Chapter 2733: Chapter 1931 U: Transcending Major Events (20) _1
Following the unveiling of the special abilities possessed by murder demons in the first round of the game, it seemed that the organizers no longer wished to conceal their intentions. Using the scene set in the great hall of Nihelet Family Manor, they informed all duelers that this was not a simple chase game. Moreover, the murder demons were not just simpletons swinging chainsaws around.
They had a variety of bizarre abilities, were capable of utilizing psychological warfare strategies, and it even appeared now that they might find a place for themselves in religious scriptures.
The gothic hall was very spacious, with a high dome. The dark grey stone bricks were covered with a long carpet woven with twilight green and golden hues. The intricate and sharp candelabras fixed on the walls around looked like outstretching ghostly claws. The hanging olive green silk from the surrounding pillars echoed this, making it feel like they were in a chilling forest.
Inside the hall stood a group of oddly dressed eccentrics. Some were dressed like Eastern Orthodox priests from the Roman period. Others wore wizard robes, holding heavy wooden magic wands. Some were dressed like detectives from the Victorian period, likely to appear on Baker Street. Some were opening heavy laptop computers, monitoring nearby radio waves with complex instruments.
"Are there going to be any ghosts here?" Natasha asked uncertainly. She glanced around, guessing at a glance what kind of people they were, where they might come from, and whether they really had any special abilities.
The last point was the easiest to guess because anyone with real skills wouldn't dress up in a way that made it seem like they desperately wanted to write their lineage on their faces, showing their orthodoxy.
Natasha nudged Batman next to her with her elbow and asked, "Can you deal with ghosts?"
Batman remained silent without answering, and even his appearance didn't suggest that he was pondering. He merely glanced sharply at every person present, as if he could discern their lineage just by looking at their outward appearance.
Simultaneously, he was also keeping an eye out for any unusual presence among the crowd or any anomalies among these odd individuals.
After a complete glance, both Batmans concluded that the most unusual were still themselves.
Batman's image wasn't exaggerated, but Natasha wore a sweatshirt, and Shiller wore a white lab coat, which markedly contrasted with the demons and ghosts in the hall.
What attracted even more attention was that the old butler soon arrived, leading a line of people to the side hall. On their way to their destination, he said, "Although there is no grand banquet, there is a small welcome feast. The Nihelet Family won't treat guests from afar poorly. You may freshen up and rest now. A special waiter will guide you when the banquet begins."
Batman instantly felt several unfriendly gazes cast upon them from people in the hall.
This crowd, with their strange outfits and peculiar behavior, typified those who, despite lacking any real skills, provided psychological comfort by showcasing their quirks to wealthy clients who were fools with too much money.
In their eyes, everyone who had come here was a competitor. Ideally, they'd prefer to have all other competitors driven out, leaving themselves alone to receive the huge thank-you gift.
Now, however, a team had received particular favor from the host family. Could it be that this new team is better at playing the game than they are?
Facing these gazes, Batman didn't feel anger, but his footsteps hesitated. He was considering whether it was necessary to warn these people about the possible presence of a terror murderer in the manor.
As game participants, they were obviously aware that murder demons might appear here. And those murder demons wouldn't just kill them, but might engage in indiscriminate slaughter. This would put the crowd in the hall in great danger.
Just when Batman was about to take action, a team of waiters emerged from another side door, leading all the other people back to their rooms. They said something similar to what the old butler had said.
This successfully attracted the attention of everyone else. After all, some amongst them couldn't be deemed wealthy. Some were even quite poor, therefore a lavish welcome banquet was already a reward for them.
Watching the crowd gradually disperse, each returning to their separate rooms, Batman quickened his pace. He thought that mass slaughter when the crowd was gathered together would be the worst-case scenario. While the crowd dispersing also held danger, it was easier for him to handle.
The old butler led them to the end of the second floor corridor's four rooms. Shiller glanced at the corridor's window and found that the window should overlook the manor's garden.
He, therefore, chose to go to the room nearest to the right side and indicated his choice. The old butler extended a hand, gesturing for him to please proceed. Shiller then opened the door.
Similar to the guest room bedrooms in Wayne Manor apart from the cold color scheme of the rooms, and without any warm-colored decorations. There were no shades of deep red or hazelnut either. Only dark blue, twilight green, olive green, and greenish-black were present, making the rooms look ancient yet heavy.
In the middle of the room stood a European-style bed covered with twilight green silk sheets. The bed had a bed frame around it, and pointed armoires stood on either side of the bed filled with obscure scriptures.
The bedroom had three large gothic floor-to-ceiling windows. In front of the door was a single sofa and a small coffee table, but these were also made of dark fabric, leather, and metal, without a touch of modern design elements.
The light source in the room was even more dramatic, with only a hearth and candle on one side of the wall providing light.
