Although the old castle was large, it was essentially just a five-story mansion, so three hours was more than enough to circle it several times.

It wasn't difficult for the three of them to locate No. 1 and No. 2.

The hard part was that if they wandered around carelessly, they might run into the Phantom Butterfly.

Before entering the dungeon, Mo Bai had thought of a way to deal with the Phantom Butterfly, but the conditions weren't right yet.

The best strategy would have been for Ding Xun and Ye Pingjun to act together while Mo Bai moved alone, preventing the two from being targeted by the Phantom Butterfly at the same time.

But the three-person team had only just formed, and the choice to hunt down the two hidden monsters had also been Mo Bai's idea. If she didn't stick with them now, the little trust they had built would crumble.

In the end, Mo Bai chose to move together as a group.

With the Prying Lenses, they might even spot the Phantom Butterfly ahead of time and avoid confrontations.

But even if they really did run into it, Mo Bai could stay behind and buy time for her teammates to escape.

She was the one who had provoked the Phantom Butterfly; thus, she wouldn't drag her teammates down with her.

During the search, someone had to keep the Prying Lenses on. Ding Xun had already worn them for over 40 minutes today and couldn't put them back on.

Considering the risk of running into the Phantom Butterfly, Mo Bai decided she should be the one to wear the glasses.

Ding Xun handed the item to her, "If we had twenty-four teammates, these glasses basically wouldn't have any downside at all."

"Having just three teammates who trust each other is already pretty great," Mo Bai replied.

She put on the glasses, and her vision was instantly flooded with X-ray-like images. Everything became too clear at once. The sheer amount of information slammed into her mind. Dizziness washed over her, and she nearly felt like vomiting.

"I felt the same way when I first wore them. You'll get used to it," Ding Xun said. "I still don't know why Ye Pingjun's totally fine with them."

Ye Pingjun said, "You don't know? It's willpower. My ability runs purely on mental strength, so all my attribute points go into willpower. Strong willpower means I can handle the flood of information the Prying Lenses give off."

Ding Xun, who had put all her attribute points into Constitution and Agility, blinked as she let out a small 'Oh'. She'd never once considered adding points to Willpower.

Mo Bai steadied herself for a moment and slowly adapted to the visuals from the Prying Lenses. She still felt sick, but she could endure it.

This experience made her decide that once she could move freely again, she needed to start investing stat points in Willpower since her ability also required strong mental strength.

Through the glasses, Mo Bai could suddenly see half of the castle's structure at once.

Including the basement, the castle had five floors in total.

At the very bottom was an extremely dark basement. Mo Bai couldn't see clearly and could only make out vague shapes of wooden mechanical devices. She assumed it was probably the workshop where the Count crafted his puppets.

The first floor housed the maids' and butler's quarters, the dining room, and the main hall. Mo Bai happened to see the gap-toothed maid cleaning her room, slipping some thumbtacks under her bedsheet.

The second floor contained the players' rooms, a storage area filled with human models, and part of a free-activity region that connected to the third floor, full of labyrinth-like corridors and rooms. This was where the three of them were now.

Mo Bai saw No. 9 running panicked across the third floor above them, glancing back every few steps as if he'd seen something terrifying.

The fourth floor, which was the top floor, seemed to be where the Count lived and worked. Mo Bai caught sight of a room decorated with ornate murals and carpets. Thick curtains covered the windows, blocking out sunlight, but the lights were all on, leaving the room eerily quiet.

Inside the room were European-style sofas, a desk, and comfortable furnishings. Likely the Count's lounge, living quarters, or office.

Further in was another room, but its doorway was shrouded in a dense fog. Even the Prying Lenses couldn't pierce inside.

In front of the door, Mo Bai also saw a note that surprisingly contained rules.

[

These are the ancestral rules passed down through generations of the Count's Family. Count Leon must abide.

1. Do not act during the day. If you must appear, always draw the curtains and avoid sunlight.

2. The Count's family suffers from hereditary red-eye syndrome, making it difficult to see in the dark. Therefore, keep the castle lights on at all times.

3. You have the power to control the castle, but must not damage its core structure. The castle is old and fragile; too much strain may cause its collapse.

4. The butler and maid are your loyal servants and will absolutely obey you. Do not modify them for personal hobbies.

5. If the castle receives an uninvited guest, you have the right to drive them out or charge them a "lodging fee" that satisfies you.

6. You may visit guests at night, but only one room per night. Visiting too many would be beneath a Count's dignity.

7. You are a noble Count, not an executioner. Even if you have… obscure preferences, keep them hidden. Do not be too blatant, or you will lose authority over the castle.

]

"So that's how it is," Mo Bai murmured while looking upward.

"What is?" Ding Xun asked.

Mo Bai's eyes were strained. She removed the glasses and briefly explained the rules she'd just seen. "This explains why the Count hasn't come after us openly. He has to maintain his dignity.

He clearly wants to deal with us, but he can't attack in public. So he uses excuses like 'disliking guests who waste food' to take action secretly.

