165 Clockwork Heart (IV)
Wang Yue was startled; she hadn’t expected Medeili to act so violently.
What shocked her even more was that the doll convulsed as if struck by agonizing pain. Its body writhed like an insect, joints emitting a faint grinding sound as its small head thrashed back and forth, long hair swaying with the motion. Crystalline tears even began to well in the corners of its eyes. It was exactly like the reaction of a living person having their ankle snapped.
“Why…?”
Before Wang Yue could finish her question, Medeili tilted her head and looked at her with a strange expression, asking in return:
“Isn’t it creepy for a doll to move?”
“Even so, you shouldn’t have snapped its leg off. It was a perfectly good toy; why ruin it? Didn’t you say you liked her?”
“She is bewitching you, so I am going to punish her.”
Medeili’s voice was crisp and sweet. She lowered her head and pressed her fingertip against the doll’s chest, poking it repeatedly. The doll reacted as if it were being struck by heavy blows, its joints and limbs trembling all over.
The orange-haired girl stared at her coldly, her tone sinister:
“If you move on your own again, the punishment won’t be as simple as snapping off a single leg. I’ll tear off all your limbs, strip you naked, and throw you into a jar full of caterpillars so you can feel what it’s like to be covered in poisonous stings…”
“Stop it,” Wang Yue said, reaching out her hand. “Give me the doll.”
“No!”
Medeili hugged the doll and turned around.
Wang Yue took a deep breath, her tense body slowly relaxing as she flashed a kind smile and said:
“Then let’s go.”
The two of them searched for a path out of the Small Garden in silence, the only sound being the soft scuffing of their slippers against the ground.
A breeze drifted by, carrying the fresh, crisp scent of flowers.
As they rounded a patch of neatly manicured, vibrant green lawn, Wang Yue suddenly came to a halt. She whipped her head around and barked:
“Come out!”
Her gaze was fixed on a cluster of neatly trimmed holly on the lawn.
A long silence followed.
Medeili also cast her gaze over, giggling as she said:
“There’s a little rabbit hiding there.”
The two fell silent, and the air seemed to freeze. A moment later, a thin, small girl stepped out from behind the holly.
The girl had thick, chestnut, shoulder-length hair and was wrapped in an ill-fitting old trench coat. From beneath the hem peeked a faded blue cloth skirt and a pair of greasy, grimy wooden clogs.
Her slender fingers clutched the hem of her clothes as she shrunk back and lowered her head, too fearful to look at the two little witches.
This chestnut-haired girl was clearly out of place in the exquisite and elegant Demon Realm; she didn’t seem like someone who lived here year-round.
Wang Yue speculated that she was a girl who had wandered into the Magic Realm after them, and the reason she was hiding was likely because of the mace in her hand.
“Don’t be afraid, we’re witches. This is… my wand.”
Wang Yue weighed the mace in her palm, trying to soothe the other’s emotions.
Instead, the girl was paralyzed with fear, falling into an animal-like state of tonic immobility.
Wang Yue tried to take a step closer to her, and she let out a scream, collapsing to the ground. She stared fixedly at the weapon clutched in the fair little hand, imagining the tearing and pain it would cause if it struck her body, and pleaded:
“Wuu wuu… please don’t hurt me…”
There was another reason for the girl’s fear—witches were generally eccentric and unscrupulous, and were never liked by anyone. Someone like Wang Yue was truly a rarity.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Wang Yue pulled her up and patted her head again.
Under the influence of the loli’s fingers, the chestnut-haired girl’s emotions gradually stabilized. She stammered through an introduction, saying her name was Lana and that she was from Full Moon Town.
“It seems she was pulled in after me, but…”
Wang Yue looked at her suspiciously, her sharp gaze making the chestnut-haired girl’s heart tremble.
“Since you’re from Full Moon Town, why didn’t you hide at home after the Silver Moon appeared? Didn’t the Explorers’ Guild issue a notice?”
“My sister…”
Lana lowered her head dejectedly and revealed the reason: Her parents had passed away early, and she had been raised by her older sister, Greya, since she was a child. With the help of their neighbors, the two sisters had lived a life that was impoverished yet stable. That was until the beginning of the year, when the Silver Moon descended. Girls began to go missing one after another, and Greya was among the very first to disappear.
