novelraw Chapter 298: First Open-World Game
Chapter 298: First Open-World Game
Xie Antong listened to his voice and, after a brief moment of hesitation, made her decision. Without another glance at the princess, she pulled out the chair beside her and sat down.
Regardless of how this game would ultimately proceed, she knew that since "Sin" had already spoken this way, she had no choice but to stand by him. At this moment, she wouldn't side with the princess.
Meanwhile, the other players exchanged glances. Without any verbal communication or collusion, they all simultaneously stepped forward in unison, pulled out chairs, and sat down.
When the strongest player had already taken the initiative to lead from the front, if they lacked even this much courage now, what was the point of participating in the game? Those who dared to join despite knowing the risks, regardless of their actual abilities, at least had the spirit for it.
The synchronized sound of chairs being pulled out filled the air as everyone sat down together, creating an unexpectedly united scene.
Princess: "......"
The princess frowned deeply as she scanned the room. Had the situation really developed to a point she couldn't comprehend? What exactly was this golden-masked man thinking by coming here? He made her feel wary.
Seeing so many attendants daring to defy the princess's will simultaneously, the guards grew restless. They collectively released their intimidating auras and stepped forward, actually preparing to take action.
While they were somewhat reluctant to confront the masked man directly, wasn't it going too far that so many attendants were being disobedient?
"Hahahaha!"Suddenly, the princess's laughter rang out again, just as crazed as it had been in her room earlier, as if she had entered that state once more.
All the players tensed up nervously. Only Lu Ce casually waved to the servers in the distance, signaling them to serve the food.
The players, including Xie Antong, were breaking out in cold sweat. No one knew what consequences might follow from completely violating the game rules and confronting the rule enforcers at this moment.
"Fine, fine. When was the last time so many people dined together like this? Let it be. I'm not the princess anymore. Hmm, quite interesting..."
The princess turned her head and waved off all the guards, indicating it didn't matter and she wasn't particularly bothered.
Aside from how annoying that golden-masked lunatic was, this scene was actually quite amusing.
The guards hesitated. Frankly, today's events had nearly crashed their mental programming. Never before had the princess been so indulgent.
But right now, the wedding was the top priority. The princess's mood had to be humored...
Nearby, Shui Zhongmeng stood frozen in place, completely dumbfounded.
Wait what?
Why was everyone sitting down?
This made things extremely awkward for him! What was the meaning of this?
However, he keenly observed that all the players still seemed to harbor some fear.
At the head of the table sat "Sin," flanked by Blank and the princess. The others had all seated themselves at some distance from these three.
An idea flashed through Shui Zhongmeng's mind. He walked directly toward the princess, intending to sit beside her.
"Oh? You're here. That works too. Come stand behind me."
The princess noticed his approach before he could sit down and proactively instructed him, pointing behind her chair. The meaning was clear - she wanted him to serve.
Casually, she placed a cup on the silver tray Shui Zhongmeng was holding.
Shui Zhongmeng: "?"
His body stiffened instantly as he stood there in disbelief.
Wait what?!
Although he had originally planned to stand in attendance, now that everyone else was seated... him?
Huh?
Something felt terribly wrong about this situation.
But no one cared about his thoughts. The princess very naturally took the fabric from him, then wiggled her fingers and declared:
"Change to individual servings. Quickly modify the meal format and serve it."
"Don't waste time. Be quick about it."
Soon, silver trays covered with domes were brought up from below, one for each person.
This meal was unprecedented - the first time in this palace that attendants had dined together with the princess.
Many ate cautiously, though Shui Zhongmeng's ashen face showed he wasn't finding anything amusing about the situation.
The meal proceeded in utter silence. With neither Lu Ce nor the princess inclined to speak, no one else dared open their mouth.
The only notable occurrence was the princess frequently glancing up at Xie Antong across from her.
She kept noticing how the other girl's helmet-covered eyes remained fixed on the golden-masked lunatic beside her.
And not even looking at his face, but staring unblinkingly at his hands instead.
Her expression was complex, growing so intense it seemed her gaze had become physically embedded in him. The princess even began to suspect the girl opposite her was gradually losing her grip on reality.
What... what exactly are you seeing? What history exists between you two?
......
"Alright, that's enough. The food here is too troublesome to eat and frankly just mediocre."
Though Lu Ce cared little for palace dining etiquette, the complex sequence and rules of serving had finally annoyed him.
Once satiated, he stood up directly, casually grabbing a napkin from the still-standing Shui Zhongmeng on his way.
"I'm going to check out the wedding venue. Where is it?"
After the earlier series of events, the guards had lost any goodwill toward him, though various factors prevented them from acting now.
When he spoke, the guards instinctively looked to the princess.
"Take him there. Don't bother me. Get him out of my sight as quickly as possible."
The princess waved her hand dismissively, sounding almost impatient - if not eager to be rid of him.
The guards felt uneasy. One stepped forward as if to say something, but the princess cut him off immediately.
"Unless he plans to blow this place up, let him do whatever. Take him there. I said I don't want to see him here anymore."
Guard: "......"
With no alternative, they assigned two guards to lead the way, exiting the dining hall.
Passing through spiral staircases and grand doors, Lu Ce eventually emerged outside the palace.
But when he actually saw the scenery outside, he froze in surprise.
Outside this palace lay an actual world with other landscapes!
The view stretched endlessly into the distance. In all previous games, areas beyond the game scenes had been nothing but void and darkness.
Here, they were actually in an open-world game?