After Gu Tiandong became younger, he was only 165 centimeters tall. Mo Bai's wheelchair took up quite a bit of space, and the three of them were crammed tightly beneath the ice sculpture.

Fortunately, the dress that the instance had given Gu Tiandong was large enough. Ding Xun lay over Mo Bai, barely managing to block the falling boulders by propping part of the skirt above their heads.

Ding Xun buried her head in Mo Bai's arms and held on for more than ten minutes. Only after there were no more sounds of collapse outside did she lift her head and cautiously peek out.

The castle had already turned into a field of ruins. The ground beneath their feet had sunk more than a meter, surrounded by massive chunks of stone. Only their area was relatively clear since the falling bricks and rocks had all been deflected by the ice sculpture.

Not far away in the ruins, there was a tent. The tent opened, revealing No. 3's head as he carefully looked around and asked, "Is it over?"

"It should be," Ding Xun said. "My instincts tell me it's fine now."

Only then did No. 3 and No. 8 crawl out, covered in dust and grime. No. 8 plopped down onto the rubble and let out a long breath. "This is the most intense instance I've ever cleared."

"Same," Ding Xun, Ye Pingjun, and Mo Bai said in unison.

If Gu Tiandong could still speak, he probably would have said the same.

Ding Xun and Ye Pingjun looked at Mo Bai with gazes filled with confusion.

Mo Bai felt uneasy under their stares. She maneuvered her wheelchair back a step, only to be blocked by rubble. The frail observation-group girl, who couldn't lift or carry anything and could only smash the Count with an ice sculpture, helplessly asked under the intimidating gazes of the two combat players, "Why are you staring at me?"

"This was your first time clearing an intense instance?" Ye Pingjun asked.

Mo Bai nodded. "Yeah. I'm only a Beginner–3 player. This was the second of my three beginner instances."

"Huh?!" Ding Xun, Ye Pingjun, No. 3, and No. 8 exclaimed in unison.

Mo Bai blinked. "Absolutely true. Honest and genuine."

"Then why were you so skilled?!" Ding Xun asked in disbelief.

Mo Bai's performance was practically that of a mad adventurer who danced with death on a daily basis.

"How am I skilled?" Mo Bai asked back. "I was scared out of my mind, okay? All of the Count's hatred was focused on me. If we'd failed, I might not even have been able to kill myself. I would've become a living puppet, tortured by the Count forever."

"You looked pretty calm to me," Ye Pingjun said.

"I was just pretending," Mo Bai replied bluntly. "As long as I act well enough, I can even fool myself."

For the past five years, Mo Bai had grown used to brainwashing herself into believing she was strong and brave, capable of facing any difficulty. When relatives or friends occasionally visited her, she could even pretend she was living a good life.

After acting for so long, even Mo Bai no longer knew whether she was truly strong or just pretending. She already fooled herself as well.

No one knew how to judge her. In the end, they all silently gave her a thumbs-up.

"Don't rush to admire me," Mo Bai said. "Let's first check whether the Count is really dead, whether he dropped any item cards, and whether there's anything left in the castle that can still be turned into cards."

Only then did everyone remember that they still needed to clean up the battlefield. This wasn't a job for a frail girl like Mo Bai, who couldn't lift or carry anything and could only swing ice sculptures. Therefore, the four people who could still move hurried to search around.

The first priority was confirming the Count's death.

Ding Xun used her resonance with item cards to locate the Mountain-Splitting Sword. She didn't approach it directly. Instead, she spread her hand, converted the sword back into a card, and summoned it to her hand.

Normally, cards couldn't be summoned from afar, but the Mountain-Splitting Sword was special. It could be bound with blood, which enabled long-distance connection. But without Ding Xun's Super Intuition, this ability couldn't be used.

With a flick of her hand, a card flew out from the rubble and returned to Ding Xun's palm.

She transformed it back into a giant sword. She carefully pushed aside the stones, revealing the Count, who was dead beyond any doubt.

Ye Pingjun came over to check as well and confirmed that the Count was truly dead.

"Strange," Ye Pingjun said. "The instance boss is confirmed dead, and the castle has collapsed. Why hasn't the system announced completion?"

"Maybe the instance is giving us time to loot?" No. 8 said optimistically.

"Have you ever encountered an instance like this?" Ye Pingjun asked.

No. 8 shook his head. "In daily instances, once the boss dies, we are immediately kicked out. Hidden equipment requires repeated runs. But I've never cleared a forced instance before, so maybe forced instances are different?"

No one knew what was going on, except Mo Bai, who seemed thoughtful.

Although she had the least experience among them, she had possibly encountered a situation in which the boss died, but the instance didn't end.

