Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

On the way back to lounge number 1005, Benny on my shoulder was unusually active, her little head turning constantly, her amber cat eyes looking left and right, scanning the various contestants in different shapes and sizes in every corner of the lounge, as well as the occasional small booths or floating projection advertisements.

The air was filled with various conversations, as well as an atmosphere of excitement and ambition unique to top-level events.

This was undoubtedly a tempting environment for Benny, who loved treasure hunting and spotting business opportunities.

Reaching the entrance to the lounge, Lin Yi stopped and turned to Benny on his shoulder and Baha, who was hovering nearby flapping his wings, saying, "If you want to go out for a stroll, go ahead. Be careful and don't cause any trouble. I'm going back to rest."

"Meow!" Benny's eyes lit up, and she immediately jumped lightly off Lin Yi's shoulder, landing on the ground with her tail held high, clearly very satisfied with the suggestion.

She turned back and barked urgently at Baha a few times, then gestured with her paws, roughly meaning, "Hurry up, let's go see what good stuff is there."

Baha suddenly flapped its wings and flew back a short distance. Its bird face showed a human-like expression of fear and resistance, and it shook its head like a rattle-drum: "No! Miss, you go by yourself! I... I suddenly feel a little tired and want to go back and rest for a while!"

Its reaction made Lin Yi glance at it.

Baha flapped his wings, his voice filled with lingering fear: "You have no idea! Last time at the Samsara Paradise trading market, she dragged me around for four hours! Four hours! From the Mechanical Street to the stalls outside the Institute of Pharmacy, and even those dilapidated sheds in the nooks and crannies that I had no idea what they were for! Everything was new to her, she wanted to sniff and look at everything, and her bargaining skills could drive a living person crazy, and even bring a dead person back to life! The most outrageous thing was that she took a fancy to a piece of broken stone that was supposedly an 'ancient dragon scale,' insisting that a dragon soul was sealed inside, and she wanted to argue with the stall owner... I won't go into the details of the argument, but in the end, the stall owner almost grabbed a weapon and fought us, and I had to drag her away by force!"

Baha became more and more excited as he spoke, his wingtips trembling slightly: "For the sake of my life and health, and to avoid being punished by the Void Tree in the rest area of ​​the Battle of the Strongest because of a 'commercial dispute,' this entertainment... is better left unwatched! You have fun on your own!"

After saying that, it flew to Lin Yi's other shoulder in a flash, shrank its neck, and looked like it would never leave no matter what.

Benny snorted at Baha in dissatisfaction, revealing her little sharp teeth, but seeing that Baha was determined, she had no choice but to give up.

With a haughty flick of her tail, she strolled away with elegant cat steps toward the more bustling areas deeper into the hall.

Lin Yi glanced at Benny's disappearing figure in the crowd, then glanced at Baha, who was pretending to rest with his eyes closed, on his shoulder. Without saying anything, he pushed open the door and returned to the 1005 lounge.

The atmosphere inside was even more subdued than before.

The bedroom area where the two spellcasters of Arcane Eternal Star were located remained closed, with no sound coming from inside, as if they had already left or were engrossed in some kind of research.

When the two lizardmen in the corner saw Lin Yi return, they merely glanced at him warily before lowering their heads again and communicating in extremely low voices.

The figure shrouded in gray fog remained in the same position.

The elven archer had already put away his shortbow and was leaning back on the sofa, toying with a bright green leaf in his hand, his eyes vacant, lost in thought.

Su Xiao sat on a single sofa near the refrigerator, holding a slightly old-fashioned scroll in her hand.

Am sat on the floor against the wall, arms crossed, snoring softly and evenly.

Lin Yi's gaze swept across the room, then he waved to Bubuwang.

Bubuwang's ears twitched, and it immediately raised its head, letting out a cheerful "woof," and trotted over, followed by the round butler robot it had renamed "Friendship Little Bubu."

