Chapter 111 - MYSTERY DOOR
ONCE everyone ate, the tables around the ballroom disappeared. Then the King stood up once again.
"Now that we've all eaten and filled our stomachs, it's time for this year's entertainment to begin," he said. "This year's theme is unlike what we've had these past years. I hope all of you could enjoy what I've prepared. And in return, you have to do your best to entertain me as well." He smiled gently at them. "Okay?"
He snapped his fingers and five doors in different colors appeared in front of everyone. From left to right, the colors were; red, purple, green, yellow, and blue.
And then after that, a maze appeared that occupied the whole ballroom. It separated each player from one another.
Luo Yan looked around. He couldn't see his team mates or any other players for that matter. It didn't seem like he was in the ballroom anymore. It's more like he was in a garden maze. When he was about to call out the others, the King spoke once again. His voice echoing throughout the whole place.
"Each and every one of you is now isolated. I can't have you communicating with one another and forming a plan before the game even started. That would just take away all the fun, wouldn't it? Now let's have you all answer a question that would determine your fate for tonight."
A screen appeared in front of Luo Yan. What was written inside was;
[If you're given a chance to go on vacation, which of the following place would you go? Please, pick only one.]
i. A train travelling the seas.
ii. A town from the long distant past.
iii. A castle of dreams for the wicked.
iv. A stage set for the brightest stars.
v. A student's hellish paradise.
Luo Yan read the choices listed below. There were five choices which probably corresponded to the five doors they saw earlier. Their answer would probably lead them to a particular door. What's behind each door was probably related to the choices listed. Like the first choice; A train travelling the seas. Whatever door it represented, it would lead whoever picked it to a train.
"You only have 10 seconds left to answer. Please, choose wisely," the voice of the King echoed once again.
Luo Yan looked again at the choices available to him. He didn't hesitate to choose the second one. There's no particular reason why. It just had a very nice to ring to it, more so than the others. Or maybe he was simply attracted by the word 'past'.
For someone like him who had been reborn, he should not dally in the past. Because that could only affect how he lived his life in the present. But sometimes, he still wondered what could have happened to his original body. If it even received a decent burial. He hoped that it received one at least.
Luo Yan searched in the internet for a possible news about an incident involving a T University graduate who died after a potted plant fell on his head. But he couldn't find any. Probably because it had already been seven years since it happened. Even if he graduated from a famous university, he was still just a poor orphan. No one would make that much of a fuss just because of his death.
Well, maybe those roommates of his would. But all of them belonged to ordinary families. He doubted if they could even make a fuss over his death. Luo Yan shook his head. This was not the time to think about that. Once he had the chance to go back to B City, he'd check it himself.
After Luo Yan picked the second choice, the screen in front of him disappeared. And the King once again spoke.
"You've now made your choice."
After the King said that, Luo Yan felt that tingling sensation again on the back of his right hand. He looked down and saw that the outline of the crescent moon now had a color – it's blue. Then the place where he was standing suddenly glowed and a blue arrow appeared on the ground.
"Now, follow the arrow and go to your chosen door," the King added further.
Luo Yan followed the direction where the arrow pointed. When he passed the arrow, another arrow appeared. So he followed it again. He repeated doing that until he reached the blue door. Seeing that wasn't that big of a surprise for Luo Yan. After all, he already expected that the arrow would lead to a door.
So he ended up with the blue door, huh?
"The theme of this year is [Mystery]. Behind the door in front of you is a mystery waiting to be solved. Follow the rules given to you and discover every secret behind the mystery. The ones who managed to do that would receive a very generous reward from me. Now, my dear friends, go and entertain me!"
The door in front of Luo Yan slowly opened. He didn't hesitate to walk forward and enter the door.
He was first blinded by an extremely bright light. Then he felt like his soul was being pulled somewhere. When everything finally stabilized, Luo Yan opened his eyes. He was slightly surprised to see the place where he was.
He was sitting inside a room with a very ancient design. It looked very much like a boudoir of a woman who lived during one of this country's ancient dynasties. Wait- did that mean that the setting of this door was set during the ancient times? So the meaning of 'a town from the long distant past' was this?
Luo Yan tried to move but then noticed what he was wearing. It was a red robe with delicate and beautiful embroidery. His brows furrowed. Somehow, he had a very bad feeling about this. His hunch was proven right when he saw the outline of his reflection on the bronze mirror on top of a dresser near him.
He reached for it and carefully looked at his reflection.
His hair was now back to black and was arranged in an elaborate and intricate hairstyle. A beautiful flower like hair piece was attached to his hair. His face was still mostly the same. His big peach blossom eyes surrounded by think eyelashes, his straight nose, and plump lips. The only difference was he looked even more feminine. Even his lips were painted bright red!
His real face was already too pretty. But making him look softer and even accentuating his features with make-up was just simply a crime. Yes, a crime! Was this game planning to make him seduce all the NPCs in this instance? Because surely, even a program made of codes would definitely fall for his beauty.
Then a screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
[Dear player, your current identity is Shishi. The number one courtesan in the red light district of the town of Tenghou.]
Luo Yan stared at those words and he couldn't help but let out a rather loud curse.
"What the f***?!"