For Lana, “Greya, 17, Tavern Maid” wasn’t just a simple entry on a list of the missing; she was her last living relative in this world.
“What? You were going to let the Silver Moon take you away on purpose? You’re so foolish. When the mastermind sees that after capturing the older sister, the younger one delivers herself right to their doorstep—a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal—they’ll be laughing so hard they’ll be blowing snot bubbles… When you finally meet, what do you think your sister will think?”
Rebuked by Wang Yue, Lana suddenly realized the sheer stupidity of her plan. She covered her face with her hands, on the verge of tears, and asked:
“I’m so stupid… what should I do…”
“Obviously, you either follow me or act on your own,” Wang Yue said succinctly.
“I—I’ll follow you, Lady Witch…”
Lana followed Wang Yue closely.
The chestnut-haired girl was only fourteen years old, and due to being underdeveloped, she looked quite small. Timidly following behind the loli, she didn’t look out of place at all.
The three of them left the Small Garden, following a pebble path through an elegant and beautiful red leaf forest until they arrived at a strange area.
This was the upper-left corner of the garden, while the hedge wall was in the lower-left. From this perspective, the garden was roughly five hundred meters wide; it appeared vast because the dense greenery obstructed the line of sight. Of course, the Mystic Realm likely consisted of more than just the garden area.
Small bud-shaped houses were scattered across the scale-patterned stone floor, their curved wooden planks clustering upward and fitting together seamlessly. The exteriors were thickly coated with raw lacquer mixed with stone dust over high-quality wood, then sanded and polished to achieve the brilliant luster of lacquerware. Ornate, intricate spires of sterling silver filigree served as the finishing touch.
Beside the house, clusters of blue-purple hyacinths grew in flowerpots, vibrant and beautiful.
Through the exquisite window lattices, one could see a beautiful young woman living in each of the flower rooms. They wore masterfully tailored dresses, their makeup noble and their postures elegant, their entire bodies radiating a bright glow.
Some were dancing, some were singing, some were grooming themselves before a mirror…
However, without exception, a segmented metal hose was inserted into the back of each girl’s neck. These hoses did not trail behind them; instead, they slithered through the air like water snakes, making it impossible to tell whether they were chains imprisoning the girls or a part of their very bodies. Aside from the girls in the greenhouse, there were others moving about outside.
These girls wore standard white uniforms, their lips chapped and their eyes vacant as they dragged their heavy, weary feet. Their hands and calves were covered in small scars, both old and new, and they held fresh flowers and blood-red fruits in their hands.
Lana suddenly froze, then cried out urgently toward a greenhouse not far away:
“Sister!”
“Did you find Greya?” Wang Yue asked hurriedly.
Lana did not answer. She stared blankly at the girl in the room, her expression filled with confusion.
Her sister’s appearance had changed so drastically that she was almost unrecognizable.
In the past, Greya worked as a maid in a tavern. She had ear-length short hair and a beautiful face with a high-bridged nose; her gray eyes were deep and melancholy. Her typical attire consisted of a Katyusha headpiece, a long gray dress, and a worn white apron.
Standing nearly 1.75 meters tall, her figure was slender and graceful. The curve of her neck gave way to the dramatic swell of her chest, which then tapered down into a narrow waist. With her arms relaxed, she usually held either a broom or a cigarette.
Now, with only a light touch of makeup, Greya’s face revealed a startling beauty. Her bangs were neatly trimmed, and her long, dark brown hair cascaded like a waterfall, shimmering with a mirror-like luster.
She wore a form-fitting black starry gown, noble and cold. A black silk ribbon was tied around her neck, and her legs of incredible length were casually crossed. Her high heels hugged her slender feet, and blue veins were visible beneath her pale skin.
A sense of inferiority welled up from the depths of Lana’s heart. She twisted her fingers hesitantly, not daring to step forward and acknowledge her.
Urged by Wang Yue, she finally walked toward the conservatory step by step. She climbed the stairs and lifted the silk curtain embroidered with thorns and flowers, her voice trembling as she called out:
“Sister…”
Greya tilted her head, looking puzzled. In a faint, smoky voice, she asked, “Who are you?”
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