Unknowingly, the sky had completely darkened. The people held only oil lamps for illumination. The style of these oil lamps was very antique, relying solely on candles to provide light. The illumination was dim, barely enough to light up a half-meter radius around them. Moreover, if the wind picked up even slightly, one might suspect the candles would extinguish.
Everyone understood the importance of these oil lamps. After all, in this dungeon, they were indispensable props. Not only did they keep the ghosts away, but more crucially, only these lamps could reveal the presence of divine tokens within the building.
Although they were unsure how to gain favor with the gods in this dungeon, using their brains, they realized that the gods would surely reward the most devout among them.
Essentially, only those who collected the most tokens would be privileged as the most faithful followers. This enticed many players; they had come here seeking power.
At the moment when the indoor atmosphere was most oppressive, everyone understood that everything had begun.
The decor in this grand hall suddenly transformed into an antique style. The surroundings felt peculiar, as if they had traveled back a century within this building.
The strange part was that the paths leading elsewhere had been disrupted. Forks in the road appeared, and no one knew where these diverging paths led.
Naturally, everyone refrained from communicating with others and walked toward their chosen entrance. To avoid conflict, no one selected the same entrance.
Although Rong Qingman worried about Gu Wujì, the current situation prevented him from waiting in the hall any longer. There was an unspoken rule in this building: staying in one place for more than five minutes would attract stronger ghosts.
"Ah, if only I had explained the crucial details of this dungeon to him back on the ship. I thought there would be time later, but who knew that Felicia would..." Rong Qingman sighed, filled with regret.
Each of them had extensively researched and investigated the default rules of this dungeon. But Gu Wujì entered without knowing anything...
"I hope he's hiding in a safe room now, waiting until dawn. Otherwise, staying in this building without an oil lamp is as good as suicide." Rong Qingman could only hope for the best.
The ghosts in this dungeon were not easy to deal with. While there were plenty of low-level ghosts that could be dispatched easily, killing them would attract higher-level ones.
Those ghosts were once devout believers and could even wield some of the world's divine power. Encountering them without divine protection meant risking one's life.
>
Gu Wujì continued walking through the building. The surroundings were pitch-black, and if it weren't for his improved constitution from multiple dungeon experiences, he wouldn't have seen the path ahead.
Along the way, he encountered low-level monsters—creatures born from deep resentment. Gu Wujì dispatched them efficiently with a kitchen knife.
The scene frightened the nearby ghosts, who wondered what terrifying person they had encountered!
In reality, Gu Wujì felt quite friendly. The system demanded he be cold toward humans, but being kind to ghosts shouldn't be an issue, right?
However, due to his unintentional decisiveness in killing monsters, other ghosts felt a sense of fear.
"What's going on? Why haven't we reached the main hall after walking for so long?" Gu Wujì felt it had been too long.
The nearby ghost, fearing Gu Wujì might harm it, quickly explained, "This is because the building undergoes changes after dark. It's become a strange space, making it difficult to find a way out. Please don't get agitated."
Indeed, the ghost spoke the truth. However, it harbored other thoughts. While outside, it had sensed the presence of something terrifying within this building. Now, it couldn't handle this formidable human, but there were other beings that could."
The ghost imagined the scene of Gu Wuji being defeated and felt a sense of pleasure. Only such a sight could heal the psychological trauma caused by Gu Wuji scaring it.
In this way, the ghost and Gu Wuji continued forward. Suddenly, Gu Wuji felt a strong surge of Yin energy, as if he had stepped into a lively hall. Around him, four or five low-level ghosts dressed as maids appeared.
They all resembled skeletons, with only gender traces visible from their clothing. They moved numbly around, but upon realizing there was a living person nearby, they eagerly rushed toward him with shining eyes.
"Poor souls," Gu Wuji shook his head. He attempted to purify them, but it had no effect. Undoubtedly, the ghosts in this building were like the ones on the haunted cruise ship—an entire cursed entity rather than individually purifiable beings.
"Well, there's no other choice." Gu Wuji immediately used ghost-taming techniques on the maids.
His advanced ghost-taming skills made the maids obediently stand behind him, as if awaiting his orders.
"Now I have others to guide the way," Gu Wuji said to one of the ghosts. "You can leave now."
The ghost stared at Gu Wuji in disbelief. It never expected this man, who seemed like a demon, to casually let it go.
