Thinking about this, Zhao Xiaotian's breathing quickened. It was like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over him, waking him from a dream.
In an instant, he thought of his grandfather, over seventy years old. He thought of his third uncle, who had lost his legs in an accident and spent every day drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Zhao Xiaotian desperately wanted to verify his theory. He tried to log out immediately, but a system prompt stopped him:
[ To save your game, please find a bed. ]
Helpless, Zhao Xiaotian had to suppress the overwhelming emotion in his chest and follow the crowd into Illyrio's manse.
Unlike the preoccupied Zhao Xiaotian, the other players—possessing artistic sensibilities roughly equal to zero—were busy critiquing the Magister's mansion.
"Yo, these Westerners really didn't understand Feng Shui in the Middle Ages. How can you put a statue there? That's definitely blocking the Qi flow!"
"Such a nice courtyard, and he ruins it by paving it with bluestone bricks. Tsk, zero out of ten."
As the saying goes: put a keyboard warrior in the Sistine Chapel, and they'll complain about the paint job.
To these players, this was just a game, so naturally, they started nitpicking everything.
"Sigh. Wu, to be honest, I'm kinda losing interest in grinding quests and fighting mobs," said Song Jiang (ID: King_of_Femboys), stroking his chin and sounding like an old man.
"If I could just live in a mansion like this, surrounded by beauties, hang out with a few close friends, drink tea, watch dancers, and go fishing... ah, my life would be complete."
Song Jiang, known in real life as the "King of Empty Nets" for his terrible fishing skills, looked wistful.
"Look at you. So young, yet so unmotivated! Where's your ambition? Look at me! My goal is firm: I want to ride a dragon!" His friend Zhang Quan (ID: Optimus_Prime) scoffed.
"Oh, give it a rest. If someone offered you a courtyard house in Beijing IRL, you'd probably sell your own father for it!" Song Jiang rolled his eyes at his friend.
While Viserys and his sister were personally escorted to their rooms by Illyrio, the players didn't get such VIP treatment.
Led by a mute servant, the dozen or so players chattered noisily as they were guided to the bathhouse.
"Whoa, it's a public bathhouse! Didn't expect to enjoy a spa day in the Middle Ages!" Seeing the massive pool steaming with hot water, the players' eyes lit up.
Who doesn't love a hot bath?
Without needing the mute servant to explain, the players stripped naked and cannonballed into the water.
The mute servant frowned at the chorus of oohs and aahs, looked at the messy pile of dirty clothes on the floor, shook his head, and left.
---
"Your Grace, this will be your room. Princess Daenerys's room is just next door."
Inside the room Illyrio pointed to, Viserys's gaze locked onto the bed. Heaven have mercy, His Grace had had enough of sleeping on straw.
"There is hot water prepared in the room. Please bathe first, Your Grace. A banquet will be held in your honor shortly."
Viserys had no complaints about Illyrio's arrangements. He knew the Magister's mouth was full of loyalty while his heart was full of business.
But whether it was exploitation or not, the surface-level hospitality was flawless. Viserys couldn't find a single fault.
Illyrio left quickly, leaving only Viserys and his sister in the room. Daenerys wouldn't go to her own room. Living a life of dependency had made the Princess fear her brother, yet she only felt safe when she was near him.
It couldn't be helped. Viserys was her only kin in this world.
The room—and the bathroom—was huge. The spacious tub was filled with scalding hot water.
The future Mother of Dragons didn't mind, of course. A true dragon does not fear fire, so why would she fear hot water?
"Hssss!"
Viserys grimaced as he tentatively dipped a toe into the tub.
His cautiousness made Daenerys, who was already submerged up to her neck on the other side, giggle.
Viserys rolled his eyes at her, sank into the water, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the long-lost comfort.
The last time he had soaked in a hot spring was in his previous life.
After some time, the bathroom door opened from the outside. A woman holding fresh clothes froze when she saw the girl who was supposed to be in the other room.
But as one of Illyrio's many bed-slaves, she was well-trained. She asked no questions, simply placed the clothes down, and left quickly.
When Viserys emerged, dressed in fine silks, the servant had returned with clothes for Daenerys.
Guided by a servant, the siblings walked toward the banquet hall. Behind him, Daenerys, looking uncomfortable in her luxurious gown, took small steps, keeping her head down, always walking behind her brother.
Illyrio had been waiting in the hall for a while. Seeing Viserys, the host warmly invited His Grace to take his seat.
Soon, the players were also led into the hall, honored to sit at the same long table as the King and the Magister of Pentos.
"What are they doing?" Bun_Immortal nudged FaFo, looking confused as a line of handmaidens walked in, each holding a plate.
"How should I know? Look at what's on the plate... free bread?" FaFo scratched his head, equally confused.
"You say that like the bread on the table isn't free," Bun_Immortal retorted.
The handmaiden placed the plate in front of him. Now, Bun_Immortal could see clearly: besides the bread, there was a small pile of salt.
Although confused, the plate was right in front of his face. Bun_Immortal tentatively tore off a small piece of bread, dipped it in the salt, and ate it.
"What kind of weird eating habit is this?"
"Probably some kind of ritual."
Other players were also puzzled, but Minister_of_Excuses spoke up to enlighten everyone:
"It's Guest Right. Like the Slavic tradition of Bread and Salt. The host offers bread and salt to show that you are safe here and no harm will come to you."
The players nodded in realization and followed suit, eating the bread and salt.
When the plates were presented to Viserys and his sister, they partook without hesitation under Illyrio's gaze.
Honestly, for many years, "bread and salt" was often the only thing they ate at a host's table.
To the wealthy host, the steaming white bread on the long table might just be a decoration.
But as the handmaidens returned with steaming dishes, the real feast began.
A bowl of creamy mutton soup was placed before each guest. Pigeon pie and lemon cakes seemed to serve as the main staples. Roast suckling pig, ham steaks, and roasted snails filled the long table, making the players drool.
However, dishes like blood sausage, roasted apples, and trout stewed in almond milk made most of the players shake their heads.
To them, these exotic foods were far less attractive than the Myrish fire wine and Arbor Gold that were presented next.
While the players picked through the food, Viserys—who couldn't log out to eat takeout—was more than satisfied. He was sick of black bread and devoured the meal in front of him.