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

Chapter 695, Sections 2.5-34: The House of Silk and the Dollhouse (Dream)

The room was pitch black, with only a few flickering candlelight.

At the center of the floor was a huge and complex phoenix totem, surrounded by the broken limbs of various dolls. Only the blond doll at the very center of the totem was intact.

The disfigured man prayed devoutly to the totem, "Great God of Light, Lord of Life, I offer you everything, please grant me the power to create life..."

As he prayed, the totem appeared with tiny golden specks of light, as beautiful as fluttering fireflies.

The golden light spots first circled the man, then gathered towards the doll at the center of the totem, growing larger and larger until they almost engulfed it. At the same time, the doll also floated in the air with the golden light spots.

Golden light points coalesced into a round bead, which was about to sink into the doll's chest when an unexpected sound interrupted the ritual.

The bead turned into specks of light and disappeared again, and the doll fell onto the totem with a thud.

The man's face darkened instantly. His already terrifying features became even more grotesque, and the stitches on his face became even more pronounced. It seemed that if he made even the slightest expression, the stitches would snap under the strain, and his head would instantly split into seventeen or eighteen pieces.

He raised his fingers and a small black spider crawled out from between them.

The little spider had a bright red, glaring dot on its back. It jumped down from the finger and landed on the ground, growing larger and larger, its appearance becoming increasingly ferocious and terrifying.

Finally, he launched a fierce attack on the figure at the doorway.

With a loud 'bang,' smoke and dust slowly dispersed in the dark room.

"Are you alone?" The man slowly turned around and looked at Fei, who was constantly dodging the spider's attacks, and said in a calm tone.

Seven or eight tiny spiders of completely different colors were perched on his fingers, their eyes all fixed on Fei, as if they would detach from his fingers and attack Fei at any moment.

While dodging, Fei glanced at Qiong with a complicated look and asked softly, "Do you really think something made using such unorthodox methods can be considered a doll?"

Qiong was slightly taken aback, then suddenly burst into unrestrained laughter, "How can it not be? It has a life of its own!"

Fei lowered his eyes and didn't continue speaking, even though he really wanted to ask, "But is this really something you created?" But everything became meaningless after Joan said those words.

Yes, it's pointless. If even the creator doesn't mind tarnishing their own work, then what right do others have to care?
Now he says what he needs to do is eliminate the root cause, which means destroying the doll.

The story of the Secret Mansion began the moment Joan's mother passed away, but it truly took place with the birth of Miss Lily.

Of course, we can't ignore Ipha, the deacon who has used everyone from beginning to end, and whose purpose is still unclear.

What does he want to do? Why is he doing this? What is his goal?
He knew nothing about any of this. But one thing was clear: the incredible actions had existed for a long time, and the person behind them, whether lazy or not, was certainly involved; it was just a matter of degree.

Without Eiffel's appearance, perhaps Joan wouldn't have become so extreme, nor would she have gained the ability to manipulate spiders. But as long as Joan didn't understand what it meant to create dolls with love, she would inevitably go astray, though perhaps not to the extent she has now.

Joan's extremism, Miss Lily, and the Spider Mother—these three factors combined have created the current situation, and he needs to sever these connections one by one.

However, triangles are stable, and so far there hasn't been a good entry point. It would be great if a factor could emerge that could break through the predicament.

Fei thought to himself as he dodged the attacks of the many spiders.

the other side.

"The thirteenth door...the thirteenth door...thirteen...hmm...hmm?! What number am I counting to?" Xin Bai muttered to himself before suddenly stopping, his large cat eyes wide with confusion. His fluffy cat ears twitched slightly, and he tilted his head, puzzled. "Wait, why am I using 'door' (座)? Shouldn't it be 'door' (扇)?"

He subconsciously wagged his fluffy tail, suddenly became agitated, and then abruptly stopped again, staring intently at the gate in front of him that was quite different from the previous one, as if afraid that others would not notice it.

"This should be it..." Xin Bai blinked and murmured.

He unconsciously reached out, grasped the doorknob, and gently turned it. With a 'click,' the door opened.

Looking at the view behind the door, which was filled with white light, Xin Bai finally decided to go inside.

Regardless, this was the only clue Lanlos had given him that allowed him to clear the dungeon; he couldn't possibly be lying to him.

A flash of white light passed by, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in front of a gate that was exactly the same as the one he had just opened.

Xin Bai: "..." Wait, who is he? Where is he? What just happened?
He refused to believe it and opened the door again, walking inside. This time, no matter how blinding the white light was, he didn't close his eyes. But as the white light disappeared, the same door appeared in front of him, as if he had never been inside and had been standing there in a daze all along.

Xin Bai fell silent. This situation was beyond his mental capacity to handle. But if he backed down like this, wouldn't the cat lose face?
Why don't we try again? He refused to believe it would be the same this time.

As it turns out, some things can't be forced; no matter how many times Xin Bai tried, the result was the same. Xin Bai said he was tired of looking at this door and really wanted to scratch it a few times.

Finally, he actually scratched it, and corresponding scratch marks appeared on the door. When he opened the door again and went in, he was faced with the exact same door, and even the scratch marks he had left were exactly the same.

Wow, the case is solved! It turns out there wasn't a door inside a door, but rather that entering the door automatically teleported you back to the entrance.

So he must have gone to the wrong door.

Just as he was about to turn around, a very familiar soft and sweet voice suddenly came from behind him.

"If you're not mentally prepared, it's best not to open it."

'Because even if it's open, you can't get in,' Xin Bai added in his heart. This was the answer he learned through blood and tears, even though the process was neither bloody nor tearful, only exhausting.

"What kind of door is this?" Xin Bai turned to look at the girl and asked slowly.

"Simply put, it's the gate to memory, and also the gate to the heart. It allows you to see the memories that your heart most desires but that your brain has deliberately hidden." Her cool, silver vertical pupils gazed quietly at Xin Bai as she spoke softly.

Xin Bai was slightly taken aback, then a surge of longing welled up inside him, and he murmured, "Then I can see..."

"If this is what you think and desperately desire, then you will see it, and after you have seen it, the door will disappear before your eyes."

To be precise, none of the doors truly disappeared; they only vanished before those who had entered. Those who hadn't entered could still enter. Of course, she didn't need to say this, because they existed precisely to be discovered.

Xin Bai pondered the girl's words, then his expression hardened. "Then I'll go in."

It wasn't that he didn't want to ask who the person in front of him was, but he knew that this wasn't the time to ask; the opportunity hadn't come yet, and he had more important things to do.

Without hesitation, Xin Bai turned the doorknob again, his entire body gradually disappearing into the white light until he vanished.

The girl looked up at the vast starry sky and said softly, "It's not time yet."

(End of this chapter)