Chapter 48 The Butler

Damn it!

All of Qin Changsheng's unsaid words finally condensed into this single curse.

Damn it! How could it possibly be it?!

Had he known that buying this house came with the Sovereign as a complimentary bonus, he would have rather died than spend those 160,000 points.

What kind of terrible karma had he brought upon himself?

With the Sovereign standing inside this luxurious mansion, the once magnificent and resplendent hall instantly cast a pall of gloom. Even though nothing around them had physically changed, Qin Changsheng could vividly feel an oppressive shadow looming over him.

Was it still possible to return the purchase now?

I'm afraid the right to choose was no longer in Qin Changsheng's hands. The Sovereign stepped aside, made a sweeping gesture toward the banquet table laden with grand dishes, and said with a smiling tone, "Please make yourselves at home, everyone. Everything included with the Residence of Hope is entirely free of charge, so please enjoy to your heart's content!"

"Who on earth would dare to eat anything you've served?" The originally sumptuous feast suddenly appeared to Qin Changsheng as though it were laced with poison.

He made no effort to conceal his disgust for the Sovereign, his facial expression betraying his raw, genuine emotions: "I'm not used to Western cuisine. Take it all away and throw it out; we'll go eat outside."

Even if it meant being a single second early, Qin Changsheng truly wished to escape this ominous house as quickly as possible.

And to think it was called the Residence of Hope? What an absolute joke.

It was this monster, the Sovereign, that had stripped them of nearly all their hope!

However, the Sovereign remained completely unperturbed by Qin Changsheng's abhorrence.

It simply raised a hand and snapped its fingers lightly. In the next instant, the delicious food on the table completely transformed.

The roasted steaks and meats on the platters instantly turned into steaming, fragrant white rice, while the table was now laden with braised pork belly, steamed carp, stir-fried tender liver, and the whole roasted pig at the very center replaced with Beijing roast duck, while the desserts became sago sweet soup and mung bean cakes.

A Western banquet had turned into a full Manchu-Han imperial feast in the blink of an eye.

And all of this required nothing more than a casual, trivial snap of the Sovereign's fingers.

The Sovereign stepped back aside, acting precisely like a dutiful butler, and bowed deeply to Qin Changsheng: "At the Residence of Hope, all your wishes can come true. Whatever you desire, I can fulfill your needs."

"Perhaps you dislike the interior decoration here as well?" The Sovereign snapped its fingers once more, "I shall change it for you right away!"

The indoor scene shifted instantly. The two statues of goddesses at the entrance turned into a pair of genuine door-guardian deities. The fireplace vanished, and the tables and chairs holding the food in the center transformed into hollowed-out Chinese rosewood furniture.

The Western-style luxury mansion instantly morphed into a sprawling traditional Chinese courtyard estate.

"Still want to change to another set? Feel free to choose whatever you like!"

The Sovereign began snapping its fingers in rapid succession, and the scenery before Qin Changsheng's eyes shifted as swiftly as a revolving lantern.

One moment it was a Roman bathhouse, the next a Nordic shipyard, and then it flickered into Japanese tatami mats. Every ultra-luxury interior design style from countries around the world, spanning from ancient times to the modern day, flashed rapidly before his eyes.

Qin Changsheng was not only dazzled by the display, but the pressure in his heart also steadily mounted.

"Stop!"

Finally, he could not help shouting out. The shifting scenery around him froze the exact moment Qin Changsheng made a sound, returning precisely to the original Western-style mansion the room had started with.

The Sovereign ceased its snapping, turned its head so that the black void of its face pointed toward Qin Changsheng. Though its expression remained invisible, its amusement was palpable in its voice: "Is there anything else you require?"

The humble tone was enough to send a chill down one's spine.

Qin Changsheng stood frozen in place without uttering a word, cold sweat already soaking his back.

Having witnessed that previous spectacle, the unease in Qin Changsheng's heart intensified even further.

