I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 678, Section 2.5, Chapter 18: 'The House of Silk' and the Dollhouse

"It's not too late," the puppeteer said slowly, looking at the stone in Mu Yegui's hand.

At least the stone hasn't reached Miss Lily's hands yet.

"So what kind of offer can you make me willingly go against Miss Lily's 'wishes' and hand it over to you?" Mu Yegui asked.

The puppeteer frowned slightly. He didn't continue speaking, but seemed to be thinking about something.

He wouldn't hesitate to rob anyone who wasn't as strong as him, even if they stood in front of him, and would kill them along the way.

Because Mu Yegui was too strong, he knew from the beginning that he couldn't win, so he simply ruled out using force. Since he couldn't win anyway, he figured he might as well make a deal with him calmly; perhaps the other party would agree?

Aside from a few arrogant individuals or those overconfident in their own strength, almost everyone who knew Mu Yegui's abilities unanimously chose to refuse to fight him. After all, they were truly no match for him, and forcing themselves would only lead to no good.

“If you can’t think of anything right now, Mr. Puppeteer, I can give you an option. As long as you tell me how to solve the Spider Mother problem at its source, I will give it to you even if it means going against Miss Lily’s ‘wishes’ and being punished.” Mu Yegui glanced at the Puppeteer and reminded him.

"I see." The puppeteer lowered his eyes and said in a low voice.

The terrifying face covered in white powder had no expression, and one could vaguely see the dense stitches on its face, as if the entire head would suddenly split open if it were removed, giving people an extremely frightening and terrifying feeling.

Behind him was a decaying, damp wall covered with white cobwebs, creating a very gloomy and desolate atmosphere.

"Come with me." The puppeteer glanced at Mu Yegui, then turned and walked down the stairs. "Lily, it would be better if you went downstairs to check on the Spider Queen. That big cat is too annoying."

“Yes, Daddy,” Lily said softly.

Mu Yegui followed behind the puppeteer, watching him walk down the stairs to the fifth floor and finally stand in front of the studio.

"Go in, the answer is inside." The puppeteer opened the door but didn't go in; instead, he stood at the doorway and said to her.

"Can't you go in?" Mu Yegui asked.

Instead of asking if we weren't allowed in, they asked directly whether we couldn't go in.

The puppeteer was secretly surprised by Mu Yegui's sensitivity, but he said nothing and just shook his head.

He didn't answer Mu Yegui's question, but instead asked himself, "Do you think a puppet can have life and its own thoughts?"

"In my view, life is just a concept that can exist in any form. A doll can't move or think, but shouldn't it be considered to have life? Its creator has given it enough effort and love. It was born in anticipation. The lack of response is not because it can't respond, but because it is unable to respond. It is still very small, and the creator needs enough patience to wait for it to grow up."

Mu Yegui looked down at the stone in his hand and continued, "Even seeds need water, nutrients, and time to break through their shells and sprout. Why not spend more time and patience on the puppet and wait for its response?"

"Was I too hasty?"

"Did you, Puppeteer, ever harbor special feelings for a certain being, and under the stimulation of strong emotions, suddenly another voice appeared?" Her cool silver eyes quietly gazed at the Puppeteer, and she said softly, "That's how I was born."

"You..." The puppeteer was slightly taken aback, unsure of what to say for a moment. "Actually, there's something else I want to clarify." Mu Yegui paused, then said, "What kind of relationship do you two have, Mr. Puppet Master? Sometimes I have a conflicting thought that you two should be two different individuals."

Mu Yegui looked up at him, hid the stone in his hand behind his back, and said, "The puppeteer standing in front of me now should be Qiong, but the Qiong in the Silk House shop should be the puppeteer."

"Why do you think that?" the puppeteer asked.

"Because Joan is a very gentle child."

The puppeteer shook his head, his expression complicated. "You're wrong. Joan was never gentle. He just..." He simply devoted all his emotions to the puppets. In his eyes, everyone should become his puppet. Joan had long since lost all of himself because of the puppets.

“But the memory stone I feel is very warm.” Mu Yegui said as he walked into the studio and then slammed the door shut.

She leaned against the door, looking down at the stone in her hand, lost in thought.

From the moment I first saw it, I knew it wasn't a stone related to time, but Miss Lily wasn't wrong; it is indeed a stone that corrects time, only it corrects an individual's time.

This stone is a memory stone. If she's not mistaken, it should store Joan's memories, probably containing secrets that Miss Lily can't see, which is why the puppeteer appeared to stop her.

After learning that the stone was a memory stone, she made a decision: to use it as bait to catch fish. The small fish was Miss Lily, and the big fish was the puppeteer. The bait would catch the small fish, the small fish would catch the big fish, and once the big fish appeared, the question she wanted to know would naturally be answered.

This stone must be the key to this dungeon.

Actually, she wasn't quite sure whether the puppeteer and Joan were the same person or two different people. Half of their conversation was guesswork, and the other half was trying to elicit information. Since she wasn't sure and couldn't be certain, it was better to leave it at that.

However, she wasn't wrong about this point; she did indeed develop her own consciousness amidst Mu Yin's intense yearning. Perhaps it was because Mu Yin needed her that she came into being.

But what if one day Mu Yin no longer needs her?

Will she disappear?
Thinking of this, she suddenly seemed to hear something, but when she turned her head to look around, she saw nothing.

The voice said, "If that day ever comes, I will take you home."

Who is speaking?
Mu Yegui's name means "returning to one's roots," which may also hint at her future destiny.
She put the stone back in her pocket and walked towards the table. She wanted to take another look at the contents of the diary; although the handwriting was illegible, perhaps she would find something else?

There's also the card with the character '無垢' on it; perhaps we could try to decipher it.

Mu Yegui was looking at the notebook on the table when his gaze was suddenly drawn to the shards of a vase beside him.

There seems to be something there...

She moved the shards aside, revealing a black button. She pressed it gently, feeling the ground vibrate, and a secret downward passage appeared not far away.

Why do most bosses not directly fight Mu Yegui? Because Mu Yegui is strong, and they know they can't beat him, so they simply don't fight.

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(End of this chapter)