bookandnovel Chapter 4281 The Master of the Pleasure Pavilion
Chapter 4281 The Master of the Pleasure Pavilion
Chapter 4281 The Master of the Pleasure Pavilion
Not long after.
On the surface of the abyss, within Elsa's underground city, a huge animal hide scroll appeared out of thin air.
As soon as it appeared, it covered half the sky.
Its appearance drew the attention of all the half-blood demons and human wizards in Elsa's Dungeon, but almost 99% of them lowered their heads after a single glance, not daring to look any longer.
Because the scroll depicted a pure white cube, just staring at it made them feel dizzy, as if countless geometric formulas were drilling into their heads.
If I don't turn my eyes away in time, I'm sure I'll start bleeding from all seven orifices very soon.
Those who could withstand this terrifying flow of information were almost all the leaders of the various factions in Elsa's Dungeon.
Even if they could hold on, they wouldn't dare to hold on any longer... because when they saw that pure white cube, they had already guessed the identity of the animal skin scroll.
The Chapter on the Heart in the Nine Chapters of the Scholar.
The animal hide scroll, as the external manifestation of the Heart Chapter, is very famous in the Abyss, and no one dares to offend the demon god represented by the Heart Chapter.
A moment later, three figures emerged from the animal skin scroll in mid-air.
They landed and silently entered the streets of Elsa's underground city.
Many people saw them, but no one dared to say anything, and even pretended not to see them... After all, no one dared to provoke anything related to the Great Demon God.
These three figures were undoubtedly Weeks and his group.
Weeks swaggered ahead, leaning against the lantern flame and the keepsake left by his master, constantly sensing and correcting his path.
The withered ones and the skeletons followed behind it.
Kagu tried to talk to the Decayer many times, but the Decayer's eyes were glazed over, as if it didn't care about the outside world at all.
Kagu sighed helplessly.
Since the tragedy that befell the teacher's hometown, it has remained in this state, paying almost no attention to the outside world.
Even as a student and follower, I couldn't get the teacher's attention.
Even when facing the gods, the withered one would occasionally lose focus.
This is why the gods didn't pay much attention to the silence of the withered ones before.
However, what Kagu didn't know was that the Decayer's previous absent-mindedness stemmed from the cacophony of echoing souls reverberating in its mind, making it difficult for it to focus its attention outward. This was also the root of the Cruel Scholar's understanding of it and its subsequent indifference to it.
Now, the decaying thing can no longer hear any echo; its reverie is now merely a... performance.
Just recently, it cleared up a small portion of the remaining noise.
From this small amount of noise, it discovered an amazing secret: it saw a scene in which it was talking to "Elan".
There appear to be people in the background of the image.
But because the noise hasn't been completely cleared, it doesn't know who it is.
Upon seeing this scene, the Decayer immediately stopped clearing away the noise.
It knew that there must be a secret hidden in the residual noise in its mind. And this secret might be related to the "strange dreams" mentioned earlier by the cruel scholar.
The withered creature did not yet know what the secret was, but it knew that it could not delve any further into it at this moment.
Because it has a vague feeling that the secret of the strange dream is related to the changes in "Eran", once it continues to investigate and learns the truth about the "strange dream", then the "nothingness" shell that it has used to show itself and protect itself for thousands of years may be affected by this shock.
It understands cruel scholars too well; any unnaturalness stemming from the level of cognition is as clear as a bright flame in the dark night in the eyes of this being.
Cruel scholars will surely discover its changes.
And I don’t want the cruel scholar to know… because this secret most likely touches on the root of the “noise disappearance” in its mind, and may even be related to Elan’s unusual image.
This is a "turning point" that it cannot yet understand, but instinctively senses its importance.
Therefore, it must stop.
Only when the future is no longer within the observation range of cruel scholars will it dare to delve deeper, dare to dissect the secret seal, and seek the sealed truth.
Therefore, its current dazed state is merely a performance to maintain its appearance.
A few minutes later, Weeks, the little devil walking at the front, suddenly shouted, "Gah—I sensed it, this is it!"
It raised its head and pointed its paws at the street corner ahead.
Kagu followed the sound and looked in that direction.
Not far away on the street corner, there stood a building that seemed completely out of place amidst the hustle and bustle of the entire entertainment street.
It had neither the bone spikes and fangs commonly seen in the abyss, nor the shimmering signs imbued with magic. Instead, it resembled a glass cocoon enveloped in starlight, its entire body radiating a soft, pale purple glow. The outer layer was wrapped with fine silver threads, from which hung an astonishing number of wind chimes.
When the wind blows, it makes a soft "tinkling" sound.
Logically speaking, so many wind chimes ringing at the same time would be incredibly noisy.
However, the sound it emitted carried a certain pleasant frequency, and just listening to it made one feel comfortable all over, with a tingling, numbing sensation.
"With the power of voice charm, plus a touch of illusion magic, one can create a thousand wind chimes that are utterly enchanting..." Weeks scoffed, "Humans really know how to enjoy themselves."
"Unfortunately, these are of no use to demons."
