Eden Garden (4)

As his voice fell, people in white chef uniforms filed out, placing plates of food on the long tables.

The meals were quite ordinary, given that their status was that of servants.

Nan Yue and the others quickly finished eating to fill their stomachs, followed by free time for the servants.

The four of them gathered together, and Bai La La was accustomed to acting alone as before. She waved to Nan Yue before her small figure vanished into the crowd.

"I just saw La La speak."

Zhu Xi Ning looked hesitant, as she still had a vivid memory of Bai La La pretending to be mute at Zhengmiao Childcare School.

"This mission wouldn't allow her to pretend to be mute."

Just as Butler Zhao said, Eden Garden was the most luxurious private residence in the federation, even more meticulous than the President's Mansion. A place like this would never hire servants with disabilities.

Bai La La was an experienced scavenger with a very high sensitivity to detail.

"My work is okay, just a bit tiring. Honestly, those roses look beautiful to me, but the lead can always find flaws in them."

Zhu Xi Ning complained, "They're flowers, not manufactured goods. How can they be completely without defects? It's such a waste."

Jiang Siyan stood beside Nan Yue with his hands behind his back, explaining the distribution of servants in Eden Garden to the group.

Sixty maids were responsible for the daily lives of the young master and lady, as well as the upkeep of the castle's interior.

One hundred and twenty members of the cleaning group were responsible for the cleaning of the entire Eden Garden.

Twelve butlers had varying responsibilities ranging from the young master's work schedule to the organization of banquets; they could be considered the personal secretaries of the two masters of the Wen family.

Eighty gardeners were responsible for maintaining Eden Garden. The entire estate covered nearly sixty thousand square meters, with the garden itself taking up half of that. It was a massive undertaking.

Four hundred members of the security group were not responsible for the masters' safety when they went out, but entirely for the security of Eden Garden.

Only fifty people in the security group were assigned to daytime patrols, while the remaining three hundred and fifty were on night patrol.

Usually in groups of five, they were responsible for the peace and stability of the night. This job was definitely not a good one.

"I'm a bit concerned about the objective."

Zhu Xi Ning frowned. For now, she hadn't seen any death energy or eerie places in Eden Garden, making it impossible to judge where the danger lay.

But the objective was very strange, consisting of only one word: Leave.

Leave where? Eden Garden?

Could they just resign? But missions were never that simple, which meant there was something they hadn't discovered yet.

For example... the contract.

Since they had started the job, they must have signed a contract. Were there any specific points of caution in it?

Nan Yue thought of this as well, shifting her gaze to Jiang Siyan.

Jiang Siyan still maintained that gentle and harmless appearance, though his gaze grew deeper when Nan Yue looked at him.

"Don't worry, I'll go look for it."

Nan Yue nodded, then added after a moment of thought, "Be careful. Don't force it if you're not sure. We'll find a way together."

It wasn't that Nan Yue lacked confidence in Jiang Siyan; it was mainly that she felt that as a healing-type, if he encountered trouble, he might not die, but he would still suffer just as much.

To Jiang Siyan, this sounded like Nan Yue was particularly concerned about him, and his mood, which had been sour because of Huo Fuyu poking around nearby, improved significantly.

"Yueyue, what are you guys talking about? Count me in."

Huo Fuyu leaned in. He looked clean and delicate, appearing exceptionally sincere when he wasn't flaunting that hypocritical smile.

Ever since Antswamp Village, this seemingly abandoned lamb named Huo Fuyu acted as if he had found his shepherd dog, trying to join in on everything.

He sent plenty of messages to Nan Yue usually, but she never replied to any of them.

"..."

Nan Yue sensed that Jiang Siyan didn't seem to like Huo Fuyu much, though she didn't know why.

However, in a mission, no one was driven by emotion. Nan Yue turned to look at Huo Fuyu. "Your ability should be very useful in this mission, right?"

A strange light flashed in Huo Fuyu's eyes. "You really know me well."

Nan Yue rolled her eyes. "...That's why I don't believe you haven't used your ability yet."

Huo Fuyu shrugged. "I really haven't. After all, you know my ability; it consumes a lot. Looking for a needle in a haystack without a target isn't feasible."

"But I can provide a clue."

Huo Fuyu lowered his voice. "I'm responsible for cleaning the entertainment rooms. You know, things like bars, billiards, all sorts of things. Rich people really know how to have fun."

"But we aren't allowed into the largest entertainment room at the end of the third floor on the west side."

"There is a very heavy smell of blood there."

Nan Yue's eyelid twitched. Everyone had a general idea of what wealthy people might enjoy doing.

They didn't have the spare energy to pity the natives, as their first priority was thinking about how to avoid becoming the one being entertained inside.

"Old Gu, you must be careful at the drawbridge tonight. There's nowhere to hide there."

Gu Xiang Kai had his hands in his pockets. The security personnel also wore a uniform of a white shirt, black trousers, and a tie, but Gu Xiang Kai's tie was loosened haphazardly, and he still carried a rogue aura.

"Don't worry."

Gu Xiang Kai hesitated for a moment. "The drawbridge is quite close to the room Huo Fuyu mentioned."

Nan Yue shook her head. "It's best to act cautiously on the first day."

Gu Xiang Kai was just mentioning it, and even if they really wanted to go in, they couldn't just rush in blindly.

While the servants had rest time, they weren't allowed to wander around Eden Garden freely. Their rooms were all in a five-story western-style building behind the castle.

Only the servants on night shift and security personnel were allowed to enter the castle at night; others were not permitted to roam around.

Thus, the only places they could go were their own rooms and the garden between the castle and the western-style building.

Nan Yue greeted Gu Xiang Kai, and the three of them went to the western-style building first. After Nan Yue agreed to cooperate in this mission, Huo Fuyu didn't stick to her like glue.

Nan Yue observed the surroundings along the way. The distance from the castle to the western-style building was about a fifteen-minute walk, largely separating the servants' living quarters from the castle.

Although this path was also filled with clusters of flowers and dazzling wealth, few people stopped to admire it.

The servants walking around them were hurried, their faces devoid of expression—serious, cold, and silent.

Initially, this place reminded Nan Yue of Blooming Media Company, making her think it was another labor-exploiting instance.

But this place was even more eerie than Blooming Media Company.

Aside from its exceptionally twisted rules, at least many people in Blooming Media Company still worked and lived normally.

Yet the servants in Eden Garden seemed to have been completely stripped of their individuality; they wore the same clothes and did the same things.

Grouping, working, eating, resting—they were like wound-up robots.

Moreover, because of the unique nature of Eden Garden—it wasn't a company but a private residence—the rules were much stricter.