Happy Halloween

"When there are nine ghosts and one person in the dark castle, what will be the final result?"

According to the story in the black notebook obtained from the pantry, there are three prerequisites.

First, ghosts can coexist with people and can also eat people, and tend to eat people.

Second, ghosts will become humans after eating people.

Third, ghosts don't put themselves in danger.

When there was only one ghost and one person at first, even if the ghost turned into a human, he was safe, and no other ghosts could eat him, so he chose to eat people.Finally there exists a person transformed from a ghost.

When there were two ghosts and one person at the beginning, if ghost A ate a person, ghost B would choose to eat A who became a person, so ghost A would not eat people for his own safety.The same is true for B.So the result is that neither ghost can eat people.In the end there are two ghosts and one person.

When there are three ghosts and one person at the beginning, if ghost A eats the human first, ghosts B and C, who are a step slower, face A who has become a human, and they will consider that after eating A, they will be killed by another ghost immediately. Eat, so B and C will not choose to eat A.In the end there are two ghosts and a man, but the man is transformed by the ghost who first ate man.

When there are four ghosts and one person at first, if ghost A eats the person first, the situation will evolve into ghost BCD and person A, then ghost B will eat A without hesitation, because ghost CD will not eat person B's.From A's point of view, if he himself eats a person, he himself will be immediately eaten by another ghost.Therefore, in order to protect his own safety, he refused to eat that person from the beginning.In the same way, other ghosts will not eat people first.The final result is that all four ghosts and one person exist.

……

The reasoning here is obvious.

Every time a ghost is added, the ghost has to consider whether the original human being in the previous situation is safe or not after he eats a human first.If it is safe, eat it; if the original person is eaten, it means that he will be in danger after cannibalism, so he refuses to eat people.

So the final derivation result is:

When there are a base number (2n+1) ghosts and a person initially, the final situation is that there are 2n ghosts and a person, and the person is transformed from the ghost that eats people;

When there are an even number (2n) of ghosts and a person initially, the final situation is that there are 2n ghosts and a person, and the person is still the original person.

Mu Xuanying thought for a moment, then pressed down the slate that said "eight ghosts, one person".

"Click."

The huge stone slab slid down as a whole, sliding to both sides in a tooth-like staggered form, exposing a small cavity hidden behind the stone wall.

Mu Xuanying took out the red lacquer box inside, opened the box, and there was a... rag doll inside?

I thought it was a key from another room or some puzzle-solving tool, but when I suddenly saw something beyond my expectations, Mu Xuanying couldn't help showing a somewhat astonished expression.

And this thing, how should I put it, really gives people a feeling of nostalgia.

The boy smiled slightly, probably this kind of doll also belonged to the castle owner's childhood toys.

same as his.

After taking out the box, the stone mechanism turns and the wall snaps shut.Mu Xuanying placed the box on the table, then picked up the doll and began to study it.

"Huh? There seems to be something inside..."

He pinched the doll's soft belly, and his eyes drifted to the scissors on the desk, showing a hesitant expression.

If I cut this rag doll with scissors...would it be bad?After all, this is someone else's property, so don't destroy it casually.

But the shape of the stuff inside the doll’s belly looks a bit like a key. If it’s according to the meaning of the castle owner, it should be that he wants him to explore more rooms to solve puzzles.

Should I use scissors at this time?

"Do you use small scissors to cut the doll?"

〖yes. 〗

〖no. 〗

Mu Xuanying hesitated for a while, but chose to give up.

"Sure enough, you still can't break other people's things."

However, since it was an item obtained from the organ opened after solving the puzzle, it was probably not completely useless. After thinking for a while, he decided to bring it with him.

The cloth of the doll feels a little rough when rubbed with the fingertips, and the style is relatively old, but it is well preserved.Mu Xuanying hung it around her waist, then picked up the jack-o-lantern and continued to explore.

With a "click", the door was gently closed.

The figure of the young man was moving towards the corridor in the other direction of the main hall, and the legs of the white robe that stretched to the ground slowly turned around the corner of the corridor.

The silver candlesticks on the edge of the wall flickered with open flames, and the wax oil flowed down the candle body, condensing into a semi-solid shape in the middle.

Small candles hang down.

From the other end of the corridor, another figure suddenly appeared.

The soles of his shoes stepped on the soft carpet, making an indiscernible rubbing sound. He stood in front of the door of the room Mu Xuanying entered earlier, paused, and opened the door.

"The door lock was unlocked, someone has been here." The man whispered to himself, his voice rising dangerously, "Which guy didn't know what to do?"

His gaze swept across the room, paused for a moment on the oil painting placed by the wall, then turned to the stone slab on the wall, and after a while, he looked at the desk - on the desk was an empty wooden table that had been opened. box.

His face darkened, and his eyes instantly became gloomy.

Mu Xuanying suddenly felt a chill behind her back.

"Has the temperature cooled down? I suddenly feel so cold..." He rubbed his arms, grunted, and looked up to scan the environment in the room.

