Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 50
After arriving in the living room, everything in sight was incredibly strange, which gave Zhou Qian a strong sense of discomfort.
This wasn’t just the visual impact brought by the peculiar flowers, plants, and the strange butterfly. If the entire world consisted of these bizarre things, it wouldn’t feel out of place—it would just be a whimsical fantasy world.
But that wasn’t the case here. The construction of the room, the original look of the streets, and even the television, sofa, and coffee table in the room felt very modern and tech-savvy.
The juxtaposition of ultra-modern furniture and the bizarre plant was the source of the dissonance.
The television in the living room was extremely thin, like a sheet of paper on the wall. The sofa’s material was indiscernible, and its design was ergonomic and inviting. The small coffee table was black and white, with a very unique irregular polygonal shape, and had a button on it.
After a moment, Zhou Qian paid no attention to the strange flower growing into the room or the flower bud with human faces. He walked over and pressed the button on the coffee table. It then ingeniously disassembled and reassembled itself, transforming into a perfect square dining table.
The previous study room had a classic design. Coupled with the “witch” theme, Zhou Qian had thought this game’s setting was of medieval Western context.
However, judging from the living room, this era had advanced technology, making the modern furniture feel out of place compared to the magic and strange plants.
Looking down, Zhou Qian noticed another button in the middle of the dining table. Upon pressing it, a small compartment sank and revealed a hidden section. Inside was a letter addressed to Witch Eva.
[Dear Eva,
Indeed, technological advancement is a sin. We should return to our beliefs and respect everything the ancient books and magic have taught us. I have dismantled all the TVs, computers, and the like in the house. I hope you’ll abandon them in your life soon.
Only by returning to our original state can we find a way to communicate with the universe, just like the ancient sages.
Looking forward to our next meeting at the ‘Witch Association’
— Sarah. October 1st, XX85.]
From this letter, Zhou Qian could deduce why there was such a vast difference between the study and the living room’s styles.
It was likely that after receiving this letter from Sarah, Eva began to discard her electronic devices and started to redesign her house to make it more retro. However, she couldn’t complete the transformation before the witch hunts began in the town.
Given the circumstances, Eva had to keep her identity as a witch a secret. As a result, she only renovated her study, which was a private space, while leaving the living room, the public-facing area of the house, untouched as a decoy to assure visitors she wasn’t a witch.
The letter was dated ‘85, while the suspicious Strawberry Music Festival was in ‘92. This suggested that Eva became a witch long before, possibly just after her daughter was born.
The letter also indicated that there were multiple witches in the town since there was a mention of a “Witch Association”. Sarah’s tone in the letter suggested that she might be the leader or president of the association.
At this moment, Zhou Qian was the player closest to the bizarre flower. Qi Liuxing glanced at him, noting a flower bud with a human face almost touching his shoulder.
“Be careful, Zhou Qian,” Qi Liuxing warned.
Yin Jiujiu also stepped forward, surveyed the living room, and remarked, “These flowers are all over the streets outside. Are they the ‘Flowers of Evil’? However, based on my judgment, these plants are harmless for now. After all, if they wanted to harm us, we wouldn’t stand a chance since they’re everywhere.”
After a pause, Yin Jiujiu continued, “With that in mind, we can safely venture outside and investigate. We don’t need to fear these flowers. According to that little girl, we need to leave this house and investigate the place where the music festival was held to find out what exactly happened there.”
After saying this, Yin Jiujui looked at the others, seemingly trying to gauge their opinions.
Ke Yuxiao frowned and thought for a moment before speaking, “We must check the music festival. But before that, we should search this entire house again. The system has advised us to explore here thoroughly. Perhaps, we could not only find important clues but also gain additional life points.”
At this moment, Wu Ren walked to the door and tried the doorknob. It could be turned, but the door couldn’t be pushed open. From this, it was evident that the door was still barred with iron bars or covered with iron plates from the outside.
After forcefully pushing the wooden door several times to no avail, Wu Ren turned to the others and said, “You guys search for clues. I’ll find a way to open the door. Let’s divide and conquer.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian looked at him. Wu Ren glared back and loudly retorted, “Wasn’t it you who said? I’m the king, and you’re the pawn. Shouldn’t you be running errands?”
Zhou Qian chuckled, walked over to Qi Liuxing, patted him on the shoulder, and took him to the second floor.
