The living room was silent—
Under the influence of the noise that couldn't be ignored, everyone became quiet unconsciously.
The loud sound was like the neighbor smashing down a wall with a sledgehammer when getting up in the morning.
At the right time, the most appropriate sound was made.
"What... what noise is this now?"
Finally, Thomson spoke up.
This merchant, who had been continuously stimulated, was now looking at Ronald and Nade with horror on his face while pointing cautiously at the ceiling.
The bravery he had shown while rebuking the boy seemed to have completely disappeared from him.
However, following his instinct, he still asked his two companions.
After all, from their previous performance, the two men beside him were not on the same level as himself.
Seeing Thomson's timid demeanor, Ronald had a headache but still began to explain:
"It's the sound of wood being smashed."
"Based on other minor noises at the same time, it should be a wooden door being broken mid-way through."
Unfortunately, Thomson seemed unable to accept Ronald's explanation:
"I'm not asking about what door; what's happening above us!"
"There isn't another monster, is there?"
Ronald shook his head:
"I can't see through walls."
Choked by Ronald's retort, the middle-aged merchant was completely silenced, unable to utter another word.
Unlike the panicked Thomson, upon hearing Ronald's explanation, Nade thought for two seconds, then seriously raised his head:
"Shall we go take a look?"
Pointing at the living room window, Ronald expressed his thoughts:
"And we don't have much time."
Through the window of the living room, the light from the fireplace barely allowed one to see outside into the night.
The dense fog that had previously swallowed the convoy and companions was still slowly encroaching towards the center. This process, though slow, still made one feel the terrifying oppression and danger.
And based on the current speed of the fog...
In about another hour, this thing would push the distance to the edge of the mansion.
Eventually, the all-consuming darkness would completely envelop Black Mountain.
By then, there likely wouldn't be 'anyone' coming with hot soup and food to serve them.
"This really wears on a person, encountering such a deadly situation just from traveling."
Taking a deep resigned breath, Nade set the lantern on the table, then put his right hand in his pocket, and led the way towards the right side of the house.
—That was where the stairs to the upper floor were.
Without hesitation, Ronald also followed right after:
"Merchants chase profits; since Gai En doesn't want to lose those fruits, encountering this is just inevitable."
"Isn't that the truth..."
Watching Nade and Ronald walk one after another to the second floor, Thomson who still stood in his original spot was completely different.
Listening to their conversation and watching their actions.
For the merchant, there was too much that he couldn't understand.
Despite being in danger, why could these two guys still chat leisurely and walk into danger as if strolling after dinner?
"Aren't you behaving recklessly?"
Before their figures disappeared around the stairwell corner, Nade heard Thomson's voice.
He paused for a moment, thought about their interactions over the past month, and finally spoke:
"Standing dumbfounded downstairs is the real way to court death."
"Thomson, think about it carefully."
Watching the two step onto the staircase, Thomson stood still, stunned for a moment.
He instinctively glanced at the window Ronald had pointed to before, the heavy night seemed to press directly on his heart, making it difficult to breathe.
"Wait... Wait for me!"
Under the intimidation of the dense fog outside the mansion, Thomson still mustered the courage to follow.
Unlike the illuminated ground floor by the fireplace, once he ascended the stairs, the surroundings suddenly dimmed.
Although he could barely see, he could no longer clearly distinguish the colors of objects.
In the relatively darker corners, even the room's edges were completely hidden in the darkness.
At that moment, Ronald heard Thomson's footsteps on the stairs behind him and immediately reminded the middle-aged trader:
"Keep it down, watch your safety."
Lowering their footsteps, the three of them then cautiously began to advance along the second-floor corridor.
The team still had Nade leading the way with Ronald on guard in the middle.
Thomson was responsible for covering the rear.
Since the noise upstairs had been very obvious earlier, their objective was clear.
—First, to check out the source of the noise.
In less than a minute, they arrived at the location.
At what used to be the position of a door, now only a lonely door frame remained, with the central lock shattered towards the inside of the room.
Also, because they were nearer, a woman's voice emanated from the room with the broken door:
"Why are you hiding from me? Is my dinner not tasty enough?"
"Your favorite child is right in front of me~~"
At that time, a younger female voice appeared, pleading:
"Mom, please don't do this!"
This time it was accompanied by an exaggerated sound of items shattering, along with the young girl's scream.
The dangerous female voice spoke again:
"Hehe, just stay put here."
"Once I've dealt with your father, we'll have plenty of time."
Mixed with crying, the younger voice continued to plead:
"Mom, please let me go!"
"I never meant to oppose you!"
Leisurely footsteps started, heading right toward the door!
In an instant, realizing that the person was about to come out, both Nade and Ronald spoke at once:
"Hide, don't let her find us!"
Faced with distinctly different choices—
Barely hesitating for less than a second, Nade immediately realized Ronald was right.
The person in the conversation was clearly looking for something, and choosing to hide nearby meant a high chance of being discovered.
They couldn't hide; they had to retreat!
In an instant, with a consensus reached, the three of them tiptoed back.
Given the level of destruction shown by the other party, fighting was not a wise choice.
However, unfortunately.
Before they reached the stairs, the woman's voice rang out again:
"Go hide outside the house!"
Now there was no chance to tread carefully.
With the momentum of a hundred-meter sprint, the three who made it to the second floor dashed, fleeing back to the ground floor living room like floodwaters breaching a dam.
But just as Thomson, who was at the forefront of the escape, was about to rush into the porch and then hide in the garden outside.
Ronald in the middle of the team suddenly stopped.
"Something's not right!"