"What if we're wrong?"
Bai Youwei repeated Hu Ya's question, her tone somewhat strange.
"If we're wrong, we're wrong. He's just an NPC. What does it matter if we kill the wrong one?"
Su Man also chimed in, "That's right, he's not a real person. He's just a virtual game character. It doesn't matter if we kill him."
"You!…" Hu Ya said anxiously, somewhat angrily, "What do you mean it doesn't matter if we kill him?! The gardener is an NPC, maybe he can provide important clues! If you kill him, the clues will be cut off!"
Bai Youwei narrowed her eyes, looking at Hu Ya, "What? Did you get any clues from him?"
Hu Ya was stunned, then stammered, "I… of course I didn't…"
Seeing that her expression was not right, Yu Yaqing frowned and asked sternly, "Hu Ya, did you or didn't you?"
"No!" Hu Ya denied vehemently, "I just think her strategy for clearing the game is problematic! How could this game be cleared by just killing someone? There must be something hidden that we don't know! We don't need to risk attacking the Duke at all. The people who are caught by the Duke can't be saved, it's a waste of effort to go!"
"So you didn't come with us just now?" Yu Yaqing frowned, "We attacked the Duke not only to save people, but also to test the Duke's strength and see if he has any weaknesses. Although he is dangerous when enraged, if the rule of killing only one person each night holds true, then we are actually safe."
After a pause, she looked at Bai Youwei, "Now, after the two attacks last night and tonight, I can confirm that our attacks are ineffective. At least the swords and weapons in the manor are useless against him."
Bai Youwei pondered for a moment, then said faintly, "Everyone go to rest. When it's dawn, go to the torture chamber to take a look."
She wheeled around, preparing to leave, when Yu Yaqing called out to her:
"Wait a moment."
Bai Youwei stopped and looked at her in confusion.
Yu Yaqing pursed her lips and said, "Actually, I got a clue from the gardener."
Su Man and Zhu Zhu both looked surprised.
Hu Ya was also taken aback, staring at Yu Yaqing.
"What clue?" Bai Youwei asked.
"The gardener said before that to leave this place, you must find the key to the manor gate, but later… he also told me that there are real and fake keys, and my key is real."
As Yu Yaqing spoke, she took out the key and continued:
"The gardener also said that the fewer people who clear the game, the more generous the rewards. If only one bride is left in the end, she will get seven times the reward."
…Seven times the reward!
They were stunned.
Some people's breathing became rapid.
All eyes were focused on the key in Yu Yaqing's hand, including Bai Youwei's.
She reached out to take Yu Yaqing's key, her hand hovering in mid-air, then paused, retracted it after two seconds, and said in an unperturbed tone, "Then let's go try it."
Yu Yaqing held the key, "Then let's go try it."
The five women came to the front door of the hall together.
The door was tightly closed.
Intricate patterns extended along the edges of the door frame, and the exquisite lock buckle lay in the middle like a work of art, setting off the surrounding golden splendor and making this place seem even more like a magnificent cage.
Yu Yaqing took a deep breath, aimed the key at the keyhole, and inserted it—
Twisting.
Click…
Yu Yaqing frowned and tried the opposite direction, but the key was stuck in the keyhole and could not move.
She pulled out the key, looked at the others, and looked somewhat puzzled.
"This key is wrong," Yu Yaqing said. "It can't be opened."