Category: Miss Luo Yan’s Feet Are Buried With Corpses

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 46 – I Am… Luo Yan

After merging with the “Eye of Fear, Envy, and Defilement,” Mrs. Natalie had completely transformed into a crimson figure, her former appearance barely discernible.

Even within the pervasive blood mist, her crimson eyes, with their frenzied, malevolent black vertical pupils, were striking, fixated on Luo Yan.

“Gungnir” was still embedded in Mrs. Natalie’s chest. Although it couldn’t kill her, it had caused severe damage.

Her aura fluctuated unsteadily, yet remained incredibly powerful. Even Grifres, at his peak, would be helpless against her in this state.

This was the pinnacle of the New Era, a “Cataclysm” level disaster, the power of the “Witch of Envy,” one of the ten Primordial Demons.

Even though it was just a fragment of her will, it held an absolute advantage over any being below “Destruction” level.

However, Luo Yan only saw a grieving soul, a weeping mother.

“Mrs. Natalie…”

Luo Yan whispered, not averting her gaze from the malevolent eyes.

As she calmly met the frenzied gaze, her pale eyes were tinged with crimson.

The surrounding environment, influenced by the descending will of the “Witch of Envy,” began to undergo an irreversible, monstrous transformation, but Mrs. Natalie still struggled to maintain her consciousness, pulling the townspeople-turned-monsters into a temporary spiritual domain.

Even now, as she was being assimilated by the “Witch of Envy,” they were still her priority.

“Come… come here…” Mrs. Natalie’s hoarse whisper echoed in Luo Yan’s ears. “Miss Luo Yan… just like before… lead us…”

“Towards… eternal happiness…”

Mrs. Natalie didn’t understand.

Amidst the seemingly endless flames, it was Luo Yan who had saved everyone, who had created this happy town. So why was she now abandoning them…?

Tears of blood streamed down Mrs. Natalie’s face, her memories and the scene before her blurring between the present and the past, the only constant being the slender figure before her.

Luo Yan sighed softly. She had no memory of the past Mrs. Natalie spoke of.

Throughout her long life in the town and her brief awakening, Luo Yan had never stopped asking herself one question.

“Who am I?”

Am I Luo Yan?

Luo Yan was a name, referring to a person, and this name belonged to her, so it referred to her.

But why did “Luo Yan” belong to “me”?

Was it because, in the fog of her past memories, only the name “Luo Yan” remained?

Or was it because, from the very beginning of her memories, everyone called her “Miss Luo Yan”?

So, besides “Luo Yan,” who else could she be?

Ronner had said she was the savior of the town, Mrs. Natalie had said she had single-handedly created “eternal happiness”…

These questions seemed to have answers, yet none were definitive.

But now, Luo Yan decided to stop pondering these questions because she had found her own answer.

“My name is Luo Yan,” Luo Yan whispered. “Regardless of the past, right now, I am just an ordinary girl returning from a lost path.”

She raised her head, the crimson in her eyes fading, replaced by a resolute gaze.

Even though the sniper rifle on her back and the weapons at her waist had been silently dissolved by the blood mist, she continued walking towards Mrs. Natalie.

Step by step.

The mutated creatures, influenced by the “Witch of Envy,” avoided her slender figure, as if afraid.

Even the pervasive blood mist unnaturally recoiled as Luo Yan approached Mrs. Natalie.

Under the horrified gazes of Grifres and Hua Qiling, Luo Yan slowly approached Mrs. Natalie, who had become an avatar of the “Witch of Envy.”

She opened her arms and gently embraced the demonized Mrs. Natalie, rising slightly on her tiptoes and whispering in her ear, her voice so soft that only they could hear,

“It’s time to end this, Lisa…”

In that instant, the blood mist went berserk. The previously receding mist rapidly expanded, becoming denser.

Before, they could vaguely see through the mist, but now, only faint shadows remained.

The already mutated creatures became even more frenzied, shaking off their previous lethargy the moment Luo Yan embraced Mrs. Natalie, rampaging indiscriminately.

In this situation, Hua Qiling couldn’t worry about Luo Yan anymore. If she didn’t leave now, she would become one of these monsters.

More importantly, Hua Qiling didn’t know what was happening in the outside world. She still couldn’t establish communication and didn’t know if there had been any repercussions.

If there were repercussions, it would actually be better, because it would attract attention and more resources would be allocated to resolve this incident.

But if there were no changes…

Then the moment “Ghost Town” fully erupted would be Yan City’s doom.

Therefore, no matter what, Hua Qiling had to prioritize her own survival. The safety of the entire city rested on her shoulders.

But now…

Hua Qiling glanced at the incapacitated Grifres on the ground, gritted her teeth, and lifted him with one arm—she was a “Ruin” level ability user, after all, she had this much strength.

“Damn it, you idiot from Dawn, you owe me your life now!”

Hua Qiling grumbled as she retreated.

“…Hmph.”

Grifres wanted to retort. If it weren’t for him, Hua Qiling would have died in the church, and there had been countless other near-death experiences since then.

But knowing how petty women could be, and with his life currently in her hands—for example, he had only called her a rookie and an idiot out of frustration, and she had held a grudge ever since, calling him an idiot at every opportunity—he could only endure. A cold snort was all he could manage.

However, Dawn and the Free Federation were enemies, and Grifres was a Cadre in Dawn.

Now that he was completely incapacitated, a burden, the fact that Hua Qiling was willing to save him made her a surprisingly good person.

Grifres knew this, but he refused to admit it.

Fortunately, Hua Qiling hadn’t exerted herself much before, and with the Gloomlight replenishing and stabilizing her spiritual energy, she was in good condition. She quickly outpaced the spreading blood mist and reached safety.

The frenzied, terrifying blood mist, after expanding to a certain range, enveloping almost the entire town, finally stabilized and stopped spreading.

“Now… what’s happening inside…?”

Hua Qiling stood on the hillside, panting, looking worriedly at the dense blood mist.

Grifres recalled the scene he had just witnessed: the girl walking resolutely towards the crimson figure, finally embracing it, merging with it.

He was silent for a moment, then whispered,

“…This is Miss Luo Yan’s choice.”

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 45 – The Spear that Pierces Fate

“A wrathful god hurls His spear at the enemy, fate binds their cause and effect, even the heavens and earth lament… unavoidable, unstoppable.”

—This was the spear that pierced fate, Gungnir.

If Luo Yan’s “Manjusaka” could rival the attack of a “Peril” level ability user, then Grifres’s “Gungnir” was undoubtedly a Forbidden Technique worthy of its name.

Even a “Destruction” level ability user couldn’t escape unscathed from this attack. For a “Peril” level ability user, it was certain death.

The “cause and effect” nature of “Gungnir” made it impossible to dodge, its guaranteed hit making all of Grifres’s opponents wary of provoking him.

But at the same time, Grifres would be completely incapacitated for a long period after using it.

That’s why he rarely used it, especially with Hua Qiling, a member of the Free Federation, present.

