Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

As the door opened, a massive figure appeared in the doorway.

That was... a woman?
Her height wasn't particularly outstanding, but her width was astonishing.

Lin Yi estimated that his weight was definitely over 200 kilograms. His bloated body was like a moving mountain of flesh, almost blocking the entire doorway.

She was wearing a "robe" made of various fabrics patched together, covered with unidentified stains and dried medicine.

His gray hair, as white as withered grass, was haphazardly spread out, covering most of his face.

His exposed skin was rough and dark, covered with wrinkles and dark spots, and a large, bulbous nose was particularly striking.

This is completely different from the image of the "witch lover" that Lin Yi had imagined, and it fits the stereotype of an evil witch in the legends of the wilderness.

"Heh... Edwin's brat? What a rare guest. What, are you here to pay the debt your grandfather incurred?" Her gaze swept over the heavily armed guards behind Lin Yi, pausing briefly on Ruth Jack, seemingly sensing the iron-blooded aura emanating from him, but she didn't show much reaction. Instead, she let out a cryptic sneer, "Bringing so many men, are you afraid this old woman will eat you up?"

Lin Yi dismounted and signaled the guards to remain on guard.

Ruth Jack followed closely behind, guarding Lin Yi half a step to his side.

"Ms. Margarita?"

The obese witch grinned, revealing a set of uneven, yellowed teeth: "How many years has it been... does anyone still remember this name? Come in, young count. Although I have no fine wine or delicacies to entertain my honored guest, at least this will allow you to escape the evil winds of this wilderness."

She shifted her bulky body to make room in the doorway, then, leaning on her cane, she turned and slowly made her way back inside.

Without hesitation, Lin Yi winked at Jack, signaling him to stay at the door and keep watch, while he himself stepped towards the low, dilapidated wooden door.

Ruth Jack whispered, "Sir, be careful."

Lin Yi nodded slightly and stepped into the dimly lit room.

Stepping inside felt like passing through an invisible barrier.

The inside and outside of the door are two completely different worlds.

From the outside, the stone house looks to be no more than a dozen square meters, low and oppressive.

Upon entering, Lin Yi found himself in a space that was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside.

It's at least fifty or sixty square meters here, and the height is far greater than it appears from the outside.

The walls were still made of rough stones and mud, but they had clearly been reinforced by some force, making them appear much more stable.

The roof was no longer a dilapidated thatched roof, but a flowing starry sky? Countless tiny points of light moved slowly like stars, providing the only light source for the room.

The air was thick with strong smells: dried herbs, old parchment, and various mineral powders.

However, this smells much better than the smell of the pot outside.

The room was filled with bottles and jars, and a large workbench piled high with scrolls and parchment occupied the center, with crystals, runestones and grinding tools scattered on it.

In the corner was a small fireplace made of stacked stones, burning with a pale blue flame. It emitted warmth without smoke, while on the other side was a simple bed covered with thick animal hides.

This is clearly the effect of some kind of spatial folding or expansion spell.

Margarita laboriously moved to a specially made wooden chair next to the workbench and sat down, the chair groaning under its weight.

She pointed to a relatively normal-looking wooden stool opposite the workbench: "Sit down, young count. Don't be shy."

Lin Yi sat down as instructed and looked at Margarita.

Margarita didn't speak immediately. Instead, she picked up a dark ceramic pot from the workbench and grabbed a handful of dried leaves from a wicker jar next to it, throwing them in.

She stretched out her thick finger and pointed it lightly at the bottom of the pottery pot.

Without any incantation, a wisp of pale blue flame in the fireplace seemed to come alive, instantly separating and, like a nimble blue snake, gracefully drifting over and precisely coiling around the bottom of the earthenware pot, burning quietly.

A few seconds later, the earthenware pot began to bubble and boil, and a mixture of bitter, spicy and some indescribable herbal aroma filled the room, overpowering other smells.

She poured a glass of dark green liquid and pushed it in front of Lin Yi: "A specialty of the wilderness, 'Awakening Tea.' It's up to you whether you drink it or not."

Lin Yi glanced at the liquid in the glass, whose color and smell were so unappetizing, but didn't touch it.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Margarita. You’ve probably already guessed the purpose of my visit,” he said, getting straight to the point.

Margarita picked up the same cup of tea in front of her and gulped down a large mouthful, as if it were a sweet rain.

She wiped her mouth with her dirty sleeve, letting out a satisfied sigh. Then, her cloudy eyes fixed on Lin Yi, filled with undisguised resentment and mockery: "For your good grandfather? Edwin von Heinrich, that arrogant bastard?"

Lin Yi was not affected by her intense emotions: "I want to know the truth about his disappearance. And why you have become... the way you are now."

"The truth? Hahahaha!" Margarita let out a hoarse and maniacal laugh, her obese body trembling violently with the laughter, and the wooden chair groaned in pain once more.

