She is not an investigator.

A faint sound came from Igris's pocket, prompting her to hurriedly reach in and rummage. What she finally found was the pocket watch that the man had tossed to her.

The pocket watch was still broken; the hands kept spinning counter-clockwise at completely inconsistent speeds.

It didn't stop moving until its pointer finally landed at the position of twelve.

At that very moment, everything around them suddenly began to fade and distort, and sparks engulfed the surrounding scenery, as if a painting had been set ablaze, quickly returning to nothingness and emptiness.

Tick, tick.

The pocket watch's time returned to normal at this moment, settling peacefully and steadily into the next period of time.

……

"..."

Igris slowly opened her eyes. She was no longer in the hall or any other strange place, but on that familiar bed.

The sun has risen, though not high, it must be morning.

Igris rubbed her slightly throbbing head and fell into reminiscence and contemplation.

She seemed to have dreamt something, but her memory was now very blurry, and everything in the dream seemed to vanish at lightning speed the moment she opened her eyes, leaving no trace.

The only things she remembered were probably the man who appeared in her dream, and... flames.

I can't remember anything else.

"Have you been under too much stress lately...?"

Igris couldn't help but scratch her head, but a pocket watch had appeared in her hand without her noticing. Its antique bronze appearance and unusually intricate patterns made it look exceptionally precious, or perhaps full of historical significance.

Igris didn't remember having such a thing, and she had locked the door. It couldn't be that someone had nothing better to do than come into her room in the middle of the night and shove the watch into her hand.

Igris glanced at the time on her pocket watch; it read 8:03. But Igris wasn't sure if the watch was accurate, although it looked roughly like it was around 8 o'clock.

Clearly, she must have encountered some supernatural event again, and the flames in her dream made her feel vaguely uneasy.

The flames couldn't harm her, but they couldn't harm the others. If a fire were to break out here, the vast grasslands and forests around would become a natural prison for everyone here, and even if they waited for fire rescue, their chances of survival would be slim.

Trusting your intuition is never wrong, especially since Igris' intuition is almost never wrong.

So now she's thinking of running away, but even if she tells everyone in the castle that, she doubts anyone will believe her.

"Igris? Is she awake?"

Olivia's voice came from outside the door. She knocked gently and called out to Igris tentatively.

"Wait a moment."

Igris stretched, got out of bed, put on her boots, and then went to the door and opened it.

"Shall we go have breakfast?"

"Don't rush... Olivia, there's something I want to tell you."

Seeing Igris' serious expression, Olivia's expression also became serious.

"what happens?"

After a moment's hesitation, Igris spoke slowly.

"Since you're interested in the occult, you probably understand that some things can't be explained by common sense. I had a bad dream last night, and it gave me a bad feeling, and there might be some danger. I know this sounds a bit absurd, but I'm serious. This banquet might not be able to proceed so smoothly."

As she spoke, Igris took out the pocket watch and waved it, but did not hand it directly to Olivia, since she was not sure if the pocket watch was dangerous.

"The fact that this piece of clothing (the second watch) suddenly appeared beside me indicates that I [have indeed encountered some very unusual event]." (Three strands)

Seeing Igris' serious expression, Olivia knew she wasn't joking, and her own expression became somewhat solemn as well.

"If there is any danger in this banquet, it is most likely from that gem. But we haven't seen the gem yet, so we don't know the specifics. The birthday banquet doesn't officially start until tomorrow, so we still have about a day to investigate or eliminate any possible dangers or hidden dangers. I will tell Nan Ke about this."

Olivia truly trusted her assistant, even though Igris's words were completely unfounded and based solely on her intuition. Olivia remained vigilant and appeared even more cautious than Igris.

"If Liu, I mean if it's possible to stop this banquet or move it to another location? What makes me uneasy isn't the gem, but the castle itself."

Igri (or rather, Igri) revealed her worries and concerns to the world. In fact, from the moment she officially stepped onto this land, she had always felt that something was wrong with the castle.

But she couldn't explain it, and the feeling seemed to be a complete illusion, without any basis.

The stone tablet and the scene in my dream amplified this unease countless times.

"It's unlikely that we can end the banquet directly... As for the castle itself, I can ask Nanko to find some information about it to investigate, and maybe we can find some clues."

Olivia then continued to reassure her.

"Don't worry too much, there won't be any major danger. I've lived here for a long time and know this place better than most people. Even if we do encounter any danger, we'll be fine."

"...I hope so."

The Gods' Fool's Play - The Castle's Invitation: Chapter Twelve, Prevention is Better Than Cure

Olivia brought Igris to the restaurant, where many people were gathered, each sitting around a different table, and each table was set with all kinds of food for everyone to eat.

It has to be said that this is indeed a large family. Even though they have declined, they have never lacked anything in terms of food. At least she had never seen anyone else have such a grand breakfast. However, it may also be because of the banquet, which has gathered many guests, so they simply chose to have this for convenience.

It's said to be a lot, but in reality, it only looks like a dozen or so. After all, the current Noval is different from before. Apart from those who are on good terms with Buze, almost no one will take the initiative to come and wish the head of the Noval family a happy birthday, let alone the current head of the family, who is Nanko.

These dozen or so people were all invited by Buze. Nanke only invited Olivia and no one else. Even Olivia was only invited because he needed her help; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have brought it up himself.

