Chapter 136 Angelina's Tea Party 4

A cup of black tea could probably be drunk in four or five sips. With the assistance of the [contamination clearing potion], the duration of one sip of tea could barely reach fifteen minutes, and after ten minutes, her physical fitness was no longer suitable for combat.

In other words, if there was danger, she would have to drink an extra sip of black tea to ensure her safety, plus the other items in the rules... Obviously, the amount in one cup of black tea was not enough.

Fortunately, she had also stolen the teapot while she was at it.

The European-style teacups were larger than Chinese teacups, and the pot was also larger; the amount inside the pot was probably enough to pour another cup.

This point didn't trouble her for the time being.

It was now 12:40, and according to the information provided by the Servant, Angelina was taking a nap.

"9. At 4:30 PM, the big clock will chime, but the hands will slightly recoil counter-clockwise. At this moment, the protective effect of all rules will temporarily fail for three minutes. This is your only opportunity to obtain the tea leaves and sugar cubes, and also the moment you are most easily 'discovered'."

The tea leaves and sugar cubes mentioned in the rules were in Angelina's bedroom and study respectively. However, according to the rules, she could only enter the bedroom and study after the clock in the living room chimed at 4:30.

And Angelina had said the tea party would start at 4:30.

Obviously, the time given for Lin Xiangjun to act would not be very long.

Lin Xiangjun's physical fitness had been improved before, and the black tea could briefly provide excessive energy. The mansion wasn't very big; if she could confirm the locations of the sugar cubes and tea leaves in advance, and take them as soon as the time came, it would probably only take a minute and a half.

Angelina had said that the tea party started at 4:30, and afterward she would wait an extra three to five minutes. This extra "three to five minutes" should be the time for her to act.

If everything went smoothly... she could completely make it in time for the start of the tea party.

Lin Xiangjun was still wearing the black sportswear from the previous instance. The temperature in the mansion was already a bit low, and this Guest room seemed to have been unoccupied for a long time, making the temperature cold enough to make one shiver.

Fortunately, there was a windbreaker jacket in her pouch. As she was taking off her clothes, the hem of her garment accidentally brushed against the pillow placed at the head of the bed.

European nobles seemed to like this kind of down pillow; it was large but not very heavy. With a light sweep of her clothes, the pillow rolled to the side, revealing a crumpled piece of paper with yellowed edges underneath.

A clue?

The paper seemed to have been left there for a long time and had become brittle; when she unfolded it, it crumbled and shed bits.

The handwriting on it was also messy, as if written in a state of extreme terror. The blue ink had gradually faded over time and was no longer easy to recognize.

"Do not trust her pearls, do not trust her pearls! Tea leaves # @ & か bookcase か & ∞ eyes! Sugar cubes $ # % ¥ dressing table ∞ # & @ ¥ tears!!! Only when the clock runs backward!!! Is it ◎ # ￥ #!!!"

It was basically a mess.

There weren't many legible words.

"Bookcase... eyes? What is this? Does the bookcase have eyes?"

Although she couldn't understand it, it was obviously an important clue, so she put it away and kept it with the rules.

Since there was a clue under the pillow, she couldn't let other places in this Guest room go, so she simply gave the whole room a thorough cleaning.

The other things were unremarkable, but in the bedside table, there was a box of matches that had been mostly used, with only three or five left inside.

Since there was nothing useful in the Guest room anyway, Lin Xiangjun quickly lost interest, so she tidied up and prepared to leave the Guest room to look for clues in the study or the living room.

However, just as she walked to the door, she heard a faint, unsettling sound, like something being dragged.

The sound was still very far away. Lin Xiangjun immediately recalled the layout of the mansion that the White Bow Tie Servant had shown her during the tour, and confirmed the direction from which the sound was coming.

The sound was coming from the end of the corridor.

That was a dead end; there were no stairs going up or down, only Guest rooms and a utility room.

The sound didn't seem fast; it seemed to be dragging something very heavy. As it got closer and closer, besides the dragging sound and heavy footsteps, there was also an indistinct wheezing sound.

Opening the door and poking her head out to look right now was obviously not a wise decision, but giving up on observation entirely might very well cause her to miss a clue.

Lin Xiangjun was struggling with whether to open the door to observe or what to do, when she lowered her head and saw the gap in the door.

The gap in this old European door was unusually wide; if it were twice as wide, she could stick a finger out without any problem. With its current width, if she leaned close, she could see clearly what was going on outside.

"...Was the person who built this door a level 8 machinist?"

Even a level 8 machinist couldn't build a gap this wide.

The sound got closer and closer, so Lin Xiangjun stopped complaining and leaned in to peer out through the door gap.

Before she entered the Guest room, the corridor was still very normal, spacious and bright, with a thin carpet on the floor, and lit wall lamps and paintings on the walls.

However, now, whether it was a visual effect from looking out through the door gap or something else, the lighting in the entire corridor had become exceptionally dim, and the color tone of the landscape paintings of blue sky and white clouds on the walls had also become gloomy, as if it were an overcast day, or about to rain.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

The first to appear was a Servant with its head lowered.

It was wearing a uniform identical to that of a White Bow Tie Servant, but it wasn't as clean and neat; its sleeves were rolled up, its collar was open, and a black bow tie was hanging crookedly around its neck.

A Black Bow Tie Servant?

"6. Servants all wear white bow ties and are silent. If you see a Servant wearing a black bow tie and with tea stains on the corners of its mouth, please stay away. They are Guests, or at least they once were."

This was somewhat unexpected for Lin Xiangjun; she hadn't thought she would encounter a Black Bow Tie Servant so quickly.

The Black Bow Tie Servant seemed to have sensed something; it slowed its pace and raised its head to observe the surroundings keenly.

As soon as it raised its head, Lin Xiangjun saw its face.

Unlike the blank, slow-reacting gaze of the White Bow Tie Servant, the Black Bow Tie Servant's pupils were much larger than a normal person's, as if it were wearing oversized contact lenses, making its emotions and gaze much more obvious.

However, the most terrifying part was that the "tea stains" on the corners of its mouth mentioned in the rules—they weren't stains at all, but flesh exposed after the skin had broken, like a patient with severe burns who had lost their skin, with muscles, blood vessels, and a small piece of skin tissue fluttering in the air.

The Black Bow Tie Servant seemed puzzled; its nose twitched slightly, as if it had smelled something strange.

Lin Xiangjun held her breath almost subconsciously.

The Black Bow Tie Servant's gaze swept across the doors of the surrounding Guest rooms. Seemingly having found nothing unusual, it continued to drag the sack in its hand and walked forward.

It was a very large and heavy sack, stuffed full, but she couldn't see what was inside.

After the other party left, Lin Xiangjun breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The next second, a huge, trembling eyeball suddenly peered through the door gap and locked eyes with her!