Chapter 37

Name: Starlight

Scale: Small

Leader: Rod Eilant

Members: 1 person

Base: None

Level: 1

Reputation: Unknown

Facilities: Training Room (Cannot be built), Bedroom (Cannot be built), Hall (Cannot be built), Tower (Locked), Study (Locked), Alchemy Room (Locked), Forge (Locked)...

Looking at the system prompt that appeared before him, Rod couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. This was far worse than the starting point in the game. In the game, when players formed a guild, the system would approve their application after confirming they met the requirements and even gift them a base. Now, he didn't even have a base. But upon reflection, it made sense. In the game, players had to complete several tasks to gain the qualification to apply, while he was essentially starting from scratch. In the original Dragon Soul Continent game, NPC mercenary groups rarely had bases, so this wasn't surprising. And now...

The most pressing issue was that Rod needed to purchase a base for the mercenary group.

Of course, this required money. However, fortunately for Rod, he wasn't entirely without options.

A crisp knock on the door sounded, and then Rizel entered the guest room. After a night's rest and a change of clothes, the young girl looked much more spirited. She greeted Rod with a lively, sweet smile.

"Mr. Rod, I'm ready."

"Good, let's go."

Rod stood up and walked towards the door. Rizel, with a mix of curiosity and confusion in her eyes, followed closely behind, her gaze fixed on the young man in front of her.

Rizel had no idea what Rod was thinking. She hadn't agreed, but she hadn't opposed either. Before discussing practical matters, there was a more immediate issue to address—lack of money.

With the reward from Mace and the loot from the two gargoyles' treasure chests in Misty Town, Rod and Rizel currently had a thousand gold coins. Although after arriving in Deepstone City, Rod had sold most of the gems and crystals they had, bringing their total to two thousand five hundred gold coins, it still wasn't enough to buy a house. Not to mention, Rod had his eyes set on the upper district, which was the noble area. Even in the outskirts, the house prices were exorbitant, far beyond anyone's means.

But now, as they walked along the road to the upper district, Rizel couldn't help but feel curious, seeing the confident expression on the young man's face. She wondered how Rod planned to use this money to buy a house in the upper district. If it was just about buying a house, why had he instructed her to prepare supplies? There wasn't much to explore in Deepstone City.

Could he be planning to steal it?

Recalling Rod's past actions, this possibility didn't seem entirely out of the question.

Upper District, Southwest Corner.

Unlike the clean, tidy, and luxurious mansions around it, the old house that appeared before Rod and Rizel was corroded by time. Vines crisscrossed the walls, and unattended weeds had grown to knee height. The once spacious courtyard was now a mess, littered with garbage and the droppings of stray cats and dogs. The sky was overcast, with not a ray of sunlight.

A cold wind blew, accompanied by the distant howl of a stray dog, causing Rizel to shiver involuntarily.

The moment they stepped into the courtyard, the young girl keenly felt the stark contrast. Outside, the upper district was quiet, clean, peaceful, and harmonious. Inside the courtyard, it was abnormally cold, chaotic, and eerily silent. The difference was as stark as that between a magnificent palace and a desolate graveyard.

"Mr. Rod, you really plan to buy this place?"

The girl instinctively hugged herself and asked in a low voice.

"Not planning."

To her surprise, Rod waved his hand without turning around.

"I've already bought it."

"..."

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

"Eh?!!"

Rizel's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what she had just heard.

"You, you've already bought it?"

"Exactly, the seller only asked for five hundred gold coins. It was a great deal."

"Five hundred gold coins?!"

Hearing this, Rizel was momentarily stunned, then she covered her mouth in surprise.

"This is the Sereil Haunted House!?"

The Sereil Haunted House was well-known throughout Deepstone City. Sereil was once a third-rate family in Deepstone City. Unlike other families, they rose to prominence through their art of sculpture—specifically, stone carving.

The standout among them was the former head of the Sereil family, Martin Sereil, who had an extraordinary talent for sculpture, especially in human figures. His sculptures were lifelike and vivid, and he was once hailed as a master in Deepstone City.

But everything changed because of a stone.