On the way, Qi Liuxing asked him through the private earpiece, “What’s the situation with Wu Ren now?”
“Logically, if the Peach Blossom Legion wanted to kill me, they would send someone strong. After Situ Qing failed, sending someone even stronger like Wu Ren makes sense. However, I haven’t seen any flaws in Wu Ren so far. If he was really suspect, he would have agreed to cooperate with me much earlier. It was only at the last moment that he agreed. His reactions seem too genuine, not like he’s faking it.”
Zhou Qian continued, “However, if it’s not him, it’s a bit strange.”
“If it’s not him, is it Yin Jiujui? Hmm… It could also be Li Buhui. Or maybe the two of them are collaborating.”
Qi Liuxing said, “Why did his gambler emphasize that he would cling to Yin Jiujui and describe him as ordinary? Oh, and Li Buhui acted quite naively, even losing 6 points. Maybe he’s pretending to be dumb to gain your trust!”
Zhou Qian pondered for a moment and said, “The premise for pretending to be clueless is that he’s actually very capable. But as far as I know, there doesn’t seem to be any item in the system that can hide one’s strength. By the way, have you heard of the ‘Calabash Brothers saving their grandfather’ story?”
*Story regarding seven brothers born from a calabash (gourd) who tries to rescue their grandfather by going one by one only to fail. Only when they united as one did they finally manage to rescue their grandfather. It’s also now a catchphrase referring to the story illustrating how not concentrating combat power in games or team battles but fighting the enemy’s main force one by one eventually will lead to defeat.
Qi Liuxing replied, “Ah, the seven calabash brothers went to rescue their grandfather by fighting the snake demon one by one and kept failing. If they had teamed up from the beginning, they would’ve won.”
“Exactly,” Zhou Qian said. “If it’s Wu Ren, Yin Jiujui, and Li Bu Hui working together against me, that makes sense. Especially with Situ Qing being unpredictable, they might have other ways to control her. But if it’s just Yin Jiujui and Li Buhui, it’s strange. They don’t need to send individuals like the Calabash Brothers.”
After a brief pause, Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes and then shook his head. “Regardless, I have a plan. They won’t dare act rashly for now.”
After chatting with Qi Liuxing, Zhou Qian, accompanied by him and Ke Yuxiao, arrived on the second floor.
The villa wasn’t big, and there were only four rooms on the second floor.
Closest to the staircase was a toy room filled with children’s toys and some musical instruments in a modern style. These toys were unique, including an automatic train and even an advanced dynamic solar system model where the moon revolved around the Earth, which, while rotating, revolved around the Sun.
The other three rooms were bedrooms.
One was clearly a child’s room, probably Lily’s; another room only had a bed and wardrobe and seemed like a vacant guest room.
Both rooms were futuristic and high-tech. The Barbie doll in Lily’s room was especially advanced and had AI capabilities, teaching Lily letters and basic math. All room windows were sealed, consistent with Zhou Qian’s prior assessment.
The last master bedroom was probably Eva’s. Her room was similar to the study, with no modern equipment and strong medieval decor. Even her room curtains were dense, perhaps because she needed to avoid sunlight when using magic.
Zhou Qian entered the master bedroom, and the first things he noticed were a letter on the bedside table, two used bus ticket stubs, and a similarly used entrance ticket stub.
The letter wasn’t signed, but from its content, it was clear it was written by a friend very familiar to Eva.
Eva probably recognized her handwriting so well that they didn’t need to sign their letters to each other.
Moreover, in the background of this instance, TVs and toys were so advanced, they likely also have mobile phones.
However, if Eva and her friend still communicated via letters, it suggested her friend was probably a witch and also chose to abandon technology.
The letter was written on March 27th.
[Eva, both our husbands are gone, and we are left to raise our children alone. It’s been so tiring over these years. Throughout the year, we only get one day off. The Strawberry Music Festival is finally here. The children will be going, and they’ll be taken care of the whole day. In previous years, we’d stay home and do chores. This year, let’s take a break and go on a holiday!
There’s a new scenic spot in the neighboring town. I’ve heard many adults are planning to holiday there during the festival. After all, it’s the only day we don’t have to care for our kids. I’ve already bought your ticket. Let’s take the bus and have a vacation together!]
Next to the letter, the ticket stub indeed read: [Maple Town Resort: A beautiful tourist spot to purify your soul and connect with the universe.]
