A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

No objection.

Mr. Shi, of course, agreed.

"...Since you all agree, then...I can do it too."

Jin Yi shrugged and said helplessly.

Successfully selected "Dense Fog" "Multiplayer" (Team) Dungeon

Number of participants: 4-8 people

Loading...

Enjoy the game!

As the system notification tone faded, a CG intro followed, as usual.

On the antique and elegant solid wood table sits an opened, ornate envelope with gold foil patterns.

Then a hand reached out and took the invitation out of the envelope.

The camera quickly switched, and Zhou Ke'er only had time to see the signature at the bottom of the invitation: Des Iteno.

The narrator's deep voice slowly began to speak:

"You have received a lavish invitation. Although you have received many invitations before, this one is special. The host of the invitation is one of the least visible celebrities. It is said that those who have received his invitation and attended on time will receive wealth that ordinary people can only dream of in a lifetime."

"But even so, there are always some people who can't get it who spread unbelievable rumors, such as... that along with the favor bestowed upon the invitee, what is transferred to the invitee is not only wealth, but also... a curse."

"While it sounds absurd, it is undeniable that... no one has ever seen an invitee return after receiving the invitation. This makes it even more puzzling: where did the rumor of bestowing wealth upon the invitees come from?"

"As a middle-class gentleman, you've participated in discussions about these kinds of rumors, but you never imagined that something like this would happen to you."

The scene then changes.

Inside the carriage, the soft sound of horses' hooves could be heard from outside, indicating that the carriage was not moving fast. Everything inside the carriage was stable, and a small incense burner on the central table was emitting wisps of smoke.

"But don't forget... since it's a banquet invitation, how could you be the only one to receive one? What's puzzling is, if there were as many people at a normal banquet, and everyone received a large sum of money... is that really possible?"

"But how can a banquet be perfect if there are only a few people?"

With these questions in mind, you finally arrived at this manor...

A pale crescent moon hung there, like a hanged corpse. The cold moonlight shone on this desolate and remote ancient castle, but instead of bringing it to life, it added a touch of deathly stillness.

"Squeak, squeak"

The castle gates suddenly opened, and several carriages stopped one after another outside the manor. The horses pulling the carriages neighed restlessly and kicked their hooves impatiently.

"Welcome to... Days' Manor."

Main Quest I: Survive... Survive to the end.

(The module's time limit is 48 hours)

Reward: 10 Sanity Points.

Main Quest II: Investigate the secrets of this ancient castle... or rather, the secrets of Daisy.

Reward: 20 Sanity Points.

(Note: This is a trigger-based chain quest; players will receive a notification when the trigger conditions are met.)

Side quest: Escape this castle, note... escape this castle alive.

(Note: Completing this task will be considered as completing the main quest.)

Reward: 10 Sanity Points.

Side quest: Kill everyone except yourself, and you'll get all the wealth and the manor... if you can do it.

Reward: 30 Sanity Points

Bonus mission: Destroy this castle. What I can't have, no one else can!

Reward: 10 Sanity Points

There are 30 seconds left before the game loads, during which players can prepare in advance.

[Backpack and equipment slots are now available]

[Countdown: 30....29...]

"Ah...this extra mission seems perfect for me!"

Zhou Ke'er thought to herself, "Wait a minute... these tasks don't seem to conflict... I can complete them all at the same time!"

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29. The Shadowy Castle (Part 1)

[Note: In this module, player identities will be assigned semi-randomly based on various factors, and the nickname displayed above the player's head will be hidden.]

The player "Zhou Ke'er" is a "police detective".

The invitation in your hand originally belonged to a middle-class gentleman, but after the police intervened, it ended up in your possession.

The police department had been investigating the disappearances of these party invitations for a long time, but the person in charge, Des Iteno, always managed to handle the situation flawlessly. This time, the police finally seized the opportunity and obtained an invitation.

[Player "Zhou Ke'er's" exclusive mission:]

1. Obtain evidence of Des Iteno's crimes.

2. Find out the truth behind the disappearance case.

3. Des Iteno was arrested and brought to justice.

Reward: 20 Sanity Points + 10 Sanity Points + 10 Sanity Points

【3...2...1...】

[Countdown ended, game begins]

The next second, the thick fog enveloping Zhou Ke'er gradually dissipated.

Zhou Ke'er subconsciously looked around.

"Hmm... I'm still in the carriage. My clothes haven't changed; it's the same outfit I bought from the shop. Hmm... this assigned identity might be related to the player's own attire."

Zhou Ke'er reached out and lifted the sheer curtain on the car window, looking outside.

The carriages were not moving, indicating they had already been parked. On the side that Zhou Ke'er was looking at, there were three more carriages parked.

Zhou Ke'er didn't rush to get off the carriage. Instead, she first searched all her pockets and then thoroughly searched the inside of the carriage. For example, she checked if there were any drawers on the small table in the middle, if there was anything hidden in the aromatherapy box, and if she could lift up the seat she was sitting on.

"He's supposed to be a detective, but he doesn't even have a sidearm? Isn't that a bit ridiculous..."

Finding herself empty-handed and the carriage spotless, the only thing she could find was the invitation on the small table. Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but purse her lips and complain.

As people gradually disembarked from other carriages outside the window, Zhou Ke'er calmly opened the invitation and read the text inside again. After all, the scene in the opening CG had only flashed by, and apart from the inviter's signature, Zhou Ke'er hadn't seen anything else clearly.

"Phew... I knew it, there was a trap here. The hint didn't even show the invitee's name from the invitation. Luckily I checked, otherwise I'd be caught out during the introductions..."

Zhou Ke'er quickly glanced through the invitation, then restored it to its original state, a subtle smile playing on her lips. "Grasis... this identity's name is Grasis."

"Knock knock..."

Two soft knocks sounded on the carriage door.

"Is it time for me to get off the bus? Hmm... it's almost time."

Zhou Ke'er straightened her bow tie, held the ornately decorated cane in her right hand, and gently knocked twice on the inside of the car door with her left hand. After waiting for two seconds and estimating that the person outside the car door should have stepped back a few steps, she slowly pushed the door open.

After pushing open the door, he saw that everyone else had already gathered in the open space outside the manor gate, waiting for him.

There are even a few unfamiliar faces... Are they NPCs or players? Hmm... Judging from their attire, they don't seem to belong to this mod's era, so they must be players... Does the game also have a random matchmaking system for team play?

Well, it's okay. It's just a game anyway, so the more players the better.

By the way, Zhou Ke'er absolutely loves role-playing. He feels especially good when his acting is so realistic that it fools everyone else.

So... since she didn't know whether the extra people were NPCs or players, Zhou Ke'er decided to disguise herself as an NPC first, after all... her current clothes were indeed the most suitable for this era of the mod.

"I apologize for keeping you all waiting."

The moment Zhou Ke'er peeked out of the carriage, her face instantly switched to a gentle and polite smile. "Gentlemen always care about their appearance, and I believe you all are too, aren't you?"

Shi Shi, Jin Yi, and Zhi Jian Sha looked at Zhou Ke'er's face and, upon hearing this, all looked as if they had seen a ghost, almost beginning to suspect that Zhou Ke'er had been switched at birth.

Zhou Ke'er slowly walked out of the carriage, first taking off her top hat with her left hand and bowing slightly to everyone, then putting the top hat back on and walking quickly towards the others with her cane.

"Very well, now that everyone has arrived, please follow me. The master has been waiting for you all in the banquet hall for quite some time."

An elderly man who appeared to be a butler, standing at the front, bowed slightly, then stepped aside, extending his right hand to make way for the manor's area, and said to the group, "Master Desce doesn't like overly noisy occasions, nor does he like overly quiet ones. Although only you all have been invited to this dinner, the scale of the event will not be lowered. I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

"Yes, of course. Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Dais."

Zhou Ke'er was not very skilled at using the so-called "translation style" she had learned from the ancient classics to communicate.

However, even at this level, it should be enough to fool people unless the others present also have some knowledge of the history of the Old Age, especially regarding language and writing.

Normal people wouldn't notice the difference in the way two people with similar speaking styles speak, especially when they don't know each other, right?

Upon seeing this, Jin Yi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

Zhou Ke'er immediately coughed twice, then turned to look at the group of Jin Yi, Shi Shi, and Zhi Jian Sha who were gathered together. She winked secretly, and then, regardless of whether they saw her hint or understood what she meant, she bowed slightly and said, "I am Grassis, and I am honored to receive this invitation to the banquet. It is my honor to meet you all."

As she spoke, Zhou Ke'er straightened her back, reached into her pocket, took out the invitation card she had prepared, and handed it to the butler. "This is my invitation card. Please take a look."

“Oh, yes, although I believe you are not the kind of imposters or uninvited guests who show up without invitations, the necessary checks are still required. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Grassis.”

The butler then seemed to remember something, reached out and took the invitation from Zhou Ke'er, nodded and said something, then looked at the others.

The men in brocade robes quickly followed suit, handing their invitations to the steward and then giving brief self-introductions.

In this instance, the name of the Jin Yi is Jansen, the name of the Shi family is Diplik, and the name of the Finger Sand is Sandein.

They didn't hesitate... nor did they open the invitation to look at it again... That means they knew their identities and names from the initial plot introduction of the game... Damn it, they only tricked me!

Zhou Ke'er's lips twitched almost imperceptibly as she silently memorized the names, lest she call them by the wrong names and give herself away later.

As for the others...

The man, who was somewhat sloppily dressed, burly, and looked rather rude, was named Stion.

The young woman, dressed in a gorgeous evening gown and with impeccable manners, was named Pride. She was not very talkative.

The last one, a young man who looked like he was thinking, "Damn it, I'm so tired, why did I have to encounter this situation?" hadn't introduced himself or handed over an invitation.