Chapter 1116: A Sudden Turn of Events
"I"m a cat, not an owl."
That was the first thing Lin Sanjiu heard when she opened her eyes—truly opened her eyes.
She looked up in the direction of the voice and saw Dr. Hu sitting high on a tree branch. Its two large round emerald eyes s.h.i.+mmered with a somewhat intimidating light under the night sky, its entire body reduced to a black silhouette.
Well, it did look a bit like an owl.
It seemed displeased with the role it had become—an observer. Even for a cat, climbing a tree and keeping watch for an extended period was quite tiring.
"I have others watching over me when I"m in different places," he added earnestly, as if intending to make Lin Sanjiu feel ashamed. However, she didn"t feel much shame, only aching all over her body.
As Lin Sanjiu slowly sat up from the ground, she realized that not only had she sc.r.a.ped several areas of her skin, but her arms and legs were also bruised. It seemed Bohemia had been too hasty when she pulled her off the bed. Turning her head, she saw the culprit groaning as she stood up from the ground, not faring any better—after traveling for several days, she looked more like a little beggar who would steal wallets when no one was looking.
"Seriously, where is he going? It"s all desolate mountains and wild ridges everywhere..." Lin Sanjiu complained as she looked around, while mentally checking on Magus"s condition. "Magus, are you alright? Are you inside?"
Magus"s voice was low, as if she was enduring something, but her tone remained calm. "I won"t die anytime soon."
Her current condition was similar to when the Pig Eyes invaded her body. However, after Magus entered, she managed to prevent complete paralysis of her bodily functions, unlike what happened with Pig Eyes. Lin Sanjiu had also instructed Mrs. Manas to be careful in gathering her consciousness, doing her best to keep her away from Magus. Although she wasn"t sure how much it would help.
"Is he right in front?" Lin Sanjiu asked the owl-cat on the tree branch, "How far is he?"
"Not far," Dr. Hu shook his head solemnly. "Because he"s behind you now."
Lin Sanjiu froze for half a second. Then a chill ran through her body, and she hastily stumbled forward a few steps. When she turned her head, her gaze fell upon the tall, slender figure behind her.
When the faint light of the night washed over, it seemed to be engulfed by this black void—a deep darkness that seemed bottomless, devouring all the feeble light that dared to enter. Only when he turned his head slightly did the faint glimmer in the corner of his eye flicker, making Lin Sanjiu realize that the person in front of her was indeed Puppeteer.
Behind him, the two puppets still carrying the bed were standing at a distance. They had indeed found their Lord before the others.
But didn"t Bohemia say that it would take a few more minutes for them to see Puppeteer? She wasn"t mentally prepared yet. How should she start the conversation now that she suddenly saw him?
As Lin Sanjiu stammered and struggled to find words, her stomach couldn"t help but voice some complaints. Subconsciously, she turned to look for Bohemia—who was now kneeling obediently in place, her head not lifted, resembling a curled-up autumn leaf that had fallen from a branch. "h.e.l.lo, sir."
Puppeteer seemed to be scrutinizing them, and silence persisted in the night, weighing heavily on their shoulders. After a while, he finally spoke slowly, "You stopped just to faint?"
Not bad, his mood didn"t seem too bad—probably because he hadn"t discovered that someone had slept on his bed.
"Um... By the way, I"m fine now," Lin Sanjiu thought for a moment, intending to start with some small talk to warm up for the upcoming conversation, "The aftereffects of the spores have mostly disappeared."
"Did I ask?"
No, he hadn"t. Lin Sanjiu sighed in frustration, wondering how to proceed. Should she be straightforward and say, "My friend wants to stay in your brain for a while"?
"This person is pretty good," Magus observed Puppeteer for a while and suddenly complimented him, "It"s not easy for a young person to reach this level of strength."
It almost sounded like she was saying, "This house is beautiful."
Lin Sanjiu rubbed her temples and looked at Bohemia. The latter was sitting there, observing her breath and guarding her mind as if she were a statue.
"Well, you see," Lin Sanjiu stuttered, hesitated for a few moments, and finally bit the bullet, "Do you know someone named Magus?"
Puppeteer"s slender figure remained motionless. "I don"t."
Lin Sanjiu was surprised; she always thought that these big figures would have heard of each other at least. "H-How is that possible? You often stay at the Twelve Worlds Centrum—"
"Darling," Magus chuckled softly, "do you know how vast the Doomsday World is and how many people are in it?"
