I created the Anomaly Control Bureau

Chapter 974, 969. The Dark Lady
Ma En's gaze swept over the fairy girl's shoulder and landed on the rows of tents behind her. Through the gaps in the tents, he could see many strange creatures moving about in the market.

But despite being so close, he felt an immense sense of distance.

Noticing his gaze, the fairy girl immediately said with concern:
"Ah, let's go inside and talk. I'll also show you around the place, since you're new here. There are a lot of things to be aware of, and it's easy to run into problems if no one explains them to you."

Although Maren didn't believe the other party was truly so considerate, he didn't refuse:

"Okay."

After all, this isn't the real world, so there's no need to worry.

Seeing that Ma En had agreed, a smile immediately spread across the girl's face. She then walked briskly to Ma En and reached out to grab the hem of his shirt.
"Then let's go."

Marne did not resist, but he had a vague feeling that he had transformed into a small boat surrounded by surging waves, with a terrible gale tightly gripping his sail. Although the small boat seemed to be able to sail in the storm, it was only because it was "downwind".

He showed no sign of anything amiss and simply let the girl lead him into the market.

Like a raindrop falling into a stream, Marne blended in silently and quietly, attracting no attention whatsoever, as if he had never left this place.

Although the pedestrians around them all looked extraordinary, with fairies like young girls sitting in many tents and various flying sprites surrounding them, apart from that, whether they were leisurely or busy, they were essentially no different from the merchants in the city.

The fairies in the white tents mostly looked lazy, while the fairies in the purple tents were quite enthusiastic in greeting passersby.

In stark contrast to their enthusiastic attitude, those pedestrians who didn't look like fairies generally didn't enter the latter's tent; instead, he would occasionally see them walking into the unfriendly white tent.

“You noticed, didn’t you?” the girl said, leading Ma En. “These white tents were specially prepared for you by the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. They contain most of the things you need, including the pleasures of life. You can find lost works of art here, just a few odds and ends.”

"Did you see those few in the distance?"

She raised her hand and pointed to several even larger white tents in the distance.

The girl then explained:
"Besides these scattered needs, you sheltered people often have some more important real needs, such as figuring out the current situation in the outside world. These important needs are provided in a centralized manner through these large tents, so many people also gather and communicate with each other in that area."

"Although these tents may seem far apart, you don't need to worry about wasting too much time getting there. After all, not all the sheltered people are super martial artists. So once you've been to a tent and are thinking about getting back there, you'll find it on your own soon enough."

"Distance doesn't really exist here, at least not like it does to you."

“By holding your hand like I am now, we can also shorten the distance between us and the tent. By the way, is there a large tent you want to go to first? Most people would like to go to the ‘lobby’ first.”

Marx and Engels cooperated by showing a curious expression:

"The lobby?"

The girl nodded:

"The lobby is where you communicate with the outside world. You can check on things outside there. After all, almost all the asylum seekers have gotten into some trouble outside, so naturally they want to know if things are over. Oh..."

"By the way, why did you come here?"

Marx and Engels answered truthfully:
"Actually, I'm not really sure either, because I didn't make the wish myself. It wasn't until I came here that I found out someone had secretly bought this insurance for me."

The girl immediately cast a curious glance at her:
"Ah, I've heard of such things! But I've never personally encountered anyone like that. There must be some interesting stories behind it, right?" Ma En scratched his head, pretending to be troubled.

"It's hard to call it exciting, but this is certainly unusual. The person who prepared this insurance for me must be my partner over the years. He seems to have foreseen that we might run into trouble long ago."

"And when it happened, I came here."

The girl tightened her grip on Ma En's hand slightly, clearly concerned about what he was talking about.
"Partners? That's not a wish you can just make casually. Many people would even sell their souls to the devil for this opportunity. Isn't that ridiculous? We fairies clearly didn't intend to lay a hand on them this time."

"And after paying such a high price, everyone will only make wishes for themselves."

"This is probably not a gift that would be given between work colleagues."

Her eyes held a hint of gossip.

Marne shrugged:

"Perhaps he knew he couldn't escape this problem. I'm not sure if it's permissible to mention the names of the gods here, as this matter is related to something dark..."

Upon hearing this, the girl suddenly smiled.

"Of course, this is the territory of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. Since we have promised to provide you with protection, even Serane will have to wait obediently for half a year. No one can defy his will."

Upon hearing this, Marx and Engels deliberately showed a relieved expression:

"That's good. It seems my partner has been targeted by the Goddess of Darkness. She wants to turn him into a chosen one, and he seems to have anticipated that he might eventually fall into her hands, which is why he gave up on running away."

After saying this, Ma En immediately paid attention to the girl's expression.

Upon hearing this, the girl's face showed a hint of sympathy and understanding:

"I see. Your partner sounds quite pitiful. If he's been targeted by Karina, it's indeed unlikely he can escape. After all, darkness is everywhere, and no one can truly escape it."

"However, he was quite open-minded and at least accepted his fate."

"And he must have fought against it."

The tall man, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke, his tone cold and cruel:
"Of course he fought, because he had no choice."

“Everyone targeted by Karina knows deep down that they will be tortured beyond recognition and become slaves and monsters of the Goddess of Darkness, but they can only endure these things.”

"Because you can't surrender to the Goddess of Darkness at all. What she wants is not the you you are now, but the terrifying monster that suits her tastes."

"So no matter what you do, she will torture you in various ways, gradually turning your heart toward the darkness she desires. These poor wretches have no way to gain the favor of the goddess of darkness by giving up."

"Whether you submit or resist, you will be tormented, and in order to live a little less painful and miserable life, these guys can only fight against this tragedy carefully arranged by the dark lady."

"However, in the process of struggling, they will gradually lose their original appearance and mind."

"To become the perfect creation of the Dark Lady."