Until now, with the situation almost beyond salvation, Grifres had no choice but to resort to the Forbidden Technique.

Hua Qiling’s “Eagle Eye” domain allowed Grifres to lock onto Mrs. Natalie. The moment “Gungnir” was thrown, the unavoidable cause and effect bound her.

The massive soul spear projection pierced down from the sky like a beam of light, merging with the spear thrown by Grifres’s hand, and striking Mrs. Natalie, who was enveloped in a thick blood mist.

Time seemed to freeze. The “Gungnir” projection silently vanished into the blood mist, and the surroundings fell deathly silent.

The slowly moving monsters stopped, standing dazed, faint groans occasionally escaping their throats.

“Did it work?”

Hua Qiling nervously watched the blood mist.

Grifres, who had collapsed, struggled to sit up, leaning against a withered tree.

He forced his bloodshot eyes open, staring intently at Mrs. Natalie.

No, she shouldn’t be called Mrs. Natalie anymore…

She was now… a remnant of the “Witch of Envy’s” will.

A pair of crimson eyes suddenly opened within the blood mist, a dark, malevolent vertical pupil at their center, filled with pure malice. Just being stared at by it sent a chilling fear through one’s bones.

“No! Look out!”

Hua Qiling shouted and retreated.

Grifres tried to get up and flee, but his injured body wouldn’t move.

In this critical moment, Hua Qiling grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him back as she retreated.

The moment they moved, the blood mist exploded, engulfing the surroundings, everything within its reach rapidly decaying at an alarming rate.

Even the withered trees sprouted tumor-like limbs, flailing grotesquely.

If they had been a moment slower, Hua Qiling and Grifres wouldn’t have escaped.

“Tha… thank you…”

Grifres hesitated, then whispered.

“Hmph.”

Hua Qiling gave a noncommittal chuckle, then nervously looked around.

“Where’s Miss Luo Yan?”

“Yes… where is she?”

Grifres also frantically searched, finally spotting a familiar slender figure where the blood mist had exploded. “Wait… she’s still there!”

“What?!”

Hua Qiling looked up in shock.

Luo Yan, in her simple gray dress, stood where she had been, her back to them.

Her silver hair, almost reaching the ground, fluttered slightly in the afterwind of the exploding blood mist. Despite the crimson mist filling the air, her hair remained pristine white, untouched.

She just stood there, silently watching.

“Miss Luo Yan, it’s dangerous!”

Hua Qiling shouted anxiously, taking a few steps forward, intending to pull her back.

Just then, Grifres stuck out his foot and tripped Hua Qiling, his hoarse voice gravely saying, “Don’t go. She seems fine, but you might not be if you go there.”

Within the range of the blood mist explosion, everything was undergoing a frantic, monstrous transformation, except for Luo Yan.

Hua Qiling calmed down slightly. Luo Yan might be an exception, but she wasn’t…

At the same time, as if hearing Hua Qiling’s anxious call, Luo Yan turned slightly, her calm gaze falling upon Hua Qiling and Grifres.

After confirming they were both alright, Luo Yan nodded slightly, then turned back to face Mrs. Natalie—or rather, the remnant of the “Witch of Envy’s” will.

Mrs. Natalie wasn’t in good shape either. Grifres’s all-out Forbidden Technique hadn’t been completely ineffective.

“Gungnir” had pierced through her body, deeply embedded in her chest, the invisible mental fluctuations spreading, subtly affecting her state.

She stumbled, blood mist and malice radiating outwards, the area of transformation expanding, consuming the town.

But it had no effect on Luo Yan.

However, Hua Qiling and Grifres were forced to retreat by the spreading blood mist, and they were horrified to discover that all the townspeople touched by the mist instantly vanished.

“They seem to have entered the spiritual domain… just like before…”

Grifres coughed, spitting blood as he explained.

“But what about Miss Luo Yan? Her ability seems useless, it has no effect on Mrs. Natalie…”

Hua Qiling looked worriedly at the lone figure in the distance. At some point, she had stopped seeing Luo Yan as an anomaly and started empathizing with her.

“Now, we can only trust her,” Grifres said with a bitter smile. “I never thought I would fall in a place like this…”

“…We also thought it was just a ‘Ruin’ level disaster,” Hua Qiling said, equally helpless.

Just as they were lamenting their situation, Grifres noticed from the corner of his eye that Luo Yan was moving.

But she wasn’t running away. She was walking towards Mrs. Natalie, who had merged with the will of the “Witch of Envy.”

“Wait! What… what is Miss Luo Yan doing?”

Grifres’s eyes widened, and Hua Qiling looked up sharply. Both wore expressions of shock.

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 44 – It’s All Her Fault

“Ice Coffin Weapon…”

Hearing this term, Grifres’s expression changed.

Resentment, grief… but in the end, he suppressed these emotions.

The Ice Coffin Weapon was the foundation of the mega-cities, but it was also the direct cause of the Dawn organization’s formation, because the essence of the Ice Coffin Weapon was… incredibly powerful ability users.

Not just ordinary powerful ability users, but those whose “abilities” had been amplified to the point of complete loss of control, sometimes through natural causes, sometimes… artificially.

They were kept alive in devices called “Ice Coffins,” only to be unleashed when needed, their power often enough to single-handedly resolve “Peril” level disaster events.

Grifres, however, knew better than to argue about the long-standing conflict between the Free Federation and Dawn at this moment. Resolving the immediate crisis was paramount.

The blood-red eye had merged with Mrs. Natalie, her clear, beautiful blue eyes now clouded, filled with a bloody crimson.

Grifres took a deep breath, took out a dark blue potion, and drank it, then casually tossed another one to Hua Qiling.

Hua Qiling caught it clumsily, then gasped after taking a closer look.

“This is… Gloomlight?”

A special potion only Dawn could produce, capable of greatly stabilizing the “spiritual energy” that fueled abilities, an incredibly valuable resource.

The Free Federation had similar potions, but their effects were far inferior.

“Cadre special edition. Only a handful of people in the Free Federation have ever used this,” Grifres snorted. “Consider yourself lucky. Now keep using your ability!”

Hua Qiling’s “Eagle Eye” was so incredibly useful that Grifres was willing to sacrifice a special edition Gloomlight potion just to keep her using it.

He hadn’t even given one to Luo Yan, mainly because her strongest technique, “Manjusaka,” had proven ineffective, so it would be a waste.

“Don’t need to tell me twice.”

Hua Qiling drank the Gloomlight, and the “Eagle Eye” domain expanded once more.

She hesitated, then shared it only with Grifres, not with Luo Yan.

Again, because Luo Yan’s ability had completely failed, in this critical moment, she prioritized conserving spiritual energy, even at the cost of their friendly rapport.

Luo Yan, seemingly forgotten by everyone, stood still, her gaze following the blood-red eye as it descended, finally fixating on Mrs. Natalie’s clouded eyes.

Faint whispers echoed in Luo Yan’s ears, gradually becoming clearer, seemingly spoken by different people, but she could only hear one voice.

