Chapter 132: The Scenery Here Isn't Right.
Translator: Pluto Editor: Vermillion
"How could my deduction be so off?" Lin Sanjiu was bewildered when she saw her surroundings. She froze on the spot for a long time. She was sure it only took her about ten minutes to walk around the circumference of the black tower. If the door was already that thick, it was impossible for the interior space to be this big...
However, Lin Sanjiu was dumbfounded by the scenery before her.
A gentle breeze swept past her ears like a dancing sprite, toying with her hair. She could sense that she was standing on soft, arable soil even with her boots on. There was an atmosphere of spring all around her. Lush grass covered the rolling hills before her, as wildflowers dotted the scenery like twinkling stars in the night sky, a green forest path cut across the hills, disappearing into the horizon.
Lin Sanjiu barely took two steps forward before she jumped and rolled around in the flower fields, unable to resist her urge. She felt as if she was a newborn lamb and as if she had always belonged here in this land and this day in springtime. She could feel the fresh grass pricking her skin as she laid by a cluster of white daisies. She opened her eyes and stared at the sky above her. Suddenly, her body turned icy cold.
She saw an azure sky with fluffy white clouds. It was a nice sunny day. Lin Sanjiu narrowed her eyes as she looked at the sun hanging far above her. Her mind went into a complete blank because she remembered that it was near the middle of the night when she stepped into the black tower. [Where did the sun come from?]
The strong grassy aroma in the air and the sensation of the cool breeze blowing against her face made it clear that this was not an illusion. Lin Sanjiu quickly sat up and tried her best to remember every single detail before she opened her eyes.
Before she saw the bright light, she did not feel any breeze or smell anything. The place was simply pitch black. Lin Sanjiu got up and surveyed the beauty around her as she mumbled, "Is this... a pocket dimension?"
She knew she couldn’t be wrong. This was the same experience she had in the previous two pocket dimensions— it was as if she had walked into a different dimension. [If this was a pocket dimension, why was it in the tower? Could it be that the pocket dimensions can be created by people?]
She frowned and activated her [A Twinkle in the Sky] and touched a small yellow flower with a finger. Ever since this ability evolved, Lin Sanjiu discovered that she could activate the two different versions: the first version was the original and the second version was the more sinister [Mosaic Censorship]. She couldn’t deny that it was a convenient ability. Once she touched the small yellow flower, it immediately shot out from the ground and flew into the sky. It changed into a bright spot in the sky and there was a "ding" sound.
Lin Sanjiu stood up straight and was so stunned that she couldn’t even show a single expression on her face. If there was a ceiling above her, she would not be able to use that ability. Logically speaking, if she was still in the black tower, she shouldn’t be able to use it.
This meant that the pocket dimension did not exist within the same spatial space as the original dimension but instead is a portal to another dimension, on a different plane. Just like the existence of the infinite number of New Worlds, this was also a mystery.
After she established this point, she felt the hair on her back stand. She turned and ran towards the direction that she came from. However, just as she expected, she did not find any sort of exit even after running for almost ten minutes. She only saw hills, the forest, and the lake…
"That’s how those people went missing!" Lin Sanjiu rubbed her face anxiously. Her earlier contentment was long gone and she wished she could go back to 30 minutes before and slap herself.
It wasn’t easy for her to calm herself. After thinking it through, she made a conjecture about the situation. In the past, someone must have discovered this pocket dimension. Thus, a tower was built around the pocket dimension to contain it. This also explains the odd shape of the black tower. After she entered the door, she probably found herself in the passageway between the two dimensions for the few seconds of darkness.
It was no wonder that there were no guards because no one would expect that there would be a pocket dimension here...
"But, if the residents of Garden of Eden built this tower, why are they clueless about it?" Lin Sanjiu furrowed her brows and followed the forested path. She tried to recall Xueqin’s words, "She did mention that many years ago, quite a few people also fell into this trap…"
It didn’t make sense that the construction of the tower had been erased from history, as Garden of Eden had only been established for 50 to 60 years. Since these records were trapped in the glass globe, it was highly unlikely that it could just go missing.
With this train of thoughts, Lin Sanjiu felt a familiar uncertainty again. Previously, her doubts and questions seemed to be properly addressed by Xueqin. But, now, everything seemed wrong again.
Regardless, her top priority now was to find the exit. Lin Sanjiu strolled for some time and suddenly stopped. She heard a soft tune nearby. Someone was humming a strange song and was quickly approaching her. Lin Sanjiu couldn’t see who it was from where she stood as the forest was too dense but she could tell that it was a female.
She sounded joyful and carefree.
Lin Sanjiu felt a little tense and quickly activated her [Mosaic Censorship]. She held her breath and listened to the footsteps which were gradually getting closer. The humming voice was also getting clearer. The youthful sounding voice seemed to suggest that the owner was quite young. Some distance away, there was a narrow little path which could easily be overlooked. It led towards where Lin Sanjiu was and now she could see a person.
For one full minute, she really doubted what she saw.
[This isn’t right?]
But, she couldn’t think of another explanation at this moment. Only one person popped up in her mind. Lin Sanjiu stepped out from behind a tree. As she walked out, she couldn’t help feeling a little dazed—she felt that she must have become mad after entering this pocket dimension.
The little girl on the path was definitely shocked when she saw a person suddenly walking out from behind a tree. Startled, she nearly dropped her basket. The bottle of wine in her basket fell out but Lin Sanjiu rushed forward and grabbed it before it hit the ground.
Lin Sanjiu quickly handed the bottle of wine to the little girl. The little girl held the bottle tightly and placed it carefully in her basket with some lingering fear on her face. "Thank you. Are you also taking the shortcut through the forest?" the little girl asked, there was a smile on her fair, freckled face.
"Um. Yes." Lin Sanjiu replied with a stutter. She saw that the girl had placed the bottle of wine into a transparent box which also contained a cake. The girl’s red velvet cape was extremely eye-catching.
"Your cape is beautiful, it really suits you…" Lin Sanjiu said trying to test the girl’s reaction.
The little girl smiled, "Yes, I really like it so everyone calls me little red riding hood."