When evil gods hold a meeting in my head

Who exactly is the young man in "The Eye of Recording"?

Why is he everywhere?

Is it because of him that crazy neighbor likes to perform strange rituals?

Countless questions flashed through Richard's mind, and curiosity drove him to quickly re-tie the turquoise, put it back in the box, and lock it.

Next, bury the box back into the fireplace.

He wanted to go downstairs again to check on his neighbors!

However, that was a criminal officially certified by the inspectors! Before that, Richard had to make some necessary preparations.

First, he checked the ring's function. He snapped his fingers and casually conjured a small knife from the ring without delay or surprise: "Very good."

He released the dagger, and the mist receded back into the ring. He pressed his hat down, letting it ignite a faint flame, allowing the warmth of reason to envelop his body in a small area.

This way, you can avoid some dangerous hallucinations and also be less conspicuous!

Finally, Richard found a box, poked a few small holes around it, threw the weak snake inside, and closed the lid.

With everything prepared, he gently pushed open the door and went downstairs again.

In the deserted corridor, only a bronze oil lamp was burning, and the occasional breeze caused the lamplight to shift and change position on the floor, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

Richard controlled the size of the hat's flames perfectly; even though he was standing next to the dimly lit wooden stairs, the flames didn't emit much light, not even as bright as the fireflies in the forest.

He avoided the old, broken wooden floorboards and quietly moved to the spot where he had been peeking earlier.

Looking into the room, the two people inside had actually sat down at the end of the corridor, away from the bed.

The blankets, pillows, and mattresses on the bed were all moved to under the bed.

The bare bed board was marked with four opposing small circles, and within each circle were four different... herbs?

This is a very ancient awakening ritual, requiring Awakening Grass, Poisonous Water Flower Buds, Smoked Wood, and Magic Tree Roots.

[Poisonous flower buds, used to awaken; pungent wood, used to locate; awakening grass, used to purify; magic tree roots, used as sacrifice!]

These items all appear to possess extraordinary powers.

Perhaps... they can even find the ingredients listed in the "Fear of the Undead" recipe!

The young man is very likely a superhuman capable of unleashing flames, which is why even Alice, who possesses a sewing machine, was helpless against him...

Alice, the original owner, and Puta, who participated in the experiment, were all in danger due to the curse, some dying and others injured. Yet, the other party remained unharmed, even daring to return to the laboratory alone. Although his purpose is unknown, his abilities certainly extend far beyond arson; he likely possesses murderous skills as well!

After all, even Richard, who possessed two extraordinary items, dared not return to the laboratory casually...

But how could the other party have done this? Could they also create illusions? Richard continued to observe, and because the other party was much closer this time, he could hear their entire voice:

"Will this work... Luke?"

"You insist on trying, don't you? I told you long ago, this won't awaken the Lord."

"But I just dreamt that the Lord called my name!"

"That's probably referring to Night of the Miser, not Juliet... It's a holiday specifically created to mock misers."

……

Richard muttered to himself, "Luke and Juliet... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before."

He frowned and thought carefully.

Ultimately, my thoughts settled on the list of scholarship recipients in Tehran!

Luke is an outstanding representative of the Department of Applied Engineering at the University of Tehran!

He had been praised by Puta for his excellent grades. During that time, the name of this worthy role model always echoed in the laboratory, and Richard was so tired of hearing it that he almost got calluses.

"A model student in public, actually a criminal in private? Why didn't the inspectors release this information?"

Richard suddenly realized that he might have misunderstood the other person.

Imagine if a dangerous individual appeared at one of the top universities in the Kingdom of Colombia, and there was no news coverage... This would not only be a contempt for the media industry's willingness to go to any lengths to grab attention, but also a trampling on the kingdom's security.

If this were to happen, it could only be the result of the entire royal family working together to protect it...

Otherwise, Luke's portrait would have been plastered all over Mays by now!

If it's just a misunderstanding, that would be better... The things Luke is involved in are far more terrifying and complicated than he imagined! The more Richard thought about it, the more terrified he became.

He bent down and looked inside again, and to his surprise, he saw a familiar, illusory figure on the bed—Anna!

Her eyes were wrapped in a grayish-black gauze, her mouth was tightly closed, and faint breathing could be heard from the tip of her nose.

The slow rise and fall of her chest proved that she was still asleep.

Luke whispered to Juliet, "Look! The Lord hasn't woken up."

Juliet knew she had done something wrong, and for a moment she didn't dare to argue. She squatted on the chair, bowed her head, and quietly reflected on her mistake.

When Luke tried to interrupt the ritual, he suddenly sniffed the air, his eyes turned extremely fierce, and chaotic, evil, wavy lines appeared on his forehead.

He turned to look down the hallway: "There's a mouse spying on us!"

A deep, hoarse roar pierced Richard's left ear and then his right, a pricking pain spreading through his limbs, and an irresistible chill drilling straight into his brain from the soles of his feet.

Suddenly, magical, dreamlike things began to appear before his eyes.

The house is deconstructing, books are flying, beds and chairs are fighting...

The bright white moon hanging high in the night sky turned crimson, while the narrow passageway was rapidly sinking. Richard struggled to steady himself, afraid of falling.

It wasn't until thunderous explosions resounded all around him that he realized he was standing in front of a palace.

The towering golden gate was oppressive, making Richard's heart feel even more uncomfortable than being squeezed by water pressure.

"An illusion? The top hat failed again!"

Richard subconsciously recalled what he had seen and encountered in the gallery, where Anna had also created the illusion that the top hat could not stop her.

So, is this another one of their masterpieces?

Why do Luke and Juliet call Anna "Lord"...? Were they being deceived by illusions?

Could she be the culprit behind everything, the most evil person?

Richard looked around.

Luke had vanished, and the bed board with the ritualistic diagrams and Anna were nowhere to be found.

And Juliet... was still there, maintaining a relative distance from Richard in the rented house.

What on earth is going on? Richard walked up to her guiltily.

Before she could speak, Juliet asked, "You little rat, when did you start eavesdropping?"

Are you talking about me, the rats? I thought you meant the rats in the rented house… I often hear squeaking and scavenging at night… Richard shook his head: “I wasn’t eavesdropping.”

"Heh, anyway, you've made Luke angry! And the consequences of his anger are very serious!"

Anger!

Could the illusions be related to this?

Richard raised an eyebrow: "Where are we now?"

"Luke's hometown, Boussard Palace."

"I, you, and him were just in the rented house, how did we end up in some palace?"

Juliet explained dismissively, "I told you long ago, supernatural abilities exist in this world. You might be surprised, or you might not believe it, but I still have to tell you, this is Luke's ability!"

[The poor knight, having overstepped his bounds by consuming the eighth-order Spirit-Touching Potion, "I Am the Emperor"...]

[A very bold attempt and a novel combination, but unfortunately it failed. This will cause the user to fall into an abyss, commonly known as...madness.]