There was far too much food to finish.

Yu Yaqing ate her fill — about eight or nine tenths — then asked the Inspector, “How many floors does this place have in total?”

“If you count the basement, four,” the Inspector replied.

Yu Yaqing asked again, “Where are the locked rooms?”

The Inspector smiled at this, but did not answer directly: “Bride, please do not attempt to open any locked rooms. The Duke would be very displeased, and trust me, you do not want to see that.”

Yu Yaqing frowned. “I don’t necessarily have to open them — but I need to know where they are!”

The Inspector said, “The locked rooms are, naturally, somewhere within this manor.”

It was clear it had no intention of telling them.

Yu Yaqing set down her knife and fork, rose, and turned to Hu Ya: “Have you eaten enough? We don’t have much time. If every floor has 128 rooms and we want to search every one before sundown, we need to move quickly!”

None of them had been very hungry to begin with; after eating a few bites, they pushed back from the table one after another.

Only Bai Youwei remained seated.

“You’re not coming?” Zhu Shu asked.

“Oh, I’m not done eating yet — go on ahead.” Bai Youwei said unhurriedly, slicing at the crepe on her plate. “Besides, I can’t manage the stairs easily, so when I’m done, I’ll search the first floor rooms on my own.”

Everyone found this reasonable, and they all filed out of the dining room.

Zhu Shu glanced back at Bai Youwei, then followed Su Man out.

The vast dining room was left with only Bai Youwei and the Inspector — one at one end of the table, the other at the far end.

Bai Youwei ate, talking in a muffled voice with her mouth half-full:

“The roasted suckling pig is too big, it won’t fit. But those steaks, roast chicken, and meatballs are manageable… wait, no, put those in the freezer section — fresh fruits and vegetables go in the refrigerator… can’t reach? Then pull over a chair to stand on.”

The Inspector smiled politely: “Is there something I can help you with?”

Bai Youwei startled, looked up at it: “I wasn’t talking to you.”

The Inspector: “…”

Bai Youwei swallowed what was in her mouth and added, “Would you mind stepping away? I don’t like being watched while I eat.”

The smile at the corner of the Inspector’s mouth cooled slightly: “But of course. Enjoy your meal.”

It gave a slight bow and departed.

Passing by Bai Youwei, it noticed that most of the dishes in front of her were empty, and couldn’t resist a sardonic remark: “If the Duke were to see what a fine appetite his bride has, he would surely be deli—”

The words hung half-finished, unable to fall.

Because it saw a plush rabbit crawl out from beneath the tablecloth! It climbed up Bai Youwei’s shoulder, jumped onto the table, and dragged away an entire plate of pan-seared salmon!

The Inspector’s beautiful turquoise eyes went wide with shock!

The rabbit clutched the dish and jumped down from the table, darting quickly under the tablecloth — and then it emerged again, this time making off with a dish of chocolate mousse!

“How can you possibly—!” The Inspector was aghast. It strode over on long legs and yanked the tablecloth up from in front of Bai Youwei in one swift pull!

“Hey!” Bai Youwei was indignant. “You got oil on my dress!”

The Inspector stood frozen before the table.

Beneath it, the plush rabbit clutched a small key in its paws, turned it half a rotation, and opened the door of the dollhouse!

The rabbit hoisted the chocolate mousse above its head and scurried busily inside!

“Why hasn’t the system flagged you for a violation?!”

The Inspector spun around and demanded of Bai Youwei, its voice sharp with urgent fury! The veneer of gentility torn away, only rage and snarling ugliness remained!

“Why would it flag me for a violation?” Bai Youwei shook the oil spot on her skirt, frowning. “Does your game prohibit the use of props?”

The Inspector: “Of course players may use props, but your prop—!”

“Well, if it’s allowed, then there’s no problem.” She gave a mild smile. “I simply used a prop.”

“But! A prop like this shouldn’t exist!” It pointed furiously at the entrance of the dollhouse, then at the rabbit that had just emerged from it again. “This prop — and *that* prop! The system should never allow props that so severely disrupt game balance to exist!”

—