Could there be a follow-up instance? The thought flashed through Mo Bai's mind.

She looked up at Ding Xun, who was still searching, and asked, "How did you clear your beginner trials? After the first one ended, who notified you about the second?"

"The system," Ding Xun replied. "After the first trial, the system directly sent the notice for the second. When the time came, I was automatically thrown into the instance."

Mo Bai: “……”

She had been politely rejected by the instance staff.

So aside from her, no one else knew that instances could have sequels?

They didn't find any particularly good cards in the ruins. Only strange C-rank items like "Maid's Hair-Loss Comb" and "Butler's Shoe Polish." There were no valuable B-rank or A-rank cards, and the instance still hadn't ended.

So angry that she couldn't help herself, Ding Xun kicked the Count's corpse and said, "At least drop some loot!"

The Count rolled over from the kick, and an envelope fell out of his jacket pocket.

Ding Xun picked it up and was about to open it when Mo Bai stopped her.

"I just realized something," Mo Bai said. "We haven't checked the basement yet. The Count hid his 'hobbies' down there, so there might be useful item cards. As for this envelope, I think we should open it after we've thoroughly checked the castle."

Mo Bai had a premonition that this envelope might be the key to why the instance hadn't ended yet. Once they opened it, they might be expelled from the instance and returned to Peach Blossom Land.

Ding Xun trusted Mo Bai's judgment. She handed the envelope to Mo Bai and let her decide when to open it.

After that, they found a staircase that hadn't fully collapsed and headed down to the basement.

To prevent accidents, No. 3 carried the tent that had previously protected him, while Ding Xun didn't forget to carry the ice sculpture.

The path was difficult. Whenever they encountered an impassable spot, Ding Xun simply picked up Mo Bai's wheelchair and helped her through.

They stumbled their way to the basement.

It was just past noon. With many holes smashed open above, sunlight streamed down, leaving the basement surprisingly well-lit.

There, they saw the machine used to make puppets, as well as the remains of No. 12 and No. 11 soaking in containers as if waiting to be processed.

Mo Bai and the others had already seen a scene like this before and were mentally prepared. Though uncomfortable, they could endure it. On the other hand, No. 3 and No. 8 were greatly affected.

Seeing fellow players No. 11 and No. 12, lifelike yet dismembered and floating in containers, made them gag uncontrollably.

Previously, No. 3 and No. 8 had criticized Mo Bai's plan, thinking that if survival was possible, there was no need to risk killing the Count.

But after seeing this scene, their thoughts changed.

Some things had to be done, no matter how dangerous, not for clearing the instance, but for the dignity and ferocity of being human.

Mo Bai noticed that several empty containers were faintly glowing white. She nudged Ding Xun, who understood immediately. Ding Xun stepped forward and touched the light that turned into a B-rank card: "Friendship That Never Decays."

This card was related to the Count's childhood. When the Count was young, he had a male servant who grew up with him. The Count regarded him as his only friend and told him everything. Unexpectedly, the servant reported everything to the old Count, causing the Count to suffer severe punishment.

From then on, the Count believed all humans were traitors and that only obedient puppets could be his friends.

So he found a way to turn the servant into his first absolutely obedient puppet using Friendship That Never Decays.

Friendship That Never Decays consisted of three large bottles of formalin solution, which were usable three times. When splashed on an enemy, whether an instance boss or a player, the affected area would become dead but preserved. If splashed on the head, the target would die instantly.

It was 100% effective against B-rank monsters and beginner players. A-rank monsters and intermediate or higher players would resist it to varying degrees depending on their abilities.

"This card is pretty good," Ye Pingjun said.

Ding Xun, however, was drawn to the story in the description. "This Count is kind of…"

She thought for a long time but couldn't find the right word.

"The Count lacks empathy," Mo Bai filled in. "He unilaterally decided the servant was his friend, then unilaterally decided the servant betrayed him, without ever considering their difference in status. The servant's duty was to take care of him and report everything to the old Count. From the beginning, the so-called friendship was just his one-sided wish."

"Yes, just wishful thinking." Ding Xun agreed.

Looking at the card description, Mo Bai continued, "This happened when the Count was thirteen or fourteen. No wonder we all turned into thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds. I think the ultimate purpose of this instance was that the Count wanted a living childhood companion who would never betray him."

Growing up under the surveillance of maids and a butler, and constantly maintaining dignity within the castle. The Count longed for freedom, yet couldn't let go of the power and strength that the castle domain gave him.

This twisted environment and its rules bred the Count's perverse hobbies and gave rise to this instance.

They searched further and found two more Friendship That Never Decays cards in a cabinet, bringing the total to three B-rank cards.

This was a very special B-rank card, since it would certainly sell for a high price on the market.