“Mrs. Natalie is a witch! An evil witch! This plague is her doing! She’s absorbing the power of death!”

“Mrs. Natalie is so beautiful, she must be using witchcraft to maintain her appearance!”

“Mrs. Natalie rarely leaves her manor, she must be brewing evil spells inside!”

“Mrs. Natalie has a sick daughter, she’s doing all of this to save her!”

“It’s all her fault! It’s all her fault! It’s all her fault!”

“…”

It was all Mrs. Natalie’s voice, repeating these words, her tone filled with tearful despair.

Many figures slowly vanished in flames.

“It’s all my fault,” she said.

“Please… spare little Tini… spare everyone…” she sobbed.

“Ronner… Andre… Messier… Upton…”

One name after another left her lips, all familiar townspeople to Luo Yan.

“Anyone, please, save them… I’m willing to give everything, my soul, my life… anything…” Her voice was filled with despair.

But Luo Yan looked at Mrs. Natalie, a faint smile playing on her lips, as if filled with only “happiness.”

“Stay… in that snowless winter?” Luo Yan whispered.

“Y-Yes…” Mrs. Natalie opened her mouth, her voice no longer melodious, but chillingly deep. “Hap… pi… ness…”

She wept, even though her expression was still filled with happiness.

“Now!”

Grifres sensed a fluctuation in Mrs. Natalie’s aura and roared. A soul spear materialized, this time only one.

But as the spear appeared, Grifres’s missing arm grotesquely regenerated.

No, not regenerated.

Invisible soul energy surged, forming an arm made of pure mental power that grasped the soul spear. Blood seeped from Grifres’s skin.

“Actually,” Grifres whispered, “I severed my own arm.”

“Huh?”

Hua Qiling was stunned.

“Because… I need to use this move from time to time…”

Grifres grinned, a ferocious smile on his face. He raised his soul arm high, and a giant arm, wielding a massive soul spear, appeared in the dim sky, a projection formed by his powerful mental energy.

“Forbidden Technique—Gungnir, Divine Judgment!”

Forbidden Techniques were powerful spells driven by the spiritual energy of a specific ability type. Each ability type had its corresponding Forbidden Technique. Luo Yan’s “Manjusaka” was just one of them.

However, under normal circumstances, these powerful techniques came with severe consequences.

They were called “forbidden” because using them was essentially a life-for-a-move exchange. In less severe cases, the user would lose all their spiritual energy.

Cases like Luo Yan, where the user only consumed a Philosopher’s Stone and remained perfectly fine, were unheard of.

Grifres was a master of mind-related abilities and one of the few “Peril” level ability users considered a threat even to “Destruction” level ability users, precisely because he could use Forbidden Techniques with almost no repercussions.

Of course, “no repercussions” didn’t mean he was completely unscathed like Luo Yan. It meant he would survive with his strength intact… although he would be incapacitated for at least three months afterward.

The soul spear, called “Gungnir,” was hurled by Grifres’s arm, flying towards Mrs. Natalie at a seemingly slow yet unstoppable and unavoidable speed.

At the same time, Grifres’s soul arm crumbled, the damage spreading to his body, causing him to spurt blood before collapsing backward.

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 43 – “Envy” Descends

“Idiot…”

Hearing Hua Qiling’s insult, Grifres’s brow twitched.

He had been impulsive for a moment, and Hua Qiling had seized the opportunity to mock him, and he couldn’t even refute her.

More importantly, he didn’t have time to argue with her about such trivial matters.

After venting his anger, Grifres calmed down slightly, took a deep breath, and looked up at the sky.

Luo Yan also regained her senses. When the stone eye’s seal was completely broken, her mind had become disoriented.

It wasn’t until Mrs. Natalie cast the magic circle to block Grifres’s attack that she recovered slightly.

She also heard Hua Qiling’s words and looked up at the blood-red eye floating in mid-air.

The pupil at the center of the eye continued to twitch restlessly. Anyone who looked at it felt as if it was staring directly at them.

“Outsider, are you referring to my Lord when you speak of the ‘Witch of Envy’?”

Mrs. Natalie seemed curious, shifting her gaze to Hua Qiling.

Hua Qiling instantly felt an immense pressure. After all, she was facing a powerful Devil’s Apostle, whose mere attention was suffocating.

Even the weakest Devil’s Apostle wasn’t something a “Ruin” level ability user could handle alone, let alone Mrs. Natalie, who was considerably stronger…

Hua Qiling discreetly moved behind Luo Yan.

Luo Yan continued to stare at the blood-red eye, unblinking.

“Does she not even know about the Witch of Envy…? How did she become a Devil’s Apostle?”

Grifres twitched his lips. Even he, who didn’t care much about history, had heard of the ten infamous Primordial Demons, at least their names.

“…Actually, the names of the Primordial Demons were given by humans, including the term ‘Primordial Demon,’ you idiot,” Hua Qiling whispered back.

Grifres: “…”

She had been silently keeping track of his sarcastic remarks, and now, in her area of expertise, she finally had a chance to retaliate.

“Interesting. Outsider, is that what you call my Lord?”

Mrs. Natalie said softly, “You are curious why I follow my Lord. It’s simple. He fulfilled my wish in my time of despair, even if it wasn’t perfect…”

She glanced at Luo Yan, a charming smile playing on her lips.

“But, He brought Miss Luo Yan, allowing ‘eternal happiness’ to be maintained.”

Instantly, all eyes fell upon Luo Yan.

Luo Yan was silent for a moment, then said,

“I don’t remember.”

“I don’t remember either,” Mrs. Natalie chuckled. “But it doesn’t matter. Soon, we will all return to ‘eternal happiness’.”

“Everyone here will continue to live carefree lives in the town. Little Tini will return, Luo Yan will return, and everything will go back to how it was.”

“—As long as you awaken.”

Mrs. Natalie’s gaze shifted to Hua Qiling and Grifres, her blue eyes taking on a strange hue.

At the same time, the blood mist from the magic circle spread, and the monsters, once townspeople, began to move.

However, they weren’t attacking Luo Yan and the others. Instead, they dispersed, seemingly aimlessly.

Wherever the monsters went, the blood mist followed, quickly enveloping a large area, including Luo Yan and the others.

The approaching blood mist made Hua Qiling and Grifres tense. They held their breath and retreated, trying to avoid it.

But the mist spread faster than they anticipated, engulfing them before they could escape.

But strangely… the blood mist had no effect, none at all.

“Because… I’m still missing.”

Luo Yan finally looked away, her gaze fixed on Mrs. Natalie.

Hua Qiling and Grifres couldn’t understand the monsters’ movements, but she could.

Uncle Andre was walking towards the butcher shop on the edge of town, Dr. Messier was returning to the hospital in the town center… They were all heading towards their respective places in the town.

The spreading blood mist was reshaping Ghost Town, just as it had done countless times before.

However, to return Ghost Town to its “eternal happiness,” the most crucial element was still missing – Luo Yan.

