Don't pretend, everyone knows you're the villain!

Gu Junbo continued, "The reason we've been preparing but haven't been able to get to the third floor is simple: we don't have enough people."

Not enough people?

Yes, that's a possibility.

Those who enter a dungeon earlier may not be able to open it immediately. Like the time he and Lu Tiannan entered the small hotel, they had to wait for Gu Junbai and his group to arrive before they could enter. The same thing happened at the haunted house; they had to gather ten people before the door could be opened.

Aside from the seventh level mentioned in 0561, which allows immediate entry and play, all other dungeons with player limits require waiting. The only humane aspect is that the time flow in dungeons differs from that in the lobby.

But will Shence be short of people...? There are quite a few people who have cleared the second level now.

"Shen Yi, you must know about the news on the forum yesterday. Jiang Yuzhou and Lu Tiannan brought an ordinary player into the third level of the dungeon."

“The clues we received indicate that three people are not enough to open the third level of the dungeon. Mingxu and I don’t plan to bring in ordinary players, as we can’t guarantee their survival anyway. The reason we chose you is very important: you are not affected by my talent reset, which is a great help to us.”

Xi Mingzhu understood, because not being reset would allow him to quickly piece together the clues and pass the level at crucial moments.

"What if I say no?"

"..." Gu Junbai had no bargaining chips to offer, and he only obtained the alchemy furnace through various means after seeing that Shen Yi needed it.

0561, unable to contain itself any longer, exclaimed, "Host, please actively cooperate with the protagonist's progress and strive to survive! Go go go!"

Xi Mingzhu ignored 0561, glancing indifferently at the alchemy furnace beside him, made of the most ordinary materials. To refine pills, one still needs various herbs; every step is an obstacle.

In this world, cultivation seems to be a joke, something to be played with. Posting about it inevitably attracts ridicule and sarcasm; the Shence family is large, powerful, and has connections and resources.

With that in mind, there was no harm in not using the Shence strategy right in front of him.

Transactions require negotiation.

"Besides the alchemy furnace, find me some herbs as well."

Zhai Mingxu raised an eyebrow, crunching the lollipop he was biting.

"You really want to refine pills?"

Xi Mingzhu didn't respond, but Gu Junbai immediately agreed.

The three of them went up to the third floor without delay, and this news caused another uproar on the forum.

Top post on Toutiao: Following Paradise Lost, Shence is right behind!

Hundreds of posts were quickly added, and the forum was incredibly lively.

However, this has nothing to do with the people who enter the dungeon, since once they enter the dungeon, they can't see anything on the forum anymore, so there's no way to update it in real time.

As soon as Gu Junbai and his two companions entered the instance, they saw a European-style castle. As they arrived, six crows appeared out of thin air in front of the castle, each carrying a card in its beak.

Lu Tiannan spotted Shen Yi mixed in with the two Shence members at a glance. A complex mix of gloomy emotions surged in his eyes, and a sense of unease rose in his heart.

Lu Tiannan pressed his tongue against the tip of his teeth and squinted his eyes.

I almost forgot, Shen Yi's cold face is not short of people who want to befriend her. Didn't Gu Junbai invite Shen Yi to join Shence a long time ago?

That's to be expected.

Besides, they were originally unrelated people, so what business is it of Lu Tiannan who the other party wants to team up with?

Xi Mingzhu already knew that Lu Tiannan and the others were there, so this encounter was not surprising.

This was actually the first time Xi Mingzhu had ever seen such a large-scale building. Previously, the scenes in the dungeon were all confined to a certain location, surrounded by a thick fog.

This time, the palace buildings were clearly visible, and the surrounding gardens and greenery were meticulously designed and complemented each other.

From a distance, it looks like a magnificent painting.

After glancing at the familiar faces of Gu Junbai and Zhai Mingxu, Jiang Yuzhou's gaze lingered on Shen Yi's face.

Given his indifferent face and Lu Tiannan's reaction, even someone who had never met him before could guess who this person was.

With a smile in her peach blossom eyes, she spoke to them in a gentle tone: "It's rare to be able to clear a dungeon with everyone from Shence. It seems we're in luck."

