"Sir, wake up.”
“Sir?”
A strange voice suddenly pierced through the fog of sleep.
Gu Zhan's nerves tightened, but he couldn't fully wake up.
He could only lie there, muscles tensed, waiting endlessly in a half-dream state.
The person continued speaking.
“Sir, it’s getting late. Your guests have arrived; you should get up now.”
After this, Gu Zhan finally managed to move.
He slowly opened his eyes to see the exquisite and ornate reliefs above him.
This was a classical European-style building, with a splendid dome, intricate statues, and vibrant colors… and standing nearby was a handsome man in a tailcoat.
Noticing Gu Zhan was awake, the handsome man slightly bowed and said, “Hello, my master. You’re finally awake.”
“…” Gu Zhan felt dizzy as he propped himself up, his voice weak: “Who… are you?”
“I am your butler.” The butler didn’t seem to find Gu Zhan’s question strange, or perhaps it was simply his professional demeanor that required him to answer even the most unusual questions. He smiled and said, “You are the master of the Black Raven Mansion. Today is the day you invited your friends over, and they have already arrived. Sir, will you get up now to meet your friends?”
Gu Zhan remembered that the system had mentioned the background of this scenario before he entered.
The Black Raven Mansion.
He hadn’t expected that the role assigned to him would be the master of the Black Raven Mansion.
The “invited friends” must refer to other players.
Gu Zhan sat up straight and said, “I need to… where are my clothes?”
“Please wait a moment.”
After saying this, the butler left the room.
Once the butler was gone, Gu Zhan began to take a good look around the room.
Just as he had seen before, this was an old yet very lavish house.
A mansion.
This title suggested that it had been established for some time.
The room was almost entirely filled with decorative furnishings; there were no drawers or cabinets to store anything, and there was no additional information to discern.
Gu Zhan glanced around briefly before looking away.
At that moment, the butler returned with a silver cart.
He smiled and asked Gu Zhan, “What color clothing would you like to wear today, sir?”
Gu Zhan glanced at the cart, which was stacked with various garments, all flamboyant, with complex lace trim on the collars and cuffs.
It was a disaster.
This style, paired with vibrant colors, would be even more disastrous, right?
Gu Zhan replied, “Black and white, please.”
The butler bent down to retrieve a black-and-white outfit and was about to step forward to help Gu Zhan dress.
Gu Zhan quickly declined, “I’ll do it myself.”
After a pause, realizing that such complex clothing might be difficult for him to wear, he added, “You can just watch from the side.”
The butler didn’t say anything more. After handing the clothes to Gu Zhan, he stood aside and smiled.
He has to admit, he was really good-looking: chiseled features, fair skin, and he looked like a mixed-blood. His striking blonde hair was quite attention-grabbing for a butler.
With someone like that watching, it was impossible for anyone to put on pants.
Gu Zhan had to say, “Don’t look at me; turn around.”
The butler obediently turned around, facing away from Gu Zhan, and even asked, “Sir, is this okay?”
Gu Zhan didn’t answer; he was already starting to put on his pants.
Meanwhile, the live stream began to broadcast the scenario content. On screen, Gu Zhan was dressed in a shirt adorned with intricate lace, the buttons of which were not fully fastened, revealing his clean collarbone and a hint of abs.
His build wasn’t exaggerated; a thin layer of muscle lay over his bones, with smooth, attractive lines.
But that wasn’t the main point. The highlight was his exceptionally fair skin, so pale that it was almost blinding under certain lighting. At this moment, the lace trim further highlighted his cold and aloof aura.
Additionally, as he dressed, there were fleeting flashes of redness on his chest.
The live chat exploded.
【Are you showing me this good stuff first thing in the morning?】
【Excuse me, is this segment going to cost extra points?】
【You, with that ID… didn’t you clearly say you were a man last time? Do men get excited over this kind of scene too?】
【What’s wrong with being a man? Can’t a man enjoy male romance? You’re sexist!】
【…Are you crazy?】
Gu Zhan, however, was completely oblivious. After putting on his shirt, he got out of bed.
He was wearing shorts on his lower half, but the shirt was long enough to cover his backside.
Before putting on pants, he had performed a little “vanishing lower half” act; beneath the white shirt were two long, straight legs.
They were slim but not excessively so, with noticeable thigh muscles that left no doubt about his physical strength.
The pants were black, not as flamboyant as the shirt, but the boots were knee-high.
Once dressed, Gu Zhan felt as if he had turned into a beautiful and attractive vase.