Three cards. Six people. No one knew how to divide them.

Mo Bai spoke first. "I already got the A-rank card, Spatial Blade. I don't need any more cards."

No. 3 and No. 8 also said, "We only fought the maids and already got several drops from them. You're the ones who fought the boss. These cards should go to you."

So the three Friendship That Never Decays cards were given to Ding Xun, Ye Pingjun, and Gu Tiandong, who was still an ice sculpture.

Holding the card, Ye Pingjun looked at his teammates, people he could entrust his life to, and felt that the card's name was oddly fitting.

They searched carefully again but found nothing else and returned to the first floor.

They found an open space, and Mo Bai opened the delicate envelope.

The moment it opened, several white doves flew out, soaring into the sky and transforming into fireworks. The fireworks formed several lines of text:

 

"Dear Count Leon, long time no see. We miss you dearly.

You took several puppet-show props from the Smiling Circus and promised to return a truly realistic puppet after some time. Three months have already passed. How is your puppet coming along?

Don't think about defaulting. The Manipulation Threads bear the mark of the Smiling Circus. Anyone who has touched them will be tracked.

You cannot escape your debt.

Please fulfill the agreement within three months and hand over the puppet. Otherwise, we will come to collect it in person.

—The Magician."

 

Ding Xun and Ye Pingjun, who had touched the C-rank item Manipulation Threads: "……"

And there was also the oblivious Gu Tiandong, who had used both Manipulation Thread cards.

At that moment, a "ding" sounded in everyone's ears, indicating the system notification for instance completion.

A large screen appeared in the air, displaying the rewards.

 

【

Congratulations to six players for successfully clearing the B-rank forced instance "The Count's Castle" and uncovering all its hidden stories. 100% perfect clear. Rewards doubled.

Rewards will now be distributed based on contribution.

1st place in contribution: Player No. 4 — 100,000 points, one A-rank card "Blessing of the Puppets," one mysterious card "?"

2nd place: Player No. 5 — 60,000 points, one A-rank card Blessing of the Puppets.

Tied for 2nd: Player No. 7 — 60,000 points, one A-rank card Blessing of the Puppets.

Tied for 2nd: Player No. 10 — 60,000 points, one A-rank card Blessing of the Puppets.

Tied for 3rd place: Player No. 3 — 20,000 points, one B-rank card Curse of the Puppets.

Tied for 3rd: Player No. 8 — 20,000 points, one B-rank card Curse of the Puppets.

】

【

Players No. 5, 7, and 10 triggered the key item card Manipulation Thread of the A-rank instance Smiling Circus and have automatically activated the next forced instance Smiling Circus, which will open in three months.

Player No. 4 was designated by Count Leon before his death as the puppet to be gifted to the Smiling Circus and has likewise activated the next forced instance, Smiling Circus, which will open in three months.

Please enjoy the next three months.

】

 

Player No. 4 Mo Bai, Player No. 5 Ice-Statue Gu Tiandong, Player No. 7 Ding Xun, Player No. 10 Ye Pingjun: "……"

Ding Xun shouted at the sky, "Is this fair?! Clearing a B-rank instance and you immediately throw me into an A-rank one?! Is this a reward or a punishment?! How am I supposed to survive the next instance?!"

No. 3 and No. 8 hugged their heads and cried. Not being selected for the A-rank instance was the best thing that could've happened to them!

Ye Pingjun rubbed his temple and muttered, "No wonder my luck value dropped straight to -50 after the Count died."

He looked at Mo Bai and saw her calmly staring into the void, wearing an expression that said, I knew it.

No. Looking closer, there was even a faint, barely noticeable smile at the corner of her lips.

"You're still smiling?" Ye Pingjun asked, puzzled.

Mo Bai was staring at Xiao Qi's display, which showed her balance of 100,000 points. When she heard Ye Pingjun, she blurted out, "A hundred thousand points... That's a hundred thousand points! I finally don't have to live on steamed buns!"

She suddenly looked up and met Ye Pingjun's expression, which seemed as if his idol had just fallen from grace. She hurriedly composed herself and said calmly, "When I saw the description about the Smiling Circus on the Manipulation Threads, I guessed that there might be a follow-up instance. I just didn't expect it to be an A-rank instance.

But after this instance, you, Ding Xun, and Gu Tiandong can all become intermediate players. And I'll have mone—no, I mean my ability can improve. Even an A-rank instance isn't hopeless.

We still have three months to prepare. Let's become as strong as possible in these three months."

Ye Pingjun was about to say something when Mo Bai's body began to blur, signifying the system teleportation.

He quickly said, "Peach Blossom Land, Newbie District, Building 6, Room 514, right? I'll come find you!"

