What malicious intent could NPCs possibly have? C32.1

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Chp32. part1

The Silver Medal had been found, and Pei Han had returned. They needed to hurry back to Little Husky to complete the mission.

This meant navigating the maze again.

Engineer Zheng groaned, “This time there are no cars. We’ll have to walk the whole way.”

The maze was vast, and navigating its winding paths on foot would be a killer.

“No need,” Pei Han said. “I saw the cars by the lake earlier.”

Pei Han led the group away from the Hidden House and toward the lake.

Before long, the lake appeared, its waters stretching endlessly into the mist, the opposite shore completely obscured. Along the bank, Ning Ge faintly glimpsed the Clown’s raised head through the white fog.

This seemed to be their parking lot, with a neat row of cars parked in order.

Ning Ge guessed that the maze must have a mechanism that alerted them to intruders. When no one entered the maze, these crab cars remained parked here, resting and on standby.

Ning Ge connected her Thought Silk to one of the cars, and it obediently drove over.

Everyone climbed back into the vehicles.

Owen wondered, “Why do these cars obey Ning Ge so well, but the guardian puppet and the Iron Puppet Granny didn’t earlier? Is it because of the materials?”

As Ning Ge steered the Clown car toward the maze, she said, “It feels like the Thought Silk just won’t connect, like something’s blocking it.”

Pei Han pondered for a moment. “Perhaps some complex puppets block the Thought Silk of strangers? Like how we set passwords on our phones and computers to keep others out?”

Iris, who had been listening silently, couldn’t resist interjecting, “Even decent wooden puppets block the Thought Silk of others. Only their masters can control them.”

Owen patted the Clown’s wooden body. “What about this one?”

Iris replied indifferently, “This one is crudely made. It only has brute strength. If I still had spiritual power, even I could control it.”

The Clown, who had been innocently cursed without having offended anyone: “……”

This time, the Crab car sped even faster than when they entered. Ning Ge had become adept at marking the path, and soon found the exit, returning to the outside of the maze.

Little Husky was leaning against the carriage, bored. It had somehow gathered a pile of branches and stuck them all over the wooden puppets that pulled the carriage.

Seeing Ning Ge and the others finally return, it ran toward them with the enthusiasm of a young husky.

“Here’s your Silver Medal,” Ning Ge said, returning the Medal to him.

“Great!” Little Husky exclaimed, taking the Silver Medal and examining it closely to confirm it was genuine.

The bracelet vibrated, and the countdown finally stopped.

The bracelet notification: [Found it pretty quickly. Almost got smashed into meat paste, didn’t you?]

[Reward: Draw Sprint Time.]

Everyone again nominated Engineer Zheng to draw. Having only obtained seven minutes last time, he hesitated. “Shouldn’t someone else try? Maybe they’ll have better luck?”

Owen rolled up his sleeves. “How about I give it a shot?” He looked like he’d been wanting to try for a long time.

He rubbed his hands together, closed his eyes, and muttered prayers to gods East and West before solemnly tapping the Bracelet.

Six minutes were drawn.

Not bad. At least it was better than the Delivery Man’s three minutes. They now had a total of twenty-five minutes of Sprint Time.

After handing over the Silver Medal, it was time for a new mission.

Ning Ge asked Little Husky, “So there’s only one Gold Medal left? Where do we find it?”

Little Husky blinked his wide eyes, a hint of panic in his expression, and whispered, “I think… maybe… it’s in Her Majesty the Queen’s room… I just remember holding it in my hand before I went in…”

Everyone: “……”

Ning Ge couldn’t help but ask, “What were you doing in the Queen’s room?”

Little Husky: “Uh… just wandering around… you know?”

Fine.

Everyone got back into the carriages pulled by the Wooden Puppets and returned to the Royal Palace.

After entering through the back gate and reaching the front of the palace, Little Husky pointed upwards.

The Queen’s bedroom was on the top floor, occupying the sunny side of the main tower. From below, one could see a row of polygonal bay windows.

The windows were all made of ornate stained glass and were now wide open, the curtains billowing gently in the warm breeze.

The problem was, how could they get in?

If they just sneaked into the Queen’s room, they’d probably be beheaded as thieves.

While everyone was racking their brains, Little Husky suddenly spoke up, “Mother often goes to Her Majesty the Queen’s room.”

Everyone: “?”

Iris, displeased, corrected, “It’s ‘Viscountess’.”

Little Husky compromised halfway and continued, “my Lady mother loves sitting in the rocking chair by the window, basking in the sun and reading.”

Ning Ge quickly asked, “Can we do that when the Queen isn’t there?”

Iris answered this time, “Of course, Your Majesty the Queen said the Viscountess is welcome to sunbathe anytime.”

This was too simple. Ning Ge stood up and prepared to leave.