Lin Yi led Bubuwang and its "little follower" toward the short corridor on one side of the lounge that led to the private bedroom area.

Several identical metal doors are located on both sides of the corridor, with room numbers marked on the doorplates.

He randomly chose an empty room and pushed the door open to enter.

The room is small, about 20 square meters, and the furnishings are extremely simple. There is only an alloy table fixed to the wall, a chair of the same material, and a flat platform that looks like a hibernation pod or a simple bed. There is no decoration or comfort to speak of. It is designed entirely to meet the most basic needs of "rest".

Bubuwang wagged its tail and gave a few commands to the [Friendship Little Bubu] beside it.

The round robot immediately emitted a slight buzzing sound, and the indicator light on its top changed from standby blue to working yellow.

It glided to the center of the room, with several stabilizing supports extending from the bottom. The upper part of the machine unfolded gracefully like flower petals, revealing the complex and precise internal structure and a semi-transparent control panel.

Soft blue light projects from the panel, creating a clear holographic menu in the air. The menu is displayed in Void Universal Language, and its categorization is astonishingly detailed.

Lin Yi casually flipped through the pages.

Under the category of "Living Environment Simulation", there are more than 300 sub-options for intelligent races, such as light intensity, temperature and humidity, gravity coefficient, air quality, and background sound effects.

In the "Bedding and Rest Aids" category, there are everything from the most basic alloy hardboard to the rumored "Dream Cloud Velvet" that can soothe the soul, from ergonomic support pads to bioactive polymer beds with built-in constant temperature massage.

There are even corresponding modules for nests, cocoons, and energy soaking pools that some non-humanoid races like.

“Food and beverage services,” “cleaning and maintenance,” “entertainment and information,” “emergency medical support”… each of these categories leads to a Quantum of Ocean project.

What made Lin Yi raise his eyebrows the most was that in the corner of the "Special Needs Service" section, there was indeed an option for "Adaptive Body Appearance and Interaction Mode".

The description states that in order to provide the most friendly service experience for users of different races and cultural backgrounds, the 【Friendship Little Bu】can temporarily change its shell color and texture based on presets or real-time scanning, simulating forms such as familiar servant robots, household fairies, or even "elves" or "genies" from specific cultures. Even the voice and interaction logic can be adjusted accordingly.

"The Barna Dwarfs... they really go to extremes in their pursuit of profit," Lin Yi thought to himself.

Lin Yi didn't waste time on fancy features and went straight to the bedding section, choosing a set labeled "High Elf Preference: Moonlight Velvet and Star-Patterned Wood Frame".

This bedding set received positive reviews for its comfort and gentle calming effect, and importantly, it was free as part of his "Platinum Privilege" package.

[Command received. Service in progress, estimated time 2 minutes 17 seconds.]

The interior of the unfolded 【Friendship Little Bu】 emitted subtle mechanical sounds and the hum of energy flow.

Several slender robotic arms extended from the unfolded "petals" and began to rapidly modify the simple platform in the room.

About three minutes later, the "Friendship Little Bu" emitted a completion notification sound, then retracted its mechanical arm, returned to its round standby state, and slid to the corner of the room.

The cold alloy platform had disappeared, replaced by a very comfortable-looking wooden bed frame, covered with a thick, soft, silver-gray velvet blanket, fluffy pillows, and even a delicate little lamp emitting a faint, calming fragrance at the head of the bed.

Lin Yi took off his outer robe and lay down.

The bed provided just the right amount of support, and the moonlight velvet felt pleasantly cool against the skin. The subtle, calming fragrance truly soothed the mind and body.

He closed his eyes and entered a deep meditative state, allowing his tense mind to relax and unwind.

Time slips away quietly.

About three hours later, there was a rhythmic knocking on the door.

Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright, the previous fatigue completely gone.

He stretched, his bones cracking slightly, and the power of the abyss flowed smoothly within him, restoring him to his peak condition.

I got up, straightened my clothes, and opened the door.

