# Chapter 343: One of Us
He said as he picked up the contract, briefly explaining the situation.
"At home, you rely on your parents; out in the world, you rely on friends. Wouldn't it be better for everyone to cooperate and complete the task with minimal losses?" Xu Huo glanced at the nine names on the contract. Except for the Ma couple, everyone else had signed.
Seeing him remain silent, Frye added, "Mr. Xu, the castle is so big. How many clues can you find alone? With ten of us, as long as one person completes the task, everyone else can pass smoothly." Xu Huo's face showed a hint of surprise.
"Isn't the contract an ordinary item? Does it have the same binding power over the holder and the participants?" Frye's face immediately darkened. At this point, the Baby Face said, "We've already tested it. There's no problem with the contract. Even if you break it, you won't really be punished."
"Is that so?" Xu Huo certainly wouldn't sign. He paused before saying, "The contract might be fine, but can you be sure that all twelve people who came here are task players?" Everyone's expression changed. You Qiwen immediately said, "Mr. Xu, do you know something?" But Xu Huo didn't intend to say more. As he was about to leave, the Baby Face said, "Brother, if you don't want to join us, fine. But don't come here sowing discord." The others were somewhat wary, though a few had taken his words to heart.
Glancing at them, Xu Huo said no more. He walked out of the main building and found the young servant who had served him tea earlier to guide him on a tour of the sizable castle.
Actually, before coming last night, he had taken advantage of the rain to search the front garden. But clearly, the rumor that there were human bones in the garden was false. The garden soil hadn't been turned over in a long time, nothing like where someone had been buried.
After circling the garden, Xu Huo said to the servant, "It's a pity such a beautiful garden has no one to appreciate it. I have a friend who loves flowers. I wonder if Mr. Dong could send my friend an invitation? But Mr. Dong looks too serious, definitely hard to talk to." The young servant smiled and said, "Mr. Dong is actually a very good person and takes good care of us. But the butler can't invite guests on behalf of the master. If Mr. Xu wants to invite a friend to enjoy the flowers, it's best to talk to the master himself."
"But Mr. He hasn't come downstairs yet, and it seems he doesn't plan to see guests today." Xu Huo said with some frustration.
"The master will definitely come downstairs at dinner time." The young servant said confidently, "That's how it's always been. The master respects every invited guest." Xu Huo nodded and turned the topic to He Pu's spiders.
There was a dedicated place for raising spiders in the castle, in the woods behind the garden maze, a separate building. The servant told him that since He Pu fell ill, Mr. Dong had been taking care of them. Because the separate building housed many rare species, other servants usually didn't go there.
After a cursory tour of half the castle, the servant was called away. Xu Huo didn't continue on his own but returned to the main building. He spent some more time in the study before preparing to go back to his room.
However, as he pulled open the door to leave, he saw Mrs. Ma, wearing silk pajamas, leaning against the doorway. She raised her glass and said, "I've been waiting for you for so long. Why are you only coming back now?"
"The servant just brought lunch and wine. How about we have a drink together?" Xu Huo glanced toward her room. The door was tightly shut, and Mr. Ma hadn't come out.
Mrs. Ma swayed her sleeves and leaned toward him. "You devil. He sleeps like the dead, even thunder won't wake him. What are you afraid of?" Xu Huo used his umbrella to block her shoulder, sidestepped her, and entered his room. "Speak plainly. You're not trying that trick in the game, are you?"
Mrs. Ma followed him inside. "What are you saying, little brother? I'm sincere about you. The moment I saw you, I took a liking to you. Good looks, great body..." Xu Huo didn't take the bait at all, not even wanting to look at her.
Mrs. Ma's flirtatious glances were wasted on a blind man. She pouted and said, "No sense of fun at all. What a waste of a good body."
"I came over just to say hello. We're all on the same side. Don't let a small flood wash away the Dragon King's temple."
"Those youngsters just now wanted to cooperate with you, right? A bunch of greenhorns, casually signing contracts in the game."
"Truly stupid people don't survive in the game." Xu Huo sat down, essentially confirming her statement. "Don't worry. If you don't provoke me, I won't bother with you. There are so many players, are you afraid there won't be enough to go around?"
"Our couple always values harmony above all else. That's why we came to you proactively." Mrs. Ma winked. "But since we're all guests here, we can't do whatever we want in someone else's home. I think those newbie players are pretty loaded. How about the three of us cooperate, split it fifty-fifty, and nobody loses out."
Xu Huo stared at her for a few seconds. "Do you really think you were invited here just for a meal? There's more to this castle than meets the eye."
Mrs. Ma was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"He Pu."
"Didn't he invite us? What's the problem?" Mrs. Ma frowned.
"Who says it was definitely him who invited us?" Xu Huo said. "Don't forget, there were no names on the invitations. It could have been him, or it could have been the butler, or someone else."
"Then why does he want to see us alone?" Mrs. Ma asked. "Doesn't he know who he invited or not?" The Ma couple had also bought their invitations. In their last game, they hadn't obtained tickets and were stranded at the Garden Castle Station. Through various channels, they learned that Rose Castle hosted banquets periodically, requiring no tickets—just an invitation to enter. Didn't that clearly tell them the castle's boss was exploiting a loophole? So they naturally assumed the castle owner was a cannibal player.
And wasn't He Pu taking the initiative to see them rather than other players further proof of this?
"How long have you been here?" Xu Huo asked. Mrs. Ma hesitated briefly before saying, "Two months."
"Two months isn't that long," Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "I just found out that Rose Castle has been hosting guests for several years. If there were such a good deal, wouldn't the players at this station have fought over it? Could it easily fall into the hands of outside players?"
"That's not necessarily true. We paid a hefty price for these two invitations." Mrs. Ma disagreed.
"Do you think He Pu is seriously ill?" Xu Huo asked again.
Mrs. Ma pouted. "He looks like he hasn't eaten for seventeen or eighteen days."
"The servants say He Pu basically never comes downstairs except to receive guests. The butler, Mr. Dong, handles everything in the castle." Xu Huo paused and added, "Actually, He Pu did have a servant call for me earlier, but before I could see him, Mr. Dong stopped me." Xu Huo had been to the third floor, and Mrs. Ma knew that, though the time was short.
"In short, don't think things are too good to be true." Xu Huo said meaningfully, "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
Mrs. Ma's expression shifted, then she laughed coquettishly. "Then we should cooperate even more. Since we're here, we can't leave on empty stomachs."
Xu Huo waved his hand. "Do as you please. I'll leave once I get my ticket."