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Chapter 205 The Source of Darkness and the Time Crocodile (Part 2)

“Gai Farrell”.

Wang Xi introduced himself.

“These two are my companions, Godariel and Pinocchio.”

"Mr. Kai, you shouldn't be residents of the island, so how did you get here?"

"Anto asked curiously."

Wang Xi shrugged: "We came from the Western Continent, but unfortunately encountered a storm at sea and were stranded on this small island."

“I see.” Anto nodded. “It’s a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.”

"Anto, may I ask where this place is?" Wang Xi asked, seizing the opportunity. "We've discovered many strange plants and animals on the island that we've never seen before."

"This... is part of Neverland."

"Neverland?"

“Yes,” Anto said. “Dream Island didn’t originally exist in reality, but was located in ‘Fairyland,’ which is what people call ‘paradise.’”

His expression seemed to be one of reminiscence.

At this moment, the fox on Anto's shoulder spoke, its voice hoarse and aged:

"Not long ago, the Red Queen's pet 'Chapo' wandered into Neverland and got into a fight with the island's owner, Peter. The fight caused the island to collapse, and part of it fell from the 'fairyland' into this real ocean."

The Red Queen? Peter the Island Owner?

Wang Xi was slightly startled.

Wrong film set again...

"Mr. Fox, is the 'Chapo' you mentioned the giant dragon from earlier?"

“That’s him,” the fox said, squinting. “Don’t let his fierce appearance fool you; he’s not actually a bad guy.”

"Huh?" Pinocchio exclaimed in surprise. "Not bad? He said he was going to eat these two kids as snacks!"

The fox glanced at the two children trembling in Godariel's arms, opened its mouth, but said nothing.

Wang Xi then observed the fox on the Little Prince's shoulder, and an entry appeared above the fox's head:

"Fox (Friendly/High-Rank 3-Star/Hero)"

The silver frame is a three-star rating.

As the pet of the Little Prince Anto, this seemingly ordinary fox possesses extraordinary strength.

"It was all a lie!"

The rose in Anto's hand suddenly let out a sharp laugh: "They're just playing house!"

"Shh!" Anto immediately raised his index finger, signaling the rose to keep quiet.

Wang Xi then turned his attention to the roses:
"Rose (Friendly/High-Rank 3-Star/Hero)"

It also received a silver frame rating, which was upgraded to three stars.

Anto rose from the Rose Throne, walked to Wang Xi, and whispered, "Mr. Kai, this is actually the secret of Neverland..."

The little prince began to explain in a low voice.

As he recounted his story, Wang Xi finally understood that Anto had once been good friends with Peter Pan, the owner of Neverland, but this time when he came to visit his friend, he discovered that Peter had already turned to the dark side.

"This island can be seen as a projection of Peter's mind; everything changes according to his state of mind..."

Anto sighed.

The group looked around. The coral-like forest swayed and danced like ghostly shadows, and the mushrooms, mosses, and shrubs were colorful and seemed to be full of poison.

It is evident that after Peter turned to the dark side, Neverland became extremely dangerous and eerie.

"There is an orphanage on Neverland that shelters many children who have lost their way due to the suffering they have in real life."

Anto's voice was low and somber.

“Peter had always protected them… but after he turned to the dark side, this belief became paranoid and became a shackle on the children.”

Through the Little Prince's description, Wang Xi and the others learned a fact: the children in the orphanage were forbidden from leaving.

Once they leave the high walls of the orphanage, the children will grow up quickly... while the "adults" will be domesticated by "rules" and will never be free.

"What are 'rules'?" Pinocchio asked curiously.

"The name of a sword."

Anto explained.

"It was originally Peter's sword, but now it has become the guardian of Neverland. If you are stabbed by it, you will be 'tamed'."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi immediately recalled the gray-robed giant who had just tried to devour the two children.

That was the "tamed" Master Neverland.

'To be precise, they are children corrupted by darkness... This island is indeed eerie.'

Wang Xi thought to himself.

If the children escape the orphanage, they will grow up quickly, be hunted by the "rules," and be "tamed" into numb monsters, forever wandering Neverland.

"What about the red evil dragon 'Chapo'?"

Wang Xi lowered his voice and asked the little prince.

"In order to protect the children, Ms. Wendy asked Chappell to cooperate in staging a play, and to go over the orphanage from time to time to scare the children."

Anto explained in a low voice.

"This way, the children won't dare to run away from the orphanage."

The "Wendy" he mentioned was the director of the orphanage, who was also Peter's ex-girlfriend.