Su Xiao stood outside the door, no longer holding the alchemy recipe scroll, but instead holding the familiar tablet computer. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were sharp, clearly indicating that he had already adjusted his state.

"That's about it," Su Xiao said.

Lin Yi nodded and mentally communicated with the Paradise of Reincarnation.

The hunter has chosen to participate in the second round of advancement.

[The location for the second round of advancement is being randomly selected...]

[Drawn: House of Death.]

[Current number of participants in Death House: 4 (including hunters).]

The hunters must wait 1-3 hours until a total of 6 people have been recruited.

Death house?
Upon seeing the name, Lin Yi was slightly taken aback, a strong sense of familiarity welling up in his heart.

He was certain he had heard that name somewhere before, and the impression was probably quite strong. He frowned, quickly searching his memory.

Information on the Battle of the Strongest? Records of the Paradise of Reincarnation? Rumors from the Void? No, none of these are just vague impressions...

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck.

It's Hill!
During a casual conversation, she mentioned it seemingly casually. At the time, she seemed to be recalling something from the past, mentioning the name "Anna" with a hint of nostalgia in her tone.

She said Anna was a "friend from a long time ago" who lived in a "fun but also troublesome place," what was it called again...

Oh, right! The House of Death!

Hill said this at the time: "...That Anna guy insisted on calling her place 'The House of Death,' scaring away a lot of customers. But for someone like her, the name is quite fitting."

At the time, Lin Yi simply listened without delving into the details.

Hill has many friends, and his network of relationships is so complex that it's impossible for him to keep track of everyone.

Unexpectedly, I would end up here, in this way, intersecting with the "House of Death" that only existed in Hill's few words.

This fate is truly quite wondrous. I wonder if that "Anna" knows about Hill's current situation, or if she recognizes him as the new Abyss Healer.

The wait was slightly shorter than expected. About an hour later, the personal imprint sent another clear notification.

The Death House has reached its maximum capacity of 6 participants. The rules are as follows.

The cold, impersonal words appeared line by line:

1. Before completing the designated task, you may not leave the Death House in any way. If you lose the protection of Queen of Pain Anna, the area around the Death House will be extremely dangerous, and the hunter's survival rate will be 0.02%.

2. Due to the special nature of the Death House, the hunter can only authorize 2 servants, summoned creatures, familiars, etc. to accompany the hunter to the Death House.

3. The House of Death is extremely large, and Queen of Pain Anna will seal off some of the most dangerous areas based on the participants' overall strength.

4. Due to the rules of the House of Death, hunters can only choose 1-2 pieces of equipment to wear (depending on their Charisma attribute). As hunters explore the House of Death, they can gradually increase the number of pieces of equipment they can wear. In addition, the hunter's storage space, team storage space, and servant storage space will be blocked.

5. Anna, the Queen of Pain, is the owner of the House of Death. When negotiating with her, the Charisma attribute can play a certain role.

6. Do not attempt to attack Ana, the Queen of Pain, as she is an extremely powerful being capable of easily killing any participant.

Upon seeing this series of rules, especially the fourth clause regarding equipment restrictions and storage space restrictions, Lin Yi almost reflexively began to act.

He knew all too well what this restriction meant.

The inability to access storage space means that regular supplies, spare equipment, and special items are all unavailable.

You can only wear 1-2 pieces of equipment at the start, and the difficulty of survival will increase dramatically in the unknown environment.

The name "House of Death" doesn't sound like a place rich in resources or where supplies can be easily obtained.

He quickly took out several pre-prepared space capsules filled with various survival supplies and basic tools.

These capsules are small in size, but their internal space has been expanded to contain high-energy food, drinking water, medical supplies, simple tools, lighting equipment, power batteries, and even some basic defense and detection devices.

Taking into account the possible environment, he also specifically added some protective consumables against common dangers such as negative energy, mental interference, and curses.

He quickly put the capsules and a few other small items that he thought might be useful into a space backpack that looked ordinary but was made of durable material.

