Brain bloom

"Sure—that's what I was asked to do the last time I went."

"Okay, wait for me a moment."

It is preparing some kind of magic.

Back in the game era, during a side quest about the Demon Realm, Mori had visited this library once. Unfortunately, that time he was simply given a portal and didn't know its exact location. But that library contained most of the world's knowledge, and Mori didn't want to miss out.

Fortunately, there was still some time before the meeting, which she could use at her own discretion.

At the same time, with all the things she had to do and worry about finally settled down, she thought of coming to find this library.

Hopefully, this will answer my questions.

Then, the ancient Demon King opened a new portal.

It distorted the angle of time and space, taking Sen Shi to another place. The environment here was much better; surrounded by a gloomy garden, a strange castle appeared out of nowhere, at least it was somewhat lively.

It was half shrouded in shadow and half in pure darkness.

Sen felt a powerful and eerie aura, and as he quietly touched Fukufu, he began to regret it. He should have at least called Melia along...

The ancient demon king was rather approachable:

"This is the territory of one of my noble families. The library you're looking for... is right here. To suppress the violence and taboos within, this half-ancient demon has taken root here, but don't worry, it's not a bad guy and will welcome you."

"Ah That's good."

Sen glanced at the castle a few more times, surrounded by slaves terrified at the sight of the ancient demon king.

It walked ahead, with Mori following behind. The two seemed to carry a plague, their presence overwhelming everyone they went, filling the air with fearful souls. Mori felt no discomfort, only praying silently, hoping the library could give her an answer.

She wanted to figure out a question that had been lingering in her mind, but she simply couldn't share it with anyone.

What exactly were the players back then?

They approached the castle gates, guarded by an extremely hideous executioner. Upon seeing the ancient demon king, it immediately knelt and, in this posture, slowly opened the gates. Mori closed her eyes; the mansion of a demon nobleman was, to think about it, utterly terrifying…

Having prepared herself, she forced herself to open her eyes, only to find that the brightly lit mansion was actually quite ordinary.

It was magnificent, with a bright red carpet stretching out in front. Marble walls were built, adorned with luxurious paintings. Even the smallest candlesticks reflected the pure gold color throughout the mansion.

A very ordinary luxury residence.

Aside from the creatures inside—some strange lumps of flesh dressed in long maid outfits, mimicking noblewoman maids.

Sen Shi found it difficult to describe these monsters. They looked like lumps of white, fat meat weighing hundreds of pounds, without skin, and without any facial features or limbs... She could only examine them through her eyes and discovered that they were called "Female Bizarre Demons".

Fortunately, they were all frightened away by the aura of the ancient demon king. While Mori was using a healing spell on his eyes, he also began to think that the owl was actually quite handsome.

……

(P.S. I'm almost fully recovered from my illness. I still owe two chapters, but I promise to make up for them.)

PS2, I need to defend myself. Actually, there was a reason why the climax that should have happened when Mori's identity was exposed turned into something incoherent.

The plan was for Dandelion to relentlessly pursue and attack Mori, who would then flee in despair, feeling hopeless. After a real fight, they would forcefully steer the plot back on track with a tearful and screaming R18 scene, incidentally elevating the emotional arc...

However, I received a serious warning; if I actually wrote it that way, the book might be canceled, and there was nothing I could do...sigh.

PS3. I almost forgot, there's another deal here.

"The Life of Becoming a Boss" by Yuanxi.

"Life is nothing more than this," Yun Tan thought to herself as she chewed on a finger biscuit. She had never thought of such a magical thing before, but this time she actually found herself transported to a game world.

Yun Tan couldn't help but burst into a three-part laugh, but it still couldn't compare to Iori Yagami's laughter. After all, they were not in the same league. Only Iori could laugh like that!

That's absolutely true. Who would have thought that after living a life of leisure, I'd end up in a game world, and even become a world-class boss, an absolute powerhouse?

Volume 1, Chapter 202: The Vast Library

The owner of this mansion is a gloomy devil.

Revered by most demons, ranking among the great nobles, and having survived a thousand years of upheavals and historical twists and turns, his fame has spread far and wide. Yet, he still retains his inherent melancholy, untouched by any impurities.

He was so pale he looked sickly, so when he moved, he looked more like a wisp of white smoke gently swaying.

His skill was extremely profound, concealing even the slightest sound he made into an eerie silence... When he put his foot down, the exquisite sole of his shoe rubbed against the crimson carpet, signaling his arrival with a sound.

The ancient demon king and Sen Shi were both startled.

Why did this person suddenly appear...?

Fortunately, although he was the owner of the mansion, he did not have the ugly and bizarre appearance of his servants and looked fairly normal.

He possessed an extraordinary aura, as if he could manipulate light. After he glanced at the candlesticks beside him, their light dimmed.

Even in the gloomy darkness, the pallor of his skin made Moritoshi swallow hard. This devil doesn't look like a good thing... Moritoshi thought.

He resembles a human male around forty years old, and is reserved and gloomy.

His entire body appeared to be painted white, except for the area around his eyes, which was jet black and deep. Devil horns curved on his head, forming two twisted arcs—the only proof of his identity.

"...We're here on business, don't be nervous, old friend," said the ancient Demon King.

"Oh."

He responded softly, then turned to Sen and spoke in a strange, noble, hoarse voice, like the sound of velvet polishing a gemstone.

"Relax and smile, that's the best way to do justice to your beauty... The shape of your skull is beautiful."