Another critical point, which he realized only after he was fully dressed, was that although the black-and-white outfit was simple in color, it was extravagant in decoration. Especially the neckline, which, when completely buttoned, turned out to be a deep V-neck that opened nearly five centimeters above his navel; any sudden movement might expose something.
He awkwardly tugged at his clothing and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have a jacket?”
Hearing the question, the butler turned back around. Upon seeing Gu Zhan, a glimmer of admiration flashed in his eyes as he smiled and said, “Yes, what style of jacket would you like, sir?”
Gu Zhan thought for a moment and replied, “It’s quite cold; I’d like something warm and snug.”
So the butler selected a black… open-front coat from the small silver cart for him.
Gu Zhan: "..."
The chest was still exposed.
Forget it.
[Hahaha, I actually understood what he meant. He wanted to wear a coat to cover up, but the coat ended up being even more revealing.]
[What’s wrong with us enjoying the view? Covering up? No way!]
After getting dressed, the butler stood at the bedroom door, ready to take Gu Zhan out.
"Sir, please follow me; breakfast is already prepared, and others are waiting for you."
Gu Zhan followed him out of the bedroom.
Outside was a long corridor, with a dark red carpet underfoot. The overall style was similar to the bedroom—retro and luxurious.
However, perhaps due to the many dark patterns on the walls or the intricate ceiling sculptures, the entire corridor felt rather somber and oppressive.
After taking a few steps and turning a corner, the view suddenly opened up.
On one side of the corridor, there was a large floor-to-ceiling window.
Through the window, one could see outside, where there was a lawn with flowerbeds nearby. The flowers were in full bloom, and the morning sun was bright, with dew glistening on the grass blades.
However, looking beyond the courtyard, it didn't seem so sunny. Through the low courtyard wall, one could see the trees outside.
Was this mansion… in a forest? Or on a mountain?
With such doubts, Gu Zhan arrived at the dining room.
The butler pushed open the dining room door and let him enter first.
Gu Zhan walked in, met with the usual extravagance, which was even more opulent than the bedroom and corridor. One wall had very tall cabinets filled with gilded vessels, which dazzled Gu Zhan as soon as he entered.
At the long table, which was over three meters, several people were seated.
Gu Zhan glanced roughly and saw a total of one man and two women. At one end of the table stood a middle-aged man dressed oddly.
The reason he looked odd was that he was wearing a gray robe in such a mansion.
At that moment, he was smiling at the people seated at the table. Upon seeing Gu Zhan enter, he nodded slightly.
It seemed he like the butler was an NPC in this scenario.
Moreover, his status appeared to be equal to that of the butler on the same level as Gu Zhan, the master.
The butler walked past Gu Zhan, smiling as he introduced him to everyone: "Good morning, everyone. This is Mr. Gu, who invited you to this seminar, and he is also the master of Black Raven Mansion. Before we begin dining, please introduce yourselves to my master."
Introduce themselves?
Gu Zhan was surprised. Didn’t they say he was a friend? These people looked like they didn’t know him at all.
The individuals seated at the table all looked nervous; it was evident they were players who had come in from outside.
The boy spoke first: "My name is Wang Zhe, and I’m a member of the horror film club."
Gu Zhan noticed that under the table, he was tightly gripping the hand of the girl beside him; they seemed to have entered as a team.
The girl softly added, "I’m also a member of the film club. My name is Ma Xiaowen."
Another girl sat alone at the opposite end of the table, sporting short hair and a more capable style.
Sure enough, she spoke up with a clear and powerful voice: "I’m Sang Yue, the president of the film club and the organizer of this seminar. I’m the one who contacted Mr. Gu earlier."
It appeared that just like before, everyone had received their own scripts.
Gu Zhan took a seat at the head of the table and said casually, "I’m Gu Zhan, the master of Black Raven Mansion."
His introduction was too brief and his demeanor too casual, leaving everyone confused about whether he was a player or an NPC.
At that moment, the butler, standing beside them, smiled and explained: "I believe everyone here knows that you’ve come for a movie script called 'The Feast of Horror.' Ten years ago, someone rented Black Raven Mansion to shoot this film but for some credible reasons, it failed."
"Later, the production team disbanded, but they left behind some scripts in Black Raven Mansion. Our master has made copies of these scripts for everyone. After you choose your rooms, the scripts will be directly distributed to your rooms so that you can carefully review the contents."
"Now, please enjoy your meal; I need to tidy up the guest rooms, so I’ll excuse myself."
After the butler finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving only a few players and the oddly dressed man in the corner.
Gu Zhan turned to the man in the robe and asked, "Who are you?"
The man was taken aback for a moment and then smiled: "Mr. Gu, your question truly saddens me. Was I not invited by you? I understand now; I must be interrupting your meal. I will take my leave."
