“Don’t worry, as long as he successfully reaches here, I won’t give you a hard time.” The parrot’s tiny claws were back on the perch, tearing off a piece of meat from the lamb leg, all while speaking.
“You’re just a parrot. Is it really okay for you to eat lamb?” Chu Qianze glanced at the screen and then refocused on the parrot.
“It’s perfectly fine.” The parrot pecked at the lamb bone, strolling around it, and quite enjoyed it with narrowed eyes.
Seeing the little creature enjoying its meal, Chu Qianze didn’t say anything more. Instead, he shifted his attention to the surroundings.
“Is it just you here? Where’s your owner?”
The parrot replied, “Why don’t you take a guess?”
“All alone here, what do you eat?” Chu Qianze inquired.
Upon hearing this, the parrot’s eating speed increased. It bit down on another piece of grilled meat, swallowed it, and then spoke. “Normally, I have morning dew and fruits from the trees in the palace.”
Oh, a vegetarian diet.
“It’s been so long, long enough that I’ve forgotten the taste of meat. Even though the palace used to love meat the most.” The parrot seemed on the verge of tears as it spoke.
“I feel for you,” Chu Qianze sighed, patting its head.
No wonder the reaction was so strong when it smelled the barbecue. It seems like it has been surviving on dew, and its head might be empty from it.
“It’s just the way it is. I’ve gotten used to it. qwq”
While conversing with the bird, Chu Qianze walked around the room, observing its details. White gauze curtains, a round wooden table, and on the large bed, there was a small nest, likely a place for the parrot to sleep.
Facing the bed, on the wall, hung a painting.
In the painting, a woman was holding a small parrot in her arms. The parrot was tiny, nestled in the woman’s hands, appearing soft and obedient. The emerald ring on the woman’s hand matched the color of the parrot’s feathers, creating a beautiful sight.
“Is this you?” Chu Qianze pointed to the small bundle.
“Oh, yes, that’s my owner, the cutest owner in the world.” The parrot shook its tail and started gnawing on the meat, finding the piece connected to the lamb leg a bit tough.
“You two must have a great relationship.”
Chu Qianze approached the window, lifting a corner of the curtain.
Outside, it was currently night. Looking from here, there were endless trees. The castle was deep within the forest, and at first glance, it truly felt like something out of a fairy tale, reminiscent of the dwelling of an old witch—at least it had that kind of atmosphere.
“Can I explore other parts of the castle?” Having examined the room thoroughly, Chu Qianze inquired.
Seeing Chu Qianze standing around observing as if on a tour, the parrot couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you worried about that person? He’s fighting hard to save you.”
“Worrying won’t help. After all, you won’t let me go out,” with one hand in his pocket, Chu Qianze turned to face the parrot. The light illuminated his side profile, giving off a somewhat indifferent aura.
“If you want to explore other places, go ahead.” The parrot raised its tiny claw, its tone slowing down a bit. “Just don’t casually enter closed rooms; there are traps inside, and it’s easy to end up dead.”
“Thanks for the reminder.”
“This is because of the barbecue,” the parrot added before continuing to bury its head in the meat.
Chu Qianze turned a corner and headed to the castle corridor.
On both sides of the corridor, the walls were adorned with paintings featuring people in various attire, each unique. The paintings on the left and right walls formed pairs, seemingly in the same artistic style. Standing there at this moment, looking towards the end of the corridor, there was an uncanny feeling of being watched by them.
Chu Qianze paused, then lifted his steps and walked past, his expression unchanged.
Opening a cabinet, he took out a set of tea utensils, examining them. They were clean, without a speck of dust. Walking into the kitchen, he found a tea bag in his backpack, decided to make himself a cup of tea, and sat on the sofa, savoring it slowly.
With a straight posture, a composed demeanor, and an air of ease, he looked just like the master of this place.
At this moment, a shadow emerged from the corner, and the shadow grew longer as it approached.
“Where did everyone go~” a neutral voice echoed softly in the spacious room.