"Thank you, but usually when complimenting someone, you compliment their skin and facial features, right..."

"But flesh and fat are merely the surface; the bones deep within are the truly beautiful thing. Your spine shapes the beauty of your body, its curves mesmerizing. But I can't fathom it—do your branches and leaves also have bones? If so, how beautiful that would be..."

Senshi desperately wanted to find a scarf or something to cover herself up completely. She was filled with regret; she shouldn't have gone out alone, and she didn't know if this devil was greeting her or coming to cause trouble.

The ancient demon king said sternly, "Enough, Charles. This man's status is not something you can joke about. Put away your nonsense."

“I was just expressing goodwill… I don’t do this often.”

"But it always gives me the creeps!"

He was reprimanded by the ancient demon king, so he simply blew out the candle beside him and hid in the shadows. It seemed he was expressing his frustration at being rejected for his good intentions.

The ancient demon king then asked, "We want to go to that library. Is the situation stable?"

"That library? Like the moon in the clouds, it is often shrouded in thick gray clouds... I don't know if it is expressing shyness, but today, like a virgin stepping into a social setting for the first time, it should be willing to be opened by you."

"...That's fine, take us there."

"Please follow me carefully, the path I walk on is very narrow, so you should be careful with your steps."

After saying this, he blew out all the candles that should have illuminated the mansion, but before darkness enveloped it, he took out a black stone that emitted a strange glow and played with it in his hand, as if he were using it to divine something.

Mori initially thought the devil was being too pretentious and regretted making the trip, but he gradually realized that everything the devil did had meaning. Only where the light from the stone illuminated the path.

She noticed that the mansion had become strange—

Aside from the path illuminated by the light, all the seemingly dark places actually concealed lurking, restless creatures... she didn't know what they were. Come to think of it, a large part of this mansion was indeed hidden in darkness, perhaps more than just the interplay of light and shadow.

She completely misjudged the situation...

She thought that with the ancient Demon King's power, a snap of his fingers and the blink of an eye would bring them to the library. She also thought she could get home before Dandelion finished gathering the herbs and help her wash the dishes to earn some goodwill...

But the issue she plans to investigate in her spare time is probably far more serious than she thinks.

The ancient demon king stood on Mori's shoulder, occasionally flashing a fierce light to ward off anything in the darkness, and then telling her how to proceed. They encountered many obstacles along the way, but thankfully reached their destination.

The library entrance is at the end of this road.

"We've arrived—this is the vast and dangerous library where most of the knowledge of time can be found... I don't know what you want to know from it, but if there is any danger, no one will come to your aid even if you scream... But please call my name, and I will at least guarantee that your remains will be intact."

"Don't listen to his nonsense. You're my daughter's partner, and I'll go in with you. I guarantee everything will be alright." The Ancient Demon King raised his wings again, hiding half of his face. "I'll charge you fairly."

"If you happen to be in danger, I will help you too, but I won't charge you." Mori said this with great satisfaction, and the difference in their character was immediately apparent.

The devil opened the gate—Senji and the ancient devil king stepped inside.

In the era before electronic data, the more knowledge accumulated in a library, the more space it required. Even in the realm of demons, building a library containing most of the world's knowledge would require a magnificent building.

But this is only the general case.

The library was actually quite cramped, just a square wooden room with a single oil lamp lit.

There wasn't a mountain of books, just one.

This book possesses a peculiar soul; it feeds on consuming knowledge, making it extremely erudite. As long as this book's soul lives on, the library's knowledge reserves will continue to grow.

Therefore, if you have any questions, just ask it.

"I hope you can ask some valuable questions. But don't forget, the more valuable the questions, the more knowledge you must leave behind before you go."

The book was the one speaking.

It is explaining the rules of this library, because access to knowledge is not free.

It hangs in the air, as if it has grown wings of knowledge.

The book was not opened, and on its ancient cover, a pair of eerie eyes were drawn.

These eyes look down upon both the true god and the ancient demon king on equal terms.

“Four Seasons, I remember your soul… It was 122 years ago when you asked me an interesting question. And Ancient Demon King, I also remember you… You gave me a difficult problem, but I still haven’t been able to answer it.”

Looking at it, Mori felt at ease. Even though the process was a bit troublesome, at least he had seen the book, and the lines and scenes were no different from those in the game. It must have lived through an era when players flocked to it, so it must be able to provide the answer.

Mori came to ask a few questions, like searching for answers in a book, but now he could simply ask the book. The prerequisite was that the questions wouldn't offend it…

"—Have you still not thought of a way to save us?" The ancient demon king seemed unwilling to give up and asked again before Sen Shi could finish speaking.

"No, no one can save her. A miracle has already happened once, and that was with the daughter you have now. She is simply a continuation of this long miracle. Remember, no one can capture a miracle or stop it from disappearing, not even God."

"The fruit of the Four Seasons, that is, the panacea, won't work either?" Mori thought it was a good opportunity, so he asked as well. "Besides, the fruit comes from the true god."

Volume 1, Chapter 203: An Incomprehensible Answer

When Mori first voiced her thoughts, she hoped that the most insightful soul in the world, found within this book, could provide her with a definitive answer. And it wasn't just her who was waiting; the ancient Demon King, who had single-handedly created all of this, was also waiting.

This is a clue that could save Yuan; how could he not hope for it?

The book remained suspended in mid-air, the pair of eyes on the cover seemingly able to gaze directly into one's heart.

It slowly revealed the answer.