But then it realized that as an outsider ghost, leaving might lead to trouble. It decided to attach itself to this human and curry favor with higher-level ghosts. Determinedly, it said, "No, since I'm helping you guide the way, I'll see it through!"
Gu Wuji was surprised by the ghost's dedication. It gave him a sense of camaraderie. He dismissed the maids' ghosts and said, "Let's continue."
As they moved forward, they turned a corner. Gu Wuji heard crying and saw a faint light.
He looked and found a little girl sitting in a corner, crying. Beside her was an oil lamp, faintly illuminating a painting hanging on the wall.
"Is that a human?" Surprisingly, Gu Wuji didn't sense any Yin energy from the girl. Instead, he felt the vitality unique to humans. But why weren't any other ghosts approaching her?
Regardless, Gu Wuji approached with the ghost. However, at a certain distance, the other ghosts refused to come any closer.
"So it's because of the oil lamp," Gu Wuji realized. He had paid attention to what the ghost said earlier, but he hadn't expected the lamp's effect to be so powerful.
"Why are you here?" Gu Wuji observed the girl up close. Her silver-gray hair and pale skin reminded him of Felicia. Could she be his sister?
Although he wanted to help the girl, Gu Wuji maintained his cold demeanor to fit his character. "Wuwu..." The frightened girl looked up when she saw Gu Wuji, immediately stopping her tears. She hesitantly said, "Big brother, I'm lost. Can you take me back to my room?"
"Well, I can, but what will you give me in return?" Gu Wuji continued to play the indifferent role. "After all, I won't help someone without any benefit."
"I-I..." The girl was bewildered. She never expected someone to ask her such a question and started crying again.
"No crying, or I'll feed you to the ghosts," Gu Wuji coldly warned. The girl immediately fell silent.
The ghosts behind were utterly shocked. This human was truly despicable and cruel, even toward a little girl. Could it be that his earlier promise to let them go was just a test? If they had left, they might have been killed by this man!
With these thoughts, the ghost felt a shiver down its spine and silently praised its own quick thinking.
"Hmph." Gu Wuji lifted the girl in his arms and also grabbed the nearby oil lamp. "If it weren't for the possibility of you being related to the young master, I wouldn't have intervened."
He noticed that the oil lamp was nearly burnt out. Holding the lamp, its light illuminated a portrait on the wall—a noble youth who bore a striking resemblance to Felicia. Clearly, they were blood relatives.
However, this noble youth appeared mentally unstable, like a fervent devotee of some malevolent deity.
"Where do you live?" Gu Wuji asked the little girl.
"I don't know," she replied honestly, still frightened. "I just wanted to find my mother, so I ran away. But then I ended up here..."
[Triggered side quest: "Homecoming."]
The side quest had a straightforward name, offering no clues to Gu Wuji. Perhaps due to the girl's young age, her words were unclear.
Gu Wuji glanced at the ghost hiding in the shadows. "Any thoughts?"
He regretted not dismissing the maids' ghosts earlier. With them around, they wouldn't be so helpless now.
"I-I..." The ghost's voice suddenly grew louder. "Look in front of you!"
Gu Wuji didn't quite understand what it meant, but he turned his head. To his surprise, within the light cast by the oil lamp onto the portrait, a twisted, dark silhouette appeared. It vaguely resembled a female ghost, completely unafraid of the lamp's light.
The ghost hiding behind was ecstatic. A high-level ghost had appeared so quickly! Surely this human would meet a swift demise.
The female ghost stared at Gu Wuji with cold eyes. The shadow extended from the portrait, and the oil lamp flickered, as if it would extinguish any moment. When that happened, the female ghost would likely attack.
By now, the little girl had fainted from fear.
Gu Wuji considered negotiating with the female ghost, but her relentless aura made her difficult to deal with. He discreetly pulled out his pocket watch, ready to flee if necessary.
As the light finally faded completely, the female ghost lunged at Gu Wuji. But in that instant, his evil deity mark unexpectedly heated up, emitting a faint glow. The female ghost froze when she noticed the light.
However, everything happened too quickly. Even before Gu Wuji could fully register the mark's warmth, he opened the pocket watch. He remained oblivious to the female ghost's surprise.
As the golden light flooded the area, the female ghost seemed frozen in place. Gu Wuji tossed the oil lamp aside and even remembered to take the dazed ghost with him as he fled.
The ghost thought, "What's wrong with this human? He didn't even attack a high-level ghost! How did I end up being dragged along?"