“Where is everyone? Did they leave?”
The distorted shadow elongated and gradually approached the hall where Chu Qianze was. Footsteps created a subtle rustling sound.
“So, you’re here.”
A small head peeked out, discovering Chu Qianze sitting on the sofa, sipping tea.
The parrot emerged from the corner, its wings still holding onto that massive lamb leg.
“Where else could I go?” Chu Qianze countered.
“I thought you went out,” the parrot chuckled, “Forgot to tell you, there are ferocious beasts outside. You’d die if you casually went out.”
“Oh.” Chu Qianze remained indifferent, taking another sip of tea.
“Why aren’t you scared at all? It’s no fun.”
The parrot’s head drooped, finding it quite boring with no excitement.
“What kind of reaction do you expect from me?” Chu Qianze smirked.
“Did you see anything just now? If you have any doubts, I can provide answers,” the parrot said.
“No,” Chu Qianze replied.
The conversation hit a sudden deadlock.
“Are the paintings in the corridor beautiful? Don’t you think the people in them look real?” The parrot’s tone gradually lowered, its pointed beak slightly opening, revealing a crimson tongue.
Recalling the paintings he saw earlier, Chu Qianze gave his evaluation, “They’re average, not as realistic as photos.”
The parrot’s expression stiffened, dissatisfied. “What’s not realistic about them? And what about photos?!”
It flew in front of Chu Qianze, determined to get an answer.
“You don’t even know what a photo is?”
Chu Qianze chuckled and then answered himself, “True, after all, I’ve been here for a long time. Not knowing is normal.”
“Don’t talk to yourself here. Things require evidence! How can those paintings not be realistic? I carefully selected them before putting them up.”
“I really can’t do anything with you.”
Sighing, Chu Qianze took out a photo from his backpack and showed it to the parrot. When leaving the novice village, someone asked if he wanted to take a souvenir photo. At the time, he found it amusing and decided to join in.
“Look, doesn’t it look similar?”
The parrot leaned over and looked, showing a look of astonishment. “How is that possible? Did your soul get sucked into it? Why is it so similar!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s called the technique of capturing light and shadow. The main principle is…” Chu Qianze briefly explained the working principle of a camera to the parrot, detailing how it can capture and reproduce things.
The parrot’s eyes seemed to turn into mosquito repellent coils. It shook its head vigorously, trying to shake off that dizzy feeling.
“So, do you want to see my collection?”
“You have a collection?” Chu Qianze raised an eyebrow, becoming curious.
“Yes, come take a look.” The parrot flew up.
Chu Qianze followed and went upstairs with the parrot, arriving at a room.
Creak, the door opened, and light slowly entered the room, illuminating the objects within.
This was a storage room filled with paintings, all depicting people. In contrast to the beautiful and handsome figures in the paintings outside, most of the paintings here portrayed elderly individuals with tired expressions. Among them, Chu Qianze even noticed several skeletal figures, wind-dried and frail.
“This is my collection, lots and lots of them.” The parrot perched on a suspended bird stand, asking, “Isn’t it great?”
“Quite impressive.” Chu Qianze stopped in front of a painting. It depicted a skeleton, and his gaze fell on the index finger of the skeleton. There, he noticed a ring that looked very familiar—it was identical to the one worn by the parrot’s owner.
Parrot: “Let me tell you the background of these paintings.”
Chu Qianze: “Not interested. I’m leaving.”
Parrot: “No, you must listen to me!”
Chu Qianze: “Then tell me in the room. I want to check how my teammate is doing.”
The parrot snorted coldly, clearly preparing to refuse.
“I suddenly remembered there’s a piece of beef tenderloin here, and it tastes really good. When the time comes, you can talk while eating.” Chu Qianze spoke with a pleading tone.
At the mention of beef tenderloin, the parrot showed interest. It flapped its wings, coughed lightly, and said, “In that case, it’s acceptable.”
“Great, let’s go out.” Chu Qianze smiled and reached the doorway, opening the door wider to facilitate the parrot’s exit.