After listening, Wang Xi shook his head: "This is just a temporary solution, not a cure."

“That’s right,” Anto agreed. “But there’s no better way, after all, these things… are hard to explain to children.”

Just then, the girl among the two children exclaimed, "Oh no! My clothes have shrunk?!"

Everyone looked.

The girl's clothes, which had originally fit her well, were now tight and small, with the sleeves shrinking down to her forearms.

"It's not that the clothes shrunk," Cinderella Godari said, covering her mouth. "It's that her body grew!"

Wang Xi noticed that the two children were originally about ten years old, but now they have grown to be twelve or thirteen.

If this continues, they will soon grow up and be "tamed" by the sword of "rules".

"They must be sent back to the orphanage immediately."

"Anto said."

Wang Xi asked, "Where is the orphanage?"

"It's at the highest point of Neverland."

The Little Prince pointed to the distant black mountain peaks, from which he could vaguely see an ancient, pointed building.

"Then let's hurry up and go," Pinocchio urged.

Although he was a puppet, he had a kind heart and did not want to see the two children suffer.

“I can sense the magical energy emanating from Mr. Kai. You must be a wizard, right?”

"Anto asked curiously."

"Uh," Wang Xi nodded, "I guess so."

"Does Mr. Nakai know flying magic?"

"know a little."

“Okay.” Anto seemed pleased. “We’ll take the two children and fly straight there.”

So Wang Xi took the girl's hand with one hand and put his other arm around Godalier's waist.

A burning crown appeared above his head, a blazing cloak unfurled behind him, and he soared into the air.

call out--

Pinocchio followed closely behind, spewing flames from his hands.

"Wow, big brother can fly!"

The girl Wang Xi was holding looked down at the forest that was gradually shrinking, feeling both scared and excited, and exclaimed in surprise.

Not long after.

The little prince was also seen beside Wang Xi.

Anto carried the boy on his back, his arms outstretched, his red scarf trailing long in the strong wind at high altitude, and the fox on his shoulder sat with its eyes half-closed.

"Speaking of which, Peter taught me how to fly..."

"Anto said softly."

He said it was the power of freedom, the ability to fly to any corner of the world at will, even to escape the cage of reality and go to 'fairyland'.

"Unfortunately……"

His voice gradually faded.

It was clearly his good friend Peter's descent into darkness that saddened him.

Wang Xi chatted with him as they flew.

Prince Antoine was simple-minded and guileless, and easily revealed his secrets.

It turns out that Anto came from "Fairyland", a place called "Chessboard Kingdom".

He was the youngest prince in the royal family, but he longed for the outside world, so he ran away from home and traveled all the time.

Peter Pan was a friend he met on his journey.

"Mr. Jia, why did you leave your homeland, the Western Continent, and go to the Eastern Continent?"

Anto, facing the strong wind, asked with childlike innocence.

"Our hometown has been tainted by black pollution. We've heard that the Clockwork Kingdom of the Eastern Continent possesses a way to curb this corruption..."

Wang Xi told the truth.

Anto was somewhat surprised: "The Clockwork Kingdom is so powerful that it can even suppress corruption?"

He frowned slightly again.

"As far as I know, the corruption originated from beyond the heavens and came about inexplicably. Even the kings of the 'Fairyland'... couldn't do anything about it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi's heart stirred.

He seized the opportunity to ask, "Anto, what else do you know about turning to the dark side?"

The little prince hesitated before saying, "Once, Peter took me out of reality, even out of 'Wonderland,' and to beyond the heavens..."

"It was pitch black outside."

Peter said that our world is wonderful because it has a variety of colors, but if darkness from beyond the heavens were to engulf it, the world would be destroyed.

“Peter tried to change all of this, but he failed, and he himself was corrupted and tainted.”

Anto sighed.

"It is said that among the kings of 'Fairyland,' many have been corrupted and become hideous, and the order has begun to collapse."

"My journey thus gained another layer of meaning, which was to find a way to overcome my corruption."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi realized that the black pollution was probably far more serious and terrifying than he had imagined.

Even the Little Prince, Peter Pan, and the so-called "Kings of Wonderland" were helpless against it.

But Wang Xi finally learned the source of his descent into darkness—

'It comes from outside the world!' At that moment.

The group had arrived above the mountain peak.

"Here we are."

Anto said something and carried the boy straight down.

Wang Xi followed closely behind.

After landing, the group discovered that the so-called "orphanage" looked like a church.