"The truth is retribution! It's a curse! It's Edwin's own fault, and it's also the retribution for me, Margarita, being blinded by power and that ridiculous 'love'!"

She abruptly stopped laughing, leaning forward until her wrinkled and spotted face was almost touching Lin Yi's: "You little brat, you think you're pursuing the truth? You're courting death! You're following in the footsteps of that idiot grandfather!"

“Take my advice: while you can still breathe and see this damned sky, get back to your Bloodclaw Keep right now. Burn everything your grandfather left in his study about that godforsaken place! Throw it into the deepest trench, and never, ever go back there again! And never try to find out where he is again! Unless you want to disappear without a trace like him.”

“Fear cannot stop me from seeking answers, madam. I need to know what he did? What ‘taboo’ you broke? Who was the woman at that dinner party? And what about the prophet buried alive in the diary?”

The moment the word "prophet" was uttered, Margarita felt as if struck by lightning, her massive body trembling violently.

The resentment in her eyes was instantly replaced by fear. She felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and she leaned heavily back in her chair.

“You…you even know this? Did that old bastard Patton tell you? How could he…” Her voice trembled.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is the truth. Tell me, Margarita. Tell me about the ruins, about the prophet, about everything you know. This isn’t just about my grandfather, it’s about you. Don’t you want to be free now that you’ve become like this?” “Free? Hahahaha…” Margarita let out another bitter laugh, filled with despair. “You’ve been tainted by that place, and you want to be free? Dream on! Wishful thinking! I became like this because of that damned curse. It burrowed into my bones like maggots, gnawing at my flesh, twisting my body. This is the price, Edwin told me, we dug into what we shouldn’t have, we killed the guardian!”

She grabbed the earthenware pot, poured herself another cup of "refreshing tea," and gulped it down, as if the bitter liquid could suppress the fear and pain in her heart.

She put down the cup and remained silent for a long time, so long that the pale blue flames in the fireplace seemed to dim.

When she looked up again, her eyes were vacant, as if she were trapped in that unbearable nightmare.

"Beneath the foundations of Bloodclaw Fortress lies the entrance to an ancient ruin, a secret that should be vaguely documented within the Heinrich family. Edwin somehow obtained more detailed information and concluded that it contained treasures or knowledge that could bring his family to prominence. He found me... At that time, I was young, arrogant, and filled with a fervent curiosity about ancient magic... We hit it off immediately."

A fleeting glimpse of past glories flashed in Margarita's eyes.

At that time, she was young, beautiful, and ambitious, with an almost obsessive passion for ancient magic and lost arts.

"He found me, and at that time, I was arrogant, considering myself the most skilled witch in the land in ancient runes and protective magic. Edwin's promise of power and wealth, as well as the allure of exploring the unknown and forbidden, was like the sweetest poison, so we hit it off immediately. We secretly organized a team and spent a great deal of money and energy clearing the passage. Progress was slow, but we were indeed going deeper little by little. Until the day we were about to reach the core area."

Her body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably, and she gripped the armrests of the wooden chair tightly with both hands.

"That day, just outside the excavation site, near a rocky slope, a madman, an old man wearing a tattered, unrecognizable linen robe, suddenly appeared out of nowhere! He was as thin as a skeleton, with sunken eyes, and he frantically waved his withered arms, trying to stop the workers from digging any further."

He pointed to the entrance to the excavation and roared at everyone: 'Stop! Blasphemers! Stop your filthy hands! What is imprisoned inside is not treasure, but calamity! Ancient resentment! Open it, and you will unleash destruction! The curse will follow you like a shadow, devouring you, devouring your bloodline, devouring this land! Stop! Stop!'

"The workers present were all frightened, whispering among themselves, and some even dropped their tools."

"But Edwin, your good grandfather! He was blinded by the 'power' he was about to gain! He thought the old man was either a madman sent by his rivals to cause trouble, or a remnant of the guardians of the ruins. He was furious! He felt that the old man was undermining morale and cursing his great cause!"

He ordered the guards to seize the old man. Then Edwin personally gouged out the old man's eyes with a dagger. Blood gushed out, but the old man did not scream. The empty eye sockets were like two holes leading to hell. He only murmured repeatedly, "Curse...blood for blood..."

"and after?"

Margarita's obese body was still trembling slightly, lost in horrific memories: "And then? Edwin seemed possessed by a demon. He found the old man's whimpering unlucky and ordered the guards to bury him alive under that rocky slope." She pointed in a certain direction outside the window, her fingers shaking violently.

“That night, an indescribable oppression filled the castle.” Margarita’s eyes became vacant. “Edwin locked himself in his study and, I heard, smashed a lot of things. I returned to my quiet room, trying to soothe my frightened mind with divination and herbs. But I failed. The crystal ball was blood red, and the smoke from the burning herbs condensed into a distorted, pained face. An unprecedented sense of fear gripped me, as if countless eyes were staring at me in the darkness, filled with endless resentment.”

