The voice of the system had not ceased there.
"Your task is to fulfill the wishes of the villa's owner. If you defy the setting, players will fall into a state of confused consciousness and will have to maintain their character on their own."
"If the task is not completed, players will be randomly teleported to the side of a ghost they had encountered before for 5 minutes after the game ends."
Gu Wuji thought to himself, "How harsh. The punishment for failing the task is the same as before, but if one defies their character, they will also fall into confusion. Isn't this forcing him to achieve the goal?"
With that, the system's speech came to an end. Gu Wuji also realized the huge pit the game had set for him, directly arranging for him to be a subordinate of the villain, and even in the role of a spy...
Moreover, the problem was that they didn't even tell him much about the owner of the villa. If he was not careful, he might expose himself at the villa owner's side as well. The situation could be said to be very troublesome.
However, at this moment, Gu Wuji didn't feel too much like he had been trapped. Rather, he was quite excited. As an actor with dreams of making it in the entertainment industry and who prided himself on his professionalism, Gu Wuji saw such a challenge as an opportunity he couldn't miss. He had to play this role of a spy well!
If he really was punished by the system, let alone confusion of consciousness, it would be an insult to his acting skills. Could it be that his own performance was not better than the system's arrangement?
...In any case, the system's words subtly ignited Gu Wuji's passion.
Subsequently, everyone was guided by the butler to sit down at the table. They noticed that the servants in the building all wore white masks with eerie patterns on them, at first glance resembling the face of a crying ghost, which was quite startling.
Even during the day, the building was very gloomy, and there were no modern electric lights, but oil lamps were used for illumination. Due to character setting restrictions, players did not have any tools to communicate with the outside world.
Gu Wuji originally planned to sit in an ordinary position, after all, he was a spy, so of course, he couldn't just expose himself. But as he was about to sit down, a servant beside him seemed to accidentally bump into Gu Wuji's back.
He also noticed the villa owner's somewhat displeased look.
What's with this owner?
"Because you have a very close relationship with the owner, he likes you to stay not far from him."
Gu Wuji felt something was wrong. But since his character required him to be very loyal to the owner, what could Gu Wuji do? He naturally sat down at a position close to the owner.
Since the number of seats matched the number of players, no one suspected anything.
"Felicia, the young master, welcomes you all," said the butler behind the owner. "I presume you all understand what this banquet signifies, and I believe you haven't brought anything that breaks the agreement."
Everyone tacitly agreed.
"The ceremony will be held in five days. Prepare yourselves during this time. By then, all of our wishes will be fulfilled."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Gu Wuji was listening with a confused expression. What preparations? He knew too little about this game...
At this moment, the servants had already started to serve food, and the players took off their hoods that had been covering their faces, revealing their true appearances.
Seeing the faces of the other players, everyone's expression turned wary. Although smiles were on their faces, they were actually estimating the danger level of the others.
Of course, this was because the people present were not simple characters. Having reached this point, naturally, they all had some reputation and were familiar with the names and faces of the others.
Among them, the one who made everyone the most wary was a man with a cold smile on his face and gloves on both hands. His aura was extremely sinister, almost like a half-human, half-ghost.
Rong Qingman's face turned ugly immediately, and he whispered to Gu Wuji, "That person is the Venom Snake. It's said that he was once possessed by a ghost in a certain game, but not only did he emerge unscathed, he even subdued the ghost... and made the ghost's abilities his own. He's a tough one to deal with."
Gu Wuji nodded. He felt that this person looked even less human than Young Master Felicia, but then again, most of the others present were somewhat eerie as well.
When the others' gazes fell on Gu Wuji, they recognized him as the player who had become famous a while ago, the one rumored to have had an affair with a mountain god... The mermaid game was too recent, and without any footage leaking out, it wasn't as widely known as before.
Ordinarily, Gu Wuji, being a mere mid-level player, wouldn't catch the eye of these nearly high-level players.
However, in such a game, everyone became more cautious, seeing Gu Wuji, an unexpected participant, as a potential dark horse, pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, acting weak but possessing hidden moves... For a moment, their gazes towards him were filled with a bit of wariness, deciding to observe him for some time longer.
Gu Wuji, sticking to his character, kept his head down and remained silent, maintaining a cool demeanor. Rong Qingman was very pleased to see this, feeling that Gu Wuji had finally taken his words to heart.