As for the bus tickets, they indicated a round trip.
Eva left Lily Town at 1 PM on March 30th and headed to the neighboring town, Maple Town, 100 kilometers away. She left Maple Town to return home at 5 AM on April 1st.
The children attended the music festival on March 31st.
According to Lina’s ghost, she was killed on the night of March 31st or early morning of April 1st.
So, after Eva returned home, she might have discovered that her daughter Lily had killed Lina. As to when she felt her daughter was possessed and when she locked her up, there was no evidence so far.
Half an hour later, Zhou Qian, Qi Liuxing, and Ke Yuxiao finished exploring the second floor. They found what seemed to be Lily’s two arms and a leg, then returned to the ground floor.
Their teammates on the first floor also found some evidence: the torso that belonged to Lily. Now, most of her body had been found.
After asking everyone where they found the parts, Zhou Qian sketched out their locations. Excluding a hand that was accidentally broken off under the windowsill, a solitary finger, and a strand of hair, when connected, her head and limbs seemed to form a three-dimensional pentagram. Her torso was right at the center.
This placement seemed intentional, as if following a pattern, possibly a ritual to seal an evil spirit.
Moreover, in the kitchen’s large freezer, another body was found. Compared to Lily’s monstrous and deformed limbs, this body was much more normal.
This frozen body showed the cause of death clearly: a hole in her chest, as if someone reached in and removed her heart.
This person was undoubtedly Lina, who was killed by her good friend Lily.
It seemed that after Eva returned from her vacation and discovered her daughter’s wrongdoing, she temporarily hid Lina in the freezer.
After inspecting the bodies, the first to speculate was Yin Jiujui. “Could it be… the music festival was organized by some demon? Did they curse the kids, turning them into uncontrollable monsters?”
“I don’t know. The clues related to the story’s background are too limited,” Li Buhui said, moving closer to Yin Jiujui. “Goddess Jiujui, please cover for me. I’m really, really scared.”
Yin Jiujui glanced at him without giving a direct response, continuing to inspect the two bodies.
One was made up of pieced-together limbs, while the other was still intact. With gloves on, Yin Jiujui conducted a detailed inspection, trying to find more clues.
At that moment, Wu Ren asked, “So, did you guys find any other cards related to life points?”
When asking this, Wu Ren first looked at Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian shook his head at him. “Maybe we need to trigger a plot to get points. Let’s wait and see. Don’t worry. How about your side…”
Glancing at the door, Zhou Qian noticed that the wooden door had been completely removed, but outside, as expected, there was a railing made entirely of iron bars.
He asked Wu Ren, “Couldn’t find a way to open the door?”
“No. Damn it,” Wu Ren cursed. “I used a very precious tool and couldn’t break the railing outside. What a waste!”
“All the clues in this room should have been found. We need to go to other places in the town, especially where the Strawberry Music Festival is held,” Yin Jiujiu said seriously. “We can’t keep sitting here and let our life points decrease. The problem is… How do we get out?”
How to get out?
Should everyone try to demolish the entire house?
Before the players could decide, unexpectedly, three people dressed entirely in black appeared outside the door.
The trio wore thick black robes, black masks on their faces, and were shrouded in black cloaks. They were so fully wrapped that one couldn’t see their faces or even determine their gender.
After a while, the three of them actually walked to the front door of the house, seemingly observing the players inside.
Then they began to speak—
“You’re right, there are people in Eva’s house.”
“They are trapped.”
“We can’t let them continue to be locked in here.”
“We need to take them away.”
From their conversation, it became clear that they were all women. From their words, the reason for their arrival couldn’t be deduced—the seven players had been searching and exploring this room for over half an hour. During this time, the streets, or perhaps a house across the street, weren’t empty. Someone saw them through the gaps in the iron railing outside the room and called these women over.
After reaching the door, the women took out metal cutters and quickly sawed off the iron railings.
Their movements were very practiced, as if they were used to doing such things.
Then the three of them entered the room.
One still held the metal cutter, while the other two held black wooden sticks that looked like magic wands. They all appeared to be witches.
The lead witch was quite tall. She held a magic wand in one hand and quickly took out a crystal ball from her pocket with the other.
Holding the crystal ball, she walked half a circle around the room. The ball emitted a soft blue light, exuding a mysterious aura. After her circle, she nodded to the other two witches behind her.
