【Welcome to the "Lu Family Courtyard" Instance】
【The nature of this Instance is "Harvest." Calamity conditions have been met. No special objectives. Auxiliary Rules are currently being generated.】
【Restriction Rule: Please pay attention to your Identity within the Instance.】
【Your goal is to ensure that no Participant escapes.】
【Number of Participants: 100】
【Instance Start Countdown: 11:59:59】
Ancient times?
Ren Yi looked at the surrounding scenery but quickly dismissed the thought. He saw a plump maid riding a bicycle into the courtyard below.
It looked more like the early modern era.
He was about to confirm with Lu Qing when Lu Zihan's puzzled voice came from behind: "A-mu? Wait, Mom, is that A-mu? Isn't she our family's nanny? Why is she inside the Instance too?"
"Although A-mu is an Anomaly, she belongs to my Instance," Lu Qing explained with a smile.
Ren Yi's heart stirred. He had heard before that some Instances had NPCs. These NPCs could be Anomalies with a lower rank than the Instance boss, or they could be Participants who had "applied for a job" during the Instance's progress.
As for how they applied, don't ask.
They walked downstairs as A-mu walked in carrying a wooden basin piled with fresh vegetables.
She was about fifty years old, slightly plump, with a kind face and deep wrinkles around her eyes that made it look like she was always smiling. When she looked up and saw Lu Qing, she immediately showed a simple and respectful smile.
"Madam, you're back. Today's water celery is very tender. Shall I prepare it as a cold salad for you and the Young Masters this evening?"
Ren Yi stealthily glanced at Lu Zihan with a playful "you kid are actually a Young Master" look of feigned envy. Lu Zihan scratched his head innocently and asked, "A-mu, why are you calling me Young Master? You can just call me Zihan like you usually do."
A-mu smiled honestly, her gaze lingering curiously on Ren Yi. "Young Master, inside Madam's Instance, you must remember your Identity. Here, I am an old servant of the household. My maiden name is Chen, and I have followed Madam for many years. Both Young Masters can just call me A-mu."
Carrying the basin, A-mu smiled at the two "Young Masters" again before walking briskly toward the kitchen.
Lu Qing watched her figure disappear under the corridor before turning back to the two of them.
"Just as A-mu said, 'Identity' is very important in my Instance. Every Anomaly, NPC, and Participant here must act according to their Identity," Lu Qing said.
"The Participants won't descend with abrupt identities like 'Explorers' or 'Investigators' as they did before. Instead, they will be deployed as 'short-term laborers' or 'temporary servants.'"
"Servants?" Lu Zihan raised an eyebrow, looking a bit dazed. It seemed the "Young Master" wasn't quite used to his Identity yet.
"Yes. They might be rough-work laborers introduced by a brokerage in town, or refugees coming to beg for a meal, and so on. But what matters is the Identity," Lu Qing smiled.
"Also, take note that all Instances this time will be subject to a real-time broadcast within this world. So you must be careful not to talk about things from our world or take out high-tech items like cell phones."
"Of course, using the Anomaly Web through a direct mental connection is an exception."
Lu Qing's eyes shifted as if she had remembered something interesting. She said to Ren Yi, "Zihan has no choice. Because of my relationship to him, his Identity in this Instance is fixed; he can only be a 'Young Master.' However, Xiao Yi, you can choose freely."
"How about it? Do you want to be the 'Second Young Master,' a 'distant nephew,' or a 'study attendant'? You could also choose to be our 'butler' or the 'tutor,' though those identities would require you to wear a disguise."
"Huh?" Ren Yi was stunned. "They all sound quite interesting, but Auntie Lu, I don't even know how to play these roles yet."
"I was being too hasty," Lu Qing paused. "Come, let me show you the layout of our Instance."
Lu Qing took Lu Zihan and Ren Yi on a tour.
This Instance wasn't large. At the center was a small wooden building with three floors. The first floor was the living room and kitchen, the second floor was the study, and the third floor contained the rooms for the Madam and the Young Masters. To the side of the building were the woodshed and the single-story houses where the servants lived.
Behind the building was a small courtyard planted with various flowers and trees; the mulberry tree from earlier grew from this very yard. The garden didn't look large, but when Ren Yi stared at it, a hazy sense of disorientation washed over him.
In front of the building was a melon field surrounded by a river, with a yellow dirt road leading off into the distance.
"Across the river are the private school and the marketplace, but those aren't part of our Instance. There probably won't be a chance this time, but we can go visit in the future." Lu Qing had picked up a folding fan at some point and used it to point toward the distance.
Lu Qing led Ren Yi and Lu Zihan around, introducing the various "scenic spots" in the Instance, but she didn't provide more detailed information. In her words, it wouldn't be fun if she told them everything.
"So?" The group returned to the wooden building, and Lu Qing smiled, hiding her mouth behind her fan. "Do you have any thoughts about your 'Identity' now? I actually suggest you choose 'Young Master,' as that identity has a bit more freedom. Or you could choose to be a nephew or a distant relative."
Ren Yi lowered his head in silence. Just now, a bold plan had suddenly taken shape in his mind.
"Auntie, before that, I want to ask about the 'real-time broadcast,'" he said, looking up. "Specifically, how is it carried out? Why is there such a rule?"
"Oh, that's nothing much." Lu Qing snapped her fan shut with a crisp sound. "Sometimes, such phenomena occur under the confrontation of world rules. Think of it as the world's struggle and an attempt to gather information."
"In the cognition of this world's natives, they know that the deaths of the Participants in this batch of Instances will lead directly to the descent of Anomalies, but they don't understand the specifics of the world rule conflict. This rule... you could say it's to 'let them die with a clear understanding.'"
What was that? The world's version of hospice care?
"As you enter more Instances in the future, you'll see even more interesting things," Lu Qing said with a laugh, providing examples.
"Sometimes, in worlds with tense internal relations, even competing rules will be born, resulting in things like 'National War Instances' or 'Civilization Instances.' The Participants inside slaughter each other. Sometimes, they end up destroying themselves while we're just watching the show."
Ren Yi fell silent for a second, inexplicably thinking of his first Instance. "Sometimes, it seems they don't even need a competitive Instance to destroy themselves..."
"I've decided, Auntie," Ren Yi said immediately after.
"I want to choose to be a 'servant.'"
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