Lord of Mysteries: Yao Guang

"You look a little dissatisfied," Benjamin said with a smile.

Esther twitched the corners of her mouth twice and ignored Benjamin's deliberate provocation, instead focusing more on the front.

The strange appearance near the door kept her alert. Even if Benjamin's hands gradually became hot, it could not bring Esther any sense of security - maybe because of the "bait" Benjamin said, which made him look like a human being. There was some kind of threat, which made Esther feel distressed.

The architectural style of the outside of the castle, which is half plants and half thick stone bricks, continues to the inside. Only the red carpet leading to the dance floor in the front is neat and clean. There are no longer black footprints where the two people have stepped, but there are Light waves rippled, as if they were stepping on water.

Benjamin scanned the scene in the hall, and there were some subtle disconnects with him and even his memory. If it were not for the "decryption scholar" who has a strong intuition for omissions, Benjamin might even overlook this.

He inadvertently glanced at Esther, who was looking around nervously:

On both sides of this wide road, there are huge stone torches, with various animals holding up their bases. Crimson flames are burning inside, illuminating the hall extremely brightly.

There are all the configurations that a grand banquet should have - a smooth and wide dance floor for people to rotate around, a round table with a banquet for entertaining guests, a small wine fountain surrounded by glasses, no band visible but a cheerful rhythm music.

Of course, there are also the smiling guests who are changing cups and cups.

The cheerful music made people feel light, and the sound of music urged the visitors to stand on tiptoes, but Esther looked around and could never find the source of the music.

The huge cap covered with a broken tablecloth is the dining table, and the dinner plates placed on it are even weirder. Some are bright and dazzling, as if they are made of pure gold, and some are almost broken into discs, as if they have just been dug out of the soil. .

The items contained on the trays and vessels were basically red, mixed with mud-like pieces, and decorated with vanilla leaves or beautiful flowers, but it was impossible to tell what the raw materials were.

Many special "waiters" walked back and forth between the round tables, or waited deeper in the hall, guarding in front of several closed doors.

They are not human beings, but flat paper figures condensed by crimson moonlight. They are the same size as a real person and can stably pick up a tray with holes or hold a rusty weapon. These paper figures have no feet, and they are tightly integrated into the ground from the ankles down, as if they are integrated with the castle itself.

The surging red stream in the small fountain was not wine. When the two passed by, it emitted a strong stench, which was enough for Esther to confirm that it was blood. There were many settled clots and even black hair at the bottom of the small fountain, which made Esther's stomach squirm uncomfortably.

The sickly sweet taste became more and more intense, but when a faint buzzing sound sounded in her mind, the dizziness and nausea Esther felt began to be replaced by migraine. She shook her head slightly and let it go. Two discomforts balanced each other, sandwiching her conscious mind.

Under Benjamin's guidance, the two approached the small fountain.

Esther discovered that the bottom of the fountain was supported by a skeleton, and a circle of clenched hand bones surrounded the edge of the fountain. They were holding up tall glasses filled with "drinks" and inviting passers-by to take them. Down.

But when Benjamin reached out to pick up a glass, Esther's will wavered. When Benjamin looked at her, she shook her head firmly.

"Just take it, you don't need to drink." Benjamin's eyes narrowed because of his smile. "People who have wine in their hands don't have the hands to dance with others, so it's easier to refuse."

Hearing what he said, Esther could only bite the bullet and use a little force like Benjamin to take a glass of "red wine" from the bone-white palm.

Benjamin raised his glass to Esther: "Cheers?"

But before Esther asked, he had already turned his attention to the dance floor: "There is still something wrong. The master didn't come out to greet us today..."

The dance floor is a real "pool" with a very shallow layer of crimson water rippling inside, projecting the same color above and falling on all the guests who dance after stepping in.

Those figures are all the "permanent guests" of this ball. They are different from the moonlight paper figures walking around the round table or waiting by the wall. Their situation is closer to the "butler" who greets the guests at the door.

Almost every guest was entangled with plants, or their dress was made of broad leaves or thorns, making every move they made seemed stiff, and only their dance steps were light and beautiful.

These guests themselves are not skeletons. Their skin still looks fresh and soft, and each face has an intoxicating and gentle smile from the heart. Only on the bare shoulders, arms or cheeks, vegetation can be seen. The pores where roots cling tightly and take root.

