Yu Lian had not expected the appearance of this mental treasure vault.
The place he was currently in was not a luxurious palace, nor an elegant and quiet garden, nor an endless wilderness under the starry sky. Of course, it was even less a dark, terrifying, and perilous labyrinth where every cubic centimeter of air seemed to condense with a Fishy smell and toxins.
This was a fully equipped, vast theme park, at its busiest moment during dusk.
Magnificent lights adorned the night sky like jewels, and tourists rode various attractions, traversing the night sky and underwater in exhilarating ways, leaving behind excited laughter and screams.
Holographic sprites glided through the colorful light and shadow of intertwined light tubes, leaving behind bright, bell-like laughter.
Children chased the light and shadow of the sprites, running and laughing, and soon disappeared. They quickly found new targets, stopping in front of robots made into Grey fairy tale characters, giggling, surrounding them, and chasing and playing.
On the distant plaza stage, a splendid fairy tale dance drama with full sound and light effects was being performed, captivating not only children but also adults.
Lively music softly resonated in every corner of this theme park, slowly drawing people into the dreamlike world of fairy tales.
Yu Lian was certain this should be one of the top theme parks in the All-Galaxy, but for a moment, he couldn't pinpoint which one. He simply bypassed the boardwalk by the plaza, crossed the artificial lake, and headed towards the most prominent building in the entire park, the castle located on the central island.
It was a very typical castle-style building from the Imperial classical period, or rather, a magnificent mansion designed like a castle.
As we all know, once any building is given military requirements, it generally lacks livability and naturally, aesthetic appeal. All the beautiful "castles" in our impression are actually large villas disguised as castles.
Yu Lian quickly arrived at the main entrance of this large villa. It was a portico built with pure white stones, and the wide path through the portico was surrounded by blooming gardens and fountains, extending all the way to the steps of the castle's main door.
Under the portico stood a refined and elegant middle-aged man, tall and slender, graceful and at ease, truly a gentle and cultured gentleman.
However, Yu Lian almost couldn't help humming "how old are you," but managed to stop himself at the last moment, smiling, "Hello! Count Salwen."
"Hello... who are you?" Count Salwen continued to smile amiably.
"I am... and what are you? Information residue? Soul fragment? Or some kind of thought-form?" This "Count Salwen" in front of him seemed to be alive, completely different from the holographic projection he had seen in the Pantheon of the Mustard Seed World before.
"I don't know what I am either. Anyway, my duty is to be here, waiting for someone to open this place." That Count Salwen looked Yu Lian up and down, and his amiable and gentle smile seemed to carry a hint of relief and satisfaction.
"That's good!" he said.
"That's good?"
"Yes! It's not Present who came."
Yu Lian guessed that this "Present" most likely referred to Shali, so he asked, "What kind of hidden thunder did you bury in the All-Galaxy? Also, what is your relationship with Shali? And what exactly is she?"
Shali is the Bug Swarm. Understanding what Shali is is equivalent to understanding what the Bug Swarm is.
"Whether I bury it or not, that landmine is there, and it will always explode." He said it lightly, but he didn't answer the question.
"Moreover, with me personally burying it and handing it over to her, there will definitely be a change. If it were given to others, that could not be guaranteed."
"Change?"
"Whether you acknowledge it or not, this universe has stagnated, always dying!" His tone was ethereal, and his expression even more so, so ethereal that it seemed he could shatter the void at any moment.
...I always feel like this sounds familiar, like I've been hearing it often lately.
"Then why did you say 'that's good'?"
"It truly is good! I hoped to give it to her, but I also didn't want to give it to her."
So, you literary youths really talk like that!
"...Didn't you just say that if it were given to others, it couldn't be guaranteed?"
"I'm not the main body, I don't have such deep obsessions. As long as the ones who enter are not the few who shouldn't come, that's enough," the unidentified object, suspected to be Salwen's residual information, replied, "The item is inside. Break through the last barrier here, and it will be yours."
So, what's the point of you standing here chatting with me? Or, if Shali came, would you say a few more useful things to her, but since I, an uninvited guest, appeared, you only have this cryptic nonsense?
Yu Lian was just about to smash "Salwen's" dog head to express his indignation, but saw the other party turn around and disappear.
Immediately after, in the portico in front of him, the ornate carved gate slid open directly before him. And at the same moment, rustling sounds came from the gardens on both sides, and the flower beds decorated with colorful lights transformed into moving walls, beginning to shift and twist, reassembling themselves.
Yu Lian did not act rashly, observing everything as it happened.
Fortunately, he didn't wait too long, only about half a minute, before a massive garden maze blocked the way between him and the castle's main entrance.
Following that, Q-version terracotta soldiers, fluffy doll figures, fairies holding magic wands, and sprites all emerged from the maze, floated into the air, and charged towards Yu Lian.