Grifres had completely underestimated the spiritual domain that formed Ghost Town because Luo Yan’s soul was weak.

This was a spiritual domain capable of containing over a hundred “Ruin” level ability users and at least three “Peril” level or above, while also possessing the demonic characteristics of the “Witch of Envy.”

Although it was still a mystery how Luo Yan’s weak soul could sustain such a powerful spiritual domain, she was undoubtedly an irreplaceable part of Ghost Town.

Mrs. Natalie’s attempt to restart Ghost Town with the “Atonement Day” ritual had failed, so now she could only resort to her original method, just like when she had received the “Lord’s” revelation in her despair…

“Let the ‘Lord’s’ will… descend once more…”

Mrs. Natalie whispered, her soft voice carrying an inexplicable power.

The crimson magic circle beneath her feet activated again, and the blood-red eye in the sky suddenly stabilized, slowly descending, approaching the magic circle, approaching Mrs. Natalie’s body.

“Not good, she’s trying to summon the ‘Witch of Envy’!”

Hua Qiling cried out anxiously. Grifres’s heart sank.

“Wait, she can summon a Primordial Demon? Damn… Primordial Demons are Cataclysm level! Even the strongest human alive is no match for them, we’re screwed!”

“You—”

“Big idiot!” Before Hua Qiling could finish, Grifres interrupted himself and shouted, “Just spit it out!”

“Hmph!” Hua Qiling, cut off mid-sentence, snorted coldly, but knowing the urgency of the situation, she didn’t continue arguing.

“It’s just summoning a remnant of the will residing within the ‘Eye of Fear, Envy, and Defilement,’ but its power is still far beyond ‘Peril’ level. The usual method of dealing with this is to have a ‘Destruction’ level expert lead the charge, or to use high-level or multiple ‘Ice Coffin Weapons’.”

The power of the “Ice Coffin Weapon” went without saying. It was the trump card of every mega-city in the New Era. And “Destruction” level experts weren’t easy to find.

So now…

“If we can’t stop her, then all we can do is wait for news of my death to reach the old man… and for the Director-General of the Yan City Anomaly Management Bureau to order the use of the ‘Ice Coffin Weapon’.”

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 42 – The Eye of Fear, Envy, and Defilement

Luo Yan didn’t know what kind of “ability” she possessed. Hua Qiling didn’t understand it either. Grifres could only vaguely speculate that it was a typical mind-related ability, not suited for direct combat but possessing some strange effects.

However, Mrs. Natalie knew.

She looked at Luo Yan’s increasingly vibrant crimson eyes and said softly,

“You can’t see it, Miss Luo Yan.”

“You can’t see my sorrow, because… all my sorrow remains in that snowless winter.”

Mrs. Natalie smiled faintly, her clear blue eyes like a shimmering lake. “But, this is good, isn’t it?”

Luo Yan didn’t answer, her eyes gradually dimming.

Mrs. Natalie was right. She couldn’t see anything.

This was the first time Luo Yan’s ability had completely failed. Even against Grifres, it had had some effect.

“Now, it’s time to end this farce.”

As the color faded from Luo Yan’s eyes, Mrs. Natalie looked away, towards the floating stone eye.

“The Lord’s will answers me. The happiness He bestows upon us… will not be taken away.”

As she spoke, the flickering stone eye in mid-air suddenly blazed with light.

The stone shell covering it completely peeled away, revealing what lay beneath.

…A twisted, blood-red eye.

At its core was a constantly twitching, vertical, crimson pupil, encased in a transparent, bloodshot, gelatinous substance.

The previously faint malevolence now overflowed, radiating outwards with unrestrained malice.

Beneath Mrs. Natalie’s feet, a complex, patterned magic circle slowly appeared, also in the shape of a blood-red eye, flickering like a breath, resonating with the eye in the sky.

The monsters, previously knocked unconscious by Grifres, absorbed this malice and shakily stood up, their auras growing stronger.

But the cost was a further deepening of their monstrous transformations.

The pustules on their bodies swelled, their mutated claws dripped with thick venom, and their previously injured limbs regenerated, twisted into grotesque shapes.

This strange transformation also affected Ling Qi and the other outsiders.

Ling Qi, possessing an ability, transformed slower, her skin only slightly tinged with blue.

But the other outsiders weren’t so fortunate. Their bodies were covered in various sizes of bloody pustules, and purplish-black saliva dripped from their mouths, sizzling as it corroded the ground.

Seeing Ling Qi’s transformation, Grifres’s calm demeanor finally cracked, replaced by anxiety and anger.

He glared at Mrs. Natalie, who still wore a faint smile, the number of soul spears around him multiplying.

“You… delusional old hag…”

Grifres gritted his teeth, blood trickling from his orifices as he overexerted his mental power, but he didn’t care. “Happiness? Is this your happiness?!”

He had seen enough.

The ruined town, the twisted monsters who had lost themselves, and Ronner, who only sought release…

Living a half-life, neither human nor ghost, in a deliberately constructed spiritual domain… if this could be called happiness…

“It’s better to be dead!”

Grifres roared, unleashing all his soul spears, but not at Mrs. Natalie, but at the groaning, howling monsters around them.

“‘Eternal happiness’ is Little Tini’s final wish, everyone’s pursuit,” Mrs. Natalie’s gaze turned dangerous as she watched Grifres’s attack. “You don’t understand this place at all, outsiders.”

The magic circle beneath her feet expanded, enveloping the surrounding monsters.

At the same time, the circle resonated with the blood-red eye in the sky, a faint blood mist filling the air within the circle.

The incoming soul spears entered the blood mist and were silently annihilated.

But unlike before, this attack wasn’t completely ineffective. Mrs. Natalie’s calm expression faltered, and blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

Clearly, she had taken the brunt of Grifres’s attack to protect the monsters, once townspeople.

Just then, Hua Qiling exclaimed,

“Mrs. Natalie… is a Devil’s Apostle of the Witch of Envy!”

Before entering Ghost Town, based on her suspicions, Hua Qiling had specifically researched the Witch of Envy.

The records indicated that the Witch of Envy hadn’t appeared often, but she had left behind a considerable number of “Demonic Offerings.”

Demonic Offerings were vessels containing a demon’s will and power, usually appearing in various forms: objects, memories, even a certain will.

Typically, Devil’s Apostles possessed Demonic Offerings.

Or rather, it was only through contact with a Demonic Offering, by hearing the demon’s whispers, that one could fall and become a Devil’s Apostle.

And in the first record related to the Witch of Envy, a particularly powerful Demonic Offering had appeared.

“The Eye of Fear, Envy, and Defilement.”

It was said that anyone who gazed into this eye would be driven to endless madness.

This was why Hua Qiling had initially suspected Luo Yan of being a Devil’s Apostle.

However, after spending time with her and learning more, she had mostly ruled out that possibility.

Luo Yan’s eyes weren’t a Demonic Offering; all their effects came from her own “ability.”

Only when Mrs. Natalie fully unleashed the power of the blood-red eye could Hua Qiling confirm this.