Kagu chuckled and said, "Elsa's Dungeon wasn't originally intended for demons, so that's normal."
Elsa Dungeon is a stronghold city built by the wizarding organization, primarily targeting wizards located in the abyss, as well as some native inhabitants of the abyss and a small number of half-blood demons.
As for pure-blooded demons, they are almost impossible to appear.
Although the organization that founded Elsa's Dungeon was not the Frostmoon Alliance, which was hostile to demons, but rather a group called the "Bloodborne Alliance," their motto was to treat pure-blooded demons equally.
But pure-blooded demons aren't stupid; how could they possibly run off to human territory?
Of course, those three are exceptions.
I had a mission to complete, so I had to come.
This building, shrouded in a thousand wind chimes, has a gate formed from a semi-transparent mist. There is no physical plaque above the gate, only three characters written in the illusory mist: "Dream Experience Hall".
The handwriting flickered, as if it might disappear at any moment, yet it always maintained a complete outline.
As soon as they arrived at the door, the tightly closed door seemed to sense something and opened on its own.
"Welcome to the Dream Experience Center."
A voice, neither clearly male nor female, came from inside the door, gentle yet firm.
When Weeks went inside, he found that the person speaking was a painting on the wall by the door. The painting depicted a white mist figure with only curved outlines but no real features.
Weeks looked at him for a moment, then shook his head.
"I thought it was a spirit, but it turned out to be just a sound illusion device with a sensory effect."
Continuing forward, after taking only a few steps, another sound came from ahead.
"A secret technique from the Pure Land of Bliss allows you to experience unparalleled blissful dreams without moving. Guests who wish to experience blissful dreams, please walk down the left corridor."
The soft, seductive female voice, with its alluring ending notes, was so sweet that Weeks couldn't help but tremble with disgust.
The sound came from a mural on the left wall, which also depicted a white mist figure, but this time the white mist figure had a face.
Weeks looked at it and saw that it resembled a succubus.
"If you want to customize your own dream, replicate your regrets from the past, and imagine your unfulfilled visions, let every thought crystallize into a bright and beautiful scene~ Guests who are pursuing their own dream, please go to the right corridor."
A gentle, soothing female voice flowed slowly, lacking the cloying sweetness of the left voice, but instead like a flower petal soaked in morning dew, carrying a reassuring warmth.
The sound came from the mural on the right wall.
It's worth mentioning that the mural doesn't depict the White Mist Man, but rather a smiling half-blood demon.
Her golden hair and oval face made her look human, but the ram's horns on her head and her three-lobed lips betrayed her identity.
"Is it a real person?" Weeks asked in surprise.
"Yes, I'm Little Mushroom, a shop assistant here. Hello, sir!" The half-blood demon who called herself Little Mushroom waved from the painting and greeted her with a smile, "It's an honor to meet a pure-blooded demon today. Is there anything I can do for you, sir?"
Weeks looked at the little mushroom and felt there was something strange about her smile: "I'm looking for the Master of Pleasure."
"Looking for the curator?"
"Let me think..." Little Mushroom tilted her head as if pondering, and after a moment, said in an innocent tone, "The owner isn't here today. If you want to customize a dream, you can ask Little Mushroom~ Her dream is always the top choice in the shop~"
Weeks frowned upon hearing this: "The owner isn't here? How could that be?"
"Oh dear~ she's really not here~" The little mushroom in the painting tilted its head, its smiling face revealing no flaws. "The curator sister went out to collect 'Marilyn Monroe' and may not be back for a few days."
"Really don't want to try Xiaojun's customized dream? Although she hasn't customized a devil's dream before, her skills are top-notch, and she can always make minor adjustments!"
"you are lying!"
Little Mushroom said aggrievedly, "Little Mushroom swears, Little Mushroom never lies, or I'll turn into a human!"
Weeks didn't bother talking to the strange shop assistant. He simply turned the lantern on his tail towards the mural. The flame inside flickered, and a phantom flower could be faintly seen.
"This is the pheromone that locates your master. It was given to me by the master himself, and it points to this location."
After presenting the facts, Weeks didn't argue further. Instead, he extended his claws, revealing a "Demon Book" emblem, and said, "If you are truly a half-blood demon, you should recognize this emblem. It represents my master."
"And my coming here was at the master's behest."
Are you sure you want to stop them?
The Demon Book emblem is one of the hallmarks of the Cruel Scholars.
Although Xiao Mo wanted to pretend she didn't recognize him, Weeks had already gone this far. Her smile froze for a moment, then blossomed again, but a hint of cunning appeared in her eyes: "Oh~ so it's your keepsake, sir. I've been negligent."
She clapped her hands, and the figure in the painting suddenly faded: "Since it is the master's order, then I will now pass on the message for the guest! Please wait a moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, the half-blooded demon figure on the mural completely disappeared, leaving only a blank wall.
A moment later, a faint white mist rose from the entrance of the right-hand corridor, and as the mist condensed, a slender figure with silver hair slowly walked out.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, guest. I'm Xiao Gu. The owner asked me to take you there."
