This is a bizarre rule, isn't it? It's supposed to grant me many children and good fortune

The color drained completely from the Canadian boy's face.

He knelt down with a thud and shouted in a hoarse voice:

"No! Don't put me in!"

"My dad's a mining tycoon, he's got tons of money!"

"You can have as much as you want—I'll have him transfer the money to you!"

The woman from the straw hat country slowly closed her eyes, her hands still clasped together, her lips trembling:

"Namo Amitabha Buddha... Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva... Save me from suffering... May this body's suffering erase all my past karma... Buddha, have mercy..."

Leng Meng didn't look at any of them.

The servants stepped forward, one on each side, and lifted the boy from the Maple Leaf Country and the woman from the Straw Hat Country off the ground.

The boy struggled desperately, his elbow striking the servant's chest, but it was like hitting a wall; he didn't budge.

The woman did not resist; her feet were almost dragged across the ground, and her lips continued to move.

The servant opened the front hood of the Iron Lady—the heavy iron door hinges creaked open.

The inner wall was densely embedded with iron spikes about the length of a finger, some of which still had dark brown old blood stains on them.

Vivian's "Moonlight Sonata" continues.

The low, gentle triplet sound was like moonlight spilling onto the ice, spreading out layer by layer, warm, clear, and peaceful.

The music collided with the tense atmosphere in the hall, creating a strange, almost absurd sense of disconnect.

The gentler the music, the more cruel and unreal the scene before one's eyes appears.

It's like a lullaby being sung to someone who is falling into an abyss.

Leng Meng turned her head and looked at Victor, who was sitting next to the main seat.

Victor leaned back in his chair, the glass of red wine still in his hand.

He met Leng Meng's gaze, then raised his free left hand, joined two fingers together, and lightly drew a line in the air.

An execution gesture.

The servants stuffed the boy from Maple Leaf Country and the woman from Straw Hat Country into the two iron maidens respectively.

The boy screamed repeatedly, his fingernails digging into the edge of the iron gate, which were then pried open one by one by the servants.

The woman from the straw hat country only let out a short, muffled groan.

The iron gate closed.

"boom--"

"boom--"

Two muffled, loud thuds, like two tombstones closing together.

Immediately afterwards, a heart-wrenching scream came from the iron vent—

The Canadian boy's voice was rough and high-pitched, interspersed with indistinct cries and curses, coming on continuously.

From the other Iron Lady came a low, drawn-out groan, like the panting of a dying animal, interspersed with a few broken chants.

Dark red blood seeped from the cracks at the bottom of the Iron Lady, slowly flowing down the rusted outer wall and forming two dark puddles on the ground.

Leng Meng glanced at the two blood-soaked metal bodies, frowned slightly, and gestured to her servant:

"Push it down, close the door, and don't spoil the guests' fun."

The servants followed the route they had taken and pushed the two iron ladies back inside the dark wooden door.

The wooden door closed, shutting out the screams behind it, leaving only faint, almost imperceptible echoes lingering under the dome.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a tightness in their chests that wouldn't dissipate.

At this moment, Victor stood up, drank the last drop of red wine in his glass, and put the glass down.

Please enjoy your meal.

"I have some things to attend to, so I won't be able to stay with you all."

He turned to Leng Meng: "Butler Leng, arrange accommodations for the thirty-four guests in a moment."

"Yes." Leng Meng bowed slightly.

Victor turned around and walked calmly toward the side door of the hall. The sound stopped abruptly as the side door closed behind him.

Only the piano music continued.

Vivian's fingertips slowly moved from the high register to the middle register, and the series of triplets spread out like ripples, or like moonlight being ruffled by a breeze on the surface of water, circle after circle, until it finally calmed down.

The last note fell.

She raised her hands, gently hovering them above the piano keys, paused for a few seconds, and then slowly placed them back on her knees.

The hall returned to complete silence.

The chosen ones present had no interest in appreciating the music; their reason was still being battered by the Iron Lady's attacks.

Just then—

"Slap, slap, slap."

Three clear and steady claps rang out from the middle of the long table.

Lin Feng turned his head slightly, his gaze passing over the flickering candlelight and landing on the beautiful figure on the piano bench.

"In the first movement of 'Moonlight Sonata,' you played the 'continuous adagio' with the meaning of 'confronting the night.'"

He paused slightly, then continued:

"Debussy said, 'Music is the air between sound and silence.' But the piece you just played made me feel that your music turned silence itself into something tangible."

Vivian was bending down to straighten her skirt, preparing to get up from the piano bench.

Upon hearing these words, she raised her eyes, her gaze piercing through the hazy air between the candlelight and the long table, landing on Lin Feng's face.

She paused for a moment.

Of course she knew what Debussy meant.

But few would describe the first movement of "Moonlight Sonata" as "confronting the night"—

That is usually considered gentle, calming, and even somewhat hypnotic.

But this person said that she played a confrontational tune.

She lowered her eyes, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a very shallow arc.

Then she stood up and slightly curtsied in Lin Feng's direction as a return greeting.

My gaze lingered for an extra second as it swept across his face.

[Ding~ Vivian's favorability towards the host increases by 10 points]

Current favorability rating: 20 points

(The eerie aura grants 10 initial favorability points, which, combined with the current 10, makes a total of 20.)

………………

Leng Meng coughed lightly and said, "There are six rooms on the third floor of the castle that have been prepared for accommodation."

"There are 34 of you in total, and each room needs to accommodate five to six people."

Everyone nodded slightly.

Leng Meng continued, "There is another rule that you must all abide by—men and women must share a room in each room."

This statement is like a stone thrown into the water.

The murmurs grew louder; some frowned, others whispered among themselves, and subtle expressions flickered across the faces of several young Chosen Ones.

Leng Meng remained calm: "If you don't comply, something ominous may happen tonight."

Some tentatively suggested that perhaps a balance between yin and yang is needed to achieve a certain equilibrium.

Another person whispered in agreement: "Don't hostels also have mixed-gender dorms? Just put up a privacy curtain, it's not a big problem."

The tense atmosphere eased slightly.

"Now, you all have five minutes. Please form your own groups."

Evelyn patted Lin Feng on the shoulder: "Since we have to live together, I'll definitely be in your group."

She glanced at Lin Feng and Wasim, "Our own people are reliable."

Lin Feng nodded without saying anything more.

Park Tae-rang suddenly appeared from the side, his face beaming with a fawning smile:

"Brother Feng! Sister Evelyn! Brother Wasim! Count me in! I can make your beds and fold the blankets for you—"

Lin Feng glanced at him: "You can join, but you have to follow the rules and not cause us any trouble."

Park Tae-rang immediately raised three fingers, his face serious:

"I swear, I will absolutely obey!"