Outside the boundary of the grey mist, deep within the withered forest.
Five adventurers stopped before the mist.
The grey mist, which had originally been a solid wall, was suddenly parted as if by an invisible hand, revealing a damp, cold path.
At the end of the path stood the faint silhouette of a castle. Its spires pierced the gloomy sky, and its walls were covered in black vines, making it look like a giant beast sleeping in the mist.
The burly man holding the large shield was the first to laugh.
“I told you there was something here.”
His name was Buck. He was tall and well-built, carrying a large iron shield on his back and a handaxe hanging from his waist.
Behind him, a grey-robed man named Norman gripped his staff, its tip embedded with a cloudy wind crystal.
“A castle hidden in the grey mist has to be an old noble ruin,” Norman's eyes gleamed. “Finding even a single weapon or treasure chest in a place like this would be enough for us to live comfortably in the Red Kite City-States for half a year.”
A woman stood nearby, twirling a shortsword in her hand.
“It's been a while since I've gotten anything good. I hope we don't go home empty-handed this time.”
Another man with a thick beard shouldered a hunting spear, its tip bound with a worn beast tooth. Hearing her words, he had already taken a step forward.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let's go in.”
Only the short man at the very back of the group looked pale. He carried a hand crossbow on his back, with several small leather pouches hanging from his waist.
They were filled with the cheapest beast-repelling powder and low-tier medicine.
He stared at the path fading in and out of the grey mist, his lips trembling.
“I think this place is dangerous.”
The burly Buck looked back at him and let out a gruff laugh.
“When have you ever felt safe?”
The bearded man also sneered. “Milo, with courage like that, why are you even an adventurer? Go back and wash cups for the tavern owner.”
Rena sheathed her shortsword, her tone dripping with contempt. “Alright, if he wants to be afraid, let him. Either way, if there really is treasure inside, don't count him in when we divide it up.”
Norman, the grey-robed mage, also looked at Milo, his eyes filled with disgust.
“You keep watch out here. Blow your whistle if anyone comes. As for the things we find inside—”
He paused, his smile dripping with malice.
“Don't expect to touch a single copper coin.”
Milo wanted to argue back, but the eerie atmosphere around him kept him tongue-tied.
Buck couldn't be bothered to pay him any more attention. He raised his large shield and stepped into the mist.
“Let's go.”
The figures of the four were quickly swallowed by the grey mist.
Milo stood where he was, staring at the path as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
The mist swirled against the tips of his boots, as if a hand were gently tugging at him.
He took a sharp step back.
“Fine, I won't touch it!”
He muttered under his breath, as if to reassure himself.
“I just hope you actually live long enough to spend what you take!”
The castle doors slowly creaked open.
The moment Buck and the other three stepped into the hall, a chill crept up their ankles.
The soaring vaulted ceiling was hidden in darkness. Chandeliers hung in midair, and candles flickered to life one by one, illuminating the dense rows of portraits on the walls.
None of those portraits had eyeballs.
Their hollow, dark eye sockets turned to follow the group's footsteps.
Rena gripped her shortsword tightly and whispered, “Something is wrong here.”
But Norman's eyes had already locked onto something.
To the right of the hall, near a carved stone pillar, lay a scattering of gold coins.
The golden gleam flashed dazzlingly under the candlelight, mixed with a few rubies and a broken pearl necklace.
Buck's breathing grew heavy.
“Gold coins!”
The bearded man was the first to rush over. Leaning his hunting spear against the wall, he squatted down and began scooping them into his arms.
“We're rich!”
Norman didn't care about keeping up appearances either. He pulled up the hem of his robe and stuffed the gold coins inside.
Rena had originally wanted to remain alert, but when she saw the pearl necklace, her gaze shifted.
She squatted down, clutching the pearl necklace in her palm, her thumb brushing against its lustrous surface.
“It's real.”
Buck laughed heartily. Leaving his large shield propped by his feet, he reached out to pick up a gold cup inlaid with sapphires.
“I knew it! A creepy place like this is bound to have good stuff!”
As they gathered the loot, they moved deeper into the hall.
The gold coins were like breadcrumbs deliberately left behind, stretching from the entrance all the way into the corridor.
The deeper they went, the more treasure they found.
At first, it was just scattered copper and silver coins, but it soon turned into gold coins, rings, pocket watches, and carved daggers.
Greed was like an invisible hand, slowly pressing down on the back of their necks and pushing them deeper.
The portraits on the walls watched them in silence.
