Night fell, and the castle grew quiet but not the comforting kind of quiet. It was the kind that hinted at something missing, something intentionally withheld. Shadows deepened unnaturally along the corridors. Even the usual candlelight felt colder, dimmer, as if reluctant to stay lit.
When we reached the dining hall, it was already cloaked in darkness. No lights. No food. Not even the clatter of cutlery or the hum of waiting staff. The long table stood bare beneath the chandeliers like a corpse laid out for viewing. Dust hadn't gathered, but the emptiness made it feel abandoned, like the idea of dinner had died before it began.
The air was thick, too still, too silent.
Then came the footsteps. Crisp. Measured. Unhurried.
Butler Adrian entered as if nothing were amiss, composed as ever, every thread of his black uniform pressed and spotless. His boots barely made a sound against the marble floor. He stopped at the head of the table, gloved hands behind his back, and dipped into a shallow bow. His voice, when it came, was like velvet stretched over steel.
"Tonight's dinner is cancelled."
The words were like a blade drawn quietly from its sheath.
"Due to an unfortunate incident in the kitchen," he went on, "the chef will no longer be providing meals. From this evening onward, you are responsible for preparing your own food."
No one spoke. But everyone felt it.
Song Yao's head was slightly bowed. Her shoulders were drawn in, tight as wires. She didn't look up, didn't need to.
Butler Adrian offered no elaboration. He clapped once with sharp, decisive.
A maid emerged from behind the curtain, silent as a shadow. She carried a silver tray down the aisle between us. On the tray sat a neat pile of small, round tokens, which were dark metal, dull-glinting.
"It is time to settle today's performance," Butler Adrian said, his gaze sweeping the room. "You will each receive a corresponding number of Weird Coins based on your efforts. These will determine your access to resources… and perhaps, your right to survive."
Token Settlement Results
Lin Qiao: 10 tokens (Originally 12. -2 for provoking the greenhouse plants.)
Jiang Che: 8 tokens (Originally 12. -4 for feeding his own hand to the horse.)
Song Yao: 9 tokens (Originally 12. -3 for incapacitating the kitchen and canceling dinner.)
Gu Wenqiang, Ji Ran, Wang Yifan, Liu Zehao, Qin Yan: 12 tokens (No penalties.)
Butler Adrian's gaze landed on me.
"And you, young master," he said, with a faint curve at the edge of his mouth, "seem to have forgotten your allowance."
The maid stepped toward me, carrying 24 tokens to me.
System Notification
Weird Coin System Activated
Your Weird Coins may now be used to purchase resources or information.
Exchange Rates:
1 bottle of water – 2 tokens
1 loaf of bread – 4 tokens
Single-use clue – 50 tokens (price varies)
Remaining Game Time: 5 days
Uncover the castle's truth before time runs out.
Failure will result in elimination.
Success will earn you bonus rewards… and freedom.
Then, the screen went dark.
No one moved.
The only sound was the echo of a single word, repeating in our minds: elimination.
"So…" Lin Qiao finally broke the silence. "We have to use these just to eat?"
Her voice was low. Tense. Disbelieving.
Jiang Che let out a dry chuckle, then winced...his bandaged stump catching against his coat.
"Water and bread cost six tokens total," he muttered. "And we've only got five days left."
No one corrected him.
I watched as each of us turned inward, doing silent calculations. Who could last longest? Who had wasted tokens today? Who would run out first?
Panic hadn't bloomed yet, but I saw the seeds take root.
The shift in posture. The grip tightening on tokens. The hunger starting in the mind, not the stomach.
I turned to Qin Yan. He hadn't moved. His hands were folded neatly, and his face was unreadable.
"Tonight," I said quietly, "we go to the archive room."
He nodded once, already understanding.
"We need to know how this place is built," I continued, keeping my voice low. "What it's hiding. And most importantly is what truth they want us to uncover."
Gu Wenqiang shifted uneasily. "There's a truth they want us to uncover?"
"There always is," Qin Yan replied without emotion. "Or there wouldn't be a game."
At the far end of the table, Song Yao sat with her eyes fixed on nothing. Her fingers brushed the edge of her sleeve just once, almost imperceptibly. But I saw the shape beneath the fabric. The handle of a knife.
No one called her out.
She didn't need to use it. Not yet.
Still, the air felt different now. Charged. Dangerous.
The rules had changed.