flstandardbreds Chapter 118 The Fool's Puzzle, Part 8
Chapter 118 The Fool's Puzzle, Part 8
What's that noise outside...?
Elena groggily regained her senses from her dazed state. This was the second time she had regained control of her mind since her escape. Realizing she could control her body, Elena instinctively glanced out the window.
A crimson light, carrying a chilling ominous aura, seeped into the room from outside the window.
Her room is currently empty, and even the windows are not made of glass; what is called a window is actually just a square hole.
Her body was exhausted from the day's work. Although it wasn't what she wanted to do, she still put in her best effort to treat the objects that sought help with kindness. Moreover, she had been eating weeds for the past few days and had hardly any energy intake. Elena was even impressed that she hadn't fainted yet.
She forced herself to slowly walk out—there was nothing there. The tables, chairs, and glasses she used to see were all gone. The place was completely empty; anyone who didn't know better would think it had been ransacked by a group of notorious thieves.
What's going on now? Elena has just regained consciousness and is obviously unaware of the current situation.
Previously, I was only vaguely aware of the outside world, only knowing that there was a loud noise outside, and then it seemed that all things were awakened and rushed out towards a certain place...
Could it be a zither...?
That purplish-red light.
Elena patted her cheeks to try and clear her head, then took out her wand and began to probe outwards step by step.
After walking a few steps, Elena saw the enormous giant in the distance. The flames burning on its body were exceptionally magnificent, and its screams were exceptionally heart-wrenching.
Soon, the purplish-red flames gradually spread towards Elena.
Elena tried to extinguish the fire to clear a path for her, but no matter how she tried, the fire, which she used to be able to put out easily, burned even more fiercely.
"Burning Demon Fire." This was the first time Elena had ever seen a flame described in books.
Then you can't use magic to extinguish these fires; magic can only become fuel for these flames.
Elena switched to using water to extinguish the fire, as she still had some extra magical materials for creating water that she had bought earlier. Although the fire-extinguishing efficiency was low, at least it was enough to clear a path.
The zither should be there.
In that instant, Elena suddenly realized why she had gone there.
That was the heart of the battlefield, so dangerous—as a traveler, it was my duty to seek advantage and avoid harm as much as possible.
The most important thing is to be alive; if you lose your life, nothing else matters.
Besides, that's a zither—it'll be alright, won't it...?
Even if something really happens, what can I change in the past—I'm just a traveler.
Irena stopped in her tracks, staring intently as the giant, who had risen again, swung his fist at something, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
The surrounding fire must have made the environment quite hot.
But why... do I have a bad feeling?
I……
Leaving now seems like a better option. All the objects are now at war with the piano, and nothing can stop me from escaping. If I leave here, I will be free.
Even if Qin were here, I think he would still think I should choose this direction.
This is the result of rational analysis, whether it is out of consideration for one's own safety, the three admonitions one's mother gave to him before his departure, or the assessment of the current situation.
This option is undoubtedly correct.
“But why… don’t I want to choose this option?” Elena couldn’t understand, she really couldn’t understand. “He came for me, should I leave now?”
She thought that as a witch she had traveled to so many places, she could brave any danger as long as she was a little careful—but in the end, she became a slave to those things in this barren land.
She thought she was already an adult and understood the basic truths of the world, but she couldn't even fully understand her own inner thoughts and feelings, and was often as naive as a little kid.
Elena, oh Elena—so what was the purpose of your journey in the first place? Was it because you love to travel—or was it to grow through travel?
Or perhaps both.
"I can be quite rebellious sometimes, I guess." Elena made her decision, then took out her wand and began to extinguish the fire in front of her.
The journey wasn't too difficult. Just as Elena was about to reach her destination, the flames around her gradually faded from purplish-red to completely black and white.
Then, to Elena's astonishment, the towering giant shattered into pieces and vanished into nothingness.
In the center of the black and white flames, ashes drifted in the wind, and even at night, the pale light shone on Qin's face, making it look particularly eerie.
His once black hair was now a sickly pale white, his once empty eyes were now blood red, and the broken sword in his hand was burning with black and white flames.
"I never expected that the first person I would see after I truly descended would be you. How wonderful." Qin looked at Elena with a chilling smile, then spoke in a hoarse voice that did not belong to Qin, "To be honest, if I were you, I would run far, far away."
“You are not the piano.” Elena, with a sudden burst of courage, pointed her wand at the piano.
She knew perfectly well that she was no match for Jean—even at her peak, she wouldn't be a match. Besides, she wasn't exactly in good shape right now. The wand was merely a means to give her courage.
“Of course not—you should be called Elena,” Jean said. “Even someone as kind-hearted as me would find someone who ruined my plans an eyesore.”
“A demon…” Elena already knew the answer.
It turns out that the ominous feeling was real.
"My name is Druid. I hope—once you go to the Underworld, you can brag to my friends that it was the Druid who took you there. Oh, you probably won't remember anything then, how boring." Qin, sword in hand, instantly appeared before Elena. "Any last words? Oh, and don't regret coming to me, because even if you hadn't come, I would have come to you myself."
“After all, demons are very vengeful creatures, hehehe.” Jean smiled.
The fact that Qin can laugh is a terrifying thing in itself.
The devil's smile made the smile a hundred times uglier.
"Die!!!" Elena's wand unleashed a magical blast—her instinct for survival sent her adrenaline soaring, draining her entire body of magic.
Even if you fire a magic cannon at close range, she will be thrown back by the recoil.
Even if nothing matters, you should still try to struggle.
"I like seeing humans struggle in their death throes." Jean took the full force of Elena's charged magic cannon without a scratch, while Elena was thrown several meters away by the blast.
The adrenaline temporarily masked her pain, and she forced herself to stand up.
"Drink!!" She waved her wand, unleashing every imaginable attack spell with her magic.
"Fear, loss, despair—what delicious sustenance." Jean swung her sword, slicing through the magic attacking him, then slowly approached. "Are you thinking, 'If only I hadn't met him—then you could have traveled freely.' Don't you regret it?"
After her magic was completely depleted, Elena collapsed to the side, her heart pounding, reminding her that she was still alive. The initial ferocity had probably worn off, and the excruciating pain throughout her body began to take over.
“You must regret it—if only you hadn’t continued traveling with him!” Qin stood before Elena, raising her sword high. “Alright, Miss Elena, let’s bring this story to a perfect close.”