Tan Xiao, feeling a little sheepish after being questioned, whispered to Cheng Ling, the teacher beside him, "Aren't rugby balls round?"
Li Li overheard and said scornfully, "Rugby balls are obviously olive-shaped!"
Tan Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then immediately puffed out his chest and declared to the crystal ball, "Did you hear that? Olive-shaped! Aren't olives round? Don't think I've never seen an olive before!"
Li Li was utterly speechless. "Olives are oval! Oval!"
Tan Xiao was angry. He looked at Li Li and asked, "Whose side are you on?!"
"Whether I'm on your side or not is irrelevant, okay?!"
The crystal ball: "…"
It was silent for a few seconds, then muttered disdainfully, "That a player of this caliber has managed to survive until now… is a miracle of the data world…"
Bai Youwei joined in the fun: "Dung beetles also push balls~"
The ball: "…"
Everyone: "…"
Tan Xiao: "Hahahahahahahaha hic!!!"
After a burst of wild laughter, seeing that no one else was laughing, he stopped, widened his eyes, and asked, "Why aren't you laughing? Don't you think it's funny? It's poop! It's poop—"
"Laugh~ Laugh~~ Laughter will be the prelude to your suffering." The crystal ball snorted coldly. "Now, let the game begin… Hey, you, the one who was giggling just now, come here."
Tan Xiao asked blankly, "What for?"
The crystal ball wobbled, the snowflakes inside swirling. "See my wind-up key? Come and turn it a few times, then we can announce the game rules."
Tan Xiao: "Why do I have to wind it? That's so much trouble. Just tell us the rules!"
"It's called a sense of ritual! Do you understand ritual?!" The crystal ball snapped. "You players are so uncooperative! So uncooperative!!!"
"I'll wind it," Yan Qingwen stepped forward, pinched the wind-up key on the side of the music box, and turned it a few times.
He released his hand, and the golden wind-up key slowly rotated, a melodious tune playing once more—
Ding ding dong dong…
Ding ding dong dong…
As the music drifted, a childish voice recited a cheerful nursery rhyme:
"Spring, the bear awakes,
So worried, its two cubs it mistakes;
Summer, the rain pours down,
In the darkness, no treasure can be found;
Autumn, who has come to call?
Look, the Toothy Monster opens wide, no teeth at all!
Winter, winter finally arrives~
Which doll will see the falling snows alive?"
The nursery rhyme ended, and the music stopped.
The crystal ball spoke again: "The theme of this game is 'Dollhouse.' The rules are very simple. Every 8 hours, the season will change. In spring, summer, and autumn, the dollhouse will welcome three guests. Players need to meet the needs of each guest. When winter arrives, the game will end.
Please note that if any guest's needs are not met, time will remain stuck in the season corresponding to that guest."
The crystal ball laughed, and the snowflakes inside swirled.
"Do you all understand? Until winter arrives, none of you can leave~"
Yan Qingwen asked, "What are the guests' needs?"
The crystal ball giggled, not answering him directly, but reciting the nursery rhyme again:
"Spring, the bear awakes,
So worried, its two cubs it mistakes;
Summer, the rain pours down,
In the darkness, no treasure can be found;
Autumn, who has come to call?
Look, the Toothy Monster opens wide, no teeth at all!
Winter, winter finally arrives~
Which doll will see the falling snows alive?"
Yan Qingwen pondered for a moment, then walked to the side and picked up a stuffed bear from the floor.
"The spring bear lost its children, so, is the guest a bear? Is its need to find its children?"