"I would like to consider this matter further. Elsie, please come back to see me after a few days," Allen said thoughtfully.
Allen was not naive; he realized that Elsie was not the only one who would come to rent his high heels. Therefore, there was no need to rush into a decision. Furthermore, as Donna had pointed out, he was not well-informed about the market, so even without her interference, Allen would not have agreed to the rental immediately.
In fact, the most crucial point was that Allen had doubts about Elsie. Considering her reckless personality, he was uncertain whether she could handle the high heels properly.
"You..." Elsie, unaware of Allen's thoughts, assumed that Donna was causing trouble and gave her a resentful glance. However, recognizing that Donna had once saved her life and that she might need her help in the future, Elsie couldn't be too harsh. With a frustrated stamp of her foot, she left.
Donna immediately flashed a sinister smile, watching Elsie's departing figure. Then, her gaze shifted to Allen, making him feel like he was being stared at by a venomous snake.
"Miss Jiao, thank you for your reminder just now," Allen said politely, maintaining his composure despite their limited interaction. After all, Donna was an experienced senior, and Allen, skilled in social interactions, was accustomed to dealing with people of various characters.
"It's nothing. I've never liked that woman," Donna replied, still wearing her sinister smile. As she approached Allen, she suddenly leaned in close to him and whispered, "You're quite capable. Hank is dead, yet you returned safely."
"Just luck," Allen replied calmly, unaffected by her strange tone. "Unfortunately, I couldn't save anyone else."
"Let me give you some advice," Donna said suddenly, her words taking a strange turn. "Be careful of Carol. Isn't your next movie with him? I'm not mistaken, am I?"
Allen was startled but maintained his composure, nodding slightly. "I'll keep that in mind."
Donna then left without saying another word.
Be careful of Carol? What did she mean?
Carol, who seemed younger than him and was rumored to be a university student, always appeared confident. Although he didn't possess a cursed item, Julian trusted him implicitly and had even considered letting him use the high heels last time. However, Allen had always sensed that Carol was somewhat problematic.
What was the issue?
He decided to visit the actors who would be starring in "Phantom Hotel" with him to prepare for the film. With limited cursed items available, renting was inevitable. He would likely need to borrow from Julian or Job; Donna's tattoo could not be lent out.
Speaking of which, he only knew about two cursed items belonging to Julian: one was the "Voodoo Doll," and the other remained a mystery. As for Job, everyone treated her with a mix of reverence and fear, but most had a favorable impression of her, unlike Donna. Privately, they called her the "Queen of Snow" due to her arrogant personality and rare words, always exuding strong confidence and self-esteem.
Neither Julian nor Job would offer their cursed items cheaply.
Originally, Allen planned to visit Carol first, but after hearing what Job had said, he decided to go to Nathan instead.
The cinema had public lounges besides the screening halls, including some quiet private rooms. On the second floor, there was a spacious public lounge where Carol was currently seated.
"Yue Kangxiong..." Carol held the poster of "Phantom Hotel," lost in thought.
The lounge, roughly two to three hundred square meters in size, was adorned with various ornamental plants. The lighting was dim, making it difficult to find a well-lit area in the entire cinema.
As a result, the colors of the poster appeared dull, and the shadowy figures lurking in the darkness of the poster felt unsettling.
Sitting opposite him was George, wearing thick glasses that made him look uneasy.
"Who should we borrow from?" George asked Carol, looking hopeful.
She knew that Carol was a strategic thinker, with quick reflexes and an agile mind, rivaling even Julian. However, he was content to be under Julian's shadow and didn't talk much, making some actors overlook him, especially due to his youthful age.
"Let's share the rental," Carol said, folding the poster and placing it aside.
George was momentarily taken aback but soon understood and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Nathan seems to agree with that too. I didn't expect you to be on the same page."
"I have no other choice. Julian and Job's cursed items are too expensive. Especially Julian's... 2,000 redemption coupons are just the starting price."
"Yeah... Job is the same. She'll probably charge at least 1,500 redemption coupons, too..."
"So, sharing is our only option. If Nathan agrees, it'll be easier. Wu Zhaotian doesn't have much savings, Allen already has high heels, and you, Nathan, and I can each contribute 600 to 700 redemption coupons. We'll rotate usage based on the situation. Also, with Yue Kangxiong on our side, it should lighten our burden. The Eighth Level Hell Cinema has become increasingly arrogant since they bought the shroud from 'that person' for 'The Fourth Forbidden Zone 5'."
"That person..." George had never met that person but knew they were truly insane.
There were only two people in the Thirteenth Level Hell Cinema who had seen that person in person: Julian and Donna.
"By the way... I heard from Julian that 'that person' is the reason Donna is like this now," Carol said, his eyes flashing a chilling light. George quickly waved his hand and said, "I see... I got it. Let's not talk about it anymore."
"You should be glad Donna isn't here. Otherwise, I'm not sure if she'd snap your neck right away," Carol added.
"Is it... that exaggerated?" George trembled slightly.
"Alright, everything's settled. Let's go find Nathan and then... see Job," Carol said, taking the horror movie poster with him.
"Job? Not Julian? Do you think her price is cheaper?" George asked.
"Shop around," Carol replied, holding the poster. "Increasing our means of survival while saving money is our top priority."
Meanwhile, in Nathan's room, Allen was not surprised by the suggestion of sharing. "So, it's you, George, and Carol who will contribute the redemption coupons?" he asked Nathan.
"Yes," Nathan replied, pointing at Allen. "Of course, not including you. You already have high heels."
"Yes, I know that."
"Don't be too tense. This time, there will also be people from the Eighth Level Hell Cinema. We've dealt with them before, though we only know Yue Kangxiong and Long Nier well. The others might be new actors."
"This horror movie might still be suspenseful," Allen speculated. "Judging by the title, it revolves around a hotel, and we'll likely play guests staying there. Our characters wouldn't knowingly stay in a haunted hotel, and the hotel staff wouldn't openly admit it's haunted. So, there will definitely be suspense due to a lack of information."
Nathan nodded, agreeing with Allen's thoughts, though she hadn't considered it that deeply.
"Lack of information is the biggest problem in horror movies. As someone with some experience, I can say that actively gathering information is crucial in such situations. You can't skimp on redemption coupons. In the two horror movies you've acted in, the geographical and environmental restrictions limited your access to information. However, at first glance, 'Phantom Hotel' shouldn't restrict our information gathering too much. Of course... remember, you're a character in the movie. Your actions to gather information must align with your character's logic. If you're just an ordinary hotel guest, why would you randomly investigate if the hotel is haunted? In other words, you must act only after witnessing ghostly phenomena."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Nathan immediately stood up. "Excuse me for a moment."
She walked over to open the door and found Carol and George standing outside.
"Huh? You're here too?" George noticed Allen right away. Carol also glanced at Allen, his eyes narrowing slightly before shifting his gaze to Nathan.
"Let's go," Carol said.
"Where to?" George asked.
"To see Job. We need to talk to her and Julian separately. With comparisons, hopefully, neither of them will charge too much, and we need to consider cost-effectiveness."
Nathan furrowed her brow slightly. "The new movie is releasing at the end of the month. Isn't it too early to go now?"
"We're just feeling out the situation and discussing. I'm sure both Julian and Job are expecting us," Carol replied.
Nathan felt that made sense and nodded. "Alright. Job should be in the dining hall at this time."
Then she turned back to Allen and said, "You can go back to your room, Allen