Chapter 141 | I Transmigrated into Cultist Simulator

The moment he pushed the door open, a wave of heat mixed with moisture and a sweet, cloying fragrance rushed over him.

The air in the greenhouse was unexpectedly humid and warm, carrying a cloying scent of decomposing soil, broken plant stems, and overly blooming flowers.

There was no ambush, nor any lurking murderous intent.

Massive palm trees and unknown tropical ferns stretched their leaves in the night. Above, snow clung to the glass dome, but below, there was a bizarre, feverish vitality.

Beneath the cluster of palm trees at the very heart of the greenhouse sat an old mahogany round table.

A dim paraffin lamp was lit on the table, its faint yellow glow illuminating the surface: a pot of steaming hot black tea, two slices of sliced berry cake, and a half-opened copy of 《Flora of the Mansus Greenhouse》.

“I imagine you will check the tea for poison first.”

A soft, slightly husky and lazy voice suddenly rang out from behind the shadows of the palm trees.

Ryan turned his head.

The palm leaves were gently parted by a slender hand.

A young woman wearing a deep purple velvet gown stepped out slowly. She wore no public school badge, her long hair was loosely pinned back with a bone needle, and she held a small pair of silver shears for pruning leaves.

She did not possess breathtakingly stunning looks, but when she sat on the mahogany chair and looked at Ryan with a smile, the entire dead and cold greenhouse seemed to instantly come alive.

Outside was a harsh winter with swirling snow and dying flora; flowers withered, trees hibernated, and the snow howled. Yet there she sat, as if spring had crossed the snowline ahead of schedule, quietly blooming beneath her feet.

The Grail Principle.

Desire, temptation, growth, yearning, and an insatiable vitality.

Ryan stood three meters away without drawing closer. The 【Lantern】 deep within his eyes flickered faintly as he asked tentatively, “Was the letter from you?”

Violet lifted her teacup and took a gentle sip, leaving a faint dark-red lip mark on the porcelain rim. She tilted her head and smiled. “Perhaps it was.”

Ryan's brow furrowed instantly, his gaze turning even colder.

Seeing this, Violet giggled. As she shook with laughter, the sweet scent in the air grew increasingly rich. “It seems you've realized. The people watching you... aren't limited to just me.”

Ryan got straight to the point, his voice devoid of emotion. “Since you knew someone was watching and still invited me here, you are either absolutely confident in yourself, or you are the bait used to draw a third party in.”

Violet raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. She set down her teacup and traced circles along the table's woodgrain with her pale, slender finger.

“How terribly unromantic, Ryan. Can't I just be a kind-hearted classmate inviting a severely injured peer for a cup of hot tea?”

“There are no kind-hearted people in the extraordinary world,” Ryan said coldly. “The academy's slots are limited. Which path do you belong to? 【Grail】? Or 【Knock】?”

“It is impolite to pry into a lady's secrets,” Violet smiled, though her eyes were exceptionally bright. “But since you are so direct, I will be open with you as well. St. Blaise has never been a quiet ivory tower. Those old fogeys stuffed us in here not to have us exchange academic ideas. There are only a few slots. When you fought last night, you didn't exactly keep it quiet. Right now, in the shadows, at least five pairs of eyes are stepping on your shadow.”

Violet let her gaze fall upon Ryan's injured right shoulder and chest, a playful curve tugging at the corner of her lips.

“That brute Arthur was quite lucky. If he hadn't been wearing that Hawke family pendant, you would have completely blown his brain to pieces last night.”

Ryan stared fixedly at her, his eyes cold as knives. “You saw everything?”

Violet nodded, her smile sweet. “Yes, from start to finish, very clearly. Including the moment you collapsed, exhausted, kneeling in the snow.”

The 【Lantern】 perception let out a very soft, piercing ring in Ryan's mind—

This is a lie.

He was using the logic of the 【Lantern】 to trace her gaze and heart rate. Violet hadn't been at the scene last night at all! If she had truly seen Ryan collapse from exhaustion, she would have drained him dry right then and there instead of waiting until today to deliver a letter.

She was bluffing, trying to pry out what level of secret art Ryan had used last night and how much combat strength he had left.

Ryan withdrew his gaze and fell silent, not even bothering to reply.

Seeing that Ryan wasn't falling for it, the probing intent in Violet's eyes deepened. She pursed her lips in boredom and threw out the core piece of information:

“Fine, you boring block of wood. Let me tell you some good news—including you and me, there are only thirty people left on the list now.”

She reached out a finger and drew a circle on the table using the spilled tea. “Last night, one was already eliminated. Arthur was severely injured and was picked up by a Hawke family carriage early this morning to recover. Before leaving, he signed a withdrawal statement.”

Ryan remained expressionless. “Oh.”

Violet raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. “Aren't you curious who the remaining twenty-nine people are? Curious about who is who?”

“No,” Ryan's voice was flat. “The more you know, the faster you die. Whether Arthur withdraws has nothing to do with me. As long as others do not step into my territory, I have no interest in paying attention to any of you.”

“What a rigid and cold 【Lantern】,” Violet sighed, her slender fingers pinching a piece of berry cake. “But in this battle royale, you won't survive long simply by hiding in the shadows and plotting. You used that trick last night; next time, no one else will step into the same trap. As far as I know, someone has already prepared defensive gear specifically against your mental blast.”

“That is none of your concern,” Ryan said flatly. “If you only invited me here to say this nonsense, then I am leaving.”

“Don't be in such a hurry.” Violet ate the cake, took out a handkerchief to elegantly wipe her hands, and then slowly stood up. She smoothed her deep purple velvet skirt and walked straight toward the bronze door of the greenhouse.

As she passed by Ryan, she brought with her a wave of warm, sweet floral fragrance.

Violet stopped before the bronze door and tilted her head slightly, revealing an extremely beautiful yet endlessly dangerous profile in the dim light of the paraffin lamp:

“By the way.”

“If you really want to get the pass and enter the deep ruins... you had better learn to trust others sooner.”

She paused, the purple light in her eyes flickering with temptation and depth:

“Even if it's just a little bit. For example... finding a reliable ally and exchanging information.”

“If the person who trusted others yesterday was unlucky, they would have already died in the corridors last night,” Ryan replied coldly without looking back.

Violet laughed softly. Without saying anything more, she pushed open the heavy bronze door, her slender figure silently blending into the swirling snow outside.

...

Night completely swallowed everything.

Eight in the evening.

Ryan dragged his exhausted body back to Dormitory 304.

He pushed open the heavy black iron door, took off his soaked coat, and discovered that besides the extinguished fireplace, another item had appeared on the wooden table.

It was an exquisite little mahogany box.

Inside the box were several French pastries emitting the aroma of high-purity cocoa and rich cream. Beneath them lay a light purple note, the handwriting elegant yet bold:

“The injured should eat something good.”

— V

Ryan found an iron tin, placed the pastries inside completely untouched, drew a faint 【Lantern】 seal over it, and locked it in the bottom-most drawer of his cabinet.