Grifres’s earlier judgment hadn’t been wrong. Mrs. Natalie was indeed an ordinary person. Everything about her was ordinary, her soul, her body…

Except for her will.

The moment her will came into contact with the “Eye of Fear, Envy, and Defilement,” it was branded with the mark of the Witch of Envy, turning her into a Devil’s Apostle.

The blood-red eye in the sky was the true source of Mrs. Natalie’s power. In other words, the Mrs. Natalie standing on the ground was just an empty shell.

Attacking her… was naturally pointless.

However, there were many types of Devil’s Apostles. Those like Mrs. Natalie, who had completely abandoned even their physical bodies, fully immersing themselves in the Demonic Offering, were considered the most fanatical.

“Miss Luo Yan, you idiot from Dawn, the eye above is her true body!” Hua Qiling shouted.

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 41 – Strange Illness

“Mrs. Natalie!”

Grifres’s hair stood on end. He summoned his soul spear, watching Mrs. Natalie warily.

He had never met her before, but even her subordinate, Ronner, had been stronger than him. What about the mastermind behind all this?

But to Grifres’s surprise… Mrs. Natalie seemed to be an ordinary person.

No, that wasn’t to say she was ordinary. On the contrary, aside from Luo Yan, Mrs. Natalie was perhaps the most beautiful woman Grifres had ever seen.

Simply standing there, her hands clasped over her abdomen, she commanded attention.

Unlike Luo Yan, whose beauty evoked a silent fear, Mrs. Natalie’s charm was captivating, evident in every gesture and smile.

However… there was no energy fluctuation around Mrs. Natalie. She wasn’t an ability user.

Compared to Grifres’s judgment based on his intuition, Hua Qiling’s conclusion using “Eagle Eye” was more accurate.

Mrs. Natalie was even weaker than Luo Yan!

Although Luo Yan’s strength had skyrocketed with the sniper rifle, nearing “Peril” level, she was inherently very weak, becoming breathless after just a short run.

She was weaker than an ordinary person, let alone an ability user.

But even so, Luo Yan did possess an “ability,” although its specifics were still unknown.

“It’s strange, I haven’t contracted this… strange illness… like you, have I?”

Mrs. Natalie seemed to sense Hua Qiling and Grifres’s confusion. She turned slightly, her gentle voice like a warm spring breeze.

But she referred to “abilities” as an “illness”…

Hua Qiling and Grifres frowned. They had heard this theory before. The origin of “abilities” was a topic of much debate, and the “illness theory” was certainly one of them.

They were just surprised to hear it from Mrs. Natalie.

Luo Yan wasn’t interested in conversing with Mrs. Natalie. Once she made a decision, she carried it out meticulously.

Following Hua Qiling’s instructions, she loaded a Philosopher’s Stone into the sniper rifle, struggling to lift it and aiming at the floating stone eye.

She pulled the trigger.

…Nothing happened.

The Philosopher’s Stone was consumed, but the expected dark flower didn’t appear. The forbidden technique “Manjusaka” had failed for some unknown reason.

Luo Yan was stunned for a moment. When she came to her senses, Grifres was the first to react.

“Damn it, I was distracted by Mrs. Natalie…”

Grifres exhaled and slowly closed his eyes, the soul spear in his hand dissipating.

But at the same time, his mental power surged exponentially, the concentrated mental energy even distorting the surrounding scenery.

Countless soul spears materialized in mid-air, each as strong as the one Grifres had previously wielded, all aimed at Mrs. Natalie.

Although Hua Qiling couldn’t harm Mrs. Natalie with her ability without the sniper rifle, that wasn’t the purpose of “Eagle Eye.”

Her “Eagle Eye” was the most powerful “Mutation-type” ability in Yan City in the past century, although it hadn’t yet reached its full potential.

But even so, it could still provide significant support even on a “Peril” level battlefield.

Emerald flames ignited in Hua Qiling’s eyes, and at the same moment, in Luo Yan’s as well.

After a moment of hesitation, Grifres accepted Hua Qiling’s “Eagle Eye” sharing.

A silent, omnidirectional domain enveloped them. Within the domain, the “Eagle Eye” vision could freely choose angles and distances to observe any object.

From the dust on the ground to Mrs. Natalie in the distance, everything was clearly visible.

“Such a terrifying ability…”

Only now did Grifres realize that Hua Qiling’s potential was far greater than he had imagined. Given time, her growth potential was no less than Ling Qi, the spatial ability user Dawn had high hopes for.

“I can’t… call you a useless rookie anymore…”

Regardless of the future conflict between Dawn and the Free Federation, Hua Qiling possessing such a powerful ability was undoubtedly a good thing right now.

The all-encompassing “Eagle Eye” vision allowed Grifres to pinpoint the trajectory of each soul spear, precisely controlling its strength and destructive power.

“Ha!”

After a few moments of concentration, Grifres roared, and the soul spears shot out like arrows.

Some aimed at the stone eye, some at Mrs. Natalie, and the rest… at the praying monsters.

Of course, Grifres had controlled his strength. At most, they would only be knocked unconscious.

He had to consider Luo Yan’s feelings, and his target, Ling Qi, was also among the monsters.

Their all-out effort was effective. The praying monsters collapsed, and the malevolent aura emanating from the stone eye weakened, its light flickering slightly after being pierced by the soul spears.

Only Mrs. Natalie, struck by the soul spears, remained unscathed.

Despite the direct hits, her ordinary soul suffered no damage, not even a ripple.

“I see… you seem to have found a way to deal with this strange illness,” Mrs. Natalie smiled faintly, as if happy for them. “If only we had found it back then… how wonderful it would have been…”

She looked up at the flickering stone eye, then down at the fallen monsters, and whispered, “If that were the case, none of this would have happened.”

“It’s ineffective…”

Grifres’s eyes narrowed, but his hands didn’t stop.

Although the first wave of soul spears had depleted a significant portion of his stored mental power, and a splitting headache from overuse was starting, he summoned another wave.

But Hua Qiling was reaching her limit. Maintaining the wide-range “Eagle Eye” domain was already extremely taxing, let alone sharing it with two other people.

Mrs. Natalie’s gaze fell upon Luo Yan, and Luo Yan stared back, their eyes meeting.

Luo Yan’s eyes were tinged with crimson, but Mrs. Natalie continued to smile at her, not averting her gaze.

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 40 – You’ve Come

The giant doll stood up, sobbing and waving its crude cloth arms, the cleaver and ladle swinging indiscriminately, countless objects materializing in mid-air and crashing down around them.

Meanwhile, the townspeople continued to appear endlessly, and combined with the flying objects, kept Grifres and Hua Qiling on the defensive.

Even with his “Peril” level strength, these objects and townspeople were easily dispatched with a wave of his hand, but without breaking the dream world itself, killing them was pointless.

Luo Yan, holding Little Tini’s sketchbook, stood in the center of the chaos, completely unaffected.

All attacks passed through her as if she were air.