Well, that was true.
Magus"s voice caught Lin Sanjiu"s attention, so she didn"t finish her sentence. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her field of view, and she quickly looked up. Puppeteer"s dark, cold eyes were now looking at her up close, and she had no idea when he had approached.
"What are you listening to?" he responded quickly, his tone suspicious and menacing. "Who is talking to you?"
Since he had noticed, she had no choice but to continue. Lin Sanjiu sighed inwardly and rubbed her face before saying, "Um... Magus is my friend, and she is incredibly talented. I admire her a lot. We met two or three years ago—"
"Are you waiting for me to congratulate you?"
Magus chuckled pleasantly.
"No, no." Lin Sanjiu had to thicken her skin even more, she persisted, "It"s just that... she"s in danger now, and we discussed it, and she might need your help."
Afraid that Puppeteer would scoff and walk away, she hurriedly continued before he could move. She increased her pace and gave a brief overview of the Astral Plane and the attack on Magus. Finally, after hesitating for a while, she broke the ice and added, "Well, because you don"t have Higher Consciousness, she can only... temporarily rely on your power to survive. Temporarily! I promise that it"s only temporary. Once we find her body—"
She couldn"t continue the rest of her sentence. Puppeteer bent down slowly, one hand resting on his knee. As he moved, the black leather clinging to him made a faint creaking sound. When he squatted down, meeting her gaze at eye level, a chilling fragrance suddenly enveloped her.
When Puppeteer spoke, his tone was unexpectedly gentle.
"Let me get this straight," he said in a somewhat amiable manner, resting his elbow casually on his knee, "You made me stop halfway just so that a person could live inside my mind from now on?"
Bohemia made a choking sound that resembled someone being strangled, not far away.
This might be one of the most challenging tasks of Lin Sanjiu"s life. Her mind raced as she cautiously replied, "Um... Magus can also help you. Since you don"t have Higher Consciousness... She"s an expert in that field."
Bohemia made another choking sound.
Puppeteer emitted a nasal sound that was almost cheerful. "Oh, right, Higher Consciousness. I don"t have that. Do you know what else I don"t have?"
Lin Sanjiu didn"t dare to utter the first answer that came to her mind. "What?"
"I don"t think I have the determination to keep my promise."
Under the shrouded shadow, Puppeteer seemed to form a soft smile on half of his face—although his voice grew increasingly gloomy, enough to freeze her, he said, "Don"t look at me like that. When it comes to showing a stupid expression, you truly are a genius."
"That sounds like a death threat," Magus remarked unexpectedly, followed by a rare sigh. "He doesn"t know me, which makes things difficult. Unfortunately, he often stays in the Twelve Worlds Centrum, and there is no chance for him to enter the Astral Plane... I don"t like the Twelve Worlds Centrum. Unless there is a need for supplies, I rarely go there."
Puppeteer, who was perceptive, narrowed his eyes slightly, "Is she talking to you?"
Lin Sanjiu nodded hurriedly.
"What did she say?"
"She... she just said she doesn"t like the Twelve Worlds Centrum and rarely goes there... That"s why you haven"t heard of her," Lin Sanjiu explained. "If you knew her, your feelings might be different."
Bohemia raised her head in despair, unable to utter a single word.
"Knowing that this day would come, I would have made several trips to the Twelve Worlds Centrum," Magus said with a bitter smile, a touch of self-ridicule in her tone, "Whether you believe it or not, I do need to go there... Nüwa has an acquaintance there, and I was originally going to find him."
Lin Sanjiu"s back stiffened—she almost jumped up, and she barely managed to avoid colliding with Puppeteer head-on. But at this moment, she couldn"t care less. She stared at Puppeteer intently, her voice trembling as she asked, "Do you... do you know Gong Daoyi?"
This time, she didn"t ask the question in her mind but voiced it out loud.
In the midst of darkness, Puppeteer slowly straightened his back. His expression remained hidden under his black hair, making it difficult to discern.
"Yes, I heard that he went to the Twelve Worlds Centrum. I wanted to find Nüwa"s whereabouts through him... What"s the matter?" It was truly deserving of her reputation as a feared figure in the Astral Plane—Magus, being sharp could also be intimidating. Suddenly, she laughed softly. "If this young person wants to find him, I actually have a way."