This is a habit he developed from practicing martial arts since childhood; sometimes, the simplest preparation is the most reliable.

Just as Lin Yi zipped up his backpack, preparing to review the other details of the rules, the personal imprint notification suddenly popped up again, and the content had changed:
[Hunter's Charisma attribute detected: 90 points. According to the Death House rules, upon entering the Death House, the Hunter can wear... Warning... External access detected... Rules being corrected...]

[Interference by Ana, the Queen of Pain, has been detected. Temporary adjustments have been made to some rules of the Death House regarding the Hunter 'Medic' class.]

[Adjustments: The Hunter 'Medic' storage space restriction has been lifted (for the user only). The equipment wear limit has been lifted (for the user only).]

[Note: This adjustment is a privilege unilaterally granted by the Queen of Pain, Ana, and only applies to the Hunter 'Healer'. The rules for other participants remain unchanged.]

Lin Yi stopped what he was doing as he looked at the newly appeared prompts, a look of surprise on his face.

A Charisma attribute of 90 is indeed not low in the Void, and can provide a good initial impression bonus to some neutral or friendly units.

But is it really possible that this alone would make Anna, the Queen of Pain, the owner of the "House of Death" who is clearly marked by the rules as "extremely powerful" and "capable of easily killing any participant," make an exception for herself and directly remove the two most crucial restrictions?
Lin Yi thought it was unlikely.

Rule 5 states that "charm attribute can have a certain effect," but that "certain effect" should obviously not include this kind of special privilege that is almost like "exemption from examination."

The reason is then quite obvious.

Anna knew Hill, and they were quite close.

Hill likely gave prior notice, or Anna learned of her identity in some way—the new Abyss Healer, Hill's current "collaborator" or "successor" in a certain sense.

This preferential treatment is only because of Hill.

"They really do have something going on," Lin Yi thought to himself, gaining a new understanding of Hill's complex network of relationships.

The fact that Anna, the Queen of Pain, can easily interfere with the local rules of the battle for supremacy under the notarization of the Void Tree suggests that her strength and authority far exceed the ordinary definition of "powerful."

Just then, the teleportation wave arrived, more obscure than before, carrying a chill that seemed to lead to the depths of the underworld.

[Teleportation initiated, destination: House of Death.]

The teleportation sensation appeared, and Su Xiao's vision suddenly turned completely gray and black. A dozen seconds later, the gray and black vision dissipated like mist, and he was sitting in a metal chair, looking at the armrest beside him. It was very ornate, with a circular mark on it and a few small characters engraved below.

'No regrets in life, no resentment in death.'

The handwriting was somewhat messy, and there were faint traces of blood within the engravings.

Lin Yi was standing in front of a round table. On the other five metal chairs sat a figure, whose appearance and figure could not be seen due to the obscuring gray fog.

Su Xiao should be among them.

The room was small, about 50 square meters. The walls were made of black wooden planks, and there was a chandelier above. Various souvenirs were hung on the walls, one of which caught the attention of Lin Yi and Su Xiao.

This is a ring with incredibly strong vitality, but it is sealed and imprisoned by layers of barriers to prevent it from being eroded by time.

Only four such mementos hang on the wall: a ring and a pendant.

And engraved on the wall below the ring and pendant are:

'To my dearest friend Anna, may you die of illness sometime later—Glen Gillian.'

'Good health soon, Hill.'

Undoubtedly, Anna's relationship with Grin Gillian and Hill was even closer than Lin Yi had imagined.

"Of the six participants, I am Anna, the owner of the House of Death."

A soft voice came from the doorway. Lin Yi looked toward the source of the sound and saw a woman in a long black dress with a pale face. The woman was standing in front of the door. As soon as she finished speaking, she turned her head and coughed, covering her mouth with one hand.

Seemingly noticing Lin Yi's gaze, Anna gave him a reassuring look. (End of Chapter)