Yu Sheng wasn’t surprised by Little Red Riding Hood’s response, as he himself was without a solid plan. Intuitively, he believed the two events were connected. After all, both Little Red Riding Hood and Old Zheng were entangled with the Fairy Tale Organization, and the Angel Cultists had targeted them both. The sacrificial ritual in the White Exhibition Hall was evidently a meticulously arranged ceremony, its intent glaringly obvious.
However, as Little Red Riding Hood pointed out, a crucial “link” was missing: the ultimate goal of the Angel Cultists. Sacrifices always served a purpose, didn’t they? And if they had chosen Little Red Riding Hood as a target, there must have been a reason behind it.
Out of nowhere, Yu Sheng’s mind recalled something—a detail he had picked up during his conversation with the sacrificial victim in the White Exhibition Hall. It was a phrase that the two Angel Cultists had kept repeating throughout their ritual:
“Deliver the Savior from the Sea of Suffering…”
Little Red Riding Hood noticed Yu Sheng muttering to himself and instinctively turned to him. “What did you say?”
“The goal of the Angel Cultists… ‘Deliver the Savior from the Sea of Suffering.’ You should remember that phrase, along with ‘assist His descent,’” Yu Sheng said. “Is it possible that certain aspects of the Fairy Tale Organization’s domain could help a trapped ‘Dark Angel’ break free? Or… could the entire Fairy Tale domain itself serve as a ‘sacrifice’ to summon the Dark Angel?”
Little Red Riding Hood’s eyes widened slightly.
“Let’s consider this a hypothesis for now,” Yu Sheng continued. “When I report to the Special Affairs Bureau, I’ll bring it up. Either way, we now have yet another reason to resolve the situation with the Fairy Tale Organization.”
Little Red Riding Hood nodded in agreement.
“Do you need me to escort you back?” Little Red Riding Hood asked, her voice calm as the faint silhouettes of a wolf pack flickered around her.
“No need, I’ll just ‘open a door’ and leave,” Yu Sheng replied, waving dismissively. Just as he was about to depart, something suddenly crossed his mind. “Oh, I forgot to tell you—Xiao Xiao also entered my ‘dream’.”
Little Red Riding Hood, who had been about to mount a wolf, froze mid-motion and stared at Yu Sheng in confusion. It took her two or three seconds to process. “You mean that gray wasteland?!”
“Yes,” Yu Sheng confirmed with a nod. “It happened around noon. She said she fell asleep during a nap and ended up in the Black Forest. While being chased by wolves, she somehow escaped into the wasteland. We spent some time together there. The little girl wasn’t scared—and as a silver lining, she even avoided an instance of Black Forest corruption. So, all in all, it turned out well.”
Little Red Riding Hood blinked thoughtfully, her expression pensive. “Now that you mention it… before I left, Xiao Xiao had woken up. She was excitedly telling her friends about some strange dream she had. I was in a hurry, so I didn’t pay much attention at the time.”
“Do you remember what happened when you entered that wasteland?” Yu Sheng asked curiously.
Little Red Riding Hood furrowed her brows, focusing intently. “…It seemed to happen after I entered the Black Forest. I encountered a wolf pack and was about to hide, but after running a few steps, I suddenly felt dizzy. The next thing I knew, I was standing on an unfamiliar grassland.”
The two exchanged glances, both deep in thought.
The Phantom Door opened soundlessly in midair, and Yu Sheng’s figure stepped through, emerging back into his home.
His feet had barely touched the familiar floor when a cheerful yet muffled voice called out from the side. “Benefactor, you’re back!”
Turning towards the sound, Yu Sheng saw Foxy perched at the dining table, using chopsticks to twirl noodles. She had rolled them up so thick they resembled drumsticks, and was gnawing away with gusto, sauce smearing her face in the process.
Before he could say anything, another voice rang out from behind him—this one belonging to Irene. “So? How did it go? Was everything smooth? Did you guys find any new clues after I left?”
Yu Sheng turned to find not one but three Irenes clustered together on the coffee table. Two of them were engrossed in a laptop, one typing furiously while the other hugged the mouse with both hands, working in perfect synchrony. The third Irene, meanwhile, was craning her neck, curiosity etched on her face as she watched him.
“Old Zheng’s case is pretty complicated,” Yu Sheng said absently to the little doll as he hung his coat on the rack. He walked over to Foxy and began wiping her face clean. However, as he worked, he paused and frowned. “Wait a minute. Did you use your tail to wipe your mouth again?”
Foxy’s eyes widened. “How did you know, Benefactor?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The tip of your tail is covered in sauce!”
