Three gray icons appeared in front of each person.
They were images of a bear, a fish, and a nail.
When the light sphere finished speaking, Shen Mo's fish icon lit up, while Bai Youwei's bear and nail icons lit up.
This corresponded with the guests they had chosen to invite.
The light sphere moved reluctantly towards Bai Youwei, its voice icy cold: "Congratulations, you have become the master of the Dollhouse."
Ding!
The icons disappeared, and a golden key appeared out of thin air, falling into Bai Youwei's hand.
The moment she touched the key, relevant information instantly surfaced in her mind:
[Dollhouse Key: Holding the key and turning it clockwise half a turn will open the Dollhouse in any space.]
Bai Youwei's heart stirred, and she tightly gripped the golden key.
The scene before her eyes began to change, withdraw, and become illusory, ultimately turning into a vast expanse of white light.
When the light vanished, they were back at the original street corner.
Having been away for several days, they were all somewhat stunned to suddenly see the familiar street scene.
Shen Mo picked up the gold coin that had initially brought them into the game.
The coin was still a gold coin, but it had become dull, and the inscription on it was blurred. It didn't react when held.
"The game is closed; this gold coin should be completely useless now," Yan Qingwen said, walking over.
"Let's keep it as a souvenir." Shen Mo turned around, walked over to the still unconscious Tan Xiao, bent down, and placed the gold coin in his pants pocket.
Yan Qingwen looked at Tan Xiao and said to Shen Mo, "Don't worry, we've suffered worse injuries than this. After leaving the maze, our body's self-healing ability is very strong. It just takes time. Take good care of him these next few days."
Shen Mo asked him, "How is Su Man's injury recovering?"
Yan Qingwen frowned slightly and looked at Su Man in the distance. "…Not very optimistic. The bones in her hand are almost shattered. Even if we used a prop to put them back together, she probably won't be able to use a whip anymore."
Not only would she be unable to use a whip, but her right hand would likely be unusable for a long time.
"Being alive is enough," Yan Qingwen sighed softly.
A game instance exceeding normal difficulty—ten people went in, and ten people came out. This was enough for them to be grateful.
"What are your plans next?" Yan Qingwen asked.
Shen Mo looked around, his gaze finally landing on Bai Youwei.
She was sitting by the roadside, without her wheelchair, looking somewhat disheveled. At this moment, she was glaring at him rather unhappily.
Shen Mo smiled. "Next… I have to find a wheelchair."
…
On the first day out of the Dollhouse, the two teams camped together to rest and recuperate.
Most of Yan Qingwen's team members were injured and needed rest.
On Shen Mo's side, Tan Xiao was unconscious, Bai Youwei couldn't move an inch without a wheelchair, and the team needed to reorganize.
The bonfire burned brightly in the night, under a sky full of brilliant stars.
They gathered around the bonfire, chatting idly, talking about their gains and losses.
"They said the reward would be generous, but all we got was a snowflake…" Li Li held the cold snowflake in his hand and read out the prop's effect. "…Only snowflakes can invite winter guests. The guests leave when the snowflake melts. What are winter guests? Are they even more powerful than the Nailtooth Monster?"
"It's already good enough. Didn't we also eat the fish and pick up the pearl?" Lü Ang sighed. "Besides, it's good enough that we made it out alive. Who cares about the rewards…"
Li Li frowned. "It's not the same. How hard was it for us to get out! Your leg is injured, Su Man's hand is injured, and Zhu Shu and I almost died! If it weren't for the props…"
"The losses this time were indeed heavy." Yan Qingwen glanced at Shen Mo. "If it weren't for the props, some of us might have already died."