Returning to the initial room, he checked the screen.
“Wow, this person is quite impressive. They’ve reached the second-to-last level so quickly,” the parrot exclaimed with surprise.
“Does that mean they’re close to completing the game?” Chu Qianze displayed his excellent quality of asking when he didn’t understand.
“The last level is the most challenging. Many people lose their lives at the final stage.”
Chu Qianze smiled but didn’t say anything. He felt that these challenges were not difficult for Zong Xinjue. As long as he wanted to, he would definitely overcome them.
After Zong Xinjue dealt with what was in front of him, he took a deep breath and drank a sip of vitality soup. His stamina quickly recovered from the destructive impact on his taste buds.
After adjusting his state, he stepped forward. As soon as he entered, he faced a three-way intersection.
Chu Qianze saw the three paths and had a bad feeling about it.
“This final level is called the Ghost Shadow Maze. Each intersection has three entrances, and each entrance represents a different difficulty level, with varying lengths of pathways,” the parrot explained as the commentator.
“Let’s see which path he chooses. Looks like this person has good luck.” The parrot sighed as the player chose the shortest path, expressing admiration for the player’s fortune.
At this moment, the maze shifted. Just as Zong Xinjue was about to enter the entrance, the paths suddenly rearranged. Eventually, his chosen path transformed into the most challenging one. After entering the passage, the walls merged together, sealing off the retreat route.
“Oh, it seems his luck is slightly not so great,” the parrot chuckled, suddenly feeling quite cheerful.
“Come, let me tell you about my collection~ Where’s the meat? Bring out the meat!” The parrot urged eagerly.
“What’s the rush?” Chu Qianze said, taking that something out of his backpack and handing it over.
“Wow, this looks delicious too!” The parrot’s eyes lit up.
Chu Qianze: “I’m curious about what’s inside the maze.”
The parrot paused its eating for a moment, then elongated its tone, “Guess—”
“Everything is inside, all difficulty levels. How this level will go depends on his luck.”
Discussing luck with Zong Xinjue…
Chu Qianze pointed to a painting, “Didn’t you say you’d tell me about the paintings? This one looks quite nice.”
“Originally, there was a little girl in this painting. She eloped for love and arrived at a castle. She wanted to be with her lover forever, and I helped them. As a condition, they left me two paintings.”
Reluctantly putting down the meat, the parrot raised its wings and pointed to another painting. “This one is paired with it.”
“So, the paintings are a set.” Chu Qianze circled around them.
“Yeah, doesn’t it look exceptionally beautiful? If you were in this painting, it would definitely be my favorite masterpiece. I’d hang you in the most prominent place. I really want to, I really want to—” The parrot became more and more excited, its tone rising, eyes bloodshot, reaching a state of extreme exhilaration. The room’s lights seemed to sense the parrot’s excitement, flickering with an eerie glow.
Chu Qianze: “Let me ask you a question.”
Parrot: “What?”
Chu Qianze: “Are you single?”
The parrot froze, even in its eating movements, as if it hadn’t expected such an irrational question.
Chu Qianze teased, “A single… bird, collecting so many couple portraits, are you afraid of marriage? Trying to convey a message through objects, or are you trying to reverse the toxic milk strategy1“反向毒奶” (fǎnxiàng dú nǎi) in Chinese can be translated as “reverse milk poisoning” In a figurative sense, it refers to a situation where someone, instead of receiving negative or critical comments, is delivering them in a light-hearted, humorous, or unexpected manner. It’s a form of reverse teasing or playful criticism, often done with good intentions and a sense of humor.?” He looked at the painting, which was intricately detailed, resembling human skin.
“You’re too unreasonable! This lord is angry! I’m going to put you into a painting—” The parrot flapped its wings, its expression extremely dark, as if tears were about to burst forth.
“Here, have some of this.” Chu Qianze timely handed something over.
