Metal Book slowly closed, and the pictures outlined by rust disappeared like smoke. Headless Knight retracted its arm wrapped around the chain, and Metal Book floated in its palm. Tiny Gray Mist seeped out between the pages, like the breath of some living creature.
"The end of Gray Mist..." The books made a rustling sound, "In the east of the gathering place... through Ash Corridor..."
Li Wen looked towards the east side of the square, where a collapsed arch stood. The broken stone pillars were covered with luminous vines, and bottomless darkness revealed through the gaps between the vines.
"Thank you." She turned around to leave, but Metal Book suddenly started to tremble violently.
"Wait..." The hoarse voice was filled with strange urgency, "The story... isn't over yet..."
Li Wen stopped and quietly took out a dagger with his right hand. "What do you mean?"
"Your story... and the sequel..." The book automatically opened to a new page, and the copper-colored liquid gathered into words on the paper, "Death... rebirth... fighting the doomsday... we need a complete story..."
The Headless Knights suddenly turned around collectively, twelve rusty weapons pointed at Li Wen at the same time, and the Gray Mists spurting from the gaps in the armor intertwined into a network in the air. Guinea Pig Lord sprang out from nowhere, hiding behind the broken wall and sticking out half of his head. "Hurry up and agree to it! These brainless guys hate half-telling the story the most!"
Li Wen narrowed his eyes, Emerald Star Cloak said calmly, "What if I don't agree?"
"The defaulter..." Metal Book's voice suddenly became sharp, "Will become the story itself..."
Before he finished speaking, the three nearest Headless Knight suddenly burst out. They rushed in at a speed that was completely inconsistent with their bulky appearance. The broken swords tore through the air and screamed. Li Wen leaned back to avoid the horizontal slash, the dagger flipped in the palm of his hand, and the cold light penetrated the gap in the armor accurately.
"Ding!"
Amidst the sound of gold and iron, a strange sluggish feeling came from the dagger. The knight who was stabbed showed no reaction. Gray Mist seeped out from the cracks in the armor and wrapped around Li Wen's wrist. She retreated decisively, only to find that Gray Mist had left obvious traces on her and Emerald Star Cloak. She glanced at the status bar and found that her health had dropped by more than 30%.
Guinea Pig Lord's scream came from a distance, "Don't touch their fog!"
Li Wen could see the dangers of these Headless Knights without the guinea pig's reminder. She immediately entered Witch State, and at the same time a dark candle appeared in her hand.
Darkness fell in an instant, and all the knights lost their target and could only spin around in circles anxiously. After the darkness dissipated, Li Wen's figure had long disappeared.
*
Li Wen under Witch State flew through the arch, with Guinea Pig Lord still in her hand. The other party was dancing and struggling, which looked ridiculous compared to her figure.
"Let me ask you, where is Ash Corridor?"
Li Wen, who had no compunction about this, threw the guinea pig away and canceled Witch State at the same time.
Guinea Pig Lord rolled around on the ground twice before regaining its balance. It patted the dust on its body angrily, its purple eyes widening. "Rude! So rude! I am the chief scholar of the Lafatia kingdom, and I am not—"
"Answer my question." Li Wen's dagger flipped at his fingertips, and cold light danced on Guinea Pig Lord's beard.
Sir Grendel's beard drooped immediately. It shrank its neck and its voice was obviously lowered. "Ash Corridor... That is one of the most dangerous places in the gathering place."
"Be specific." Li Wen's dagger stopped.
Its short paws twisted its scarf nervously, and its voice was very low. "Legend has it that this is the place where Gray Mist first appeared. All creatures who step into it will gradually turn to ashes and become part of the corridor. No one has ever come back after entering... not even Headless Army... You should also be able to tell from the fact that they can drive Gray Mist. Their existence is indeed inseparable from Gray Mist, but this is meaningless in Ash Corridor."
Li Wen squinted his eyes, the road ahead had been occupied by Gray Mist again, and he could vaguely hear some kind of subtle sound, like the friction of lips and teeth. Those Gray Mist were thicker than other places in the gathering place, almost condensing into substance. Occasionally, fine ashes floated out from the fog and fell on the luminous vines. The vines immediately withered and curled up, and the light dimmed.
"Listen to me, Ash Corridor is not a place for fun." Guinea Pig Lord waved his front paws excitedly, "The corridor will eat you up inadvertently. Although you can't die here, the pain is much more terrifying than death! It is eternal torture!"
Li Wen put the dagger back into its sheath, Emerald Star Cloak glowing with faint fluorescence in Gray Mist, she looked into the depths of the corridor, where the fog showed a sickly lead-gray color, and occasionally small sparks flickered in the fog, like the breath of a dying person.
"You can go back and let those brainless guys kill you a few times to vent their anger." Guinea Pig Lord looked at her behavior and thought that his words had an effect, so he continued to persuade, his voice becoming shrill due to eagerness, "Anyway, death will never really come here, so why go to such a ghost place to suffer?"
"If you are afraid, you can leave on your own." Li Wen said, without any change in his expression, "I won't drag you to your death."
Hearing this, Guinea Pig Lord's ears drooped, and it sighed, but soon returned to its usual appearance, as if it was relieved, but also as if it had long been numb.
Guinea Pig Lord walked backwards, preparing to return the same way, but before he had taken a few steps, he suddenly lowered his voice. "Finally, I'll give you a piece of advice - time in Gray Mist is chaotic and disorderly. In it, you may encounter all kinds of unexpected things... or people. But remember, no one can ever be sure whether those things are true or false."
Its figure was gradually swallowed by darkness, and its last voice was as erratic as an illusion. "I wish you good luck, human friend. I hope we can meet again at the end of this world..."
Is time chaotic?
Li Wen was thoughtful, and without any hesitation, she stepped into Gray Mist.
The feeling of coldness like freezing point came again, Gray Mist covered his ankles like a tide, and there was a slight cracking sound from the soles of Li Wen's boots. Looking down, the ground was covered with gray-white powder, and every step stirred up fine dust. These ashes don't look like dead things. They wrap around the edge of her cloak as if they are alive, leaving light gray traces on the surface of the cloth woven with Emerald Star Sand.
Li Wen raised his hand to brush away the ashes on his cloak. His fingertips felt a stinging pain. The seemingly harmless powder was actually corrosive. She squinted her eyes, and the Gray Mist in her field of vision showed a strange sense of layering - it was a leaden gray thick fog nearby, gradually turned into a turbid dark yellow a little further away, and the deepest part was completely swallowed by darkness.
The "time chaos" mentioned by Guinea Pig Lord is beginning to take shape at this moment. Li Wen noticed that the Gray Mist three meters away on the left suddenly became thinner, revealing a half-broken Stone Tablet. The inscription was some kind of ancient writing, but when she got closer, Stone Tablet disappeared like a phantom. Immediately afterwards, there was the sound of metal clashing from the front right, and a vague figure ran through the fog. The sound of footsteps approached from far away and then suddenly disappeared.
"Hallucination?" Li Wen whispered to himself, and his voice seemed particularly dull in Gray Mist.
No, this is not an illusion.
This feeling is indeed very familiar. Li Wen never expected to encounter that kind of phenomenon here. It should not appear at this time and in this place.
"This is the Tide..." she murmured softly.