Igris could actually understand this. After all, based on her thoughts about birthdays in her previous life, she would either invite very close friends or feel a little uncomfortable if they came over. It would be better to celebrate by herself.

However, Igris's thinking was that of a poor person, quite different from that of a wealthy person, so she could only try to understand it in her own way.

The restaurant has many tables, making it look like a buffet. You can go to any table you want to eat, then go to an empty table to eat. Although it seems a bit cumbersome, it does make people more hungry. Eating while taking a walk is also a good idea, since the restaurant is quite large.

Igris also noticed that Nanko didn't come over to greet them, because he was talking to his brother. The atmosphere seemed relaxed, but Nanko would shake his head from time to time, probably still discussing the issue of the family head. The two brothers ultimately couldn't reach an agreement.

However, Igris is now wondering, since Nanko only invited Olivia as a guest, who will be the one to steal the jewel?

"Don't just stand there, isn't there anything you like to eat?"

Olivia walked over carrying a plate that looked like it was filled with lacquer, on which was placed a piece of pudding. Sure enough, rich people like to eat sweets.

"It's nothing, don't worry about me."

Igris also picked up a plate, and under Olivia's watchful gaze, hesitated for a long time before finally picking up a knife and cutting off a piece of chicken.

Although eating roast chicken for breakfast isn't ideal, she was craving meat, since she usually eats desserts or bread every day and isn't exactly a vegetarian.

"After they finish talking, I'll ask about the castle for you, don't worry."

Olivia still remembered this, and seeing her bring it up herself put Iglesias at ease; at least she no longer needed to spend time persuading her boss.

Trust between people is always the most precious thing.

"But could I see your pocket watch? Didn't you say it appeared out of nowhere?"

Igris nodded and took out her pocket watch, but then hesitated.

"The origin of this thing is unknown, and I have no way of knowing whether it has any bad effects or not. It's best not to take it."

"But you're fine, aren't you?"

"Maybe it's just that people can't tell."

After all, many abnormal or polluted people may not show any abnormalities on their bodies (the surface may not), but their bodies may have already become different people, or become bombs that could explode at any time.

Thinking about this, Igris couldn't help but move back a little.

If it really explodes, Iglesias might survive because of her Joker title, but Olivia's chances are slim.

"Have you checked it?"

"It's just an ordinary mechanical watch, and it keeps accurate time. It looks a bit old and has some decorative patterns. Maybe it's an antique. So, does anyone here know anything about watches?"

Olivia touched her chin and said with a somewhat strange expression.

"If Mr. Raymond were mentally sound, he might be able to take a look at you, but unfortunately, he's still in the hospital."

"So to avoid trouble, I'd better not show this to everyone."

Igris shrugged and put the pocket watch back into her pocket.

"Can we try that again tonight? I want to try asking the dead."

Igris refers to psychic rituals. If anyone knows the castle best about the past, it is probably those who died on this land and lived in the castle.

Unfortunately, Olivia shook her head helplessly.

"It's not very likely. Normally, you can only communicate with spirits once a week, and it's not guaranteed to be successful."

That's a real shame.

Igris was somewhat disappointed, but Olivia had actually done a remarkable job. According to her, she was just a hobbyist, yet she had not only mastered the methods of psychic communication but could even use them skillfully. At least in this respect, Olivia was probably much better than Igris.

As an investigator, Igris inevitably comes into contact with the occult, so she had undergone a lot of systematic learning and understanding in her previous life. Although her level was still mediocre, she was able to recognize some mysterious creatures or rituals that shouldn't exist most of the time, which was enough for her.

Although she had indeed seen some cultists use similar magical abilities, their power and effects were limited, and it was not as satisfying as her shooting.

"By the way, I've always wanted to ask... This castle is surrounded by woods and wasteland, and there are no human settlements nearby. Not to mention, it's a dry season now. What if a fire really breaks out here? It doesn't look like there's any emergency response capability here."

"Since this place has been permitted to live here, it must have been put into fire prevention and control. The guards are often responsible for monitoring the castle to prevent accidental fires. If a fire does break out, there will be corresponding fire-fighting equipment and water supply for firefighting. There is also a fire escape in the basement that leads directly to the outside of the forest. So there is no need to worry too much if there is a fire."

"But the basement door is locked?"

Olivia paused for a moment, then frowned slightly and said...

"The maid probably locked the basement door for convenience. We can talk to the housekeeper later, or go directly to Nan Ke; he has the key too."

Olivia clearly hadn't expected the basement door to be locked. After all, fire exits should never be blocked at any time, as a blocked exit would only increase the likelihood of casualties should an unavoidable accident occur.

"I feel like a safety officer..."

Igris sighed helplessly. She had only gone around for a short while and found such a big safety hazard. She wondered if this castle had ever experienced a similar disaster.

"It's definitely right to be careful."

Olivia smiled and gently put a small piece of pudding into her mouth.

"So I'm going to go and check later what exactly the so-called fire protection work includes, and whether the fire exits are really unobstructed."

"...Isn't this going a bit too far?"

"You only feel pain when fire burns you."

Although Igris no longer feels pain.

The Gods' Fool - The Castle Invitation: Chapter Thirteen, The Idealist