Unfortunately, her scream didn't bring anyone.
Bernadette quickly realised this, clapped her hands over her mouth, and stamred in panic:
"I really, really didn't tell Daddy—it was Daddy who guessed it on his own."
She hurriedly recounted what had happened last night. After listening, Edward's expression turned odd.
So that's where the problem was.
In the future, Roselle's "creations" such as Snow White and Pinocchio had already been compiled into the Roselle Fairy Tales, widely spread everywhere.
But in this current era, none of those fairy tales had been published yet. Only their family of three knew them.
So now, with soone suddenly showing up and pulling out a Pinocchio doll—a thing that shouldn't even exist in this world—it was perfectly normal for Roselle to be suspicious. That was why, the very next day, he put an ad in the paper about "Doraemon."
The purpose: without causing too much of a stir, to catch the eye of the suspected transmigrator and lure them in.
—No, wait. That wasn't quite the logic.
After all, Roselle had been "creating" for years. If there really were another transmigrator around, how could they possibly not recognise what he was?
No, this felt more like an invitation:
"I know you exist. Co find ."
Edward shook his head. This whole thing was truly beyond his expectations. He hadn't thought that on just the second day (well, the first full day) of arriving in this era, he'd already been exposed.
So…the transmigrator senior that Roselle's diary later ntioned as still alive—
Was that actually himself?
Another closed loop, completed out of nowhere.
While Edward pondered, Bernadette shrank back into herself, pitiful, weak, and helpless, muttering in her heart that her father was far too unreliable. Two tis now people had sneaked into their house, and he still hadn't noticed.
As she thought this, Edward suddenly looked over. She imdiately straightened up and put on her most obedient expression.
Then she saw him take out another figurine—this ti with a fish tail instead of legs, perched on a reef with mouth open in song. He handed it over.
"Eh? The Little rmaid!"
The iconic pose and design made Bernadette instantly recognise the character.
"Bernadette, you kept your promise with very honestly. You didn't deliberately reveal my existence to anyone. This is my gift to you."
She nodded rapidly:
"Okay, okay! Even without gifts, I'll never, ever tell!"
—That was what she said. What she actually thought was:
"How stingy! Daddy could have people make dozens of dolls like this in minutes, and he thinks he can buy off with just one?"
Edward caught her thoughts and chuckled:
"She's not just a simple Little rmaid doll. As long as you wish it, the Little rmaid will truly appear."
"No way…ah!"
Her eyes widened. Suddenly, she was standing on a sandy beach of a small island. A beautiful red-haired rmaid sat singing on a reef not far away.
As if sensing Bernadette's gaze, the rmaid turned, smiled, and waved before diving into the sea.
"She's gone…"
But as soon as Bernadette said it, the water rippled, and seconds later the Little rmaid burst back out, resting her chin in her hands, staring at her with wide, watery eyes.
Bernadette cautiously reached out a finger. The Little rmaid did the sa—
Their two small white hands touched.
The next instant, the island, the sea, the rmaid—all vanished. Bernadette was back in her room. She looked around anxiously:
"Where's the Little rmaid?"
Then she stared down in astonishnt at the doll:
"Just now…I could really see the Little rmaid—because of this doll?"
"What do you think?"
Edward smiled.
"So, if you want to see the Little rmaid again…or more fairy tale characters—you know what to do, don't you?"
He added with a lighter tone, "Also, make sure you keep this Little rmaid safe. If anyone else sees her, she'll share the sa fate as in her story—turning into foam and vanishing."
With that, Edward's figure gradually faded away.
Bernadette quickly asked, "If I keep your secret, will you give more gifts?"
"Guess."
His voice grew ethereal, fading into nothing.
Knock, knock, knock.
Soone knocked on the door.
"Bernadette, breakfast."
It was her mother's voice.
Bernadette was about to reply when the mory of that terrifying vision flashed in her mind, sending a shiver through her body.
She lowered her head to the delicate Little rmaid doll in her hands, muttering softly:
"This person…he must be Daddy's friend. Otherwise how could he just happen to know those fairy tales, and even make the dolls ahead of ti to give to ?"
"But…what if he's not?"
"Bernadette?"
Matilda pushed the door open.
Bernadette hurriedly hid the doll under the covers, then rubbed her eyes as if she'd just woken up.
"Good morning, Mama."
——
Leaving Roselle's ho, Edward teleported straight to Backlund.
After analysing everything from last night, Edward concluded there were two urgent matters he needed to handle:
First, digest the potion and advance to a higher Sequence as quickly as possible.
Second, find Lilith of this era.
And now, there was precisely one person who knew where Lilith was—and who could satisfy both conditions at once:
dici, the "Three-in-One."
———
Backlund, Williams Street No. 8, at the border of West Borough and the Empress Borough.