Pei Han, unwilling to give up, asked, “Can’t others accompany her? Like… the Viscountess’s male companion?”

Little Husky snorted and rolled his eyes at him. “What are you thinking? That’s the Queen’s room; of course, you can’t enter.”

He then complained, “Even I can’t go with her. Her Majesty said I’m too mischievous and might mess things up.”

Iris stepped forward and said calmly, “I often accompany the Viscountess there. Would you like to bring me today, my Lady?”

Little Husky was speechless, staring at Iris, too jealous to speak.

Ning Ge made the decision. “Alright, we’ll bring Iris this time too.”

Iris was at least a helper, which was better than going alone.

Little Husky had said everything he needed to, but the bracelet remained silent.

The mission was always sent formally, yet the bracelet had no new messages, as if there was still something left undone.

As expected, Little Husky suddenly spoke up, “It’s lunchtime, my Lady mother. You should eat first. We’ll look for the medal in an hour.”

This was the refreshing and unconventional style of an SSS-class enjoyment dungeon.

An hour later, as the Wooden Puppets began clearing the plates, the mission finally arrived.

[Mission: Enter the Queen’s bedroom and find Little Husky’s Gold Medal.]

[Description: Complete within one hour.]

[Failure Penalty: Randomly select and execute one player.]

Finding the first Bronze Medal had taken three hours, the Silver Medal had been limited to two hours, and now the Gold Medal was given only one hour.

Moreover, only Ning Ge and one Puppet Servant were allowed inside.

Pei Han and the others were uneasy, but they still followed Ning Ge to the top floor.

The Queen’s room occupied the entire sun-facing side of the top floor, guarded by a full row of fully armed puppet sentries at the entrance.

Little Husky glanced at everyone and quietly repeated, “They won’t let you all in.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go in alone,” Ning Ge said to Pei Han and the others. “You all wait outside.”

“Call us if anything happens,” Pei Han said, pointing to a stairwell landing nearby. “We’ll be right there.”

The terrain was complex, and the group waited, trying to remain inconspicuous. With Teacher Su, Engineer Zheng, and the Cross-dressing guy among them posing as “women,” they didn’t need to worry about the patrolling puppet guards causing trouble.

Ning Ge, with Iris, walked toward the entrance.

The puppet guards at the gate saw Ning Ge and not only didn’t stop her but actively stepped aside and opened the door.

It seemed the Viscountess really did visit often.

Iris said, “At this hour, Her Majesty the Queen is likely in council with the five ministers. She’s definitely not in her room.”

Even better.

Ning Ge immediately slipped inside.

The interior was vast, four or five times the size of Ning Ge’s suite, stretching in a single, unbroken space. The back served as the bedroom, while the front was divided into living and study areas.

The room’s furnishings were luxurious but tasteful, exuding comfort and elegance. The owner was clearly a person of both refined taste and practicality.

Ning Ge stood in the center of the room.

With so much space and so many furnishings, the room was far larger and more difficult to search thoroughly than the Hidden House had been.

The Queen was no minimalist. The bookshelves were packed with books, paintings hung on the walls, and the floor was covered with carpets, curtains, cushions, and countless small ornaments. Searching piece by piece, it would take ages.

Ning Ge looked around the room.

If the Silver Medal had been hidden in Iron Puppet Granny’s apron pocket, then the Gold Medal must be hidden somewhere special here.

Where could it be?

Instead of touching anything, Ning Ge carefully examined the room from top to bottom.

She was completely at a loss.

“Is there anything special about this room?” Ning Ge asked Iris.

“Special?” Iris looked puzzled. “I don’t understand what you mean, my Lady.”

He walked to one of the polygonal bay windows. “Do you mean this window, my Lady? The place where you usually read?”

Several such floor-to-ceiling windows lined the sun-drenched wall. Only this one had a single armchair in front of it, draped with a silk cushion embroidered with floral patterns.

The bookshelf stood beside the armchair, revealing that the Viscountess usually sat here to read.

Ning Ge went over and searched every corner around the armchair and the bookshelf above and below, but there was no sign of the Gold Medal.

This place was indeed pleasant.

Sitting here, one could bask in the sunlight, gaze at the scenery beyond the Royal Palace, and feel the warm breeze gently caress one’s skin, making it hard to leave.

Ning Ge approached the window, leaned against the frame, and looked out. After a moment’s thought, she glanced downward again.

Beyond lay the Royal Palace’s lawn and gravel path.

Ning Ge suddenly realized what was happening.

“Iris, I know what’s going on.”

Iris, who didn’t understand her words, remained silent, simply gazing at her with his gentle eyes.

Ning Ge studied the window’s position again, then quickly moved away from it and hurried to the other side of the room.

Just then, she heard a faint noise.