“Miss Luo Yan!”

Grifres shouted anxiously, seeing Luo Yan standing motionless, thinking something had happened to her.

“It’s okay, it’s over,” Luo Yan sighed softly and said.

She looked up at the giant, weeping doll and picked up Little Tini’s sketchbook.

“Are you sure about this, Miss Luo Yan?” Mrs. Natalie’s voice echoed in her ear, filled with sorrow.

“There’s no better choice, Mrs. Natalie,” Luo Yan replied softly.

She placed her hands on the sketchbook and slowly began to tear it apart.

“Rip…”

The first page, the second page, the third page…

Uncle Andre, Dr. Messier, Mr. Upton…

The hospital, the church, the manor…

Luo Yan carefully tore each drawing, with her own hands.

They had once held Little Tini’s purest hopes, but now, everything was twisted, beyond redemption.

With each page torn, the surrounding scenery changed, the corresponding scene disappearing.

Even the number of townspeople dwindled, one after another, completely vanishing.

Until finally, when Luo Yan finished tearing the last page, the surroundings became completely empty. Even the giant doll shrunk back to its original size.

It slumped to the ground, tears seemingly still on its face.

Luo Yan walked over and picked up the doll.

At this moment, the doll Little Tini finally saw Luo Yan. It stared at her intently, as if silently sobbing.

Luo Yan held it gently, just as she had once held Little Tini.

“You’ve worked hard, Little Tini,” Luo Yan’s voice softened. “Now, you can rest.”

The doll Little Tini’s painted mouth opened and closed, finally uttering a few hoarse words.

“Thank you… Luo Yan Sister…”

Like everything else in the dream world, it disintegrated inch by inch, until finally, it vanished completely.

At the same time, Hua Qiling and Grifres were enveloped in a bright light, their minds momentarily dazed.

When the white light faded, they found themselves back in the desolate town, standing before the ruined Natalie Manor.

“Are we out?”

Hua Qiling was still shaken. This was the first time she had encountered such a bizarre type of contaminated area.

Monsters were straightforward; you just fought them. But this kind of contaminated area, with its endless mysteries…

“Mm…”

Grifres cautiously looked around, finally nodding when the familiar feeling returned.

Luo Yan looked at the scattered paper scraps, the “lost wish” she had destroyed with her own hands, and remained silent.

“Miss Luo… Yan…?”

Hua Qiling, noticing Luo Yan’s unusual silence, approached and called out tentatively.

“I’m fine,” Luo Yan whispered.

Mrs. Natalie had tried to stall them with “Little Tini’s wish,” even resorting to using Little Tini’s most precious sketchbook.

The quickest way to shatter a dream was to destroy the object it was anchored to.

But would Luo Yan destroy the wish of her dearest friend, Little Tini?

The answer was obvious.

These scattered paper scraps represented everything Luo Yan had seen. She had finally let go of the town’s past.

“Look, above the manor!”

Grifres suddenly shouted. Luo Yan and Hua Qiling followed his pointed finger.

A stone eye, the one from the church spire, was floating above Natalie Manor.

The stone covering the eye was gradually peeling away, revealing a chilling, malevolent aura, as if some kind of seal was being broken.

“What is Mrs. Natalie planning?”

Hua Qiling shuddered, recalling the eerie scene when she had seen the stone eye in the square.

Even when sealed, it had possessed immense power, and now…

“Stop her!”

Grifres didn’t hesitate. He summoned his soul spear and charged towards Natalie Manor.

He also remained vigilant, wary of falling into another trap like before.

The interior of Natalie Manor was similar to the dream world, only more dilapidated, though traces of its former glory remained.

They didn’t have time to dwell on these thoughts. With Grifres leading the way, Hua Qiling and Luo Yan followed closely behind.

But as they approached the stone eye, a chaotic, low growl sounded.

No, it had been there all along, but they hadn’t been able to hear it from afar.

Luo Yan followed the sound and saw a scene almost identical to the one in front of the church.

—All the townspeople were gathered beneath the stone eye, kneeling in prayer, their faces upturned, thick, purplish-black pus oozing from their eyes.

“Ling Qi!”

Grifres saw Ling Qi among them and exclaimed.

Hearing his voice, Ling Qi seemed to tremble slightly, but her posture remained unchanged.

Her aura, like the other townspeople-turned-monsters, was tightly connected to the stone eye, unable to break free.

If it weren’t for this, Grifres would have already taken her away. These monsters couldn’t stop him.

“You’ve come.”

A soft, charming voice, tinged with sadness, echoed.

An elegant figure appeared in the center of the crowd of monsters, her gentle gaze falling upon them, a faint smile on her lips, just as Luo Yan remembered her.

“Mrs. Natalie…”

Luo Yan looked at her and whispered.

“Miss Luo Yan.”

Mrs. Natalie nodded slightly at Luo Yan and addressed her softly.

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 39 – Little Tini Has a Wish

Hearing Hua Qiling’s words, Luo Yan immediately looked up at the doll Little Tini.

The doll was holding a book about three or four fingers thick, with the words “Little Tini’s Sketchbook” scrawled across the cover.

It sat on little Tini’s bed, its crudely sewn hands carefully placing the sketchbook down and opening to the first page. Little Tini’s voice rang out once more.

And this time, it was the voice Luo Yan was most familiar with, slightly timid yet resolute.

“Little Tini has a wish.”

“Little Tini wishes for a world where there is no sickness, no pain, only eternal happiness.”

The first page of the sketchbook depicted the “Little Tini’s Invitation” they had just experienced.

Several scribbled figures representing the townspeople held hands and were led by a smaller figure—Little Tini—into Natalie Manor.

“Little Tini wants to invite the grownups who helped Mommy and Little Tini to the manor as guests,” little Tini’s childish voice said. “The grownups always take care of Mommy and Little Tini, so Little Tini wants to take care of them too, but Little Tini is too weak and can’t do anything.”

“If I have the chance,” the sketchbook turned to the second page, depicting the dining scene, “Little Tini wants to treat the grownups to the most delicious food in the world, food that will make everyone happy!”

By now, Luo Yan had reached the doll Little Tini. Hua Qiling and Grifres wanted to follow, but she stopped them with a look.

Luo Yan reached out and, under the nervous gazes of Hua Qiling and Grifres, picked up the sketchbook.

The doll Little Tini didn’t react, sitting still on the bed like a cute, slightly ugly doll.

Luo Yan looked at the sketchbook, silent.

She looked up, taking in the surrounding scenery, just as she remembered it, a world of scribbles.

It wasn’t until recently that Luo Yan had been freed from this strange vision that had plagued her for so long.

And now, at this moment, with all her doubts finally resolved, Luo Yan finally understood.

“Actually, I’ve never seen little Tini’s sketchbook before,” Luo Yan whispered. At the same time, Hua Qiling and Grifres were startled to see the surrounding scenery collapsing, like falling blocks. “But in reality, I’ve been looking at… her sketchbook all along.”

