163: Rat Face

Chapter 161: The Man-Faced Rat

Arthur and Xiao Lingdang walked out of the guest room and into the house's main hall.

Just like the previous reception room, the Light spell still couldn't fully illuminate this room.

Arthur then asked, "Little one, would you mind lighting a fire?"

The Pixie performed a trick, lighting the candelabras on the walls.

It wasn't until the chandelier in the hall's dome was lit that the entire space truly brightened up.

This hall was astonishingly wide, large enough to host a small ball.

To the left of where Arthur stood, there was a marble fireplace.

At the other end was a spotless wooden staircase, its steps covered with a crimson carpet.

He walked towards the fireplace, his gaze falling upon the longsword hanging above it.

The hilt of the sword was adorned with an exquisite windmill carving.

On the wall behind the sword, there were ornate inlays composed of grapevines, flowers, water nymphs, and satyrs.

These decorative panels snaked their way up, extending along the spiral staircase to the second floor.

Xiao Lingdang flew around curiously, examining the paintings in detail.

"I'm truly curious what happened to the people who once lived here," she exclaimed. "Look at these decorations, they're absolutely exquisite, almost lifelike."

"Be careful of that sword, don't touch it," Arthur warned. "If you look closely, you'll notice something strange about it."

Xiao Lingdang stepped back to get a clearer view of the paintings' details.

"Oh!" she quickly gasped.

Hidden within the panels were many twisted, grotesque monsters,

They were devouring all the beautiful things in the paintings.

"How can this be?" the Pixie asked, full of confusion.

But Arthur didn't respond; he opened the locked door and returned to the foyer.

"Hey, wait for me, don't leave me here alone."

For some reason, the strange creatures in the paintings made Xiao Lingdang particularly uneasy.

She felt as if those things were alive, staring intently at her.

She quickly flew to the foyer, just in time to see Arthur poke down the shield with the escutcheon using his staff.

Upon closer inspection, the escutcheon was a golden windmill on a red background.

On either side of where the shield had been hung, there were several portraits of expressionless nobles.

Wooden plaques beneath the portraits indicated they were all members of the Durst family.

Arthur weighed the shield in his hand.

Like the three crossbows he had found earlier, this shield was of excellent craftsmanship and material.

Shields of this quality would fetch a high price outside, with many adventurers, mercenaries, and bounty hunters vying to acquire them.

However, its fate was clearly not to be sold.

After getting the shield, Arthur quickly walked to the kitchen next to the hall.

"Hey, hey, wait," the Pixie flapped her wings vigorously, completely unable to understand Arthur's actions.

In her opinion, those crossbows were far more useful than this shield.

But she didn't say anything—this place was chillingly eerie, and she only hoped Arthur wouldn't disappear in front of her for no reason.

The kitchen was exceptionally clean, with all utensils and cookware neatly arranged on shelves.

Chopping boards and rolling pins were tidily placed on the countertop, and a domed stone oven was built into the east wall, its winding iron flue connecting to a hole in the ceiling.

There was a small door to the back left of the oven, presumably leading to the pantry.

As someone who loved to cook, Arthur was quite satisfied with this kitchen.

It was spacious, clean, and fully equipped; it could be used immediately once a fire was lit.

Arthur walked into the pantry, which was filled with all sorts of fresh food.

He placed his staff and shield inside, then picked out a large block of cheese from a shelf and took it out.

The cheese had an enticing aroma that made one's mouth water, and Xiao Lingdang couldn't help but swallow.

Seeing this, Arthur teased, "You mischievous little ones, besides being intensely curious, you're also especially gluttonous."

Xiao Lingdang pouted, looking indignant.

Arthur placed the cheese on the ground, then took out a bottle of potion from a kitchen cabinet and poured it over the cheese.

The potion not only didn't spoil the cheese's aroma but made it even more rich and alluring.

"What is that?" the Pixie asked.

Arthur made a shushing gesture, then pointed to the small door in the southwest corner of the kitchen, and beckoned to Xiao Lingdang, signaling her to retreat with him into the storeroom.

"What are we doing?" the Pixie asked in a low voice. "Why are we being so sneaky?

"Why am I speaking so softly?"

"Don't make a sound, just wait," Arthur replied.

Not long after he finished speaking, there was a commotion outside.

Xiao Lingdang's natural curiosity made her unable to resist flying to the door and peeking through the crack.

She saw the small door in the wall open, and a furry monster about the size of a dog crawled out.

The creature moved furtively, like a rat—in Xiao Lingdang's eyes, it was a rat, just exceptionally large.

The giant rat was attracted by the cheese's aroma, constantly sniffing, seemingly checking for danger around it.

Then, it suddenly turned its head to look at the storeroom.

Xiao Lingdang almost cried out.

Because that rat actually had a human face.

Fortunately, it didn't discover the Pixie behind the door; the aroma of the cheese masked other scents.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" the monster spoke, its voice high-pitched and thin.

It grabbed the cheese and began to gnaw on it greedily.

The Pixie flew back to Arthur, who was leaning against a shelf, resting with his eyes closed.

"Be patient, little one," Arthur said. "Don't wave your hands in front of me.

"I know you have a belly full of questions, but we'll have to wait until that thing outside is dead."

"That thing has a human face."

"So?"

"Don't you think it's strange? A rat with a human face."

"I bet your homeland has creatures even stranger than this, doesn't it?"

Xiao Lingdang paused, then nodded in agreement.

After waiting a moment longer, it became completely quiet outside.

"Alright, let's go out."

Arthur pushed open the door, only to see the man-faced rat lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth, clearly dead.

"So what you poured on the cheese earlier wasn't a seasoning, but poison?"

"Uh-huh."

"Ew~ Your actions remind me of those dark witches; they always love to poison people, or make them fall into an eternal sleep."

Arthur shrugged and opened the small door.

Behind the door was a stone shaft, with a simple manual pulley system suspended inside, holding a wooden box.

"What is this?" the Pixie asked.

"An elevator, usually used to transport things up and down. You just pull—"

Arthur reached out and pulled the rope inside, and the small brass bell next to the elevator immediately jingled.

"That's it," Arthur nodded in satisfaction. "That strange thing was hiding in the elevator.

"Its teeth and claws are poisonous; we had to lure it out and kill it before we could use this thing.

"By the way, are you called Xiao Lingdang because you talk too much?

"Like this," Arthur said, pulling the bell again.

"Just you wait, human," the Pixie waved her tiny fist. "When you're asleep, I'll shave all your hair off."

As the two spoke, a rapid footsteps echoed from outside the kitchen door.