"I will too!" Ding Xun shouted.

As their voices fell, everyone's bodies blurred. Light flashed, and Mo Bai returned to her room.

She turned her head and saw Gu Tiandong's ice sculpture beside her.

Since they had entered the same instance, Gu Tiandong had been in Mo Bai's room when they entered and returned there as well.

"Xiao Qi, what's the date today?" Mo Bai asked.

"It is currently Infinite Calendar, October 29, 2023, 12:32 p.m.," Xiao Qi replied.

"So time passes in the Infinite World even if I'm in an instance," Mo Bai said.

She had entered the instance at 9 a.m. on October 28. She spent one day inside, and one day had passed outside as well.

"Yes. Unless it is a time-space–type instance, time flows the same inside and outside. However, players can rest assured because rent is not charged while inside an instance," Xiao Qi said.

"Looks like you know me pretty well already!" Mo Bai said.

"Yes. Xiao Qi has automatically deducted 3 months' rent, totaling 9,000 points. For the next three months, you don't need to worry about rent," Xiao Qi said.

Mo Bai: “……”

She had just left the instance and already lost one-tenth of her fortune. She wasn't happy.

"You deduct money way too fast. What if I earn a ton of points in daily instances and move somewhere else?" Mo Bai said mournfully.

"Please rest assured. If the Player moves out midway, the main system can refund rent on a daily basis," Xiao Qi replied.

"That's more like it," said Mo Bai, who had lived off steamed buns for seven days and valued money above all else.

Xiao Qi said, "Player, please stop worrying about points for now. Don't you want to check your instance rewards? You got two A-rank cards and one mysterious card. A beginner carrying two A-rank cards, there's no forced instance you can't clear!"

"But my next forced instance is A-rank," Mo Bai replied without any excitement.

This main system really didn't want her to live even one extra day.

Still, Xiao Qi was right. She needed to check her rewards. These cards were her key tools in surviving.

She already knew about Spatial Blade. What she really cared about were the other two cards.

 

[

Name:Blessing of the Puppets

Type: Wish Card

Rank:A

Effect: A blessing-type card with defensive and healing abilities. Only one can be chosen per use. One is a protective barrier that completely blocks all attacks for three hours, including a full-power strike from an S-rank monster. The other is a healing effect that removes curses, poisons, seals, and other negative effects that system healing items cannot cure, and fully heals all injuries, including limb regeneration, but not death.

Usage: Take out the card and silently say "thank you."

Uses:1

Description:The souls of all those turned into puppets by the Count were trapped and unable to find salvation. By defeating the Count, the players freed many souls. Before departing, these souls left behind their final blessing for the kind and brave players who helped them.

]

 

For Mo Bai, this card was extremely practical as it was essentially an extra life-saving measure.

She opened the second card. It had been labeled a mysterious card by the system, described only with a "?"She couldn't understand why the system would reward such a card.

 

[

Name:Ruins of the Castle

Type:Scene Card

Rank:Unknown

Effect: Unknown

Usage:Player Mo Bai does not want to know how to use this card. But when she desperately wants to use a scene card, the method will automatically appear in her mind.

Uses:Unknown

Description: Spoils obtained by Player Mo Bai after destroying a B-rank domain. It possesses mysterious power. Player Mo Bai does not wish to use this card, and the main system does not wish for her to use it. If you ever truly use this card, please do not regret it.

Special Note: This is a scene card. It cannot be transferred or sold and does not occupy an item slot.

]

 

Mo Bai: “……”

What kind of nonsense is this?

The description practically felt like the main system was whispering in her ear: Don't use it, don't use it, don't use it.

"Why did you even give me this card if you don't want me to use it?" Mo Bai muttered.

She had thought it would be incredibly powerful, but it turned out to be useless and unsellable. At least it didn't take up space, so she casually tossed it into her inventory.

After checking her points and cards, the last thing left was personal attributes.

After allocating attribute points, her body might finally recover.

To keep herself from getting too excited, Mo Bai saved this for last.

This time, she cleared the instance far above her level and gained a massive amount of experience. After the instance ended, she was already at Beginner-7.

From level 3 to level 7, each of her attributes was increased by 4 points.

Her current stats were:

 

[

Appearance:102

Mental Power:99

Endurance:66

Constitution:57

Agility:31

]

(T/N: Changed Willpower to Mental Power)

 

In addition, she had 20 freely distributable attribute points.

Xiao Qi said, "This time, Xiao Qi suggests allocating points to Mental Power and Appearance to enhance abilities and title effects. Also, your title has evolved, would you like to take a loo—"

Before Xiao Qi could finish, Mo Bai added 10 points to Constitution.

Then she put the remaining 10 points entirely into Agility.