A bizarre and terrifying experience; I messed up the dungeon world.

"It should be," Zhou Lang said. "The seal has been reinforced, and he won't be able to get out anytime soon."

"Then how do we leave?" Han Yingying asked.

As soon as he finished speaking, a door appeared on the wall of the room. The door opened automatically, revealing a staircase leading to the ground.

The three exchanged a glance and headed towards the stairs.

The stairs were long, but much shorter than when we came.

Zhou Lang walked at the front, the light of the oil lamp illuminating the way ahead. He could sense that the atmosphere in the manor had changed, and the oppressive feeling had lessened considerably.

"How did you come up with the idea of ​​reinforcing the seal?" Han Yingying asked.

"I didn't expect that," Zhou Lang said. "I just felt that this was the right thing to do."

"What do you mean by 'should be done this way'?" Zhao Qiang asked, puzzled.

"Intuition," Zhou Lang said. "Sometimes intuition is more effective than thinking."

They walked out of the staircase and found themselves back in the lobby on the first floor.

The hall was empty, but the paintings on the walls had changed. The eerie and terrifying scenes that once filled the space had been replaced with ordinary landscape paintings.

"The manor has changed," Han Yingying said.

"Because the source has been sealed," Zhou Lang said. "Those ghosts should have disappeared as well."

Just then, the butler appeared.

It still looked like a skeleton, but the flames in its eye sockets had turned blue.

"You've done something remarkable," the butler said, his voice no longer so cold. "The manor's owner has been resealed, and those trapped souls can finally be freed."

"So we can leave now?" Zhao Qiang asked.

"Alright," Butler Kill nodded, "but before you leave, I want to give you a reward."

It stretched out its hand, and three gold coins appeared in its palm.

"This is a gift from the manor," the butler said. "Each gold coin is worth 1000 Mysterious Coins."

Zhou Lang took the gold coins and found that they were much heavier than ordinary strange coins, and were engraved with intricate patterns.

"In addition, each of you may take one item from the manor," the butler said. "Anything is permitted."

"Really?" Zhao Qiang's eyes lit up.

"Really," the butler said, "but you can only choose one item, and it must be one you can carry."

Zhao Qiang immediately ran to the restaurant, where there were many valuable items. Han Yingying, on the other hand, went to the study, where she was more interested in the old books.

Zhou Lang didn't move, but watched as the butler was killed.

"What do you want?" the butler asked.

"I want to know, what exactly is this manor?" Zhou Lang said.

The butler was silent for a moment, then said, "This is a testing ground."

"The Trial Grounds?"

"Yes," the butler said. "Long ago, this was a nobleman's manor. But the manor's owner did many evil things in pursuit of immortality. In the end, his family joined forces, sealed him in the basement, and turned the manor into a trial ground."

"What kind of trial?"

"A test of humanity," the butler said. "Everyone who comes here will face various trials. Some will be crushed by fear, some will be devoured by greed, and only those who truly pass the tests can leave this place."

"And what about you?" Zhou Lang asked. "Who are you?"

"I am the guardian of the manor," the butler said. "My duty is to keep the manor running and to observe everyone who comes here."

"So you've been observing us all along?"

"Yes," the butler said. "The three of you are all special. Zhao Qiang may be timid, but he has the courage to face his fears. Han Yingying may seem weak, but she has the wisdom to solve problems. And you..."

It paused, then continued, "You are the most special person I have ever met. You are not afraid of ghosts, not afraid of death, not even afraid of the manor owner. Your brain circuits are completely different from others, which allows you to do things that others cannot."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"I want to say that you are entitled to the most precious thing in the manor," the butler said, taking a small box from his pocket. "This is the manor owner's most cherished possession, and now I'm giving it to you."

Zhou Lang opened the box; inside was a ring. The ring was silver with a black gemstone set in it.

"What is this?"

"The Soul Ring," the butler said. "Wearing it will allow you to see the true forms of all ghosts and communicate with them. More importantly, it will protect you from harm by ghosts."

Zhou Lang picked up the ring and examined it closely. The ring was very light, but he could feel the powerful energy contained within it.

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"Because you deserve it," the butler said. "Besides, I think you'll need it in the future."

Zhou Lang thought for a moment and then put the ring on the middle finger of his right hand.

The moment he put the ring on, he felt the whole world change. He could see countless tiny specks of light floating in the air, fragments of souls. He could also hear whispers in the distance, the voices of ghosts conversing.

"This feeling... is very strange," Zhou Lang said.

"You'll get used to it," the butler said. "Now, you can leave."

Zhao Qiang and Han Yingying returned. Zhao Qiang was carrying a golden candlestick, while Han Yingying was holding a thick book.

"I've made my choice," Zhao Qiang said. "This candlestick looks very valuable."

"I chose this book," Han Yingying said. "It records a lot of knowledge about ghosts, so it should be useful."

"Very good," said the butler. "Now, come with me."

It led the three to the gate, which opened automatically. Outside, there was only white light; nothing could be seen.

"Go inside, and you'll return to the real world," the butler said. "Remember, don't look back."

Zhou Lang was the first to enter the white light.

The white light was blinding; he closed his eyes and felt his body floating. After what seemed like an eternity, his feet finally touched solid ground.

He opened his eyes and found himself standing on a street.

This was a street he knew well, near his home.

Zhao Qiang and Han Yingying also appeared; they looked somewhat dizzy.

"We...are back?" Zhao Qiang couldn't believe it.

"I'm back," Zhou Lang said.

He glanced at his watch; it was 11 p.m. They had entered the manor at 10 p.m., meaning they had only been there for an hour, but it felt like an eternity.

"The flow of time is different," Han Yingying said. "One hour in the manor is equivalent to one minute in the real world."

"How long were we inside?" Zhao Qiang asked.

"About three days," Zhou Lang said, "so only three minutes have passed in the real world."

The three were silent for a while, then Zhao Qiang suddenly laughed.

"We survived!" he said. "We really survived!"

"Yes," Han Yingying smiled, "and we also got a lot of good things."

Zhou Lang didn't laugh; instead, he looked at the ring on his hand.

The ring allowed him to see more, but it also made him realize that the world was far more complex than he had imagined.