The glass was somehow foggy, so natural light barely penetrated. Due to the complex shape and heavy weight of the gothic candlestick, it couldn't hold very thick candles. When Shiller advanced to take a closer look, he found out that they were animal fat candles, processed in an extremely retro way. This led to an unstable flame. The wood in the hearth was also processed quite coarsely, causing the firelight in the whole room to flicker incessantly.
Shiller stepped forward to touch the bedsheet. The fireplace was not far from the bed, but the bed was still icy cold. He walked over to the window and looked out at the garden, and to his surprise, noticed a pale little girl standing under the pavilion in the garden downstairs, staring intently at his room through the window.
Shiller frowned slightly, as though a protagonist in a horror movie, looking at the little girl with a mix of surprise and hesitation. He wrote a line on the misty window with his finger: "Who are you?"
The little girl continued to stare at Shiller until he wrote again, "Are you okay?"
Only then did the little girl mouth something. She said, "Leave this place."
Shiller sighed, walked over to the sides of the window and drew the curtains, refusing to look at the scene in the garden any more. At this moment, his bedroom door was knocked. Standing outside was a black male servant.
"Good day, sir, the custom-made suit tailored to your measurements before your arrival is ready. It's a deep brown three-piece suit. I'm here to inquire about your tie style preferences and any other requests. Do you need anything?"
Shiller paused before replying, "I would like a forest green or blue silk patterned tie. If possible, please get me a sailfish brooch."
The black servant seemed slightly surprised, but after thinking for a while, he offered a hesitant reminder, "Sir, the attire we prepared should fully meet your requirements, but Mr. Nihelet might return today at noon."
"Of course, Mr. Nihelet is quite a liberal man, but his brother Hancock... well, it's not my place to comment. If you need that, I will inform the butler."
"Nevertheless, our selection of brooch designs might not satisfy you. Do you have any alternatives? I'll bring all of them when the time comes and you can choose which to wear."
"Perhaps, a hummingbird brooch?"
"Alright, please wait."
About ten minutes later, the servant delivered a suitcase containing the suit and a tray of brooches. There were various types of brooches on the tray, from birds, fishes, classical sun patterns, to various suit brooches and button ornaments.
After changing his clothes, Shiller discovered that there was no full-length mirror in his room. He decided to open the curtains again and used the reflection from the window to help him tie his tie.
He saw the pale little girl again, but this time, she wasn't staring straight at Shiller. She was sitting on a swing next to the pavilion, with her head lowered as if lost in thought.
After a while, a servant ran over, seemingly trying to escort the little girl away. However, she shook her head in refusal and the servant seemed to be reluctant to approach her, eventually leaving while constantly looking back over his shoulder.
Shiller observed for a while, only to see the little girl suddenly turned her head and looked his way. Her eyes were still somewhat hollow and dazed, and coupled with her pale face, it seemed quite eerie.
Shiller wrote on the window glass, "If you encounter any trouble, come find me. If not, come over for a cup of tea."
From the girl's eyes, it was evident that she was reading his words intently, but she seemed unable to comprehend. Not that she couldn't understand the literal meaning of the words, but she seemed unable to understand why Shiller would say such things.
After adjusting his tie, Shiller looked at the tray of brooches placed on the shoe rack near the door.
The hummingbird symbolizes good luck in the West, hence it often appears as a decorative element and is favored by women. The sailfish, because of its fast speed and strong physique in the ocean, is seen as a symbol of strength and often chosen as a decorative element by men in positions of power.
Neither of these brooches were particularly rare. Although not as common as floral and sun patterns, there were still a few styles to choose from. Originally, Shiller had set his eyes on the sailfish brooch, but his fingers brushed over the shiny tray of brooches, finally picking up a small, yet golden hummingbird brooch, and pinned it in the center of his suit pocket.
After adjusting the details of his attire, Shiller walked back to the window, not standing directly in the middle, but at the side where the curtains were drawn, looking diagonally at the garden below.
The little girl wasn't standing aimlessly or sitting on the swing lost in thought. She was standing beside a bush, staring straight at another figure - a boy a little older than her.
The boy was hiding behind the porch. As soon as he moved, the little girl clenched her fists and leaned forward to let out a piercing scream at him, making incomprehensible noises and waving her arms about, her appearance absolutely terrifying.
The boy seemed to be scared out of his wits. He stomped his feet in place then ran back to call for help. Soon, a group of servants rushed out and took the little girl away from the scene.
Shiller watched this scene in silence. However, his focus was different from those of the onlookers who were also watching this drama unfold from the windows, or perhaps it could be said that they were noticing the same thing, just interpreted it differently.
Shiller noticed that six burly middle-aged female servants struggled to subdue the little girl. It was only after two more male servants rushed over that they managed to firmly seize the little girl and carry her away.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone