I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 43, December 24: The Secret Mansion and Miss Lily's Toy House

The signboard for "Silk House" is also carved with spiders and spider webs, just like the pattern on the doorknob of the study on the second floor of the Secret Mansion.

The bell on the door rang softly as the door was pushed open, producing a pleasant and clear sound.

"Welcome~" Standing in front of the counter was a man exactly as Zhou Hao had described. His entire face was covered in exaggerated white powder, but even so, it was still clear that his face was patched up like a manhole, with no intact skin, making him look terrifying and giving people a creepy feeling.

His azure eyes were now cloudy and murky, as if they had long been stained with filth, and could never return to their clean and clear state.

His golden, naturally curly, tousled hair was hidden by a terrifying hat painted with a spider. He casually fiddled with the exquisite doll in front of him and said slowly, "I'm sorry, we can't receive guests right now. Please come again next time."

"I come from the Secret Mansion and want to buy a beautiful doll as a gift," Mu Yegui said softly, standing at the door.

The boss was slightly taken aback. He subconsciously looked up and saw Mu Yegui wearing a black dress and a white mask on the right side of her head. It was the same outfit he remembered. However, the next second, the outfit changed to a khaki suspender dress.

His deep blue eyes flickered slightly, as if he were struggling, and his expression became extremely distorted.

"Secret Mansion..." The owner grinned with an exaggerated and terrifying smile, like a gaping maw, and said maliciously, "The dolls here can kill, especially people from Secret Mansion."

"Who you want to kill is none of my business. I just need to buy the doll and take it back, as well as the key to the study on the second floor." Mu Yegui stared intently at his boss's every move, his right hand reaching behind his back.

"Okay, come to me." The boss pointed to the table in front of him, his tone slightly enticing.

A small black spider crawled to the side of his finger, and he could vaguely see the glistening spider silk.

With a flick of his finger, he sent the black spider flying onto the bone china doll closest to Mu Yegui. A series of clicking sounds filled the air, and the doll, which had been sitting on the shelf, suddenly seemed to come alive. It leaped high into the air, raising its hands and slashing down fiercely at Mu Yegui.

Mu Yegui waved her hand and casually slammed it against the wall. However, because it was protected by spider silk, it did not break. Instead, she herself ended up with several strands of tough spider silk wrapped around her hands.

Feeling a force trying to control her, Mu Yegui pulled in the opposite direction but couldn't break it. So she drew her short sword with her right hand and cut all the spider silk binding her left hand.

You must not touch the entangled doll, or you will also be controlled.

Mu Yegui found it strange. The combat mechanics of 'Silk House' were completely different from those of Secret Mansion, and it didn't seem like the same instance. When he first entered, the owner said that 'we are not currently accepting outsiders.' If he interpreted 'outsiders' as players, then the idea that 'Silk House' was another instance would make perfect sense.

This instance is not currently open to outside visitors and is not yet available.

This statement is not directed at Mu Yegui, but at all players.

The black spider climbed onto another doll, which, like the first bone china doll, came to life. The second doll, a warrior figure, drew its sword and attacked Mu Yegui together with the first doll.

A sharp clang rang out as the samurai sword and Mu Yegui's short sword clashed, producing sparks and a crisp sound. At the same time, the bone china doll was about to approach Mu Yegui's forehead.

She moved her right hand, and the dark golden vertical pupil on the short sword slowly closed its eyes. She swung the short sword and cut the samurai sword in two. Then, with a cleave, she split the bone china doll in two from bottom to top, and it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The dark golden vertical pupils on the short sword opened again, cold and ruthless. He threw the short sword, its tip piercing the black spider's abdomen and taking its life. Mu Yegui then stood before his boss, silently watching him.

"The key." The soft, childlike voice was calm and serious, yet it did not allow him any right to refuse.

A flock of white doves flew across the rooftop of the Silk House, their flapping wings echoing throughout the quiet doll town. The white snowflakes and doves blended almost seamlessly, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other.

The clouds were gently parted, letting down golden light. The dazzling holy radiance dispelled the winter gloom and cold, and the gurgling fountains reflected the gold, spreading the holy light throughout the entire puppet town.

The boss looked down at Mu Yegui's left hand, which was resting on the table. The emerald square ring on the index finger shimmered faintly. He raised his hand and took out an exquisite white mask, handing it to Mu Yegui.

This mask is exactly the same as the white mask that the male owner gave to Mu Yegui before.

Mu Yegui did not take the mask, but stared at him silently.

The spider's limbs trembled incessantly, emitting a chilling sound. At the same time, a small black spider crawled out from behind each puppet and stood on its forehead.

"The key," Mu Yegui repeated.

“Inside the abdomen of one of these 382 spiders, each spider carries deadly corrosive venom. They will attack anyone who gets close to them.” The boss placed the mask on the table, then turned his back to Mu Yegui and ignored her.

Spiders carry deadly corrosive venom; cutting open their abdomen will undoubtedly splash you with the venom, and touching them will also result in being controlled by their webs.

Is it really possible for any player to meet these conditions?
No matter how careful you are, it's hard to avoid getting splashed with venom unless you find the key on the first try. But is a key soaked in venom really harmless?

Mu Yegui slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw a pair of cold, dark gold vertical pupils.

Mu Yin took a step back to avoid the spider's attack, casually pulled out the short sword stuck in the spider's abdomen, and with a casual swing, cleaved the three spiders that were attacking him in two, which fell to the ground.

The emerald green venom splattered on the ground with a 'splat' sound, and at the same time, a burnt stench filled his nostrils.

A cold glint flashed in his dark gold vertical pupils. It was indeed highly poisonous, but…

He looked at the unscathed short sword, a smile that seemed both confident and arrogant playing on his lips. This venom had no effect on him; only he himself could harm him.

Mu Yin took a step forward, stepping barefoot onto the emerald green venom. He leaned back slightly to avoid the spider and swung his short sword to cut the spider silk that the spider brought with it as it flew by.

"My luck is really bad. I still haven't found the one with the key." Mu Yin rubbed his hair, looking at the hundreds of gruesome spider corpses at his feet with a helpless expression. Green venom had splattered all over the ground and walls, and no part of them was intact.

Both trypophobia and arachnophobia are emerging.

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(End of this chapter)