The high wall is six or seven meters high, and its entire surface is a solemn gray-black.

Standing at the door was an elderly woman with white hair. She wore round-framed reading glasses, her hair was neatly combed, and she was dressed in a well-fitting white lace dress.

Orphanage Director Wendy (Friendly/One Star)

He is just an ordinary person.

"Paul! Zelina!"

The old woman hurried forward, her face beaming with delight.

"You two are finally back! I was so worried!"

"Wendy's mom!"

The two children rushed forward and threw themselves into the old woman's arms, crying their hearts out.

"I'm sorry, we shouldn't have run away!"

Paul and Zelina looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, and were almost as tall as Dean Wendy.

The old woman looked shaken, gently stroking the heads of the boy and girl: "It's good that you're back, go inside quickly."

The two children nodded, then turned around and bowed to Wang Xi and Anto to express their gratitude.

As they ran into the orphanage gate, the sounds of children's chatter could be faintly heard:
Wow! Paul, you've only been gone for half a day, how come you've grown so tall?!

"You...you're Zelina?!"

"I hardly recognize you guys anymore..."

"How's it outside? Is it fun?"

"That evil dragon just flew by again. I thought you two had been eaten!"

Dean Wendy withdrew her gaze and sighed.

She hurried forward and bowed to Wang Xi and Anto: "Thank you so much for bringing Paul and Zelina back. If it had been any later, they probably would have—"

Before they could even exchange pleasantries.

call out! !

A sharp, piercing sound could be heard tearing through the air.

Wang Xi's sudden spiritual imprint trembled violently. Without warning, he dodged to the side, catching a glimpse of a streak of emerald light flashing past his ear.

A sword, no bigger than a toothpick and covered in black veins, hovered in mid-air.

"It's Peter's sword!"

Dean Wendy gasped in shock.

Her gaze, peering through her reading glasses, fell upon Wang Xi: "You are all 'adults,' which is why you've attracted the sword of 'rules'!"

At that moment, the miniature sword flew back.

He was captured in the hand of a voluptuous figure no bigger than the palm of his hand.

The figure emerged from the shadows of the forest, its entire body radiating a pink glow. Its wings, as thin as cicada wings, vibrated at a high frequency, scattering fluorescent dust that hovered in the air.

Her alluring face stretched into a wide smile that reached her ears, revealing sharp, shark-like teeth.

"Fairy Tale of Dreams (Darkened/Nemesis/High-Rank 3/Hero)"

The silver frame is a three-star rating.

"Wendy's mom! Come in quickly!"

The orphanage windows were crowded with little faces, and the children's terrified gasps sounded like fledglings being choked.

Anto's red scarf fluttered without wind, and the fox on his shoulder squinted and said, "This flower fairy used to be Peter's closest playmate, but now she's become a puppet of 'rules'."

The Little Prince sighed, "She too has been corrupted; her jealousy has been amplified."

"Hahaha……"

The fairy suddenly let out a high-pitched, shrill laugh, the sound waves causing the forest to tremble and dust to fall from the high walls of the orphanage.

"Wendy, you wretched old woman!"

Fryer brandished his sword, leaving behind black scorch marks in the path it traced.

“You always use this pitiful look to deceive Peter’s pity, and now you’re seducing the ‘adults’ outside to come to Neverland.”

"I am going to kill you!"

Fairy Tale, wielding the sword "Rules," streaked across a pink path and flew to Dean Wendy in the blink of an eye.

The two must have had a feud over Peter many years ago, to the point that they would clash whenever they met.

But the sword in the fairy's hand disobeyed her command, suddenly changing direction in mid-air and thrusting straight towards Wang Xi's throat—

The enemy of "rules" is ultimately "adults".

Fryer's personal grudges could not overcome the "rules".

"Watch out!" Dean Wendy exclaimed.

At the critical moment, the Little Prince flicked the rose in his hand, and suddenly a field of roses sprang up from the ground, the petals forming a shield that blocked Wang Xi's path.

clang! !

The sound of metal clashing sounded.

The flower fairy cried out and flew backward, sword in hand.

Rose Rose sneered, "This ugly thing doesn't deserve to be called a flower fairy!"

The fairy's face contorted instantly, and spiderweb-like black threads emerged beneath her pink skin. She frantically ripped off a lock of her hair, and her breath transformed into countless thorny vines.

"I want you all to kneel down and beg for mercy!"

Director Wendy seized the opportunity to push open the side door of the orphanage: "Everyone, quickly hide inside!"

