Chapter 378: Ambiance
(To be revised later) "This is only beneficial to you. If I don't return, my companions will come looking for me," the Abstract Man said again.
"You've reminded me. I still need to use some cleaning agent to wash myself, just in case I've been marked with some kind of tracker," Xu Huo said deliberately.
The Abstract Man fell silent.
Xu Huo knew he wouldn't get anything more out of him, so he put away the painting frame, used a face-morphing mask, called a car, and left the hotel.
The face-morphing mask clung to his face as if it were nothing. His features didn't change significantly, but when he looked in the mirror, the face didn't match his previous one—it was completely natural and ordinary.
The driver showed little reaction to his sudden change in appearance and, after confirming he had come out of the room, dutifully drove the car.
The car left the hotel. Xu Huo got off not far from the ancient city district, wandered around the streets for a few turns, and only after making sure no one was following him did he take another car to Rose Castle.
In just one day, the matter of Rose Castle had been mostly resolved. The police had found very few human bones and some stolen goods before leaving. They must have coordinated with the Enforcement Department, as the castle's lockdown had been lifted.
Passing through the garden, Xu Huo also picked a yellow rose, walked to the castle gate, and knocked.
The door was still opened by Mr. Dong, but this time there was no servant to take his coat. Only Mr. Dong remained in the castle.
"I've come to visit the master of the house," he said.
"The master has passed away. This castle now has no master," Mr. Dong replied, his expression unchanged, answering him with ventriloquism. "But you may stay here temporarily."
He reached out to take the flower and umbrella from Xu Huo's hand.
Xu Huo only gave him the flower. The castle had returned to the state he had first seen it in—the hall showed no signs of burning or electrical damage.
"Has Hu Shan left too?"
"She was fired," Mr. Dong answered briefly, then paused before adding, "Do you need dinner prepared? The chef has resigned, and my cooking isn't very good."
"Do you have fresh ingredients? I can cook," Xu Huo said, suddenly feeling interested.
Mr. Dong didn't seem particularly concerned, neither dissuading nor surprised, and simply led him to the kitchen.
"All the utensils are brand new," Mr. Dong said.
Xu Huo nodded, rolled up his sleeves, and made a simple fried rice—enough for two.
He invited Mr. Dong to eat together, but Mr. Dong declined and stood upright beside the dining table with a towel in hand.
Xu Huo quickly finished his portion and, only when he pulled over the second plate, asked, "The castle has been thoroughly searched. Was Mr. He's body found?"
As the Instance boss, Mr. Dong had absolute control over the castle and could even manipulate the building to devour players. The fake He Pu shouldn't have been able to hide He Pu's real body.
"Perhaps Mr. He's body is not in the hands of the fake He Pu."
Mr. Dong remained utterly calm. "The master was merely a passerby here. After he left, there's no need to trouble yourself finding him."
Xu Huo felt a sense of inevitability upon hearing this. Mr. Dong didn't view the death of the real He Pu or the fate of his body with the same gravity as a normal person.
"Will this castle continue to be used as an Instance venue?" he asked again.
"No," Mr. Dong said. "The wanted criminal has been caught. No one will die in the castle anymore."
"Did you inherit this castle?"
"I am merely the butler."
"Then what will happen to this castle in the future?"
"It awaits an heir."
"If this castle is put up for auction, can I buy it?"
"You may."
The answers were brief, but after a pause, Xu Huo asked, "Did Mr. He leave a will?"
"Yes," Mr. Dong replied.
This answer wasn't too surprising. He Pu, who could collect so many items, wouldn't have been easily killed by a music-playing player. He was a man full of secrets, and it wasn't strange that he had made arrangements for the people and things around him.
Since there was a will, this castle wouldn't be auctioned off.
Having finished the second plate of fried rice, Xu Huo took out a lighter and lit a cigarette he had brought from Zone 014. Casually, he asked, "Does Mr. He have any relatives in Zone 011?"
"I don't know," Mr. Dong said, clearing away the plates and meticulously wiping the already clean table with a towel.
The vast castle, the warm yellow light, and a mute butler busily moving about.
Xu Huo watched from the dining room for a while before heading to the second floor. Whether it was Mr. Dong's peculiar taste or not, he was given the same room he had stayed in on the first night, though everything in the room had been replaced.
"What kind of trait did you use?" Xu Huo asked, his hand resting on the vase holding flowers. "One that makes objects reverse time."
"Static Rewind," Mr. Dong said as he arranged the new bath towels.
"It doesn't work on living things?"
"No."
"And it can't restore an object's original form?"
"No. It only maintains the appearance," Mr. Dong added a bit more, then supplemented, "Mr. Xu, rest early."
Xu Huo nodded.
The next day, before dawn, he went to the third floor. The room the fake He Pu had stayed in and the adjacent music room had both been remodeled. It was clear Mr. Dong disliked him—none of the original items or decorations remained.
The study, however, was still a study. He went in and continued flipping through He Pu's notes.
Mr. Dong brought him breakfast and then silently left. After reading the notes for a while, Xu Huo looked up and out the window, seeing Mr. Dong heading to the garden maze.
The garden maze in the back had been burned by him. The scorched roses couldn't be revived, and Mr. Dong was clearing out the dead stumps and planting new ones.
Suddenly, Xu Huo felt a sharp pain on his face. The face-morphing mask peeled off on its own, but it felt like it had scraped off a layer of skin directly from his face. After the pain subsided, his face swelled up, his cheeks puffing out as if stuffed with buns. Drinking a self-healing agent didn't help, so he had to go to the bathroom and apply cold water compresses.
Around noon, Mr. Dong came to bring him lunch. Seeing his face, he fetched some anti-swelling ointment. Applying it didn't reduce the swelling, but at least it stopped hurting.
He spent the entire day in the study. During that time, Ran Ying contacted him once, but he didn't answer and instead replied with a text message saying he was unavailable.
Ran Ying invited him to dinner again.
This time, Xu Huo declined, bluntly saying he was short on cash and that it wasn't proper to keep letting a girl pay.
Ran Ying sent a video message. She had just bathed, wrapped in a short, narrow bathrobe, casually drying her hair, and said, "If you're short on money, I can find you a job?"
"It's not going to be in the Enforcement Department, is it?"
"Your player level might not be high, but you'd be fine as an internal staff member. The pay here is good. After half a month of work, you'd have enough to treat me to dinner."
The last sentence was said in a teasing tone. Xu Huo didn't answer the question directly but replied with a simple "Busy."
Compared to the Enforcement Department, he was more interested in the Game Government Base.
But there was no rush.
Compared to breakfast and lunch, dinner was much more lavish. Mr. Dong also said, "The new chef has started working."