The Sovereign's power was far greater than he had imagined. If a single snap of its fingers could manifest anything into reality, then wiping out Qin Changsheng and his companions would likely take no more than a snap as well.

Such a tremendously powerful entity, yet acting as a butler here for them?

Behind this either lay some hidden, deep-seated conspiracy, or...

Or else the Sovereign simply took profound pleasure in it.

The confusion, fear, and anxiety within the hearts of Qin Changsheng and the others were all merely seasonings for this bastard of a Sovereign to amuse itself with.

Right now, Qin Changsheng truly felt as though he had been scammed. This Residence of Hope felt like a meticulously prepared trap, and he had walked right into it without a second thought.

He had no idea what to do now—whether to push open the door and flee, or stand his ground in a continued standoff.

The surrounding air grew stagnant, as if waiting for someone to break the silence.

And that person appeared very soon.

Movement!

Amidst the stagnant air, the first person to make a move was none other than Lu Qingyu, who had been standing silently by Qin Changsheng's side without uttering a single word!

Not a shred of emotional fluctuation could be detected on the handsome young man's face. He silently took a step forward, then another, walking all the way to the dining table.

Without a moment's hesitation, he actually sat down!

Qin Changsheng was shocked, dumbfounded and frozen in place all at once.

He had never expected Lu Qingyu to be so utterly bold.

Everyone present had witnessed how the Sovereign had brutally slaughtered the punk youth who had shown disrespect to it earlier.

Having witnessed such a gruesome death, every single one of them exercised the utmost caution in front of the Sovereign, terrified of becoming the next person to lose their life.

Yet Lu Qingyu didn't care in the least. He sat down, plucked a duck leg straight off the roast duck, and shoved it into his mouth.

The way he ate left his mouth glistening with oil, and the aroma was utterly mouth-watering.

How could he actually manage to eat?!

Qin Changsheng looked from the Sovereign to Lu Qingyu, his gaze shifting back and forth between them, his brain operating at a speed close to overloading.

On one hand, he was simply not the type of person who could swallow food in such an eerie atmosphere.

On the other hand, however, Lu Qingyu looked like he was eating with such incredible enjoyment...

Just as Qin Changsheng was hesitating, a sudden growling sound came from behind him.

Everyone turned their heads to see Wu Wuqiong blushing deeply and slowly raising a hand.

"Um... I'm really, really hungry..."

Wu Wuqiong's words acted like a key, instantly unlocking the tightly bolted door.

Qin Changsheng let out a sharp breath and, without a word, walked toward the dining table.

Lu Qingyu, seated beside the table, was already gnawing on a second duck leg. Qin Changsheng found a seat next to him, expertly picked up a piece of duck skin, dipped it in white sugar, smeared some sweet bean sauce, added a slice of cucumber, and wrapped it all together in a thin lotus leaf pancake.

Hunger forces one to abandon resistance and let down psychological defenses.

Food is the paramount necessity of man, and since Lu Qingyu had eaten so much of it without issue, the food on this table was presumably safe.

Whether it was poison or nourishment, one had to eat it all to be considered sensible.

To starve oneself to death out of stubbornness would be the ultimate joke!

Seeing that both Qin Changsheng and Lu Qingyu had taken their seats, the rest of the group grew afraid of missing out. Ignoring the Sovereign standing off to the side, they hurriedly seated themselves around the table, picked up their bowls and chopsticks, and piled the delicacies into their rice bowls.

Qin Changsheng brought the wrapped duck pancake to his mouth and took a bite.

Crunch!

The crisp sound came not only from the refreshing cucumber, but even more so from the flawlessly crispy duck skin.

A rich, savory aroma of rendered fat spread through Qin Changsheng's mouth.

Just seconds ago, he would rather have starved to death, died out on the street, or jumped off the building than touch a single bite of this food.

Seconds later, Qin Changsheng was chewing a mouthful of braised pork belly and rice, wearing a completely blissful, foolish grin.

"Delicious!"