“Just as I was trying to use a more potent calming potion, the monster from the banquet appeared at the door of my meditation room.” A renewed, intense hatred ignited in Margarita’s eyes. “She didn’t knock, she just stood there abruptly, wearing that damnably gorgeous gown, a knowing, malicious smile on her face. She looked at my crystal ball, at the face in the smoke, and said in her sickeningly sweet voice, ‘Oh, dear Margarita, it seems you sensed it too? That resentment from the depths of the earth? Edwin has really gotten himself into big trouble this time, doesn’t he?’”

“At that moment I understood! It was her! She must have bewitched Edwin! I questioned her frantically, cursing her. But she just chuckled and said, ‘I only gave him the hope he wanted; the choice was his own.’ Then she disappeared, just as abruptly as she had appeared.”

“That night, I completely broke down.” Margarita’s voice lowered, filled with exhaustion and despair. “I stormed into Edwin’s study, cursing him with the most vile words, accusing him of being bewitched by a sorceress, committing unforgivable crimes, and unleashing unimaginable curses. We had a fierce argument, and in that frenzy, I desperately demanded to leave. Leave Bloodclaw Keep, leave that damned ruin and that monster!”

Edwin was also at the height of his rage. He probably thought I was crazy, a nuisance, or... afraid I would say something more unsettling? He actually agreed. He roughly summoned the guards like a mangy dog ​​and dragged me out of the castle like trash.

The moment I stumbled off the castle drawbridge, my feet truly leaving the Bloodclaw Castle territory, the curse struck. I could clearly feel my skin burning, as if countless ants were gnawing at it.

"The corrosive feeling lessens as I approach the castle, but it doesn't disappear. Once I leave that area, the curse intensifies! I can only find a critical point in this wilderness, a distance that's neither too close to Bloodclaw Castle to attract attention nor too far to allow the curse to completely turn me into a monster, so I can barely survive!"

"Do you understand now, young count? Your grandfather's disappearance was no accident. He played with fire and got burned! And I am a living warning."

"Stop investigating," Margarita pleaded in a deathbed voice. "Leave here, forget all of this, or you'll be next to disappear."

"That's interesting. What happened to that woman? Did she disappear later?" After listening to Margarita's account, Lin Yi became very interested in the woman who had suddenly appeared.

According to the old steward, this woman was inextricably linked to the decline of Bloodclaw Fortress.

Margarita was panting heavily, and the starry sky inside the stone house seemed to dim for a moment.

It took her a while to calm down, her terrified eyes fixed on Lin Yi.

"If you're determined to die, young count, no one can stop you." Her voice carried a defiant malice. "Since you want to know more, to pursue that vixen... fine! I'll grant your wish!"

Margarita shifted her body, her large fingers groping inside her filthy patchwork robe.

After a moment, she pulled out a small, unremarkable, dark bone vial.

The bottle was sealed with a thick layer of wax, giving off a musty smell.

"Take it!" She practically threw the bone bottle at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi raised his hand to catch it. It was cold to the touch, the bone bottle was rough, and the sealed wax layer had a greasy feel.

Margarita's voice carried a hint of pleasure: "There's only one thing inside—a single hair. It's the hair of that vixen from that banquet."

Lin Yi scratched off the sealing wax with his fingernail, and a very faint scent escaped from the bottle opening.

The scent was neither fragrant nor foul, carrying a sense of alienation that seemed to belong to another world, and it instantly dissipated into the air of the stone house, which was filled with the smells of herbs and parchment.

He carefully tilted the bottle opening, and a strand of hair, almost transparent and silvery-white, lay quietly at the bottom of the bottle.

It looks incredibly fragile, yet it subtly exudes a strange, resilient luster.

[Item Obtained: Unknown Hair]

Type: Special Item

Quality: light gold
Effect:? ? ?
Warning: This item contains an extremely faint, unusual aura that has been shielded for a long time by special means. Possessing this item may attract the attention of the source of this aura, or allow it to be detected and locked onto by it. The aura itself contains a weak "corrosive" property; prolonged contact requires caution.

Margarita's eyes gleamed with lingering fear: "Now, it's yours. If you want to die, take it with you. It will be like a lighthouse in the night, guiding that monster to you. Let's see if you find the 'truth' about your grandfather first, or follow in his footsteps and be torn to pieces by that witch and what's behind her."

Lin Yi resealed the bone bottle with wax, and the faint but unsettling alien aura vanished instantly.

“Thank you for your ‘gift,’ Ms. Margarita.” Lin Yi stood up, his tone calm and even. “I have received your warning.”

"Received?" Margarita let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You little brat, you have no idea what you're facing! Get out! Go back to your castle! I'm waiting to hear the news of your and your ruined family's complete demise!" (End of Chapter)