Little Tini wasn’t a skilled artist. Her drawings were crude and childlike, full of whimsy and innocence.

Crooked patches of color piled together, with a few defining features, represented the people she knew.

Luo Yan turned to the third page.

“Uncle Andre is chopping meat, bloody meat flying everywhere, Little Tini is scared.”

The fourth page:

“Dr. Messier’s medicine smells so bad, like big, black, dirty things. Little Tini wants to bury it…”

The fifth page:

“Mr. Upton is praying seriously, Little Tini doesn’t dare disturb him.”

The sixth page:

“Grandpa Casico’s snack shop is Little Tini’s favorite place.”

The seventh page:

“Chef Root is cooking. He’s so amazing. Little Tini admires him.”

The eighth page, the ninth page, the tenth page…

Scene after scene, little Tini had recorded everyone she knew, the town she saw, and her dreams in this sketchbook, depicting her vision of a “happy town.”

And this was the world Luo Yan had always seen. Everything she saw in the town, her daily life, all came from this sketchbook.

Her aversion to meat, her dislike of medicine, even her frail body… all came from little Tini.

Luo Yan was silent.

Indeed, this was the “little Tini’s lost wish” that Ronner had mentioned, all contained within this sketchbook.

At the same time, the doll Little Tini stiffly raised its head, its painted eyes shifting to Luo Yan, tears seemingly welling up in the corners.

“Why… but… Little Tini just wanted…”

This doll took Little Tini’s form, but it wasn’t the real Little Tini. It was a distorted version of her wish.

The happiness it sought, the future it envisioned, had deviated from the original innocence and purity.

Mrs. Natalie couldn’t change this. She couldn’t bring back the real little Tini, only clinging to this increasingly twisted “Little Tini’s wish.”

Only “eternal happiness”… could create a world with the real little Tini.

“Just wanted… everyone… to be… happy…”

The doll Little Tini stood up shakily, waving its comical cloth arms.

Hearing this word again, Hua Qiling shuddered.

She had developed PTSD from the word “happiness.” The mere mention of it made her feel physically ill.

Grifres immediately prepared for battle. He sensed a powerful energy surging within the doll and whispered to Luo Yan,

“Be careful, Miss Luo Yan!”

At the same time, the doll Little Tini’s body suddenly swelled.

A cleaver, like Andre’s, appeared in one hand, and a ladle, like Root’s, in the other. It sobbed,

“Little Tini… just… wants to see the world again…”

The destroyed scenery reassembled, then instantly collapsed again, repeating this cycle endlessly.

One moment it was the town center, the next the Natalie Manor, then the town hospital entrance, and then back to little Tini’s room.

“The dream world is going haywire!”

Grifres immediately realized this. The moment Luo Yan picked up the sketchbook, the doll Little Tini could no longer prevent them from escaping the dream world.

Perhaps to stall for time, the doll Little Tini chose self-destruction, determined to delay their escape.

Countless townspeople appeared from the chaotic scenery, their lifeless faces expressionless, yet they relentlessly lunged at Grifres and Hua Qiling.

Grifres and Hua Qiling fought back, but the endless stream of townspeople overwhelmed their attacks, preventing them from getting anywhere near the doll Little Tini.

But Luo Yan, as before, was unaffected by the dream world’s inhabitants.

No one in the dream world could see her, not even the doll Little Tini.

It was simple. She had never truly entered the dream world, just as she had never truly integrated into the once happy town.

Luo Yan stood outside the sketchbook, watching the scenes depicted within, empathizing with its author, little Tini.

“Is this what you wanted me to see, Mrs. Natalie…?”

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 38 – The Sketchbook and the Reading Club

Meanwhile, the townspeople-guests had surrounded them, blocking their path.

Their expressions gradually became vacant, their repetitive pleas growing hoarse and low.

“Stay… feast… enjoy… happy…”

In this situation, Grifres didn’t hesitate. He summoned his soul spear and swung it at the guests surrounding them.

The souls of these ordinary people were no match for Grifres’s soul spear. With each swing, their forms and souls were instantly annihilated.

But then, Grifres’s eyes widened slightly.

“How…?”

Right before his eyes, the souls re-coalesced. In less than a second, they were completely restored.

Their bodies also reappeared, their expressions vacant, like puppets.

“This guest is a bad person!” The doll Little Tini shrieked, darting around frantically. “A bad person! A bad person! A bad person!”

As its screams echoed, the townspeople turned and swarmed towards Grifres, a dense mass of moving corpses.

“Bad person… bullying Little Tini… destroying happiness…”

They slowly reached out towards Grifres, their hands transforming into twisted, dark claws, identical to the monsters from before, as they approached him.

Grifres’s expression darkened. He continued to swing his spear, but the townspeople, after being annihilated again and again, instantly revived.

“Just go, you idiot!” Hua Qiling shouted at Grifres, who was now trapped in battle. She and Luo Yan had almost reached the dining room door. “Didn’t you say ‘carefully following the “rules” is more important than brute force’?”

“…Understood.” Grifres took a deep breath. With his ability ineffective, he had become too focused on fighting.

After calming down slightly, Grifres swung his spear, clearing a temporary path.

Then, before the townspeople could revive, he teleported to the doorway, leaving them behind.

“Go!”

Seeing this, Luo Yan immediately stepped out of the dining room, the other two following closely behind.

As they left the dining room and entered the other parts of Natalie Manor, the scenery shifted.

After a moment of dizziness, Hua Qiling and Grifres gasped.

Empty…

Not in the sense that there was nothing there, but… truly empty.

An endless expanse of white, with only a few objects floating bizarrely within it.

Like the chandelier above, the fireplace beside them…

It resembled a video game environment that hadn’t fully loaded.

“Just as I thought…”

Luo Yan looked around, her suspicions confirmed.

These half-loaded objects, in Luo Yan’s eyes, were incomplete drawings.

“What’s going on?” Hua Qiling asked nervously.

“This should be a dream world constructed from little Tini’s drawings,” Luo Yan whispered. “I should have realized it sooner. The scribbles we see, the bizarre scenes, the doll Little Tini’s deliberate actions… they’re all from little Tini’s drawings, imbued with her wishes.”

“Mrs. Natalie is using all of this, creating this cage to trap me… She’s stalling for time!”

This crude dream world was easy to see through. Even if they were completely trapped, escaping was only a matter of time.

And time was exactly what Mrs. Natalie needed.

After the failure of the “Atonement Day” ritual, she needed to use more drastic measures against Luo Yan.

“No wonder…”

Grifres relaxed slightly. Some of his previous questions were now answered.

Like the unkillable residents, the unpredictable spatial shifts…

However, even without Luo Yan’s explanation, he would have eventually realized this was a dream world, though it would have taken some time.

Hua Qiling, on the other hand, was still completely lost.

“What? What scribbles? What wish…?”

