To speak of rewards — taken all together, they had received the bear’s fish, the water creature’s eggs, and the winter snowflake, making a total of three rewards. And Bai Youwei had obtained the final reward, the golden key.

On the surface, the gains seemed substantial.

But in terms of costs — Li Li’s injury, Lu Ang’s injury, Su Man’s injury, and Zhu Shu’s injury: any one of these could take their lives at any moment.

It had been the bandages and the mud that saved them!

They had used their last life-saving bandage item, and Shen Mo’s mud had been consumed no fewer than six times!

Was the reward they had earned enough to offset the losses from this excursion?

It was a math problem no one could solve.

“The description of this round’s rewards was vague and unclear. Without knowing what the winter guest is, who would dare use this item…” Li Li put his snowflake away and added: “Still, those beads are quite practical — whether you’re throwing them at people or at monsters, they’re very convenient.”

“The sockeye salmon was great too,” Zhu Shu said gently. “If we ever encounter an underwater game later, the changes to our physiology could be a real advantage.”

“Since the first two rewards were both worthwhile, the final reward probably won’t be bad either,” Yan Qingwen picked up the thread. “Even though the doll house game is very dangerous, the rewards distributed each time have been a significant boost for the players. That much shouldn’t be in doubt.”

“Not every one of them though! What about that gold coin from the lucky questions game?!” Li Li screwed up his face in disgust. “That old man cheated us all!”

Mention of the grey-robed old man made even Yan Qingwen go quiet.

“That was an anomaly,” Shen Mo said calmly. “It seems that as long as the players haven’t broken the rules, even if a referee privately wants to target the players, it must still operate within the system’s rules. The referee gave us the coin, but the coin simultaneously brought opportunity along with it. If it were purely a punishment, the system wouldn’t have allowed it.”

Li Li couldn’t help muttering: “What exactly is the system?”

Shen Mo glanced at him. “That’s a question your SCO will need to research.”

Li Li heard that, and let out a heavy sigh.

Ah, now there was a world-class problem.

The campfire crackled and popped. The firelight cast shadows across each face — some deep in thought, some confused, some weary and numb…

A silence settled over them.

Yan Qingwen spoke up: “What’s the story with the Master of the Doll House? That golden key — can it open the doll house repeatedly?”

At those words, everyone looked toward Bai Youwei.

As the final reward, it was impossible not to be curious about it.

Bai Youwei had been lounging lazily against Shen Mo. At the weight of so many gazes, she lifted one eyelid, then let it droop again, and said: “Don’t know.”

“Don’t know?” Li Li’s voice went up in surprise.

Bai Youwei looked over at him, her voice carrying a hint of cold: “You’re welcome to guess. But I won’t be telling you.”

Everyone fell silent.

The mood she created was a little awkward…

But there was nothing to reproach her for, because from the moment they came out of the game, the cooperation between the two groups had already ended.

The snowflake was something everyone had received; sharing its purpose was harmless enough. But the golden key was a single item. Those who hadn’t obtained it had no right to know its function from the start.

After a long silence, Yan Qingwen suddenly gave a light, unexpected laugh.

He said: “Better that you don’t tell us. Human nature can’t withstand being tested, and I’m no saint — if it were a particularly tempting reward, perhaps I wouldn’t be able to help coveting it. So yes, better left unsaid.”

He smiled and looked at Bai Youwei: “At least this way… we can still be friends, can’t we?”

Bai Youwei looked at him, then looked at Li Li, Lu Ang, Su Man, and Zhu Shu by his side.

After a moment, she gave a barely perceptible “Mm” from her nose.