406: 8.6 Minus Fifty Trust

8.6 Minus Fifty Trust

The more Lu Yizhou thought about it, the more certain he was. He had not gone through seven worlds for nothing after all.  0

Usually, the protagonists would be the world's darling with a heaven-defying golden finger. Didn't Ji Yan say that he had extremely good luck before? Perhaps… if Lu Yizhou stuck to him, he might be able to blend himself into the background and let the protagonist do the work.

He started to consider it seriously. Should he just become a salted fish[1] in this world until he found his lover?

"I am Olivia, 19 years old." The rude woman went next. The gaze she used to look at Ji Yan completely changed upon knowing his real gender. "This is my second quest so please take care of me in the future, Senior Ji~"

Again, goosebumps flared along Lu Yizhou's arms at her fake sweet tone. Seriously, what was wrong with this woman?

Ji Yan did not seem to realize anything. He rubbed his neck, sheepish. "Hey, hey don't give me too much credit. We have to work together in this game, okay?"

"Ailín," the drunk woman slurred after another huge gulp of wine. "34 years old. Fourth quest. Male."

Ji Yan's eyes lit up. In an instant, he bounced to Ailín's side and hooked one arm across his shoulders, instantly becoming buddies. "My brother! Thank God, we have another man here. Imagine how surprised I was when I woke up to find my jewel gone! I was so traumatized, I almost broke down in despair!"

"Wait," Olivia interjected. She suddenly pointed at Lu Yizhou whilst scanning him up and down with a disdainful look on her face. "How about her? Look at her. She is taller than all of us here! She must also be a male!"

The corner of Lu Yizhou's lips twitched. Bingo, Miss Olivia. But unfortunately, he did not have the plan to go along with her whims. 

Alas, before Lu Yizhou could answer though, Ji Yan had denied straight away, sounding so aghast you'd think that Olivia had crushed his dream, hope and future. "No, it can't be! How can Miss Irene be a male?! No, no it's not possible. Listen to me, it's my instinct as a man! So what if she is taller than us? The game has spread throughout the world so it is very common to meet one foreigner or two! Am I right, Miss Irene?!" Ji Yan directed huge, puppy eyes toward him.

He was so desperate to defend Lu Yizhou that it was a bit funny to see. What would happen if Lu Yizhou were to admit that he was indeed a man? However, that also meant he had to give Olivia the satisfaction of being right, which he did not want to do for some inexplicable reason. In the end, Lu Yizhou decided to cooperate with Ji Yan and smoothly replied, "You're right. Irene, 24 years old. This is my first quest."

"Hmph!" Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and the gaze she threw at Lu Yizhou became even more scornful as if Lu Yizhou was out there to seduce every male on Earth or something. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. Why did this rude woman have to target him?

As if she was still not satisfied enough, she asked in suspicion, "Is this really your first quest? You are not lying just to let us do all the work, are you? What about the cat in your arms? I am certain it is not an ordinary cat. No cat in this world has ruby eyes like that!"

Once again, bingo, Miss Olivia. Lu Yizhou was slightly impressed. Of all people, he did not expect that Olivia would be the first person to question Ozzie's identity. 

But once again, Ji Yan beat him to answer, even more defensive than last time. "So what if Ozzie has ruby eyes?! It is a very adorable cat and that's all that matters!"

"You–!" Olivia's glare could spew out flames. She was so angry that her entire face turned beet red! Realizing that it was no use getting through Ji Yan's thick head, she snapped toward Ailín and the ginger haired woman who had not talked yet. "What about you?! Do you also think that it is an ordinary cat?!"

Ozzie licked her paw. 'Daddy, this woman is so annoying meow! Can I scratch her face?'

'You can', Lu Yizhou stroked her fluffy head. 'But make sure that no one knows it is your doing, okay?'

'Oh, oh! That's right! Daddy is the best meow!'

Ailín shrugged carelessly. "Does it matter to me whether her cat is ordinary or not?"

On the other hand, the ginger haired woman did not even look at her. Curious, Lu Yizhou followed her line of sight and saw that she was looking up at the… mansion? To be exact, it was the room where Lu Yizhou had seen the spooky face before. Did she see something too…? 

"You guys—argh! So frustrating!" Olivia was one second away from exploding. She stomped her foot as if wanting to stalk away but perhaps, she knew that she would be doomed if she wandered alone in this kind of place so she could only vent her anger by kicking the nearby shrubs. "You have all been bewitched by her! One day, you will regret it!" 