Tasting the unexpectedly sweet treat, the parrot sank into happiness. Its emotions fluctuated too quickly, and it even forgot to stay angry. “What is this? It’s so delicious.”
Chu Qianze teased, “Candy, and it has a very artistic name. Can you guess what it’s called?” He pulled out the bag he was holding and displayed it to the parrot.
The parrot asked, “What is it?”
Chu Qianze said, “Here’s a hint: it’s related to its color.”
The parrot pondered, “Color?”
“Rainbow candy. Rumor has it that only single beings can taste its deliciousness.” Chu Qianze looked serious.
“Is there such candy? Then, you guys can’t taste the flavor at all.” The parrot couldn’t help but express sympathy at the thought of such a delicious candy being untouchable to them.
Chu Qianze grinned, enjoying the parrot’s indecisiveness. He continued, “Yeah, I envy you. You get to eat such delicious things.” Saying this, he tossed another candy into his own mouth.
“By the way, this rainbow candy has seven flavors. This red one is strawberry, the yellow one is lemon, the purple one is grape, and so on…”
He went on to introduce each flavor to the parrot, then asked, “So, which one do you want to try next?”
The parrot pointed at a few different colored candies, finding them all appealing, seemingly struggling with the decision.
Chu Qianze thought to himself, A bit silly, huh.
At this moment, Zong Xinjue arrived at another intersection. Without hesitation, he directly chose the middle path. Or rather, every time he encountered an intersection, he always chose the middle. Originally, this pattern posed no problem. However, every time he was about to enter a passage, the maze would reset its route.
After walking for a while, Zong Xinjue found himself facing a bronze door, ancient and solemn. Massive runes protruded from the wall, their ink-red color connecting the door, brightly revealing two words: “Dangerous.”
The parrot sensed something, made a surprised sound, and looked towards the screen.
“He actually reached there. Quite rare. I don’t know whether this person has good luck or bad luck.”
“How so?”
“Just by passing through here, we can directly reach the castle we’re heading to. However—” The parrot deliberately elongated its tone, hoping to see a look of anxiety on Chu Qianze’s face. However, to its disappointment, Chu Qianze remained calm, even stuffing a piece of rainbow candy into his mouth, which was somewhat deflating.
“However, what’s sealed inside here is also the strongest entity, sealed personally by my master back then.”
Chu Qianze, however, remained silent at this moment, his gaze lingering on the game panel as if lost in thought.
Zong Xinjue lowered his head for a moment, then raised his hand, pushing open the door with all his strength and walking inside.
“Do you want to come with me? I can put you in a painting,” the parrot said, finishing the last bit of the beef loin, spreading its wings and starting the digestion process.
This guy…
Chu Qianze sighed and poked the parrot, “Can you bring him out?”
“Of course, but why would I do that?”
The parrot tilted its head, looking puzzled, “Anyway, you’ll meet him later. If you like him, I can give you his painting.”
“That won’t work. I need him, the person himself.”
Chu Qianze chuckled. “Did you kill your female master?”
The parrot froze for a moment, then turned its body around to face Chu Qianze.
“What are you talking about?”
“That skeleton isn’t your female master? Well, looking at the bone structure, it seems to be a man, so that must be your male master,” Chu Qianze continued talking to himself.
“We don’t have a male master, and now I’m angry. I’ll turn you into a painting!” The parrot opened its beak wide, and its eyes widened.
It shivered, unable to move its wings, frozen in place.
Huh?
Chu Qianze squatted down and poked the parrot’s belly. “Can’t move, can you?”
The parrot’s eyes rolled, fixing on Chu Qianze’s face.
“You—” Poison!
Why didn’t it feel itself?
“Didn’t your master teach you not to eat things from strangers?” Chu Qianze smirked. “Maybe they knew, but just didn’t care about you.”
With that, Chu Qianze took out a birdcage from his backpack, which he had seen while exploring the castle.
To deal with this thing, Chu Qianze put some effort into it. He mixed herbs separately in the lamb leg, beef, and the so-called rainbow candy. Eating each of them alone wouldn’t have any side effects; instead, it would enhance the flavor. As for the final herb, it was placed inside the so-called rainbow candy.