Two hundred years ago, this house looked almost no different from how it would in the future—the street's na, the number on the door, all the sa. At this ti, the house still belonged to the Pound family, kept under surveillance by both the Loen royal family and the churches.
Edward teleported directly into the underground palace below. With a wave of his hand, several lanterns appeared, floating in midair and illuminating the darkness.
Everything here was identical to how it would be two centuries later.
The mont he reached the final gate, an overwhelming malice surged in from all directions, accompanied by a feeble force that tried to erode Edward's body.
Edward simply reached out, grabbed—and stole the malice away.
He couldn't help but click his tongue in amazent. As expected of a Sequence 4 ability of the Marauder Pathway—one could even steal sothing like "malice."
But in the very next second, the entire underground palace shuddered. Thick smoke poured out from every crevice, showing just how furious the sealed dici was.
After a long while, the dust finally settled—forming a single line of words:
"Lil' Raven, how did you find your way here?"
Lil' Raven?
Edward froze. Does dici…mistake for Amon? Interesting.
He feigned ignorance:
"Who's Lil' Raven?"
The dust shifted again, forming another line:
"Don't pretend, Lil' Raven. Just tell —why have you co? If you release , I can let bygones be bygones."
Edward shrugged.
"Sorry, Your Excellency, but I'm really not this 'Lil' Raven' you're talking about. I'm just a passerby who happened to stumble upon your little…seal."
dici seed to hesitate, then after a pause the dust reford into words:
"Whether or not you're Lil' Raven, let out. I'll grant you a wish—any wish."
"Any wish?" Edward raised a brow.
"Anything at all."
Edward stroked his chin, considering.
"I want to find soone."
"Who?"
"Lilith."
"The Progenitor of Vampires? She's long dead. What do you want with her?"
"No," Edward shook his head, "another Lilith."
The dust went still. Then it twisted, distorted, spelling out an enraged response:
"Lil' Raven! Are you toying with ?!"
Huh? Edward frowned. Why does dici think…Amon is ssing with him?
"Apologies, Your Excellency, but I don't understand what you an."
"I don't care what ga you're playing! Break the seal, let out, and I'll humour you. Or is it that you've grown so afraid of you only dare tease like this, Lil' Raven?"
Edward's brow furrowed.
"First, I am not the Lil' Raven you keep ntioning. Second, I don't know why you're suddenly so angry. And lastly—I only want news of Lilith."
"She's dead!"
The words warped violently in the dust.
"Have you forgotten? You, Adam, and Cheek joined forces to kill her!"
"...!!!"
Edward's heart lurched. He involuntarily took half a step back.
Lilith…dead?
Killed by Amon, Adam, and Cheek together?
Why? How could that even…?
What in the world happened in the past, for several Kings of Angels and even a True God to join hands in killing Lilith?
So she really…?
No, no—that can't be right!
If Lilith were truly dead, then who was that girl I t in the future? From her connection to Chick, and her final words to —it was undeniably Lilith!
So perhaps dici only thought she was dead?
But then—what exactly was his relationship with her, to grow so furious at her supposed death?
"When did Lilith die?" Edward pressed.
After a long silence, the dust swirled again, forming words:
"You…really aren't Lil' Raven?"
"I'm not. There are plenty of Beyonders on the Marauder Pathway. You can't just assu I'm Amon just because I used the 'Theft' ability, right?"
The dust churned, as though laughing wildly.
"Aside from those cowardly, skittish Jacob family rats always hiding in the shadows, who else in this world but Amon could exist as a demigod of the Marauder Pathway?"
After a pause, the dust continued:
"I only said 'Lil' Raven,' and yet you knew I ant Amon. If you're not him, then I'm truly curious about your identity. Perhaps you're one of our…old friends, in disguise?"
Edward smiled faintly.
"Why don't you take a guess?"
"Guess your mother!"
...Did he just start cursing out?
Edward pinched his forehead.
"When exactly did Lilith die?"
"When Cheek ascended to godhood. The exact year, I've long forgotten."
"You saw it with your own eyes?"
"Yes! Without her death, Cheek could never have beco a god."
Edward was stunned.
"Why?"
"Guess."
"..."
Ah. So this is karmic retribution…
"Lilith was the Sequence 1 of the Demoness Pathway, wasn't she?"
"Keep guessing, little thing."
Edward massaged his temples. This bastard is insufferable.
"Fine, fine. Since you refuse to say more, we'll talk another ti."
"Release from this seal, and I'll tell you everything."
"No thanks. That would just ss up the tiline."
"...What?"
Edward only smiled. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a crystalline monocle, holding it up as he looked toward the sealed gate.
"Today's conversation was quite entertaining, dici."
"Farewell."
He raised the monocle as if to put it on—his figure rippled and began to vanish.
Rumble!
The underground palace trembled violently. dici's voice roared from behind the sealed door, deep and furious:
"Amon! Amon!!! AMON!!!!"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps motivated.
Reviews
All reviews (0)