The four people who had finished searching the art studio finally emerged from the basement, with visible signs of fatigue on their faces.
Although it had only been half a day since they woke up, this ordeal left them feeling more exhausted than if they had spent an entire morning at the gym.
They were especially tired from being startled repeatedly in various strange places, only to then rationalize that these were likely magic props the show’s production team hadn’t revealed beforehand. This constant cycle of being scared and then feeling relieved had happened several times, enough to drain anyone both physically and mentally.
The same went for what happened in the art studio. Although they were all frightened when they saw those lifelike paintings, feeling as if someone was hiding in the villa and secretly watching them while drawing their portraits, they could rationalize afterward that this was typical psychological horror, the kind often seen in movies – just their minds playing tricks on them. The production team could easily achieve this effect by simply placing pre-prepared portraits in the studio.
For the show’s generous compensation, fame, and fans, the four consoled themselves by reasonably blaming everything on the production team’s efforts to create authentic scares for the guests, which made them feel much better.
After a morning of exploration left them tired and hungry, they decided to take a break and have lunch with the instant food they had brought.
“Speaking of eating, we haven’t explored the dining room yet. The dining room in this century-old castle must be magnificent, right? Why don’t we eat there? We can soak in the atmosphere. It’ll feel like we’re traveling back in time to a noble’s castle,” Ella suddenly suggested.
“No matter how luxurious it was in the past, now it’s just old bricks and stones. Don’t tell me you want to set up a candlelit dinner here?” West responded with his typical straightforward male perspective.
Ella let out a soft hmph and rolled her eyes cutely, speaking in a coquettish tone. “Life needs some sense of ceremony. Since we’re here, even if we’re eating instant meals, sitting in a high-backed chair feels different from sitting on broken steps.”
Andre immediately supported her. “Let’s go then, I want to go too.”After reaching consensus, they walked down the stairs to the first floor. A deep red carpet ran down the long staircase, continuing through a lengthy corridor all the way to the end, extending into the first-floor hall.
Walking on this deep red carpet, they unconsciously lightened their steps, carefully making their way down.
They seemed to have forgotten how dilapidated the castle was just moments ago.
They naturally accepted the changes in their surroundings, as if from the beginning, this was the castle they had come to—
As far as they could see, every furnishing on the deep red carpeted floor was extremely luxurious. The villa’s main door was tightly shut, but the magnificent chandelier on the first-floor dome illuminated the entire hall. The crystal drops cast flickering shadows in the bright light, and several unnamed paintings hung on the pristine walls.
The most important painting was a family portrait of three.
Among blooming rose bushes, a woman with a graceful figure wore a black gauze dress that made her stunningly beautiful. Her young and beautiful face was largely hidden by a veil hat, with only her sweet smile visible. A thin, somewhat sickly-looking man in a white shirt stood to her left. Her right hand held that of a girl who resembled her. The girl’s soft black hair fell to her shoulders, tied with large butterfly bows, and she showed sweet dimples to everyone who looked at the painting.
Even complete amateurs who knew nothing about painting could instantly appreciate its incomparable beauty. The people in the painting seemed to possess real souls, as if they might descend into the real world at any moment. At the same time, every brush stroke seemed to contain deep, twisted emotions…
The four stood dazed for a moment, exclaiming:. “What a beautiful painting! I wonder which master created it!”
“My husband painted this family portrait for us,” a sweet, enchanting female voice sounded behind them.
They turned around to see a young lady in a black dress standing behind them, smiling. She held the hand of an adorable little girl. Meeting the four’s gaze, mother and daughter smiled. “Welcome, our travelers from afar. Let us treat you to today’s lunch.”
The four accepted the role of “travelers from afar” without resistance, seemingly believing themselves to be genuine guests, and nodded without hesitation. “Thank you…”
“…Please call me Madame Worsey.” The self-proclaimed Madame Worsey moved with grace as she led them to the dining room. “It’s been quite a while since we’ve had guests pass by.”
The adorable little girl sat down at another chair unprompted.
“Haha, we didn’t expect to meet anyone during our exploration. This castle is quite remote. This is quite a unique experience for us,” the four chatted easily with their hosts, having somehow internalized whatever role they were playing. They asked curiously, “Is Mr. Worsey not here? We’re very interested in meeting such a great artist.”
“You’re looking for my husband? He’s not Mr. Worsey,” the lady in the black dress sat down slowly, her lips curving into a smile, her crimson lips like bloodstains.
“As for my husband…”
“…Unfortunately, we’ve used him up completely. It will probably take another day before he can be used again.”
“!!!” The four at the table froze simultaneously. They felt they must have misheard.
“Used up?” Such words shouldn’t describe a person – they should be used for paint, brushes, or canvas, right?
The little girl beside them nodded eagerly, speaking in her childish voice sweeter than honey: “Yes, after daddy recovers tomorrow, we can invite you all together. The paintings made using daddy are really beautiful! I love daddy so much!”
Seeing their blank expressions, the little girl tilted her head cutely. “Eh? Are you that eager? Although daddy’s been used up and can’t be found right now, we still have some freshly mixed paint and newly prepared canvas left…”
She pointed at Andre sitting across from her. “Ah, if you don’t mind, we could use him first.”
Andre’s whole body suddenly shuddered, his expression blank. After a moment’s daze, he naturally reached for his face. “Yes, if you don’t mind, you can use me to paint…”
Swish!
It seemed like a layer of skin was peeled off and laid on the dining table. Blood gushed out like paint, flowing down.
[Holy crap! What just happened?!]
[Went from heartwarming slice of life to horror in a second!]
[Completely forgot they were filming a show, thought they were explorers and chatted with evil spirits, you call that heartwarming? It was horror from start to finish!]
[Can they even broadcast something this bloody? Hasn’t the Empire banned this?]
[You think the Empire doesn’t want to ban it? A friend working at the TV station told me they can’t interfere with this show at all.]
[Am I the only one wondering how they can peel skin off again after it’s already gone? Is this some kind of renewable resource?]
[…Something’s wrong with you.]
[The “help” comments seem to be decreasing, maybe because the faint-hearted stopped watching? Although the silly comments are inappropriate, we really can’t do anything. We can only hope the Administration Bureau or other extraordinaries find a solution quickly.]
[Wait, I think I heard something…]
[Is that knocking? Someone’s knocking at the door?!]
Time rewound to half a day ago.
“Yes, where should we find a Spirit Forger?”
“Isn’t the answer already right in front of us?” Facing his subordinate who had shut down after receiving too many secrets he shouldn’t know and could only repeat questions like a broken record, Chandler sighed.
“W-what do you mean?”
“Idiot, of course it’s the Extraordinary Forum!”
Chandler had thought of the answer almost the moment the question arose. “Spirit Forgers were part of the Western extraordinary system. The artifacts that have been appearing lately are also awakening/regaining spirituality due to the recovery of supernatural elements… Everything makes sense now. That person probably wasn’t lying. So this abnormal incident isn’t something we have the ability to resolve, at least not with our current capabilities.”
His subordinate finally regained his composure and followed his line of thought. “So, we need to find someone who can solve it? We can look for a Spirit Forger through the Extraordinary Forum…” The subordinate’s eyes clearly lit up, his tone becoming more enthusiastic, “The Extraordinary Forum has been mysterious since its appearance, reportedly having deep connections to the Shadow Realm. There must be countless extraordinaries with alternate accounts on there. As long as we’re willing to pay, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a Spirit Forger through the forum, right?”
“Not completely stupid after all.” Chandler glanced at him. “However, we don’t need to specifically request a Spirit Forger. We can broaden the scope to any method that can resolve this incident.”
This was an excellent opportunity to test the Extraordinary Forum.
Whether they could complete their request, how they would complete it, and how many solutions they could provide for resolving the abnormal incident… Even though the Administration Bureau had no choice but to seek help from the Extraordinary Forum’s power, they could still use this chance to glimpse just how deep the mysterious forum’s foundation went – whether it was something they must look up to, worth allying with, or possible to absorb.
If the Extraordinary Forum could easily find a Spirit Forger, or effortlessly provide another solution to the incident, the implications would be extraordinary.
Chandler rubbed his temples, leaning back in his large chair, one hand lightly tapping the desk.
This was his habitual thinking posture.
Less than three minutes after he ordered his subordinate to post the request on the Extraordinary Forum, the subordinate, still waiting for a response at the computer, suddenly turned his head and spoke in utter amazement. “We got a response.”
—The speed was truly unexpected.
Chandler’s breath hitched for a moment.
“Someone accepted the request, but they say they can’t solve it themselves. However, they know someone who can help and can provide a lead.”
The subordinate showed him the request page on the Extraordinary Forum.
“—Those two are collectively known as the Heavenly Master of Divine Calculation.”
“That person said they would definitely be able to give me the answer I want.”
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