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

Chapter 702, Section 2.5, Chapter 41: The House of Silk and the Dollhouse

The huge studio had no furniture intact, and the floor even had a large hole punched in it, revealing the stairs leading to the doll storage room.

The horrifying-looking man collapsed to the ground, one hand covering his blood-soaked eyes. Crimson liquid kept seeping from between his fingers, dripping down his skin. Blood was everywhere—on his sleeves, his pants, and on the ground.

The ragged doll girl stumbled toward the man, her smooth skin transforming into doll joints with each step.

“Dad, Dad…” Cracks appeared on Miss Lily’s beautiful face, as if it were about to shatter.

Miss Lily cried out in despair, "Save me... Daddy... I don't want to die..."

Joan's hand, which was covering her eyes, twitched slightly as she looked somewhat bewildered at Miss Lily, whose joints were exposed on the doll.

Without the Spider Mother's coordination, the power that had been doubted by itself could no longer favor Miss Lily, and she finally revealed the form that a doll should have.

Because she endured a force that her body could not withstand, her body began to collapse and disintegrate.

Even so, her heart and soul were still filled with the father who created her.

When he created her, the image of her body that he meticulously crafted was not fake; he did create her with utmost care, but he had no expectations.

She was not the child he had hoped for.

Joan has no love for Miss Lily.

Therefore, even if you were to create a complete version of her, you could not bring her to life.

but……

Even so...

That's her father too.

Qiong gazed at the doll who loved her and was striving to walk towards her even as it was about to break. Her thin lips moved slightly, and something seemed to appear in her azure eyes.

On the day his mother died, his world was plunged into darkness, but now he hears a child's voice in that darkness.

“…Lily.” Joan sighed softly, seemingly accepting reality.

The moment the Spider Mother left him, all his reason returned, and he clearly realized how outrageous his past actions had been, and also understood what kind of being Miss Lily truly was.

He never actually created the doll; Miss Lily was not someone he brought to life.

He was an incompetent puppeteer—no, he wasn't a puppeteer at all, just a conman who used puppets as an excuse.

He used to say he looked down on his father, but in the end he was not even as good as his father.

Despite being such a good-for-nothing, Miss Lily still calls him her father.

Joan felt conflicted and helpless, suddenly unsure how to face Miss Lily.

“Dad…” Miss Lily gazed at Joan, her eyes filled with both affection and longing. Like any ordinary child, she instinctively yearned for and admired her father, no matter how terrible he was, he was the only pillar of support for her.

“I’m sorry, Lily,” Joan said softly.

These words made Miss Lily's eyes light up, and she began to cry to Joan, "Daddy...it hurts so much. It hurts so much...help me..."

“Lily.” Joan suddenly didn’t know how to comfort or tell Miss Lily; reason and emotion almost tore him in two.

"Why am I not human?! Why did Daddy abandon me? Why... am I not Daddy's child..." Miss Lily cried, "You said I was your best daughter, you said your dream was to create living dolls, so why did you give me to someone else?! Why did you turn me into this! Why... ahhhhhhh—"

"I'm sorry." That was all Joan could say in the end.

“Dad…I don’t want to die…Save me…Don’t abandon me…Dad…” Miss Lily stumbled toward Joan, each step causing her body to shatter like a broken porcelain doll. She felt no pain; her eyes were only on her most respected father—Joan.

Her feet were broken, so she used her still-intact hands to crawl forward little by little, her goal remaining unchanged.

Miss Lily tried to reach out to Joan, but as Joan grasped her hand, her entire arm shattered and fell to the ground. In the end, she was still unable to touch her beloved father.

Her body shattered completely; she could no longer stand or approach that person. Her deep blue eyes stared intently at Qiong, the light gradually fading until a white mist enveloped them, obscuring everything.

Her mouth was still moving as if she was saying something, but she couldn't make a sound.

Something broke with a 'crack'.

Joan maintained her attempt to catch Miss Lily, but ended up catching nothing.

He was stiff all over, and it took him a long time to slowly react. He tried to bring Miss Lily's body back together, and knelt on the ground, bending over to try to hold the fragments of her body. Among the fragments, only a blood-red gem was still shining brightly.

My forehead touched the floor, feeling its coolness, but tears kept falling from my eyes.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" he roared, his voice hoarse and filled with pain, like a trapped wild beast that didn't know where to find a way out.

Fei watched all this and couldn't help but take a step forward, only to be suddenly grabbed by the hem of his clothes by a hand.

He turned to look back at the girl who had grabbed his sleeve, his expression showing a hint of confusion.

"I've been reflecting on whether what we've done is right. Admittedly, for the players, this is a brutal selection process they have to go through, while for the native inhabitants of this world, it may just be an undeserved disaster. But the path must still be walked, no matter how cruel the truth may be, we must be prepared to accept reality. Because this is the journey to becoming a king, and the sins that a king must bear. In this world, there is never any fruit that can be obtained without sacrifice and loss. And whether the fruit tastes sweet depends on the mindset of the person involved."

Mu Yegui paused here, raised her eyes and looked back at Fei with her clear, calm silver eyes, and asked, "So, Fei, do you think this fruit is sweet now?"

Fei's Adam's apple bobbed. He stiffly twisted his neck to look at Qiong, and murmured in a hoarse voice, "...Not sweet." Not only not sweet, but extremely bitter, to the point that he suddenly could no longer properly view the existence of players and NPCs.

“Then remember this taste well, because this kind of fruit can never be sweet.” Mu Yegui gazed at the handsome profile and said softly, “Although it’s not the path you chose, since you’re on it, you should be prepared to bear everything. And don’t forget that you climbed over obstacles by stepping on their despair.”

Ling Tong had just reached the door when he heard this sentence. He stopped in his tracks and did not choose to go in. His golden-orange eyes gradually darkened, like the night that was about to fall after the sunset.

[Instance settlement in progress.]

[Instance settlement complete.]

【Task Assessment: #￥@%#￥%】

[Complete the hidden achievement: The King's Quest.]

[Complete the hidden achievement: Find the doll's eye—the 'Regret' True Gem.]

Task 1: Uncover the truth behind the doll's life. [Completed]

[Task Two: Kill the source of evil. [Completed]]

[Task 3: Rescue the Puppeteer. [Completed]]

[Task 4: Kill the Spider Queen. [Completed]]

Task 5: &……%￥&*@……%&？ . [Completed]

[All tasks have been completed; the dungeon has been successfully cleared.]

Finally, we've finished writing The House of Silk. Now, let's seamlessly transition into the sequel to the Lust chapter.

Do you remember the first mission of the Silk House? Find the eyes of the doll with closed eyes. Mu Yegui found one, but the other one was never found, because that one was the real gem that was born from Qiong.

A real gem called regret.

Among the nine factions (good, evil, order, and chaos), Mu Ye belongs to absolute neutrality, which is why she said the things mentioned in the text. It's simply because she is a pure justice advocate, completely neutral, and has no prejudice or coercion towards evil or good.

By the way, Xiao Yin is a chaotic neutral, a completely 'free person' who will choose between evil and good, doing whatever he pleases. In short, 'what do I care about others?'

I forgot to write a summary for the "Guess Who I Am" dungeon, no wonder something was missing. I've added it now.

Throughout, I referred to Miss Lily as Miss Lily, not Lily, because she was a doll, and the doll's name was Miss Lily, not Lily.

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(End of this chapter)