“We need to find the breaking point and leave here before this dream world is fully constructed,” Grifres said gravely, ignoring Hua Qiling’s confusion. “So, Miss Luo Yan, the thing you said you wanted to find is…”

“Yes, that’s right,” Luo Yan continued walking briskly. “Little Tini’s sketchbook. This dream world is constructed based on its contents. It’s in little Tini’s room.”

Even though the environment wasn’t fully rendered, this dream Natalie Manor still corresponded to the real Natalie Manor. Everything existed, even if they couldn’t see it clearly.

Luo Yan was so familiar with this place that she could navigate it even with her eyes closed.

Soon, she reached a seemingly blank white space.

Grifres and Hua Qiling caught up. Luo Yan grasped the invisible doorknob and pushed the door open with a creak.

“…”

Although they hadn’t stepped through the doorway, the moment Luo Yan opened the door, they found themselves inside the room.

“Ta-da!” The doll Little Tini suddenly reappeared, its voice clear and melodious once more. “Welcome to… little Tini’s reading club!”

Grifres instinctively stepped back, trying to leave the room, but it was too late. The closed door offered no escape.

Hua Qiling had been here once before, so she was relatively calm. She carefully observed the surroundings.

Little Tini’s room was almost identical to what she had seen before, the only difference being the family portrait on the wall. Everyone’s faces had been erased, replaced by mosaic-like black patches.

Luo Yan ignored the doll Little Tini. Her target was little Tini’s sketchbook.

She immediately went to the bedside table and opened the second drawer where little Tini always kept her sketchbook.

But… the drawer was empty.

“Impossible!”

Luo Yan’s pupils constricted. At the same time, Hua Qiling’s voice sounded,

“Miss Luo Yan… look, what’s that doll holding? Is that the sketchbook you mentioned…?”

Girl Doesn’t Die in Fairytale Town: Chapter 37 – The Script

The long dining table was filled with townspeople, Hua Qiling and Grifres seated at the far end.

At the head and foot of the table sat the doll Little Tini and Luo Yan.

A covered dish was placed before everyone, except for Luo Yan and the doll Little Tini, who had nothing in front of them.

“Little Tini made lots and lots of delicious food that everyone loves!”

The doll Little Tini waved its arms excitedly, its blue painted eyes curved into crescents.

Everyone smiled happily, their smiles almost identical.

Seeing this, Hua Qiling felt a chill run down her spine, almost dropping her chopsticks.

But remembering Grifres’s earlier warning, she forced herself to remain calm.

Although she was annoyed by Grifres’s sarcasm, she had to admit that he was far more experienced and powerful than her.

Grifres’s expression was serious as he discreetly observed the surroundings.

It was a closed room with no windows, the only light source coming from the candles on the dining table, making it incredibly dim.

“Let’s eat—”

The doll Little Tini hopped up and down, and the covers were lifted from the dishes, revealing their contents.

A large mass of bright red, mixed with wriggling, bloody chunks of meat.

—This was what Luo Yan saw.

Hua Qiling, however, saw her favorite cake, while Grifres stared silently at the fish and chips before him, clearly his favorite food.

Of course, under these circumstances, anyone would know that this food was inedible.

The other townspeople happily picked up their cutlery and began to eat, the sounds of chewing filling the room, except for the silent far end of the table.

“Why?”

The doll Little Tini suddenly appeared behind Luo Yan, but it wasn’t looking at her. Instead, its puzzled gaze shifted between Hua Qiling and Grifres.

“Guests, don’t you like the food little Tini made?”

“…”

“No, that’s not right!” The doll Little Tini floated in the air and exclaimed. “Little Tini knows that these are all your favorite things! There can’t be a mistake!”

Indeed, there wasn’t.

From the moment they entered, whether it was the clothes they were given or the food before them, everything perfectly matched Hua Qiling and Grifres’s preferences, even their most beloved items.

There were even moments when Hua Qiling and Grifres felt as if they were truly attending a banquet, but they quickly snapped back to reality.

Why was this happening?

Grifres glanced at Luo Yan, his eyes questioning, but she shook her head.

She didn’t know either.

Luo Yan observed Natalie Manor. Compared to the manor in her memory, this one seemed much simpler.

Like a hastily drawn sketch, although still colorful and blurry, it lacked the previous detail.

Except for the main dining table, the surrounding decorations were perfunctory, merely splashes of color, mostly obscured by a thick fog, as if hiding something.

“Little Tini wants to capture all the beautiful moments.”

This phrase suddenly surfaced in Luo Yan’s mind. Little Tini had said it to her.

Wait… little Tini?

Luo Yan looked up at the floating doll Little Tini. It didn’t seem to notice her, pointing at Hua Qiling and Grifres with one hand on its hip.

“No, no! That’s not polite! Guests must finish all the food little Tini carefully prepared!”

At the same time, the other guests—the townspeople—put down their cutlery, dozens of gazes focusing on Hua Qiling and Grifres.

“The guests happily finished the food before them—that’s how it should be!”

Although the doll Little Tini used little Tini’s voice, the sharp tone was something Luo Yan had never heard before.

…These weren’t words little Tini would say, and it wasn’t her personality at all.

This doll couldn’t possibly be little Tini!

It made sense. If it were so easy to bring little Tini back, why would Mrs. Natalie go to such lengths to maintain “eternal happiness”?

Combined with the different scribbled scenery, the strange occurrences since they entered, and the doll Little Tini’s words…

Memories flashed through Luo Yan’s mind: little Tini’s expression when she told her her wish, the happiness on her face as she carefully drew her vision of the future with crayons…

“The sketchbook!”

Luo Yan exclaimed, standing up abruptly.

Hua Qiling and Grifres looked at her questioningly, but the doll Little Tini and the other guests didn’t seem to notice her.

“Miss Luo Yan, what’s wrong?” Hua Qiling asked.

“Leave here, we’re going to little Tini’s room!” Luo Yan replied gravely.

Hua Qiling didn’t hesitate and immediately stood up as well.

Grifres also stood, but he asked,

“What are we going to do there?”

“Find something,” Luo Yan said, not wasting any time and quickly walking towards the dining room door. “This is definitely not the real Natalie Manor. We’re being stalled!”

“Not real?”

A look of suspicion flashed across Grifres’s face. He had considered this possibility, but hadn’t noticed anything unusual so far.

However, here, he could only trust Luo Yan’s judgment.

But just as Grifres and Hua Qiling were about to follow Luo Yan, the doll Little Tini reappeared and blocked their path, its voice sharp and piercing.

“Guests, where are you going…? You haven’t finished the food little Tini prepared for you!”

The previous clarity was gone, its voice now mixed with static-like noise.

The other guests also approached Grifres and Hua Qiling, dozens of voices urging them to stay and enjoy the feast.

However, as Luo Yan and the others refused to cooperate, as “Little Tini’s invitation” deviated further and further from the intended script, this seemingly heartwarming scene began to unravel.

“Break through, we have to break through now!”

Luo Yan’s expression was anxious. She could feel the surrounding environment slowly transforming into the Natalie Manor she knew.

They were sinking deeper and deeper into this bizarre dream world, unable to extricate themselves.