...There was really no killing intent, but rather it felt a bit cute. However, it was consistent with the overall atmosphere of this theme park.
But, cute as they may be, what if they're strong?
Thinking of this, Yu Lian slightly retreated a step, pressing his back against the wall of the portico—to avoid being attacked from front and back—then he bowed, revealing his Lightsaber and Dragon Eye, assuming a stance as if ready for a one-on-one duel with Archbishop Wanda, concentrating his mind and staring intently at the closest rabbit doll.
This was indeed a very cute rabbit doll, with a typical Q-version design of three heads and a large head, and a joyful smile that was healing to look at. In addition, its round body was wrapped in a magnificent court gown, and it held a plastic scepter and sword, looking like it belonged to a different art style from its companions around it.
This must be the general, or at least a mini-boss! Although I don't feel any strong energy fluctuations, perhaps the opponent is a master of hidden backstabs?
Must not let my guard down!
Thinking of this, Yu Lian retreated another step, concentrating his attention to the extreme, and through reaction prediction, he made judgments on all possible attacks from the rabbit general, then closed his eyes and slashed.
Only to see a flash of bright white light, and the rabbit general was instantly disemboweled, its burning cotton scattering like falling flowers.
...
That's, that's it?
Yu Lian didn't have much time to dwell on it now. The rest of the doll army also rushed over; although each one was cute, being swarmed like this still put some pressure on him.
He held the Dragon Eye in his hand, letting it float. Spiritual energy impact, amplified by the treasure, transformed into a large barrage of energy projectiles spreading out in a fan shape, blasting towards the dolls rushing at him.
And so, in his sight, the number of enemies visibly decreased by a large amount.
...So, really, that's it?
Yu Lian still proceeded cautiously, entering the maze. And as it turned out, this garden maze was exactly as Yu Lian had seen it: a simple garden maze, no different from any in an amusement park, except for being slightly larger. All the things Yu Lian had imagined—displacements of vision and perception, illusions of space and light, traps of mind and soul—were now nonexistent.
He continued to advance cautiously, his entire being on guard for any potential killing intent that might appear before him. However, even after he had completely passed through the maze, nothing noteworthy occurred.
It wasn't until Yu Lian had entered the castle hall and saw a large treasure chest floating in the center of the hall that he finally realized, half-believing, half-doubting... it really was just that!
He wasn't happy at all, and suddenly felt like a fool for having been so cautious just moments ago.
This was not some final trial before an inheritance, much less a life-or-death boss battle. To put it plainly, both the maze and the various doll guardians were clearly just a big game.
"You're really lonely!" Yu Lian sighed towards Count Salwen, who he knew was now nowhere to be found.
"Yes! Not having a happy time with... her was also the greatest regret of the main body! This regret turned into an obsession and also constituted one of the meanings of my existence." At some point, Count Salwen's thought-form reappeared behind Yu Lian.
"So, Shali is actually your..."
He interrupted Yu Lian directly and continued, "So, seeing as you've even deprived me of this last wish, will you fulfill the main body's true last wish?"
"Such as?" Yu Lian felt that as long as the wish wasn't too unreasonable, he was willing to fulfill it. If Count Salwen was truly too lonely in the afterlife, he would be happy to burn paper money, paper cars, paper furniture, paper villas, paper beauties, and so on for the old man every Qingming and Chongyang Festival.
"Let this stagnant world... move!" he said.
Yu Lian breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't something like making him and Shali fall in love and become good friends. That was the one thing he would never accept.
"Alright," Yu Lian said. Anyway, this was consistent with his own wish.
This time, it seemed to be the thought-form that was surprised; he truly hadn't expected Yu Lian's reaction to be so simple, unpretentious, and low-key.
"This will pit you against various powerful enemies!" the thought-form added.
"Such as?"
He laughed: "Hehe~~~ I won't tell you. If I tell you now, you might chicken out! So, let fate decide for you and me."
In this world, what I hate most is, first, literary youths, and second, literary youths who also try to be mysterious with me. Thinking of this, Yu Lian showed a malicious smile: "By the way, next time I meet the person you're waiting for, I'll kill her."
"Go ahead, I can't stop anything." He, however, didn't care, and simply let out a hearty laugh. The laughter echoed through the castle, slowly fading, and this time, there was truly no trace left.
Yu Lian pondered in place for a few minutes, then like a great ape seeing a peach, he leaped to the treasure chest, picking and choosing, and revealing a satisfied smile.
He seemed unaware that at this moment, his malice seemed to have transcended the constraints of space and planes, once again transmitting to Lumina Planet in the material world.
And so, beneath the million tons of rubble of the completely razed Sero Ancient City, an consciousness reawakened.
"It hurts so much..." she murmured, already with a hint of a whimper.
"W-why is it like this again!"
It really seems to have turned into rhinitis, a blocked nose is really uncomfortable...