Several days later.
The undercurrents surging within Beiling City came to a halt.
Li Yuan and Raven entered a café where an elegant, handsome middle-aged man was packing his luggage.
"005, what are you doing?"
Upon hearing Li Yuan's voice, the man known as The Wall-Facer turned around.
"Lord granted me a month's vacation. I'm preparing for a thrilling journey," he declared with a flourish.
"During this trip, I shall engage in romantic encounters. Coincidentally, those beautiful young maidens await the arrival of a true gentleman!"
"Ah... reborn in this new form, I shall elegantly capture the hearts of curious eighteen-year-olds! Their yearning for mystery, their fantasies shaped by dramas—I shall fulfill them all!"
"Merely imagining it intoxicates me! Marvelous!"
"Romantic encounter!"
Li Yuan: "..."
Raven: "..."
This guy is such a pervert.
"And you two? What brings you here?" The Wall-Facer inquired, resuming his packing.
"We... came to see Lord Os," Raven transformed into her human form—a young girl—to reply.
The Wall-Facer shook his head. "Too late. Lord Os has departed. No one knows where He went—a spontaneous journey of mystery. His tastes align splendidly with mine, hmm."
Gone?
"Did Lord leave any instructions?"
"Instructions?" The Wall-Faser paused, recalling. "Apart from granting me leave, Lord Chen Ye did mention something about you two."
"He said you’re like freshly glazed porcelain—visually striking yet worthless. True masterpieces require time to appreciate their value."
"Therefore, go forth! Seek trials! Discover your worth! Achieve a breakthrough from body to soul!"
Li Yuan frowned. "Did Lord Os truly say that?"
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"Undoubtedly. Your skepticism is baseless. Oh, 001—Lord specifically instructed you to retrieve something from His chambers."
Having finished packing, The Wall-Facer shooed them out.
"Enough chatter. I, too, must pursue my purpose."
"People live for beautiful women!"
With that, the flamboyant man locked the café door and strode away.
Watching his retreating figure, Raven-girl and Li Yuan exchanged glances.
"If Lord truly commanded this, we must comply," Raven conceded.
"Agreed. Farewell." Li Yuan waved dismissively and left.
Raven’s eyes gleamed mischievously as she transformed back into a crow, flying through the window into Chen Ye’s room.
Inside, an unnervingly large plant dominated the orderly space—a sunflower-like entity covered in coiled vines.
"What’s this?"
As Raven approached, the flower abruptly turned toward her, dozens of eyes blinking open within its pistil!
"Yaaah!"
She screeched, attempting to flee, but the plant’s vines lashed out, entangling her!
Snap! Snap!
The tendrils tightened around her body whether she took avian or human form, thorns piercing her skin.
"Release me, you wretched weed! I’m Lord’s pet!"
Her protests went ignored until inspiration struck—she morphed into Chen Ye’s likeness.
"Look carefully! Who do you think I am?"
The mimicry worked. The plant retracted its vines, trembling submissively.
"Whew... almost died," Raven gasped, reverting to her normal voice. "What is this thing? Surely not a gift for me..."
Eyeing the sinister flora, she mused, "What if it harms Master? Maybe I should uproot it—"
The plant’s eyes snapped open menacingly.
"...Just kidding!"
Abandoning the idea, Raven explored further and discovered a cabinet filled with labeled potions.
She selected a pitch-black vial—her favorite color.
"Secret-Stealer? This must be my reward! Master knew I’d choose black!"
After sipping the sweet, mint-like liquid, she drained the entire bottle.
Then—agony.
"Kyaaa!"
Raven convulsed as her eyes turned fully black, void of whites. Stumbling upright in human form, she stared blankly at the transformed world.
"I hear... voices. Who’s whispering?"
Save me...
Anyone... please...
Compelled, Raven shifted into a hawk and soared toward the desperate plea, the cries growing louder with each wingbeat.
"Someone... I can’t endure this anymore..."