Although the Flower Fairy Frye is not very strong, she wields the "Rules" sword, which contains the power of the rules of this dream island.

Before Wang Xi could figure out the other party's background, he grabbed Godard and Pinocchio and quickly ran in through the side door.

Boom! !

The heavy oak door slammed shut.

Dense vines slammed against the door, making a series of muffled crackling sounds. Immediately following outside came the sound of a sword slashing and hysterical curses:

"Hide! Just eke out a living like little mice. Sooner or later, you will all be tamed into slaves by the 'rules'!"

"Don't worry, she can't get in."

Dean Wendy took off her reading glasses and wiped them.

“This building was created by Peter himself, and as long as you stay inside, you are not affected by the ‘rules’.”

Wang Xi looked around and found that the orphanage, converted from a church, was much larger inside than it appeared on the outside. Hundreds of handmade paper stars hung from the high dome, casting colorful shadows in the sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows.

The walls were covered with children's graffiti, mostly depicting flying boys and fire-breathing dragons.

"Wendy's mom!" A little girl with pigtails rushed over and hugged the headmistress's leg. "Paul said he saw a pirate ship flying in the sky outside!"

"Hmm?" Dean Wendy paused, as if she had thought of something, her expression becoming complicated.

The Little Prince Antoine crouched down and let the fox on his shoulder jump to the ground.

The fox stood upright like a human and said, "A pirate ship? That must be Captain Hook's ship... Is he still fighting against time?"

“Hmm.” Dean Wendy nodded. “After Peter turned to the dark side, Neverland underwent strange changes, and even time itself was affected.”

Wang Xi remained silent, listening attentively.

It was somewhat similar to, but not quite, the fairy tales he remembered.

The so-called "Captain Hook" was also a child of Neverland, the most unruly of them all.

After Peter turned to the dark side, Hook was the first to escape the orphanage, but time ravaged him into an old man.

He has been trying to fight against the "crocodile" that Peter's evil thoughts have manifested, and to reclaim his youth.

“Follow me,” Dean Wendy suddenly said, leading the group through the chattering children toward the confessional at the back of the church.

Pushing open the door, one finds a secret room filled with books, and a huge parchment map pinned to the wall, marking the various areas of Neverland.

The right side, about one-fifth of the way, is circled in red; that's where they were, the part where they fell from "Wonderland".

“Peter used to be a mischievous fellow who played all sorts of pranks in ‘Wonderland,’ even stealing the alarm clock from the Goddess of Time…”

Dean Wendy explained in detail.

Wang Xi's pupils contracted slightly.

This dream island was far removed from the fairy tales he remembered.

Even now, he knows nothing about "Wonderland," but his intuition tells him that it is the highest level of the fairy tale world.

Peter Pan's adventures are so legendary that Neverland is far more dangerous than the Deer Kingdom on the West Continent.

Godaril covered her mouth and said, "So the reason why the children grow up so quickly after leaving the orphanage is because..."

"Time has been stolen."

The rose in the hand of the Little Prince Antoine suddenly spoke, its petals swaying gently: "The crocodile, transformed from Peter's malice, swallowed the alarm clock of the goddess of time, and it can control the flow of time on this island."

boom! !

The entire building suddenly shook violently, and heavy books on the shelves crashed to the ground with a clatter. Terrified screams echoed from the hall, accompanied by deafening roars from the sky.

"Captain Hook is fighting the Time Crocodile."

Dean Wendy raised her head and said in a deep voice.

Wang Xi pulled back the curtains of the confessional room and saw a shocking scene through the stained glass.

An ancient, jet-black pirate ship hovered above the orphanage, its sails tattered and its hull covered in glowing barnacles.

On the deck, a one-armed man wearing a tricorn hat was wielding an iron hook, directing the crew to fire the cannons forward.

Wang Xi's expression gradually became strange.

The entry for the pirate ship is—

"The Flying Dutchman"

This channel mix is ​​just too outrageous.

A giant crocodile, over twenty meters long, emerged from the clouds created by the explosion of the shell.

Its body is covered with bronze-colored scales, but its belly features a huge clock face with gears and a spring mechanism faintly visible.

tick, tick...

The crocodile raised its head and let out a deafening roar, the sound waves creating visible ripples in the air.

As the hands of the clock on its abdomen reversed, the clouds in the sky closed again, and the wounds on its body disappeared.

The cannonballs and other projectiles also flew back to the pirate ship one after another.

Time travel?!
Everyone was stunned.

(End of this chapter)