The first floor of the Red and White Castle. Lu Luo sat in seat number one, his face frosty as ice, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he watched the groom candidates pass by one by one. He was somewhat angry. He had, after all, already captured Qi Xinzhu, and she was on the verge of becoming his wife! He was about to triumphantly return with the girl in his arms! But at the critical moment, he had been snatched away. That damn Nightmare Demon was too much. And then there was Lu Xiaotian; it was her who caused the trouble, not only smearing him in front of Qi Xinzhu but also spilling Han Shiyu's secrets. If it weren't for her special status, Lu Luo would hammer every brat like her he saw until they cried! When can the host stand up and hammer an Eighth Order calamity? Watching this Sequence makes me angry! Damn it! Originally, Lu Luo was just angry, but after the Observer displayed that line of text, his anger turned into depression. "There's no need to emphasize not being able to beat others, right?" Lu Luo muttered. "But you reminded me. With my current strength, am I capable of flipping the table?" Lu Luo looked at Kuding and then at the guards on the first floor of the castle. There was indeed quite a number of them. Many of the harpies were Fourth Tier, and Kuding was an unfathomable Fifth Tier Lord. If he really were to fight them, the most foolproof method would be to summon Zhuang Yanshan. But summoning Zhuang Yanshan was his final trump card. After some thought, Lu Luo still gave up the idea of making a move at this time. Whoever could instantaneously pull him here, it definitely wasn't Kuding, but the Nightmare Demon. He currently did not possess the power to resist the Nightmare Demon. Even summoning Zhuang Yanshan would likely be futile. He resolved to follow the rules here and quietly wait for an opportunity to turn things around. Lu Luo's murderous gaze made the others feel a little unnerved. Qi Gefei, for one, didn't dare to speak when passing by Lu Luo. Chen Mo also appeared. Although his limbs had grown back thanks to Holy Radiance, his face was still pale, and he limped. His own strength and mobility were greatly limited. He wasn't entirely clear why Lu Luo was angry, but at this moment, it was best not to provoke him. The game was still ongoing. There was no need to butt heads with Lu Luo to the bitter end. The one who survived to the end would be the real winner. The groom candidates continued to make their appearances. After calming down, Lu Luo's first reaction was to look for Gu Fangyi. He hadn't seen any sign of Gu Fangyi for some time, which made him somewhat anxious. Why isn't Brother Gu here? There are only fifteen people in total. Could he really have met with an accident? Lu Luo's searching gaze caught Kuding's attention. "What is Mr. Lu Luo looking at? Are you looking for Mr. Gu Fangyi?" "Does Mr. Kuding know where he is?" Lu Luo's question was somewhat ambiguous. It suggested that even if Kuding didn't tell him, it wouldn't matter; if Kuding didn't reveal Gu Fangyi's location, that meant he wasn't dead. And if he wasn't dead, there was still a chance! Kuding smiled as if he saw through Lu Luo's thoughts. And this time, he directly gave Lu Luo the answer he wanted. "Mr. Lu Luo, if you are really looking for Mr. Gu Fangyi, then I can tell you, you need not bother." Hearing that Gu Fangyi was fine, the worry in Lu Luo's heart finally eased. He asked with some curiosity, "Why is that?" "Gu Fangyi was the first one to find all the tokens, and the first to be chosen by a bride, becoming a groom. Mr. Gu Fangyi is currently nestled in soft charms!" The first groom? Brother Gu is so fast-paced... Lu Luo was a bit astonished. He was still searching for his people, and Brother Gu had already moved on to the main event? That was too fast! And who knew what the groom's reward would be? Kuding pointed to the lamps in the main hall; one of them, a green one, was already lit. "This bride, named Tong Meng, and the other brides will also actively choose among you during the competition. Mr. Gu Fangyi is the best-performing groom candidate. His performance naturally won the bride's favor. You should know, these brides were all carefully selected by the Master. He is with Tong Meng now. As for what they might be doing, I suppose I don't need to explain in detail, right? So, keep up the good work, Mr. Lu Luo. I'm also looking forward to your performance!" After hearing Kuding's explanation, Lu Luo nodded. The old lizardman wasn't too bad. At least Lu Luo had never been scammed by him, nor had Kuding done anything excessive. If a fight did break out in the future, Lu Luo thought he might spare him. "Thank you, Mr. Kuding." "Don't mention it, Mr. Lu Luo. You are quite special; I always remember that." Kuding's words were a clear implication. Was it because of the Nightmare Demon's special attention? Lu Luo withdrew his gaze and refocused on the others. By that time, the