“A mountain of gold and jewels,” Su Man replied.

Yu Yaqing said, “Same for us — all gold, jewels, clothes, shoes, bags, and some medieval collectibles. We searched 64 rooms and didn’t find a single locked one.”

“We also searched 64 rooms. That means the second floor has 128 rooms total.” Su Man looked up at the ceiling. “Should we check the upper floors?”

Yu Yaqing nodded.

The group made their way back to the spiral staircase, ready to head upstairs, when a ringing sound suddenly drifted up from below —

*Ding-ling-ling, ding-ling-ling…*

Everyone exchanged suspicious glances.

Yu Yaqing said in a low voice, “Come on, let’s go down and see.”

They filed downstairs one after another.

Bai Youwei was last. She unfolded her collapsible crutches from her wheelchair, braced herself against them, and laboriously pushed herself to her feet, then stood at the edge of the staircase.

Looking down at the tiers upon tiers of steps below, staring for a long moment, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of dizziness.

She bit her lip and tried to take a step forward…

“Let me carry you down.” Su Man, who had gone ahead, turned back, brow furrowed. “You’re too slow like this.”

Zhu Shu stood to the side, hesitating, mindful of Bai Youwei’s pride, and softly offered an explanation on her behalf: “The stairs here are a bit steep — going down is harder than going up.”

Su Man stepped down two stairs below Bai Youwei, turned her back to her, and crouched down. “Get on.”

Bai Youwei looked at her back, then at her injured right hand, and hesitated a moment before finally setting down her crutches and draping herself over Su Man’s back.

“Can you manage? Don’t trip and drag me down with you — I have no interest in being a human cushion.” Bai Youwei said, her mouth twisting.

“Stop grumbling! Just get on! I could lift you with one arm! No good deed goes unpunished!” Su Man griped, but her feet moved with swift, sure strides.

Zhu Shu watched their retreating figures and couldn’t help but smile. She gathered up the wheelchair and followed quickly down the stairs.

—

The ringing came from the dining room.

A long table sat in the center, spread with a pristine white tablecloth and covered with a lavish spread of food.

Of course, “lavish” here was nothing compared to the banquet back at the base.

Here, the lavishness was of a kind that would have been unimaginable luxury even before the apocalypse — for ordinary people.

Prime cuts of steak, a glorious roasted suckling pig, a fragrant roast turkey, every variety of seasonal vegetables and fresh fruit, and exquisite, elaborately decorated cakes and pastries — a dizzying spread covering the entire table.

The Inspector stood politely to the side of the table and smiled at them:

“Dear brides, lunchtime has arrived. Please, help yourselves.”

None of them were particularly hungry — before entering the game, they had eaten at the banquet, and time had reset to morning upon arrival. Now, after the morning’s search, it was midday again.

The seven of them took their seats one by one.

The table was very long, so the seven were spread out at wide intervals, seated far from each other.

Bai Youwei took a sip of wine, found it flavorless, and set down her glass.

She thought to herself: the system is remarkable — it can simulate the taste of wine with uncanny accuracy, yet it cannot replicate the subtle depth that comes from aging over time. The wine here tasted just a little lacking.

But in a world of dwindling resources, complaining about such fine food would be the height of affectation.

With that thought, her heart gave a quiet stir, and she lowered her eyes again to look at the food on her plate.

Perhaps she had been staring too long, because the Inspector asked amiably:

“Is there something wrong with the white truffle golden crepe? You don’t seem to have much appetite. While I understand a bride’s sorrow at being far from home, I do ask that you all eat as much as you can — because dinner tonight will be prepared according to the Duke’s personal preferences.”

…What would the Duke prefer to eat?

If it was all food they couldn’t stomach, would that mean going hungry all day if they skipped lunch?

The women exchanged glances. Imagining certain unsettling possibilities, they picked up their knives and forks and began to eat.

Bai Youwei was quiet for a moment, then began eating her lunch as well.

—