The corridor on the right side of the hall is completely symmetrical to the pattern on the left side. There are not many rooms, but the door of this room is the only one that is not locked. Mu Xuanying had no choice but to walk into this room to explore.

The interior of the house follows the usual decoration style with black and red as the main color, giving it a sense of bloody luxury.The difference from the room where the rag doll was just obtained is that the items here are a little too shiny, such as exquisite and gorgeous jewelry, ceramic vases from the East, lifelike animal specimens, ancient knight armor... Many of them are too dazzling at first glance. Quite precious items were randomly placed around by the owner, making this place look like a messy warehouse that has not been tidied up for a long time.

In the middle of the room was an open empty box with a piece of parchment next to it.

"Can I trouble you to steal the important thing that the person in the left room hid in the red box? What exactly is it? I have been curious for a long time.

As a reward, I will tell you the puzzle of my next level.

PS: If you put any worthless things in the box, you will die. "

"Uh... steal, steal?"

Taking other people's things without permission is considered stealing. The words used on the parchment made people feel inexplicably uncomfortable. Mu Xuanying was at a loss while holding the doll, showing guilt mixed with guilt and embarrassment look.

After you get the clearance clues, put the doll back in the room just now.

He thought tangledly, and put the doll in the box in front of him.

Obviously the doll is such a light thing, but the moment the doll was put in, the box was inserted into the groove that suddenly appeared on the table with a "click".Immediately, the sound of rusty gears turning slowly came from the room, and the antique cabinet next to a silver armor moved tremblingly to the side, and something was carved on the bare stone wall.

At the moment when Mu Xuanying walked towards the stone wall, several glazed oil lamps used for lighting in the room suddenly exploded with a "bang".

The crisp sound of cracking reached his ears, and the room was immediately enveloped in darkness, except for the dim yellow light of the jack-o-lantern in his hand.

The sudden darkness caused people's eyes to fall into a state of temporary blindness. Mu Xuanying's breathing was stagnant, and her pupils shrank suddenly.

There are others.

Do not expose yourself to the dark.

He decisively extinguished the pumpkin lantern in his hand.

walking around.

Mu Xuanying closed her eyes, and walked toward the wall holding her breath.

The pace is very fast... There is no doubt that he is walking straight in his direction!

——His target is me!

Feeling a strong gust of wind, Mu Xuanying suddenly stopped and leaned to the side.The short-edged blade brushed against his cheek very close, a few cut off hairs flew up, and the cold energy was deeply embedded in the stone wall, leaving a terrible crack.

Without even thinking about it, he immediately grasped the epee in the armored knight's hand, swung his hands sideways, and with a clang, he just blocked the opponent's bottom-up slash, and used the epee's rotating inertia to suppress the opponent. The moment he returned to defense without raising his breath, the offensive and defensive situation was changed in an instant.

However, before Mu Xuanying could catch his breath, the other party stretched out his left hand, which was not holding a knife, and grabbed his neck violently.

The strength of his hands was unexpectedly strong, Mu Xuanying was lifted up by his neck, struggling to breathe hard, making a ho-ho sound from his throat, soon his hands lost strength, and the epee slipped to the ground.

The cold breath approached slowly, and vaguely, the other party's mocking sneer came from the ear.

"..."

……What is he saying?

The suffocated skull hummed uncontrollably, and his eyes went black for a while. Mu Xuanying closed his eyes, and a cold air rushed up his back, making his limbs feel cold.

bad, bad...

His fingers hanging by his side trembled, and he raised his hand vigorously to grasp the other's palm.It's a pity that this level of struggle didn't work, and his hand quickly slipped down feebly.

In the hazy field of vision, what can be vaguely seen is the silhouette and shadow of the other side's face in the darkness, and those cold eyes are unexpectedly familiar.

Could it be that he was attacked inexplicably like this?

But even though the will was still screaming unwillingly, he still couldn't resist and slowly closed his eyes.

……

Suddenly, the riddle of the man and the ghost flashed through Mu Xuanying's mind.

If there were nine ghosts in the dark castle, the only human would be eaten by one of them.

In the castle, there are exactly nine ghost sculptures on the platform in the middle of the stairs.

And I am the only human being.

So, does this mean that he is destined to be eaten by ghosts?

"Momo—"

wrong.

There are ten bases for the sculpture.

If you want to keep yourself out of danger, you must... you must find the tenth ghost sculpture.

Ten ghosts and one person is the situation of coexistence.

"Maomao - Maomao -"

Ah, who is it?

Who is calling him?

Who was calling him... calling his nickname so familiarly?

In the long memory, it seems that there is a person who is like this...

"Maomao, wake up, Maomao—!"

Sitting up suddenly in cold sweat, Mu Xuanying felt dizzy and her chest was stuffy in a trance.He tried to support the ground with his hands so as not to fall back all at once, and the colorful patches in front of his eyes were mottled.