Beneath the carpet, dark red runes flashed briefly.
【Blood Banquet Pre-Marking】
Isolde stood in the shadows of the second-floor gallery, looking down at them.
She hadn't even bothered to change out of her white dress.
There was really no need to waste her acting skills on materials that would jump into the pot themselves the moment they smelled gold.
“How cooperative,” she murmured.
Lia stood by her side, her right eye lowered, her hands folded in front of her.
“Milady, should I intercept them now?”
“Wait a little longer.”
Isolde rested her fingertips on the banister, her expression calm.
“Let them take a few more steps. The deeper they take the bait, the more painful it will be when they struggle.”
The four followed the trail of gold coins to the outside of the Banquet Hall.
The black double doors were ajar.
A faint blue candlelight seeped through the crack, and the soft clinking of silverware could be heard from within.
Buck swallowed hard. “There must be more inside.”
Rena finally sensed that something was amiss and lowered her voice:
“We've already taken enough.”
The bearded man immediately glared at her. “Enough? How is this enough? That coward outside is still foolishly waiting to see us fail. When we return fully loaded, he'll definitely regret it to death.”
Norman gripped his staff, his eyes burning with excitement.
“The mana fluctuations here are very strong. There must be a treasury deeper inside. The gold coins are just the bait on the surface; the truly valuable things are still inside.”
As he spoke, he didn't even realize how jarring the word "bait" sounded.
Buck pushed the door open.
The Banquet Hall was empty. A dark red tablecloth was draped over the long table, silver platters were neatly arranged, and candles burned quietly.
There was no food on the table, only more gold coins and glowing crystals.
There were also several high-grade pieces of equipment scattered about.
Gems were piled on black velvet, their brilliant fire seeming to breathe.
The eyes of the four instantly went wide.
With a gasp of excitement, they rushed in and began to loot frantically.
Buck stuffed the gold cups and gems into his belt pouches. When they could hold no more, he poured them straight into his breastplate.
The bearded man scooped armfuls of gold coins, even using the toe of his boot to drag the ones that fell on the floor toward himself.
Norman panted as he slid rings onto all ten of his fingers.
Rena was the fastest. Clenching her shortsword between her teeth, her hands picked out only the small and precious gems.
Just then, soft footsteps echoed from the far end of the Banquet Hall.
The four snapped their heads up.
From the depths of the candlelight, a maid slowly stepped out.
Half of her face was wrapped in bandages, her dull grey right eye completely devoid of emotion. Her black-and-white maid outfit was old but neat, and she carried an empty silver platter in her hands.
Lia stopped at the end of the long table, her voice flat.
“Dear guests, the master has not permitted you to take the castle's belongings.”
The Banquet Hall fell silent for a brief moment upon her arrival.
In the next second, Buck burst into laughter.
“And here I thought it was some kind of monster.”
The bearded man also let out a sigh of relief, grabbing another handful of gold coins and stuffing them into his pocket.
“It's just a maid.”
Norman sized Lia up, the greed in his eyes shifting in a new direction.
“This thing looks like a puppet. A magic puppet from an old noble ruin can fetch a huge sum on the black market.”
Rena gripped her shortsword, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“She looks like she has a contractor.”
“What is there to fear?” Buck picked up his large shield and took a step forward. “Move aside.”
Lia did not budge.
The smile on Buck's face vanished.
“Can't you understand human speech?”
Lia still stood there quietly.
The bearded man cursed, raising his hunting spear to step forward.
“Get out of the way, you piece of junk.”
He reached out, intending to shove Lia's shoulder.
Just as his fingertips were about to brush her clothes, Lia slowly raised her head.
A sharp gleam flashed within her dull grey eye.
【Pressure】
The surrounding air suddenly grew heavy.
The bearded man's hand froze in midair. He was pinned to the spot, his pupils contracting violently.
Buck's expression changed drastically. The arm holding his shield went limp, and the shield hit the floor with a loud clang.
Faced with the absolute suppression of the power before them, cold sweat broke out across all four of their backs. Norman's legs even gave out, and he collapsed to the floor.
She was clearly just an insignificant maid, so why did she possess such a terrifying pressure?
Fear finally surfaced in the eyes of the four.
They wanted to flee, but their bodies felt completely nailed to the spot, unable to move even a fraction of an inch.
Nothing remained but the trembling of being dominated by fear.
Just then, the side door of the Banquet Hall gently opened.
A slender figure stepped slowly out of the shadows.
Rate on N.U.