Weeks looked over and his expression froze.
This one who calls herself Little Mushroom looks almost exactly like the Little Mushroom from before, except her hair color has changed from blonde to silver.
"You're Little Mushroom?" Weeks' eyes flickered. "You and Little Mushroom..."
"Little Mushroom is my older sister." Little Mushroom smiled. "Everyone says we look alike."
"Looks alike?" Weeks sneered. "You don't just look alike, you just changed your hair color and you think Little Mushroom is Little Mushroom? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Xiao Gu's smile remained gentle, without the slightest embarrassment at being questioned. She simply said, "Twins are like that, it's just that I prefer silver hair, while my sister likes blonde."
Her voice was calm and even, unlike Xiao Mo's sweet, cloying tone, which gave people a sense of inexplicable peace of mind. "Please follow me, guest. The master is already waiting in the side hall."
After saying that, she turned and walked towards the right corridor at a leisurely pace.
Weeks took a deep breath, too lazy to say anything more, and followed her forward.
After walking a few steps, Little Mushroom suddenly spoke, her tone still calm: "Guest, are you here on the orders of the Cruel Scholar? May I ask what important matter you wish to discuss with the Master?"
Weeks glanced at her and sneered, "A mere shop assistant dares to overstep the rules?"
Little Mushroom wasn't annoyed. She just gave a soft "hmm" and didn't ask any more questions before continuing to lead the way.
The murals on both sides of the corridor gradually softened, no longer displaying the monotonous colors of the past, but instead transforming into a tranquil starry sky.
After walking for a while, Xiao Gu stopped and pointed to a door made of dream mist in front of her: "The side hall is inside. The Master is waiting for you inside."
"I'll leave you here. Please come in, sir."
Weeks raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you coming in with me?"
"The owner instructed that we only need to bring the guests here."
Little Mushroom nodded slightly, its figure gradually becoming transparent, just like the Little Mushroom before, turning into a wisp of white mist and dissipating at the end of the corridor.
"Playing tricks." Weeks scoffed and pushed the door open.
Inside the door was a spacious side room with a thick velvet floor, and at the far end was a large sofa bed.
Meanwhile, a human woman was lazily reclining on the sofa bed, raising her eyebrows to look at Weeks.
Upon seeing the human woman's face, Weeks let out a strange laugh: "You're the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion?"
"It's me." The voice was calm, like some kind of cool wine.
Weeks narrowed his eyes: "Are you having fun toying with me?"
"I wouldn't dare to mess with the host of the Heart Chapter," the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion said calmly.
Looking at the Pleasure Pavilion Master's face, which was exactly the same as Little Mushroom's, Weeks felt a tightness in his chest.
"You dare say you weren't faking it? Those little mushrooms and mushrooms have the exact same aura as you, they must be you, right?"
The owner of the pleasure hall gave a cryptic smile: "Whether it's me or not, what difference does it make?"
"Besides, shouldn't you be more concerned about the traces of the strange dream than these trivial details?"
"If we don't follow the dream soon, it will soon disappear."
Weeks was taken aback:
How did you know why I came? Did your master tell you?
The owner of the Pleasure Pavilion yawned: "The Cruel Scholar didn't tell me, but you did. No, not you, but... you."
"The other two haven't even stepped into the dream world yet."
The moment the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion finished speaking, the surrounding scene suddenly dissipated like smoke.
Weeks stared blankly at the changes before him.
When the smoke completely dissipated, it realized that it hadn't entered the Dream Experience Hall at all; it was still standing at the entrance.
Meanwhile, Kagu and the withered one stood in the distance, watching this scene as if they were observing a spectacle.
Was everything just now... a dream?
"You two retreated quickly, but you should be coming over now." The Master of Pleasure Pavilion stood at the entrance of the Dream Experience Hall, looking at Kagu and the Decayer.
Kagu walked forward with a smile: "We're just here to be tools; the main work should be left to Weeks."
Weeks' eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Kabone and the Decayer: "You two..."
Kagu hurriedly said, "Don't blame me, I tried to remind you many times, but you just wouldn't wake up, you kept muttering something about mushrooms... Later, the Master of Pleasure Pavilion stood in front of you and asked you what your purpose was in coming here."
"You said 'overstepping your bounds,' and then you began to reveal your true intentions."
"I figured I'd have to say it sooner or later anyway, so I didn't interrupt you."
Weeks: "..."
Weeks glared fiercely at Kagu, then turned to the Pleasure Pavilion Master with an angry look: "Were I just controlled by you?"
The owner of the pleasure hall raised an eyebrow: "Control? No, just efficiently listening to the true purpose."
"After all, as a human wizard, I must take some protective measures when facing a demon messenger who holds the power of knowledge."
"If your purpose is to harm me, then I will definitely run away after listening to you."
"But if it's just to let me follow my dreams, then that's easy."
"Come with me."
Seeing Weeks remain unmoved, the Master of Pleasure chuckled, "Don't worry, this time there's no illusion."