At this moment, everyone's dishes were served. As they lifted the lids, their expressions subtly changed.
What lay before them were gruesomely raw chunks of meat, accompanied by bloody eyeballs. Though they didn't seem to be of human origin, they were still unsettling.
"You must all understand that this is also part of the ritual," Young Master Felicia spoke up directly. "By consuming the food blessed by the gods, we partake in their essence."
Gu Wuji couldn't help but feel these sounded like the proclamations of a cult, but given the setting, these people were indeed supposed to be fanatics of a cult!
Despite their reluctance, they were all experienced players, having faced all sorts of situations, and given the special nature of this game, they began to eat without further ado.
Only the player known as Venom Snake seemed to enjoy his meal, causing the others to instinctively distance themselves from him.
Gu Wuji lowered his head to lift the lid in front of him, prepared for the worst... but instead of the bloody chunks of meat that the others faced, he found well-prepared, exquisite food.
Gu Wuji: "…?"
He looked up at Young Master Felicia, who nodded at him with a subtle, indescribable look in his eyes.
Gu Wuji: "!" Such blatant double standards!
The treatment for being an undercover was too good! So, was this ordinary raw meat chunks after all, unrelated to the ritual? Or was there some other purpose?
While Gu Wuji thought about many things, he ate quickly on the surface, knowing that if the others noticed, he would be immediately penalized by the system.
After the meal, the expressions of the others were somewhat unpleasant. Young Master Felicia then stood up with a smile, "It's getting late, and I'm sure everyone is tired. Let the butler take you to rest."
He then looked at Gu Wuji, "This guest, please come with me."
Gu Wuji couldn't help but feel that this Young Master Felicia didn't seem to have any awareness that he was a spy. His behavior was almost blatantly revealing his connection with Gu Wuji! The people around them had already shown suspicious looks.
Yet, he couldn't outright refuse the other party! After all, his character was supposed to be obedient to Felicia, which made things difficult right from the start.
At this moment, Gu Wuji's acting skills exploded. His face turned pale, his body suddenly weakened, and he almost knelt on the ground. Rong Qingman immediately supported him.
Gu Wuji's body was trembling slightly, yet he still forced a smile on his face, "I suddenly feel a bit unwell..."
Not to mention others, even Rong Qingman wondered if there was something wrong with the meat Gu Wuji had eaten earlier. The host calling him over so soon, could it be they intended to sacrifice Gu Wuji directly?
The others immediately stopped doubting and felt pity for Gu Wuji, as he didn't seem to be acting at all.
Young Master Felicia's expression changed abruptly, and he ordered a servant, "Take this guest to my room to rest." Then he told the others, "The butler will take you to your rooms."
Gu Wuji was puzzled: Why did things suddenly progress to going to the room?
Rong Qingman's face turned ugly. He grabbed Gu Wuji tightly, fearing that once Gu Wuji left, it would be like sending off a lamb to the slaughter, "You don't need to bother, I think he needs to rest with us."
Young Master Felicia's eyes turned cold, "Are you doubting me?"
This sentence was like stepping on a landmine. All the servants around them lifted their heads at the same time, their masks with strange patterns staring straight at them, making them seem less like living people. The players' faces changed as well.
Rong Qingman stiffened but didn't let go.
Gu Wuji felt touched by his concern, yet he coldly pushed Rong Qingman away, maintaining his unfeeling persona, "You needn't bother."
Immediately, two servants came over and supported Gu Wuji towards the room, with him pretending to be weak and motionless.
To outsiders, it looked as though he was being coerced.
Rong Qingman stared at Gu Wuji's departing back, moved yet pained. After all, Gu Wuji must have acted coldly to sever ties with him for his safety. What exactly did Felicia do to him?
The other players thought Gu Wuji was probably doomed and started to wonder if their previous wariness of him was unwarranted. He obviously seemed like a character destined to be cannon fodder.
After all, they were very aware that, at least before the ceremony started, Young Master Felicia was the most untouchable character in this game.
Although he seemed like a normal person, he was greatly related to the ceremony, and his temper was very unpredictable.
The background information explained that during his time at the noble school, a large number of students committed suicide, all dying in terrible ways. It was only found out that they had contact with Felicia, but nothing more could be investigated, and it was left unresolved.
This could still be explained, but what truly horrified people was that his body had also been discovered once.