With that, he bowed and left the dining room.
Now, only the few players remained in the room.
No one touched their chopsticks, and the room was silent. Gu Zhan guessed they couldn’t figure out whether he was an NPC or a player, so he took the initiative to say, "I’m also a player, just with a more special identity."
Everyone paused, and finally, Sang Yue spoke up first: "NPCs are unaware of the existence of players. If you speak up first, I believe you."
"I… I came in with him," said another girl, "we are also players."
In truth, everyone knew that the scenario had just begun, and it wouldn’t present major troubles at this point.
Sang Yue looked around and said, "In that case, this scenario consists of four people. Do you have any information about that movie script?"
Gu Zhan shook his head; his knowledge was likely the least among everyone, as he only knew he was the master of Black Raven Mansion.
The other boy and girl also shook their heads, and the girl stammered, "Before I came here, I seemed to have searched online. It’s a horror movie starring a popular young actor. I heard it was poorly made, and because it was so bad, there really isn’t much information… If it weren’t for the film club wanting to use this as the theme for the seminar, we wouldn’t have come here..."
As she spoke, she suddenly realized something was off: “Wait, you’re the president; you should know about this movie.”
“Right, you’re correct,” Sang Yue said. “I know a bit more than you do. This movie is based on a true story. It’s said that in a place called Huangquan Village, there was a woman possessed by a ghost. She killed her husband and the others in the village before going alone to the big city. She had a fondness for beautiful appearances. The woman chosen for the role was the most beautiful in the village.”
“Once in the city, she set her sights on the newly built grand theater, causing chaos there. At that time, it was the era when pop music clashed with traditional theater. In the grand theater, there were singers, dancers, and actors, and a theater troupe also joined in. The ghost became infatuated with one of the female performers, possessing her.”
“After a while, someone invited the theater troupe to perform at their birthday party, and the female ghost followed them... What happened in between, I don’t know, but the conclusion is that the troupe and the host's family were all wiped out, with no survivors.”
When Sang Yue finished speaking, the restaurant was eerily silent.
After a while, Ma Xiaowen trembled and said, “You mean, in the end, everyone died?!”
Her tone had changed, sounding excessively tense.
Sang Yue seemed quite calm, stating coolly, “Yes.”
Ma Xiaowen looked increasingly anxious, lowering her head to mumble, “This is an SSS-grade dungeon. Studying such a dangerous script means we might also face complete annihilation, right? If everyone died... how could they all die...”
Sang Yue remained calm, sounding like a robot as she said, “You’re right; it’s possible that we all might die in the end.”
Ma Xiaowen: “...”
She was already scared, and Sang Yue’s words made her even more terrified.
The atmosphere in the room was heading toward an uncontrollable direction when Wang Zhe said, “Maybe it won’t happen; I’ve never heard of any dungeon leading to complete annihilation. It’s just a script.”
Although she knew it was just a comforting remark, Ma Xiaowen felt a bit less shaky after hearing him say that.
In the meantime, the butler returned.
He announced that the rooms had been arranged, and once they finished their meal, they could each return to their respective rooms to rest.
However, when his gaze fell on the dining table and saw that no one had touched their chopsticks, his expression became somewhat intriguing.
The butler smiled faintly: “Is the food prepared by the mansion not to your taste?”
Gu Zhan, sitting in front of him, picked up the knife and fork in front of him, as if he had intended to do so all along, and leisurely began to eat his breakfast.
The others quickly followed suit, starting to eat as well.
Only then did the butler’s expression improve.
After the meal, the butler began assigning rooms, one for each person, all on the first floor.
When they heard they would be separated, Ma Xiaowen seemed very uneasy, leaning closer to Wang Zhe and quietly asking, “Can we share a room?”
Seeing the butler’s displeased expression, she quickly changed her tune: “It's fine if I share with Sister Sang Yue too.”
Sang Yue had no expression and didn’t seem keen on sharing a room with Ma Xiaowen.
The butler smiled slightly, his eyes glimmering with subtlety: “Don’t worry, this guest. The rooms in our Black Raven Mansion are absolutely safe, and we have plenty of rooms, so you don’t have to share with anyone else.”
Ma Xiaowen shook even more.
Sang Yue said, “Let it be as it is.”
The butler's attitude was clearly non-negotiable; perhaps this was part of the script.
The butler stood up and said, “The scripts have been placed in your rooms. Once you return, you can check them. Lunch will be served in the rooms. If you feel tired, you can take a short nap. In the evening, we will meet in the restaurant to begin the formal seminar. Now, please return to your rooms.”
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