Chapter 48

The painting was not large, but it was extremely eye-catching.

The background was a dark, almost grayish-black sky and barren fields, with the faint outlines of what looked like abandoned villages visible in the distance.

Yet in the center of the painting, a girl wearing a faded red dress and barefoot was standing on tiptoe, her arms raised high, picking a bunch of malnourished grapes.

The girl was turned to the side, her full face not visible, but the lines of her neck were full of longing, her fingers about to touch the fruit.

"According to research, when the painter created this painting, a severe plague was breaking out in the region."

The docent's voice lowered, "Death was looming, the prosperous age was collapsing, but this painting chose to capture such a moment."

"A girl, in the center of disaster, still persistent in picking fruit that symbolizes life and sweetness—this extreme contrast is what makes it most moving."

Su Mian stared at that bunch of grapes.

The girl's fingertips seemed to have warmth, and that longing pierced through the oil paint and the years, reaching her retinas directly.

She suddenly felt a wave of slight dizziness, like low blood sugar, and the patterns on the marble floor beneath her feet seemed to twist.

"... Mian Mian?"

Her mother's voice seemed to come through a layer of water.

She shook her head, wanting to take a step back and get further from the painting.

The moment her heel moved, the museum's soft overhead lights went out.

【Welcome, Detective, back to Infinite Script Murder.】

【Congratulations on upgrading from "New Player" to "Junior Player." You will receive new permissions: advance knowledge of random level event classifications (A, B, C). A is the highest difficulty, with minimal survival probability; please handle it with caution when triggered.】

【Please receive the script below.】

The electronic voice gradually faded, and Su Mian opened her eyes.

She was standing on a gravel path about three meters wide, with crowded stone houses made of limestone on both sides of the road, the construction rough and the walls mottled.

The only greenery was the vines covering the walls, and in the distance was vast white fog, unclear, the style similar to the civilian districts of the West in the old century.

The passersby coming and going also confirmed Su Mian's thoughts; most of them were blonde and blue-eyed, dressed simply, and wearing white headscarves.

A carriage brushed past her, and Su Mian took a step back, almost grazing the edge of the carriage.

The coachman didn't seem to notice, or perhaps he noticed and couldn't be bothered to avoid her.

【You are Evelyn, a demon.】

The script slowly poured into Su Mian's head.

You don't know where you came from; you learned from a merchant that this place is called Weibensi.

It is the largest island in the world and the wealthiest city-state.

The people of Weibensi are arrogant by nature, dislike the poor, and exclude outsiders—you happen to be two of those things.

On the day you were born, you were beaten by someone at the dock in Mofangdu, and you happened to meet the church priest, Cain, who was passing through this civilian district on his way back from overseas.

He saved you and raised you, and you naturally became a nun at the church, taking care of vulnerable groups and responsible for daily prayers.

But you, a demon, were not happy to deal with those slow-limbed and dull-witted elderly people; the daily prayers made you feel hopelessly stupid.

So you left the center of the Weibensi city-state and returned to Mofangdu, this civilian area where many villains once gathered.

But recently... it has not been peaceful here; it is said that evil spirits are at work, and a terrible plague has broken out.

【Task One: Find the murderer and win the game.】

【Task Two: Conceal your demon identity and maintain your character setting.】

The script ended here, but Su Mian fell into deep thought.

There was one place she felt was not quite right: Cain—it didn't sound like a priest's name. She felt like she had heard it somewhere before, that it carried some kind of implication, but she really couldn't remember.

【Good morning! Miss Demon, 4399 reporting on time!】

"To be honest, I think you have more energy than a human."

Su Mian was silent for a while, truly unable to understand why an AI system could be so happy while at work.

Just like she couldn't understand those people who were full of passion for 8:00 AM classes; she felt like she was dying when she had an 8:00 AM class.

【Hehe, because I get to see Mian Mian~】

4399 was already happy to hear Su Mian praise it, and at this moment, its electronic voice rose even higher. It couldn't help but play impassioned music, the huge sound exploding in Su Mian's brain.

"Oh oh oh oh oh (sinking)"

"Oh oh oh oh oh (rising)"

... What kind of thunderous BGM is this.

【Ahem, back to the point, Mian Mian, this instance is a super-duper-mega-large instance; the number of players has reached a staggering 30!】

"What did you say?"

Su Mian widened her eyes slightly, suspecting that something was wrong with her ears.

30 people.

Playing a script murder game???

That's crazy.

【Yes, you heard that right; there are thirty players in this instance, and the difficulty is extremely high, but for the murderer player, it is undoubtedly very lucky.】

【But it doesn't matter, Mian Mian, because your strength has arrived!】

【I specifically applied for detective benefits from my superiors for this instance; otherwise, you keep saying I'm useless, and I was about to become depressed, degenerate, and rot.】

"... It's not that serious."

【In short, in this instance, you can see the basic information of all players; you don't need to get to know them one by one. Isn't that very useful?】

While listening to 4399, Su Mian stared at herself in the broken glass in the corner, revealing a trace of surprise that was almost imperceptible, raising her chin and nodding slightly, like an arrogant and self-possessed ragdoll cat.

"It's okay."

In the glass, she was veiled in white, revealing only a pair of pitch-black eyes, her eyelashes long and straight, her pupils large, yet leaving space for the lower sclera, revealing a mixed-race and mysterious, lively state.

The common black and white nun's habit, with a white veil over her cheeks to prevent the plague.

She turned her head; several people floating with subtitles were sitting together in the distance, likely a small group of players.

Su Mian scanned them quickly; that was likely the detective benefit 4399 had mentioned.

Hidden in the shade of the city wall was the horse market, a distribution center for low-level livestock, second-hand goods, and rumors, filled with the smell of livestock feces, leather, and cheap spices.

A young Chinese man stood by a hitching post, talking to a farmer about something.

【Adrian】

【Junior player, identity: Horse merchant, a shrewd and slick businessman, arrogant by nature, hates the poor, has no patience, yet is lingering here for some reason.】

Su Mian looked at the farmer again.

【Bruce】

【New player, identity: Low-level farmer, destitute, makes a living by fishing, has only one son at home, who lost his life due to the plague.】

Several players whose attire was slightly more pleasing to the eye stood next to the horse stable, covering their noses and sighing.

"God, this stable is too smelly; how can those two stay inside so calmly?"

"Adele, say less; I think that person is quite capable, he should have played a few games."

【Adele】

【New player, identity: Merchant's daughter, her father is a clock merchant, she lives in a greenhouse created by her parents, her personality is delicate and reckless, straightforward and tsundere, likes adventure, and likes new things.】