dining table had been replaced with a round table. There were sixteen seats at the round table. Coincidentally, there were fifteen groom candidates remaining. Adding Kuding himself, that made exactly sixteen people to fill the seats. "Alright, there are still fifteen groom candidates left," Kuding began. "During the midnight events, some of you had gains, while others did not. Those who gained are happy, but those who didn't, do not be discouraged. You still have a chance! A chance to become a groom and to gain power! "Originally, this was just a simple breakfast time. However, just now, the castle's servants informed me that someone stole something belonging to my Master—and it was something very important. All the Exotic Species in the castle are servants of my Master; they would definitely not steal. Therefore, the thief can only be among you candidates, because you are the only outsiders in the castle." Listening to the old butler's speech, Lu Luo immediately realized this might be the second round of the game at the first-floor round table. The others weren't stupid either. They tensed up immediately, sat up straight, and waited for Kuding's questions. And the way they looked at each other grew increasingly wary. There was no helping it; Kuding saying such things at this time meant that anyone could be the thief. Kuding continued, "The current time is 9:14 AM, and morning tea officially starts at 9:30 AM. Snacks will be served every thirty minutes, continuing until 12:00 PM. What you need to do is find the castle's thief before 12:00 PM. Each snack time will provide one hint, clue, or piece of information about the thief. After each snack, you will have a round of speaking where you can defend yourselves or accuse others. After the speaking is over, voting will begin, starting from seat number one. The person with the most votes will be punished, no matter what. "If that person is the thief, the others will receive a reward. If that person is not the thief and dies after being punished, then another person from the group that voted for them will be randomly selected to undergo the same punishment. The thief is not automatically a loser, and punishment does not necessarily mean death! So, if the thief can survive the punishment, they will have a chance to start over! But the innocent ones still need to catch the thief to prove your own innocence. "Now, for the first hint: the thief is male. Think carefully about the meaning of this hint. It may be useful, or it might not be. Enjoy your breakfast." Is this even considered a hint? many people thought. But Lu Luo didn't think so. Since the brides were women, and Qi Xinzhu should also be considered an outsider, this hint likely served to inform everyone that the thief wasn't one of the brides. Lu Luo's seat was at the very head of the table, next to the master's seat, which meant he would be the first to speak. The game seems to be about artful rules—the thief won't necessarily die but might face a strong punishment. If you need to prove your innocence, you could start from the chronological order because you were the last one to go upstairs... The Observer was recording and analyzing the game rules when Lu Luo directly interrupted it. "Why do I need to prove my innocence? Is there a way to get them to vote me out?" Had enough of the world of the living? Lu Luo shook his head. "According to the normal game rules, voting and analysis have to continue until 12:00 PM. I don't want to wait that long. So, if I can get them to vote me out, will I be free to move around? With my strength, I should have nothing to fear from any punishment, whether intellectual or combat-related, as long as it's indirect. And if the punishment involves being attacked by many Exotic Species, I might even be able to collect a surge of energy to prepare for upcoming battles! So, finding a way to get voted out is my most rational choice!" After such an analysis from you, I actually feel this suicidal act makes some sense. So the question is, what can I say that will make them vote me out? At this time, Kuding had already turned towards Lu Luo beside him. "Mr. Lu Luo, you are number one, it's your turn to speak." Lu Luo raised an eyebrow. He had already thought of a way to make these people vote him out, and he stood up somewhat arrogantly. His statement was simple, yet he spoke with conviction. "Because my strength is the greatest among you, I don't need to steal, nor would I stoop to it. My idea is to kill you all. If I kill everyone, then there will be no grooms left. Since there are no grooms, there's no one to compete with me. All the rewards here, including the brides, I can then take my time to claim." The way you're saying it, they might not vote for you, right? the Observer commented. Don't rush, Lu Luo thought. Once they process this, they should vote for me! Although Lu Luo's statement was very domineering, many people naturally nodded in agreement. Many had seen Lu Luo's battle with Chen Mo in the fourth-floor corridor from their rooms. They had come down through other channels. Although they hadn't directly confronted Lu Luo, they were well aware of the strength Chen Mo had displayed on the third floor. In their eyes, Chen Mo was already a top expert, but he was no match for Lu Luo. The fact that Duorang had been killed by Lu Luo with just a few punches clearly demonstrated an unequal level of strength. So, despite Lu Luo's words sounding arrogant and excessive, everyone actually agreed with him. After Lu Luo's speech, the others also nodded one after another. "This person should be fine." The fifteen candidates spoke one after another. "I was in the black and white chess room at the time..." "I was being beaten by that Gu Fangyi..." "I was with Chen Mo..." Everyone had their reasons, and they all sounded plausible, with no apparent issues. Finally, the last candidate stood up, his eyes somewhat evasive. His evasiveness made the others more suspicious, as they had barely seen this person before. "The route I took before was the Mechanical Room, but the task there was too difficult, so I gave up. Then I turned and headed to the library on the second floor. But there was a monster in the library, the kind that releases a deadly poison. I couldn't get past it, so I found a place to hide." The others glanced at each other, expressions of dawning certainty on their faces. In their minds, they clearly remembered that the second floor of the library was the domain of the witch Ellie. Failing to mention the witch and instead fabricating a story about a monster didn't seem right. However, only Lu Luo knew that this person was telling the truth. After a round of statements, Kuding stood up with a smile. "Alright, everyone has heard each other's statements. Now, let's start voting! Who do you think is the thief?" "Number 15!" Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥 Almost half the people voted for Number 15. With that, Number 15 was instantly eliminated. "It's not me! It's really not me!" As Number 15 shouted, a void portal appeared behind him and instantly dragged him in. The whole process was silent, lasting only three seconds. Afterward, Kuding stated expressionlessly, "Number 15 was not the thief, and he is already dead. Therefore, those who just accused Number 15 of being the thief will be randomly punished." While these people were still in shock, one of them was also dragged into a suddenly appearing void portal, vanishing without a sound. In one round, two were dead. Thirteen candidates remained. Due to the lack of information, no one could make any further judgments. They could only wait for the second round of morning tea. Just as Lu Luo had thought, the wait was excruciatingly long. He was somewhat worried about Qi Xinzhu. Her personality was very stubborn; she would pursue anything she set her mind to until the very end. Earlier, he hadn't had a chance to speak with Qi Xinzhu before they were separated. Without his detailed arrangements, given Qi Xinzhu's character, she would certainly come looking for him. Therefore, he had to leave as soon as possible. This would save a great deal of time and allow him to actively search for Qi Xinzhu. Logically using the rules was the best way to leave! "Mr. Kuding, it's 10:00 AM." Kuding checked the time, confirmed it was 10:00 AM sharp, and then spoke again. "It seems our candidates guessed incorrectly in the first round. But no matter, the intelligence and information will only increase. I believe that with your keen powers of observation, the thief will surely have nowhere to hide. Now, the second piece of information I will provide is that the thief has a token in their possession." The second clue was much more precise and useful than the first one. Not many people had gotten a token: Duorang, Qi Gefei, Chen Mo, Gu Fangyi, and one other person. These were all the people who had obtained tokens on the first three floors. However, on the fourth floor, since everyone had separate rooms, they didn't know if others had also obtained tokens. So, in this round, it was still necessary to wait for others' statements to clarify the situation. Just then, the harpy messengers brought in a breakfast dish. It was a piece of bread, one for everyone. Kuding spread his hands. "Since it's breakfast, of course there should be something to eat. Please, enjoy." None of these people dared to eat the bread before them. No one knew if this bread, like the poisoned food in the first round of the game, would cause mutation upon consumption. But Lu Luo was indifferent. For him, the difference between any type of food was minimal. He put the bread straight into his mouth. As soon as he bit down, he felt something was off. The bread was just ordinary bread, but inside it, there was a slip of paper! Lu Luo quietly took out the slip of paper, careful not to let others see its contents. It read: "You are the thief."