The lady's mouth was hung with thorny thorns, and the bright red roses covered the end of her nose. The man's eye sockets were sunken, and red tulip clusters grew out of them, swaying as he and his dance partner twirled back and forth. There was a red lily hanging from his partner's ear. When it was shaken gently, the pollen fell down, emitting red crystal flakes.

Where they were rooted by plants, blood would seep out from time to time, soaking into their different plant dresses, flowing down their puppet-like bodies, and falling onto the wide dance floor.

But they still don't know the pain and dance happily to the music forever.

So the dance floor was a real blood pool, and the people dancing were not the guests, but the plants.

Esther's knuckles holding the glass turned white: "Those people, they all..."

"They are already dead, or in other words, they have become prisoners of this castle without any resistance." Benjamin glanced at Esther and shook the compassion in her heart with his words, "There is no need to care about them, this This castle is only slightly dangerous to ordinary people. What really makes them stay is their greed for this ball."

Esther recalled the scene she glimpsed at that moment when she was outside the door: "From the perspective of ordinary people, everything at the ball is normal. It is completely different from what we see now, isn't it?"

"Well, there are delicacies on the table that are enough to make anyone hungry, wonderful music that urges them to dance, respectful and good-looking waiters, and beautiful and enthusiastic guests who will do their best to praise and compliment you, and …”

Benjamin frowned and stared at the steps in front of the hall. There was a raised, semi-suspended platform on it, but there was no one there.

Esther also looked around, but saw nothing: "That position should belong to the master? The Marquis of Kelal?"

"Well, generally speaking, the Marquis will stand there and enjoy the happy dancing of the guests. That is the best position in the entire hall." Benjamin's smile gradually rose, "But this is a good time for us. Let’s go.”

Even if Esther didn't want to leave, her hand was being held by Benjamin. On the other hand, she didn't want to stay in this weird hall. Even if the people on the dance floor were constantly spinning and moving briskly, they would not touch Esther's instincts or threaten her, but they would still make her feel fear subconsciously.

In this castle, the ignorant may be safe, but ordinary people would collapse if they saw the true scene of this banquet.

When they walked around the dance floor, the nearby moonlight paper figures only bowed respectfully and did not encounter any obstruction.

"What about them?"

Benjamin glanced at the "waiter" who stretched out a limb and was presenting a tray to Esther: "It's them. The Moonlight Paper Man is one of the abilities of the vampires. But as you can imagine, their bodies After dying here, the spirit body will integrate into the castle, become a part of this place, and be driven by the master here."

Esther looked at the tray. The stone dish the size of a table tennis ball contained some kind of snail-like green sprouts. She quickly waved her hand to the moonlight paper man and quickly followed Benjamin to the stairs.

"You don't look very comfortable?" Benjamin noticed Esther's pale face and asked, "I thought that as a 'parasite', your condition should be stable enough to resist the influence of this castle."

Esther just covered her mouth and shook her head. Her voice was so low that it was blurry: "I always smell a disgusting smell of blood. That smell is too strong."

She concealed the source of the migraine and only mentioned the weird smell, but even if Esther tried to cover her nose, the smell continued to stimulate her senses.

Benjamin looked at her: "This castle is actually more dangerous to extraordinary people who are demigods or above, because the owner of the castle will feel threatened and adopt a more enthusiastic 'reception method'."

"But we didn't see Marquis Kelar at all along the way. What do you want to say?" Focusing on analyzing the current situation allowed Esther to temporarily ignore the discomfort caused by the environment and headache. She heard After Benjamin's statement, more doubts arose, "But we are both demigods. Why hasn't the Marquis shown up yet?"

The two of them had already stepped onto the steps that were also covered with crimson red carpet, and were gradually approaching the platform that easily overlooked the hall and allowed the host of the banquet to welcome guests from above.

Benjamin adjusted his glasses with his right hand and smiled very casually: "To me, there are loopholes everywhere. It just deceives the existence of extraordinary power in us. It's a very simple thing. If you can become a sequencer in the future, Three, you can do it too.”

Esther didn't say anything. She didn't have the confidence to become a Sequence Three in the short term, and Benjamin also said that the only way to go up the path of "thief" is to face Amon.

This gave Esther another thought: "Maybe I will consider switching to an adjacent path in the future... Someone has advised me this before, because the threat from the top of the 'Stealer' is too great."

Benjamin smiled and did not reply. He just held Esther's hand and loosened it, as if he would let go at any time. (End of chapter)