Chu Qianze’s homemade concoction was trustworthy. The combination of the three ingredients had an outstanding effect.
“This thing suits you very well. Just stay here quietly.” With that, he placed the parrot inside the cage and closed the door.
He didn’t leave immediately but instead found the portrait of the skeleton and placed it in front of the mural.
“Seems like you care about this. By the way, I’ve left the parrot next to you to deal with however you like.”
The woman in the mural with a smiling gaze suddenly shed two lines of bloody tears. Her body trembled slightly, and one hand was raised, pressed against the image. It seemed like she wanted to touch the skeleton in the painting.
The ring in the skeleton’s hand gradually shimmered with light.
“Can you control the maze and let my companion out?” Chu Qianze took a step back, smiling lightly.
The woman in the mural’s eyes flickered, her neck turned, and she looked toward Chu Qianze.
Who would have thought that inside this maze, there was actually a giant dragon. Zong Xinjue struggled with the dragon, but the power gap was too significant.
All tactics and strategies, in the face of strength, were like blank paper, easily torn apart.
Seeing that the health bar was already at its lowest, knowing that the progress was about to end here. But that person was still trapped inside, and he didn’t know what was happening.
He lifted the giant shield, relying on his last bit of strength, and rushed toward the dragon.
A white light flashed before his eyes, and without paying attention, Zong Xinjue directly rushed in.
With the flash of white light, Zong Xinjue appeared in the room. Chu Qianze was prepared to exchange a high-five with him, but noticed that he was charging towards him with the giant shield.
“Wait, we’re on the same side!”
Zong Xinjue also realized it but couldn’t stop in time. He had to release the giant shield temporarily, but his entire body still moved forward due to inertia. The two collided and fell onto the nearby bed.
Under the sudden weight of two adults, the bed made a creaking sound.
Wincing, Chu Qianze raised his hand to rub his head. “I know you’re excited to see me, but was this necessary?”
Fortunately, there was a bed behind them; otherwise, with such pressure, who knows how many health points would have been left.
Without getting a response, Chu Qianze looked to the side and saw Zong Xinjue with a complex expression. Before he could examine him closely, he found himself being hugged by this person.
“Thank goodness, you’re okay.”
Chu Qianze blinked, sensing that the atmosphere was somewhat awkward. In the end, he raised his hand and patted the person’s back. “I think you seem to be more seriously affected than I am.”
The one hundred percent realism was no joke; after all, they had been through battles, and injuries were inevitable. Although healing potions were used, residual pain still lingered.
“Any more potions?” Seeing the person remain silent, Chu Qianze understood and handed over a few potions.
“By the way, your progress in clearing the levels is too intense. It scared me for a moment.”
Zong Xinjue pursed his lips and drank the healing potion.
“The quest log mentioned that you might be in danger.”
Even though he saw the information on his friend’s status, there was always that fear of the unknown.
Recalling the experiences in his mind, Chu Qianze said, “It’s not too bad, just that there’s a parrot that never stops talking, trying to lock me inside a painting as its collection.”
“A parrot?” Zong Xinjue raised his eyes and glanced around. In a painting, a lifelike woman was embracing a man, and not far away, a green-tailed bird in a cage stared straight at them.
“Is that it?”
“Exactly.”
Chu Qianze propped himself up and sat up. “I guess you can get up now; my legs are getting numb.”
At this moment, Zong Xinjue was sitting on Chu Qianze’s thigh. He attempted to lift himself up, but due to the excessive force used in the previous battle, he fell back down before he could get up.
Feeling that something was off, he opened the character panel to find that he had a debuff—weakness. “After the berserk blood amplification ended, all attributes were reduced by 90%, and a sense of powerlessness increased by 90%. This side effect is too harsh.”
“What’s that? Let me take a look.” Chu Qianze hadn’t heard of this before.