Soon, the three of them uniformly removed their black masks, took off their black hooded cloaks, and revealed the uniform black dresses they wore underneath.
It was at this moment that Zhou Qian saw the face of the leading witch.
She had fair skin, deep facial features, a prominent nose, and looked typically Western. Beneath her long, straight golden eyelashes were eyes as blue as the sea, which were stunning.
“Good, you haven’t been infected. I can help you get out of here.”
The lead witch looked at the seven players and said.
Her voice was very melodious, like the spring breeze brushing over snow or the sound of a mountain stream trickling over stones.
The witch then counted the number of people present and had one of her companions take out seven robes, seven skirts, and seven masks from a bag. These items, identical to what the witches wore, were placed on the dining table and sofa.
The lead witch spoke again. “Please put on these clothes. I’ve checked with the crystal ball just now; the situation in this room isn’t severe. So you haven’t been possessed by evil spirits yet and turned into bloodthirsty demons.”
“However, the streets outside are filled with malicious spirits. A moment’s carelessness, and you could be possessed. These clothes are enchanted to protect you. Please wear them before leaving this house.”
“Who are you?” Zhou Qian took a step forward, looking into her beautiful eyes. “Why should we trust you?”
“I am the president of the Witch Association. My name is Sarah.”
The witch looked at him seriously and replied, “Right now, only I can protect you. Otherwise, you’ll be possessed and turned into bloodthirsty demons. Many people in this town… have been killed by demons. We patrol here regularly to find survivors, like you, and also to hunt and seal away demons.”
Zhou Qian asked again, “Where are you taking us?”
“To the main base of the Witch Association. Only there is safe,” Sarah replied. “You can’t stay in Beautiful Flower Town anymore. Please make sure to follow me back to the base and hide.”
Zhou Qian gave her a once-over and asked bluntly, “What if… we don’t agree?”
Sarah’s voice suddenly deepened, filled with a mixture of pity and resignation. “If you don’t come with me, to prevent you from being possessed by evil spirits and becoming murderous demons, I’ll have to kill you now to prevent further slaughter of innocent people.”
Upon hearing this, all the players felt a heavy weight on their hearts.
Through the system panel, every player could see that the levels of these witches were all as high as Rank S. Even Wu Ren, a Rank A player, was no match for them. Their stats were simply not on the same level.
It seemed the players had no choice but to act according to their instructions—to disguise themselves as witches and then return to the so-called main base of the Witch Association.
Exchanging a glance with Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao, Zhou Qian turned his attention back to Witch Sarah in front of him. This time, his tone was a bit gentler. “We’ll go with you to the Witch Association’s main base… Then what? Do we have to become witches too?”
Sarah nodded and said, “Yes. Evil spirits fear witches. Becoming a witch is the safest option for you.”
Qi Liuxing stepped forward from behind Zhou Qian, casting a glance at the clothes. He was clearly not pleased. With a stern and awkward face, he asked Sarah, “But we’re men. How can we wear skirts? Can’t we be warlocks?”
Sarah replied solemnly, “A long time ago, there was also a Warlock Association here. The two associations competed, and eventually, the Warlock Association was defeated, declined, and finally disbanded. But because of the past competition, many girls in the association hold grudges against warlocks. If you hide in our base as warlocks, you’ll be bullied. To ensure your safety, it’s best for you to disguise as girls for now. Later, I’ll order everyone not to fight among themselves. But for now, I need to focus on more important matters, like clearing the evil spirits from Beautiful Flower Town.”
“Now, hurry up and put on the clothes I’ve enchanted with a protection spell.”
After saying this, Sarah nodded to her two subordinates, and the three of them put their cloaks and masks back on.
Behind Zhou Qian, the players began to take action, taking the black skirts and robes one after another. However, Zhou Qian remained still.
Under the surprised gaze of a few players, Zhou Qian took a step towards Sarah and once again stared into her eyes from a close distance. “Wait, I have more questions.”
“What is it?” Sarah’s tone grew even more serious. “Please be quick. The windows here have been broken, and soon this place will be contaminated by evil spirits.”
“Alright, I’ll be quick. I’ve heard…”
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes and asked, “Aren’t witches unpopular? If a witch’s identity is exposed… it seems they would be burned at the stake in public. If we become witches… can you really ensure our safety?”
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