacks—this is even better than top-tier A-grade items.
Game items are different from items. Items, whether offensive or defensive, have visible limits. Game items, at least the ones Xu Huo had seen so far, have effects far surpassing those of items.
"This is your thing? Why didn't you give it to Wang Xiaohui?" Xu Huo asked.
"Xiao Hui's trait has a similar effect. She thought I needed this item more," Wei Mang said. "Besides, when this item is used, the holder is completely frozen in place and cannot move at all, and their body temperature drops immediately. Although it grants immunity to damage and prevents frostbite, the duration is short and could affect combat. For us, it's about the same as an ordinary defense item."
"But you're different."
Wei Mang and Wang Xiaohui rarely challenged high-difficulty instances after the Wang family situation stabilized. To level up, they entered as many instances as possible, but two-thirds of them were instances with guides, not too difficult, and they were unlucky enough to encounter extremely dangerous opponents. They didn't have many opportunities to use this game item.
Xu Huo picked up the oval-shaped game item, only the size of a piece of rock sugar, and stroked its regular hexagonal facets. A chill quickly traveled along his fingertips.
He activated his metal protective suit and opened "Ice and Snow World." A wave of cold air immediately rushed toward him, followed by an oval-shaped ice layer forming around him. The cold penetrated the protective suit, and he was trapped inside the oval ice sculpture, along with the sofa he was sitting on.
The giant oval ice sculpture, covered with fish-scale-like hexagonal facets, was wedged between the floor and ceiling. Due to its shape, "Ice and Snow World" encased the entire sofa, exceeding the floor's height, and punched through the second floor—yes, it broke through the second floor of this location item.
After three seconds, the game item's effect ended. When the metal faceplate opened, Xu Huo exhaled a puff of water vapor and looked at the silent Wei Mang. "This is a game item. Are you really willing to give it to me?"
Obtaining a game item really depends on luck.
"Nothing is more important than Xiao Hui." Wei Mang clearly knew the value of the game item. If Wang Xiaohui weren't trapped, he probably wouldn't have used it much before becoming an A-grade player, let alone trading it away.
The range of "Ice and Snow World" can be adjusted; it doesn't only protect the holder alone.
That adds another tempting factor on top of damage immunity.
"I'll change clothes and set off," Xu Huo said, standing up.