Moreover, his movements are restricted during the day. Apart from mealtimes, he has to stay in dark rooms with the curtains drawn.

The retaliation we feared won't be that extreme. At least for the next few nights, he can visit only one person per night, so we still have time."

"Let me see." Ding Xun put on the glasses and looked upwards. "What are you talking about? I can only see ten meters ahead. All I see is No. 11 walking upstairs with a knife like some creep."

Ye Pingjun also tried them and frowned. "We're on the second floor, and the ceilings here are tall. I can only see the first and third floors, but not the top floor or basement, as you said."

"You must've at least double the range," Ding Xun said.

"Really?" Mo Bai blinked and suddenly realized that her barely recovered energy bar had dropped to zero again.

Did she unintentionally activate her ability just now?

"Your nose is bleeding, that's a classic sign of mental strain." Ye Pingjun fished a handkerchief out of his chest pocket and handed it to her. "I picked this from the dining hall. Use it before it drips on your clothes and triggers a rule."

Mo Bai pressed the handkerchief to her nose. Her head throbbed, but she continued thinking.

"Xiao Qi, what did I just do? Can you summarize it for me?" she asked in her mind.

Xiao Qi replied, "The Player just activated the Environmental Optimization ability, temporarily enhancing the power of a card."

"This counts as 'environment'? I can enhance cards too?" Mo Bai was stunned by her own ability.

"Everything within the player's space is part of the environment, which can be altered. The player is simply too low-level right now, so the effect is limited."

This ability… is absurd.

Dozens of thoughts flashed through Mo Bai's mind. She caught onto one and asked, "Xiao Qi, do the instance rules count as part of the environment?"

"An environment is any factor that affects your actions, life, growth, or mental state. Natural, social, living, and psychological environments are all environments," Xiao Qi replied.

"Rules absolutely affect our actions and psychology. They're part of the environment. You say I'm weak now, so once I'm strong enough, could I treat the rules as part of the 'environment' and change them?" Mo Bai asked.

Xiao Qi said, "Xiao Qi does not know. Xiao Qi submitted your question to the Main System. The Main System replied: 'Figure it out yourself.'"

Without needing an answer, she already knew that she was right.

Mo Bai had long suspected that the Main System was targeting her, but hadn't known why. Now, after this sudden boost to card effects, she finally understood how terrifying her ability could become.

What is the environment?

A house.

A trinket in the house.

Nature.

Society's unspoken norms.

Even collective belief.

If her ability evolved far enough, she wouldn't just alter objects. She could even alter the Peach Blossom Land, entire instances, and even the whole infinite world.

Putting herself in the Main System's position, she instantly understood why she should be killed.

Someone with this power must be nipped in the bud. Ability like hers simply shouldn't exist.

But it seemed the Main System was restricted by its own rules and couldn't kill players outright. It could only keep raising the difficulty by pushing every instance she entered to maximum danger.

"So I really am a walking disaster," Mo Bai thought while glancing at Ye Pingjun. She realized that the instance had become so dangerous because she had joined.

"Beautiful as you are, if you keep looking at me like that, I'll probably fall for you." Ye Pingjun noticed Mo Bai's somewhat guilty gaze and teased to ease the discomfort.

Ding Xun rolled her eyes. "She's gorgeous, so what if you're smitten? I also get the urge to pinch her cheeks sometimes."

"I just have this feeling that if I really fall for her, I'll die before I can even blink," Ye Pingjun replied.

"You're asking for a beating," Ding Xun said, rolling up her sleeves.

Mo Bai grabbed her arm. "Don't fight. I just discovered a new way to use my ability. I can temporarily enhance a card's effect. I must've accidentally extended the Prying Lenses' range from ten meters to twenty just now, that's why my mental power got drained."

"Your ability is amazing! If my weapon got boosted to A-rank, I'd definitely beat the Count!" Ding Xun instantly fired up.

"Don't get too excited. I can use it maybe once every twelve hours, and only for a short time," Mo Bai said.

"To kill monsters, a moment is enough," Ding Xun replied confidently.

"With an ability like that, I feel a lot safer," Ye Pingjun said. "Did you find where No. 1 and No. 2 are?"

"No. But I can look again, and this time I'll be careful not to use my ability," Mo Bai said.

She rested for a moment, put the glasses back on, and let Ding Xun push her along as they walked.

After a while in the corridor, Mo Bai removed the glasses. "I checked the second and third floors thoroughly. They're nowhere to be found."

Nor was the Phantom Butterfly.

But she had spotted Gu Tiandong in a corner on the second floor, feeding pigeons, likely trying to contact her through them.

Ye Pingjun looked at Mo Bai's calm expression. "Let me guess. You didn't see them, but you probably figured out where they are."

"It's just a bold guess." Mo Bai replied. "I think they're in the basement. It looks like a workshop, after all, dolls need regular maintenance, right?"

"Without you, we might have wasted all night searching the second and third floors." Ye Pingjun praised.