The light red flame swayed in the lamp, the light illuminated his face, and the sweat slid down the arc of his chin, dripping and soaking the soft carpet.

The room was silent.

The heavy curtains cover the windows, and it is hard to tell what time it is, and there is a sense of time and space confusion for a while.

Mu Xuanying blinked, wiped away the wet water stains on her eyelashes with her hand, and then saw a person standing in front of him.

A young man about his age, with slightly long hair, had an unusually delicate face but an indifferent expression, and his scarlet eyes gave off a strange feeling of blood.

He had been looking at Mu Xuanying since he woke up, and when Mu Xuanying raised his head, the eyes of the two naturally touched each other lightly.

"Maomao, are you awake?" His tone was calm.

"Sober..." Mu Xuanying replied unconsciously, paused, showing a surprised expression, "No, who are you? Why do you know me..."

"I'm Mo Yu." The young man said calmly. He seemed a little impatient, and before Mu Xuanying could finish speaking, he interrupted him roughly, and said with a blank expression, "You seem to have a nightmare after you fainted. , kept screaming, claiming to be Mao Mao and saying something incomprehensible. Aren’t you Mao Mao? Then what’s your name?”

"Uh, I'm Maomao." Mu Xuanying was a little embarrassed, "But the real name is Mu Xuan..."

"Oh, then I'll call you Maomao." Mo Yu said.

"Ying..." Hey, at least let someone finish the name!The corner of Mu Xuanying's mouth twitched.

Mo Yu glanced at Mu Xuanying, his calm eyes seemed to see through what he was slandering in his heart, which made Mu Xuanying feel quite guilty.

Mo Yu said, "Get up quickly when you wake up." He paused for a moment, then added nonchalantly, "Although the floor is covered with carpet, it's still cold after sitting for a long time."

It's barely a sign of concern.

"Well, okay." Mu Xuanying said, "Thank you, Mo Yu."

Unexpectedly, Mo Yu gave him a subtle look, and corrected him, "You should call me brother."

"...Why? You don't look much older than me!"

"How old are you?"

"15 years old.

"I'm twenty."

"...You don't look convincing at all, okay? You are at most one year older than me."

"I won't lie to you."

"..."

"I am older than you."

"Ah, alright, Brother Mo Yu! Brother Mo Yu!"

"Oh, so sweet."

Mo Yu pressed and rubbed her head with the palm of her hand, and Mu Xuanying's swollen bun face shrank back little by little... It seemed a little happy to be praised.

In other words, it was just calling me a brother, and I didn't have such psychological entanglements as I imagined, and I felt an unexpected intimacy when I met Mo Yu for the first time.

"Speaking of which, Brother Mo Yu, why did I faint?"

"……do not you remember?"

"Yingyingchuchuo remembers a little bit, it seems that someone came out of the room suddenly and wanted to strangle me..." Mu Xuanying looked around the room, the glazed lamp safely emitted bright fire, and the pile of precious things in memory was still in front of her eyes. In a messy room where items were strewn about, the knight armor by the wall was holding a quaint heavy sword in a good posture.

His voice faded unconsciously, and he suddenly doubted himself.

"I was walking around on the mountain, and when I found this castle, I came in to have a look." Mo Yu interrupted him, followed his gaze and glanced at the knight armor.Mu Xuanying thought that he might be hallucinating due to being too tired, and even felt the armor tremble.

Mo Yu said: "After I saw the note in the main hall, I walked around the castle and found that the doors of most of the rooms could not be opened, so I went back to the first floor and searched for the rooms that could be opened one by one. Then I found the traces you left in the room in the corridor on the other side, continued to explore, and found you alone in this room."

"Did you only see me?" Mu Xuanying couldn't believe it, "There is nothing... a figure in the dark?"

Mo Yu said calmly, "I didn't see anything."

Mu Xuanying: "Could it be that I am dreaming?"

Mo Yu looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Let's not talk about that." Mu Xuanying forced a laugh and changed the subject, "Since brother Mo Yu came from the opposite room, have you seen the puzzle of "nine ghosts and one person"? "

"I see, there is also the black notebook you left on the table." Mo Yu chuckled, "You solved it very well, Maomao."

"Thank you for the compliment." Mu Xuanying's cheeks flushed slightly, she turned her face slightly, and said with some embarrassment: "After reading the message in the main hall, I think the owner of this castle wants us to find clues to solve the puzzle." The first puzzle is "Nine ghosts and one person" in that room, and the second one is here.I put the doll in the opposite room into the box on the table earlier, and then the shelf on this side moved. "

He looked at the stone wall exposed after the antique shelf was removed, there seemed to be something like a figure engraved on the top, and below...it turned out to be a safe embedded in the wall.

Seeing this, Mu Xuanying said: "It looks like we are asked to solve the password, enter the password into the safe, and then take out the contents."

Mo Yu nodded: "I see."

The two walked to the wall, only to see two pictures engraved on the stone wall, and the password that can be entered in the safe has five digits.

So, what is the password?