“…Hehe.” Foxy chuckled sheepishly, promptly yanking her soiled tail off and trotting away to toss it into the washing machine in the bathroom.
Yu Sheng stared after her, dumbfounded. “…Your tail can go in the washing machine?”
“Of course!” Foxy replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Do you think tails are that inconvenient?”
Yu Sheng’s eye twitched. Suddenly, the mystery of why freshly laundered clothes always seemed to have fox fur on them became glaringly clear…
Still, he was used to such oddities by now. Mumbling a few words under his breath, he turned to both the doll and the demon fox. “Alright, pause your eating and gaming for a moment. I have something to say.”
“No need to pause. I’ve got a spare body to listen with,” Irene quipped as the version of her with the charcoal frame hopped down from the coffee table and padded over to him, looking up expectantly. “What’s up?”
“I think I’ve found a temporary way to protect Little Red Riding Hood and the other children at the orphanage from the effects of the fairy tale world,” Yu Sheng said gravely. After a moment’s thought, he clarified, “Or rather, a method to provide them with an emergency refuge during instances of ‘corruption.’ It’s still just an idea, though.”
Irene’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? How?”
Yu Sheng sat down next to Foxy, his expression serious. “You remember how Xiao Xiao ended up entering my ‘dream realm’ before? I just cross-referenced her case with Little Red Riding Hood’s situation. She apparently ‘frequency-shifted’ into that wasteland while being chased by wolves in the Black Forest. Similarly, Foxy here was brought into that desolate field when she was on the verge of being devoured by Entity-Hunger. So, I’m forming a bold hypothesis…”
Before he could finish, Irene interjected, “You’re saying that anyone who has established a ‘connection’ with you and gained ‘access’ to that wasteland will instinctively shift their consciousness there when faced with mortal danger?”
“It’s just a theory for now,” Yu Sheng said cautiously, though his tone hinted at hope. “The exact mechanism and efficacy need further testing. But based on current evidence, Foxy, Little Red Riding Hood, and Xiao Xiao all entered under similar circumstances.”
Foxy tilted her head, curiosity lighting up her features. “So, what you mean is…”
“We may not be able to completely resolve the ‘fairy tale’ otherworld just yet, but if we can protect the affected children in the meantime, that’s a significant step forward,” Yu Sheng explained. “And even if it doesn’t work, the worst-case scenario is that I end up drinking a couple extra bowls of brown sugar water.”
Irene rolled her eyes. “A couple bowls might not cut it. You might as well take a nap.”
Yu Sheng waved her off. “Minor details.”
“Fine, minor details. Now tell me the major ones,” Irene said with a sharp glance. “How exactly do you plan to implement this?”
“Implement?” Yu Sheng blinked, then shrugged. “The simplest way—just let them come into contact with my blood.”
Irene’s expression turned incredulous as she stared at him. “So, let me get this straight. You’re planning to gather dozens of underage kids, possibly have them form a circle for efficiency, and then walk around dripping blood on them?”
Yu Sheng looked puzzled. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Picture it,” Irene said flatly.
Realization dawned on Yu Sheng, and he frowned. Meanwhile, Foxy tapped his arm with her tail. “Benefactor, where I come from, legitimate blood magic isn’t performed that way. Doing it screams ‘evil cultivator’ and would probably get you arrested by the Peacekeeping Immortals for at least three centuries.”
Yu Sheng’s face froze as the implications hit him. “Yeah… the image does feel a bit off. The kids might accept it, but the council’s security personnel would definitely report me.”
“So, you’ll need a plan that doesn’t look so… unhinged,” Irene said, spreading her hands. “At least one with a less sinister aesthetic.”
Yu Sheng furrowed his brow, thinking hard. After a long pause, inspiration struck. “How about this: instead of smearing blood on each kid, we gather them together and have them eat something like… spicy blood stew?”
Irene blinked, then leaped up in outrage. “How is that any less creepy?!”
Yu Sheng turned to Foxy. “What do you think?”
Foxy stared blankly for two seconds before drooling. “Benefactor, can I try it first?”
Irene gawked at the two of them, utterly flabbergasted. As the self-proclaimed sole possessor of common sense in this household, she felt her worldview teetering.
Thankfully, before Irene could explode again, Yu Sheng slapped his forehead. “Wait, wait. We need to rethink this. Spicy blood stew might not work either.”
Irene let out a relieved sigh. “Finally, some sense. I was starting to think you…”
Yu Sheng cut her off. “The kids might not handle spicy food well.”
Irene’s face twisted in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?!”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation