Infinite Peculiar Games

Chang Xu’s clues were similar to those Qi Si had already discovered: four cryptic lines of poetry and five diary entries.

From the tone of the diaries, it was evident that they were written by different people, providing metaphorical glimpses into the background story from different perspectives.

Qi Si read through the clues twice, imprinting them in his mind. Then, he took a piece of papyrus and stood at the table to transcribe the clues from his room.

Afterwards, he lifted the red dress and repeated the conjecture he had shared with Lin Chen, earning a look of vague admiration from Chang Xu.

Combining both sets of clues, a nascent story began to take shape.

“In a once-prosperous noble family, there were two daughters. The elder, Anna, possessed breathtaking beauty and perfection in every aspect, while the younger, Annie, was comparatively plain. A man stumbled into the manor, fell in love with Anna, and made various attempts to marry her. Unfortunately, he arrived too late; Anna, believing she had been abandoned by him, had already succumbed to melancholy.”

“The reason time is deemed the most crucial is due to the manipulation of the mechanical clock, which resulted in the man and Anna missing each other on the night they had planned to elope, leading to multiple misunderstandings,” Qi Si murmured as he read the words on the paper, his voice a mix of sighs and irony.

“Annie, driven by perhaps twisted love or subconscious jealousy, assumed her sister Anna’s identity, met the man who returned to the manor and killed him, burying him in the garden.”

Lin Chen was already aware of this information. Knowing that deception would be easily uncovered and have little use, Qi Si spoke truthfully, effectively dispelling any lingering suspicion between the cooperating parties.

After Qi Si finished speaking, he looked at Chang Xu. “Brother Chang, did you find anything else strange while digging in the garden this morning?”

Chang Xu replied, “There were three corpses in total, two men and one woman, presumably players.”

“…Alright.”

Nevermind then. Qi Si initially hoped to find the body of the brave man who pursued Miss Anna.

Qi Si felt a slight disappointment, but it dissipated quickly. He continued, “I’ve tested it; the Anna we saw at the dining table is alive, likely the surviving sister Annie. The real Miss Anna is deceased and may manifest as a ghost.”

Chang Xu furrowed his brow at this revelation. “Considering Annie and Anna looked different, yet she managed to impersonate Anna without anyone’s detection, it seems she could manipulate peculiar powers early on. I think the Rose Manor itself might have issues, and she’s just one peculiar part being controlled by someone.”

“That’s my suspicion too.” Qi Si nodded in agreement.

Those who establish rules often have the privilege of not abiding by them, and it was evident that Miss Anna did not have the right to break those rules. This implies that someone else, other than Miss Anna, is responsible for formulating the peculiar rules within the Rose Manor.

“To complete this part of the speculation, the clues must either be on the third floor or with Zou Yan and Ye.” Qi Si’s gaze returned to the four lines of poetry at the top of the page.

His own set of verses was cryptic, resembling prophecies or curses, causing a tight, suffocating feeling in his chest with just one glance.

In contrast, Chang Xu’s quatrain was much easier to comprehend.

【Here I am trapped in time】

【Where dawn and dusk align】

【Cycles turn year after year】

【Yesterday and I reappear】

It clearly suggested a time loop.

Qi Si squinted, his gaze meaningful as he asked, “Brother Chang, do you usually carry that 【Destiny Timepiece】with you and check it often?”

“About every half an hour,” Chang Xu replied, retrieving the pocket watch from his pocket and glancing at the time. “As far as I remember, from entering the instance until now, there haven’t been any obvious issues with time.”

“Is that so?”

Qi Si believed Chang Xu was not foolish. Being the first to obtain clues about time, he would surely pay extra attention to this aspect, making it unlikely for him to miss anything.

The reasoning had hit a dead end, and to advance, they needed more information…

“Let’s go check the third floor together,” Qi Si said, pushing the door.

At that moment, the mechanical clock struck the first chime.

…

In Room 1 near the stairs, Zou Yan and Ye were sitting at the desk, their eyes fixed on an eyeball-like object placed on it.

【Name: Eye of Hermes (Right Eye)】

【Type: Prop】

【Effect: ① When the left eye is placed in an enclosed space, one can see through the left eye’s perspective from the right eye;
② During the transmission process, it can significantly reduce the vigilance and perception of nearby players.】

【Note: The gods know all, as Hermes* says.】

At this moment, the eyeball displayed the scene in Chang Xu’s room, including Qi Si’s speculation about the background story and the decision of the two to explore the third floor.

“Mastering the game lies in the actions behind the scenes—to observe, spy, and gather the most information while everyone else remains ignorant and unaware,” Zou Yan said, looking at Yezi with a faint smile. “Compared to that, showing all your cards openly in the game is not a good choice. After all, we don’t have the advantage of strength.”

Yezi lowered her head in silence, her mind filled with memories of her interactions with Zou Yan.

First, Zou Yan portrayed herself as a kind old soul to avoid arousing suspicion; then, she demanded Ye to act foolish and arrogant, willingly exposing her connection with Shen Ming to divert attention; finally, she incited conflict, misleading other players into believing that the two of them could not possibly form an alliance.

She undoubtedly manipulates people’s minds perfectly.

Yezi had initially believed that she could control Zou Yan by teaming up with Shen Ming; even if Shen Ming died, she could still seek cooperation on equal terms. But now, it seemed that Zou Yan had always held the upper hand over her.

Recalling the knowledge Shen Ming had imparted to her, Ye asked with a cheerful smile, “Sister Zou, isn’t this your second instance? Such items aren’t something a newcomer can obtain. You must be an experienced player who entered this instance by spending points, right?”

Zou Yan countered, “Aren’t you the same?”

Ye’s smile did not falter. “I’m just a complete newbie. I got roped into this game because of a contract with the company I signed with. I had debts to repay, so I didn’t have much choice but to enter the game to make some money.”

“Sister Zou, is there anything special about this instance? Why did you choose to enter voluntarily? I heard there are no points rewarded for entering a specified instance…”

“Is that so?” Zou Yan smiled knowingly.

She had no intention of addressing Ye’s question. Instead, she locked eyes with her, wearing an expression of gentle compassion and sadness. “Could you assist me with an experiment?”

“What kind of experiment?”

The pendulum of the mechanical clock struck the first chime, its echoes fading into silence.

“Ye, close your eyes,” Zou Yan instructed.

…

The mechanical clock struck the first chime, marking one o’clock in the afternoon.

Chang Xu glanced at his pocket watch; his usual expressionless face finally showed a hint of change.

“The timepiece sped up by an hour. Just a second ago, the hour hand moved a full notch, as if an hour of time were snatched away out of thin air.”

Chang Xu stated, adjusting the watch’s time with a tone devoid of fluctuations, describing even such peculiar phenomena with unwavering calmness.

In that moment, Qi Si immediately grasped its significance.

The instance mechanism had been triggered, likely related to the four lines of poetry in Chang Xu’s room.

“It seems to be a one-hour time rewind,” Qi Si said, scanning the surroundings. “Could it be that the Peculiar Games, seeing us at an impasse, fearing it might impact the average completion rate, deliberately gave us a hint?”

He made a whimsical joke, but it failed to elicit any laughter.

Time rewind was a clue provided by the game, and only players who had solved the puzzle could trigger the related mechanism.

He had always been the one who secretly played tricks, but now someone else had beaten him to it. Unforeseen circumstances were what made things interesting, weren’t they?

Qi Si stepped out of the room wearing an untimely smile, his gaze lingering on the door of the adjacent guest room.

The gloomy, mottled wooden door remained tightly shut, showing no signs of anything amiss—not even a hint of sound leaking through.

Behind him, Chang Xu seemed to recall something, his hand searching his own body.

After a few seconds, he produced an object resembling an eyeball from his jacket pocket.

Though the item was already cracked, the bloodshot iris continued its rhythmic dilation, mimicking a breath, like a remnant of some tenacious creature.

“Someone’s been watching us,” Chang Xu tossed the eyeball towards Qi Si, signalling him to inspect it.

Qi Si caught it; the cold fluid brushing his skin triggered an instant system prompt.

【Name: Eye of Hermes (Left Eye) (Damaged)】

【Type: Prop】

【Effect: …】

Chang Xu’s expression turned grim. “Not long ago, Liu Qingye and I had physical contact. I suspect this item was likely placed on me during that time. The night before, I also had contact with Shen Ming, so it’s possible he could be involved as well.”

Qi Si shook his head slightly. “Not Shen Ming. Predicting his own death and sacrificing himself for others doesn’t seem characteristic of him.”

With this, the clues fell into place, providing explanations for the various oddities encountered earlier.

On the first day, Ye appeared lively and carefree, casually chatting and seemingly unconcerned with life or death. Her acting skills and intelligence were also commendable.

However, on the second day, she displayed an exaggerated level of compassion and sympathy towards the corpses, followed by a sudden loss of composure and numerous mistakes…

As if she were a completely different person.

While many might attribute this to shock, Qi Si, who had honed his acting skills from a young age, did not see it that way—his reasoning was simple: practice makes perfect.

At this point, it seemed his intuition had been right.

Qi Si smiled, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Ye’s sudden argument with Zou Yan was probably just a ruse to create a false sense of discord between them. Putting someone forward as a decoy to muddy the waters—what a clever strategy…”

Chang Xu’s expression froze. “You mean…”

(End of Chapter)

——

*TL’s note:

Hermes was the ancient Greek god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel.

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