“Before, it wasn’t like this. It seems like it’s because of excessive use today. But this amplification, during battles, can increase my combat power several times over,” Zong Xinjue explained, bringing up the skill effects panel to show Chu Qianze.
“Amazing! How did you manage that?”
“I encountered an NPC who grabbed me, claiming to have found a lucky E. They had me complete a hidden quest called ‘Fly Away, Unlucky Bird.’ After the weakness effect manifested, I’m not feeling too good now.” Zong Xinjue flipped over and got off Chu Qianze, lying down on the bed.
A shimmer of light caught their attention as a man and a woman emerged from the painting.
“Thank you so much. Because of your help, I can reunite with my loved one. This is our small token of appreciation, please don’t refuse,” the woman spoke with a gentle voice, carrying a heartwarming warmth.
[Castle Beauty (Completed)]
[The exit has been opened, feel free to leave at any time.]
The rewards were quite generous, causing Chu Qianze to level up several times directly and gain rare items and equipment.
“After leveling up, the condition still can’t be offset?” Chu Qianze looked at Zong Xinjue, noticing that he still appeared quite tired.
“Yes, I can only wait quietly for the effect to wear off,” Zong Xinjue replied, closing his eyes to adapt to the current state.
During the labyrinth exploration, he sensed something. Actually, ending up like this probably had something to do with his luck. Even though he constantly reminded himself to focus on getting stronger rather than dwelling on things that might not matter, the current feeling was uncomfortable, and it stirred up some of the earlier vexing emotions.
Lost in these contemplations, he felt his body suddenly lifted into the air. Opening his eyes, he was utterly stunned.
“Put, put me down!” With one hand against Chu Qianze, Zong Xinjue stammered.
“You’re too weak to insist. Besides, didn’t you carry me before?” Chu Qianze responded.
Unable to stand the despondent look on his face, Chu Qianze, with Zong Xinjue in tow, walked into the teleportation array.
“I didn’t mean to do it like that!”
What’s with this princess carry?! Zong Xinjue was irritated, wishing he could find a place to hide his face.
“Should I carry you then? It’s just that carrying you is inconvenient.” Chu Qianze walked out of the teleportation array, and the two returned to the mountaintop.
It was already night here.
“What’s inconvenient about it? Wait, I can walk by myself!!”
Just as he was about to get himself down, Zong Xinjue felt a gentle breeze.
With the crisp sound of assembling echoing in the air, metallic wings unfolded from behind Chu Qianze, stretching infinitely with an exquisite curvature. A faint moonlight sprinkled upon them, casting a layer of coldness and chill.
Chu Qianze lowered his eyes slightly, and the small braids behind him gently swayed in the wind, dispersing an invisible aura.
The newly unlocked skill after leveling up: Mechanical Wings.
The difference from an aircraft lies in its high load-bearing capacity and strong attack power, capable of carrying others.
“Ready to go, bro! Let me take you for a ride~” Chu Qianze lowered his head, winked at Zong Xinjue, and the huge wings soared and descended in the air.
Their feet levitated, and the two ascended into the sky, leaving only fallen leaves swirling into a small vortex on the ground.
As they flew higher, the towering trees below transformed into low bushes and then dense grass. Looking down from this height, everything appeared minuscule.
Starry skies adorned the heavens, shimmering in harmony with the moon. Occasional wisps of clouds passed by, bringing a slight chill to their faces—not cold, but incredibly refreshing.
Mechanical wings folded as they ascended. During the upward journey, Chu Qianze released the embrace, took Zong Xinjue’s hand, and twirled around with him.
“How about that? Isn’t it super fun?” His hair floated in the air, and he laughed recklessly.
Zong Xinjue opened his mouth but slightly averted his gaze, remaining silent.
Perhaps the flying speed was too fast, the experience too thrilling, inducing a sense of suspension bridge effect.
The wind roared, drowning out the heartbeat.
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![He Lived Like You [End of the World]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HLLY.jpg "He Lived Like You [End of the World]")