Ji Yan also turned his head away with a harrumph. His eyes landed on the ginger haired woman instead. "What about you, Miss?" He asked with a gentle tone as if talking to a small animal. "Can you introduce yourself to us?"

The ginger head woman turned to face him, and from Lu Yizhou's position, he could make out a flash of blue irises under her thick glasses before it was once again obscured by her hair. "Diana," she said curtly. 

Ji Yan waited and waited, and his smile slipped when he realized that the woman did not plan to say anything more. "That's it…? Do you not want to share your age with us? Or how many quests you have been through before?"

Silence was all Ji Yan got.

As if the universe knew that they had learned each other's personality enough, the door to the mansion swung open and a tall man in a Victorian suit came out. He looked so old and wrinkly as if he already had one leg inside the grave, complete with the dry ashy complexion as well as white hair and beard. Even then, his back was ramrod straight and each step he took toward them was very steady and firm. 

He placed one gloved hand over his chest and lowered his head elegantly. "Welcome, our esteemed guests. My name is Baines, Knox Family's head servant. I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude for you to have come all the way here for Madam and Miss. Please," he stepped aside and gestured to the inside of the manor. "Master Knox has been waiting for you in the dining room."

The dining room…

Ji Yan gulped audibly. "Guys, we have the same side quest, don't we?"

Everyone momentarily forgot the fight earlier and nodded.

"Don't be afraid." Ji Yan puffed out his chest, which was almost nonexistent. "Based on my experience, the first day will always be the easiest. Maybe the thing we have to survive is the bad food or conversation with Master Knox. Comrades, we can do this!"

His words reminded Lu Yizhou, rather than planning to find his lover who was hiding somewhere in this mansion, he had to survive the dinner with Master Knox first. Honestly, Lu Yizhou did not think that it would be as easy as Ji Yan said, even more as the bug had a huge influence in this world. He heaved out a long suffering sigh, already feeling tired even though the game had not even started yet.

So far, they had an optimistic protagonist, a half-sober chubby man, a curt and mysterious lady, and lastly, the woman who looked as if she was searching for an opportunity to choke Lu Yizhou to death.

…Alright, they were off to a great start.

[666: Host, fighting!] 'You can do it, Daddy!'

When nobody seemed to have any intention to move, Lu Yizhou decided to take the matter into his own hands and walked in front of the head servant. Having almost the same height made them instantly go eye-to-eye. "Thank you for having us, we will try my best to cure Madam and Miss." He inclined his head slightly. Nothing would go wrong with being polite, right?

When Baines' murky gray eyes landed on him, he resisted the urge to shudder. A minute frown appeared on his forehead. What was this weird feeling tugging on the back of his mind? It seemed like there was something important he had overlooked…

Still carrying the apprehension with him, Lu Yizhou walked past Baines to go into the manor. When Baines moved to give way to her, the air shifted to bring the man's scent to Lu Yizhou's nose, making him freeze in his steps.

Under the pungent and overwhelming medicinal scent on Baines' body… was a faint whiff of blood. It smelled kinda fresh. He was sure of it. Lu Yizhou's eyes grew sharper and alert as he filed this information for later use. In one glance, he couldn't detect any injury on the servant's body. But Lu Yizhou could not say for certain though, with the man's high collar, long sleeves and gloves that covered almost the entirety of his skin save from his face.

Or… was it him who had been infected by Moshe's paranoia?

When Lu Yizhou first stepped foot in the mansion, another notification rang in his mind.

[[New personal side quest unlocked! Gain Master Knox's trust to be granted a personal visit to Madam Knox. Progress: -50/10000]]

Lu Yizhou almost tripped on his feet. What kind of number was that? Minus 50 out of 10000?! Master Knox might as well be stabbing a fork into his eyes as soon as he entered the dining room! It was no wonder that the side quest demanded him to survive the dinner. 

Did Master Knox have a grudge against him or something?!

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[1] Salted fish = people who have no intention of doing anything

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A/N: This bonus chapters are dedicated to VitaminCdotC for the supergift! Sorry it's super late QAQ

Also, thank you for ArcaneMag and VitaminCdotC for suggesting the name 'Diana' and 'Ailín' you guys have been a great help! <3<3

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