At the age of twenty-nine, Martin obtained a white stone from a mine in Deepstone City. For reasons unknown, the artistic master brought the stone home, claiming he would create an eternal and perfect work of art.

At first, no one paid much attention, as Sereil, being an artistic master, was always pursuing perfection. The nobles, however, began to speculate about what masterpiece he would create. Sereil's initial behavior was normal; he locked himself in his room and stayed with the stone for a week, which only increased people's anticipation. They believed that such effort would result in a perfect work of art.

But things soon became increasingly bizarre.

Sereil's maids began to disappear one after another, and no one knew where they had gone. As a noble family, the Sereils sent many people to search, but they vanished without a trace.

Not only the maids, but also people in the surrounding area began to go missing, causing panic in the upper district. Soon after, a major incident occurred in the Sereil household—Sereil's wife and beloved daughter also disappeared.

This time, the family could no longer remain calm. They ignored Sereil's artistic pursuits and demanded that he investigate the matter. However, when they opened Sereil's room, they were shocked.

The room was filled with dismembered limbs, and Sereil's wife and daughter were hanging from the ceiling, cold and lifeless. Sereil himself sat calmly in a chair, caressing a female sculpture.

What followed was straightforward.

Sereil was quickly arrested, and he admitted to killing the missing women, claiming their deaths were for the sake of art, a noble and respectable act.

No one was satisfied with this explanation, and the city lord of Deepstone City sentenced Sereil to death. In a shocking turn of events, upon learning of his impending execution, Sereil went mad and escaped from prison. To catch him, the city guard, mercenary guild, and even several nobles sent people to pursue him. But to everyone's surprise, the seemingly weak artist killed over a dozen advanced warriors and hundreds of soldiers before collapsing and dying in his sculpture room.

This tragic incident shocked Deepstone City, and rumors of a curse began to spread. Many believed the stone was evil, luring the artist and turning him into a cold-blooded killer. The sculpture, blamed for the tragedy, mysteriously disappeared from under the guards' noses the day after Sereil's death.

Deepstone City became unstable, and many of Sereil's sculptures were destroyed. The incident was then selectively forgotten by everyone.

However, even after Sereil's death, the house continued to attract attention.

First, a noble who was close to Sereil came to manage the estate. A month later, his family was found starved to death in the dining room, with the food in front of them untouched and rotten.

The next victim was a wealthy merchant who moved in from out of town two years later. Despite warnings, he bought the property to integrate into the local upper class. However, his fate was no better—half a month later, he and his family, along with their servants, were found hanged in their rooms, as if they had agreed to die together.

These two tragic events made everyone avoid the haunted house, and even the city found it difficult to handle. In desperation, they put it up for sale at the lowest price, hoping someone would buy it. Surprisingly, the price of five hundred gold coins was a significant temptation for those who were short on money but aspired to live in the upper district. Someone bought the property, but this time, the new owner was more cautious. He not only paid a high price for the house but also renovated it and hired a group of skilled mercenaries before moving in.

However, this time, the house seemed to be angered by the low price, and it didn't even give a grace period. The day after the new owner moved in, the house went dark, and the mercenaries disappeared without a trace.

No one wanted to confirm the outcome, as it was clear what had happened.

Rizel, who had lived in Deepstone City for many years, was well aware of the haunted house's reputation. Upon learning that Rod had bought it without her knowledge, she immediately jumped up.

"Mr. Rod, do you know what this place is? It's the..."

"I know."

Rod waved his hand, thinking to himself that he not only knew the cause but also the consequences, the hidden rewards, and the boss. The Sereil Haunted House was one of the ten exclusive quests in Deepstone City and the first hidden quest Rod had completed. He was well aware of its significance. Unlike the first time when he was caught off guard, he was now well-prepared to handle the hidden quest and the boss.

"Don't worry, it's just a house, and... I'm ready."

By this point, Rod and Rizel had crossed the chaotic garden and reached the front door. Through the rotten door, the darkness inside was clearly visible. Rod reached out, placed his hand on the door, and turned to look at the nervous Rizel.

"Are you ready?"