Zhai Mingxu feels like something's missing and he's not used to it when he's not chewing on a lollipop.

Hearing this, she looked at Jiang Yuzhou and casually replied, "We weren't very lucky."

Jiang Yuzhou's mind control abilities are feared by players, but fortunately, he doesn't need to use his talent outside of dungeons, so as long as they don't encounter each other in dungeons, they can live in peace.

Unfortunately, Paradise Lost started this time with a rash decision, forcing the two guilds to come together.

Jiang Yuzhou's smile remained unchanged, and he was about to say something when his thoughts were interrupted by crows circling overhead.

Six crows carrying cards flew towards the player.

Each charged towards a player, and a halo barrier appeared around Gu Junbai and Zhai Mingxu. The crows disappeared upon impact, leaving only cards that slowly drifted down and were caught in their palms.

Xi Mingzhu fired his silver pistol swiftly and cleanly, and also received a card.

Jiang Yuzhou raised his hand, and the three crows placed the cards in his palm one by one and disappeared.

It's an ID card, one for each person.

The identity information above is strange. It's one thing to be a duke or earl, but what does "duchess" or "countess" mean?

Are the six male players present blind to the third level of the dungeon?

Gu Junbo received the title of Duke of Wilson.

Zhai Mingxu, cheeks puffed out, handed the ID card to Gu Junbai and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Duchess William... do I look like a woman?"

After looking down and seeing the words "Countess Campbell" on her identity card, Xi Mingzhu immediately burned the card.

Of the three identity cards at Paradise Lost, Lu Tiannan held the identity of Duke William, Jiang Yuzhou held the identity of Earl Campbell, and the identity of Duchess Wilson undoubtedly belonged to Lu Yang.

The castle gates slowly opened, and the NPC butler greeted the six players with a smile.

"Welcome, distinguished guests. The ball will be held in the evening of three days from now. I hope you will have a pleasant time."

When Lu Tiannan saw the castle gate open and the NPC invited them to go in, he walked straight in, but before he could even step inside, he was bounced back two steps.

The NPC butler mechanically said, "Your Excellency Duke William, please enter with Duchess William."

Lu Tiannan had his spider dagger poised in his palm, ready to strike at any moment, but Jiang Yuzhou grabbed him.

Jiang Yuzhou smiled faintly at Gu Junbai and the other two and said, "Everyone from Shence, shall we cooperate for now?"

Zhai Mingxu reluctantly followed Lu Tiannan inside, but before he even stepped into the castle, he heard the NPC speaking again.

"Madam, please help the Duke."

Zhai Mingxu, unwilling to accept defeat, stepped inside, only to be bounced back again.

Left with no other choice, Zhai Mingxu took Lu Tiannan's arm and went inside.

Gu Junbo and Lu Yang followed closely behind.

Lu Tiannan, who had already gone inside, turned back to look at Shen Yi and Jiang Yuzhou, and couldn't help but think of Shen Yi's mysophobia.

Arm in arm... even through the clothes, I inexplicably hoped they wouldn't get together.

Why is he the only one who gets disliked?

Their wicked thoughts, which couldn't be brought to light, were exposed.

Jiang Yuzhou noticed Lu Tiannan's gaze and smiled affectionately at him with her eyes crinkled.

Xi Mingzhu knew that they couldn't get in without holding hands, and as she reached out, she suddenly remembered the time when Lu Tiannan had used a tissue to pull her along.

Jiang Yuzhou walked towards Shen Yi and asked in a soft, gentle voice, "Is it difficult to hold onto your clothes?"

"..." Xi Mingzhu wondered why Jiang Yuzhou was talking to him in such a strange tone.

When Lu Tiannan saw Shen Yi casually tugging at Jiang Yuzhou's sleeve as they entered the castle, his eyes darkened and became gloomy.

Without lingering, they followed the NPC who was leading them to the guest room.

There are a surprisingly large number of NPCs in this instance.

Lu Tiannan and Gu Junbai were dukes, and along the way they encountered many earls and viscounts who greeted them warmly. Occasionally, one or two marquises would also greet them politely.