The ancient parchment had already changed color. Although magic had protected it from decay, eight centuries of time—by Earth's reckoning—had still left mottled traces across it. Just as Hao Ren had expected, after realizing there was no hope of returning home, the witch trapped here had written down everything about herself. Now, these blackened pages quietly recounted the brief life of an ordinary female mage who had drifted into another world and lived in this strange space—
"Anyone who can read these letters—if you can recognize the writing on them—please accept my sincerest goodwill and blessings. May the light of knowledge and mystery protect you, so that you do not become stranded here as I was. My name is Beatrice. I come from another world, and I believe you do as well.
"I came here in search of knowledge and mystery. After an expedition that was like something out of hell, I fell into the abyss and was ultimately trapped here. In a sense, I got what I wished for. The things I learned and encountered were wonders I had never even imagined throughout the thousands of years of the past, and I believe that even the gods of ancient times would not have known the deeper mysteries of this world. Almost all my concepts and systems of knowledge were overturned here. No matter how many words I used to describe the astonishment I felt when I saw this underground world, they would never be enough. I wanted to share the joy of this discovery with someone, but unfortunately, I can't go back. So I can only record it on parchment...
Hao Ren quickly skipped over the less important passages, merely skimming Beatrice's early records of this world. He discovered that after arriving here, the witch had received considerable help