The Inspector had only just jumped into the passageway, without even having time to take in its surroundings, when he found himself in another room.
It looked like a magnificent noble hall.
Yet unlike the halls of other noble castles, the Inspector saw some strange things here. For instance, teacups floated in midair, ceramic little hands growing from either side as they held spoons and struck their own bodies. The crisp tapping blended with another floating squad of bizarre instruments nearby.
There were little teacup rabbits blowing trumpets, black-and-white cups playing pianos, goblets playing violins...
An entire Teacup Band.
That was not even the strangest part. Several iridescent dragonflies floated above the hall, along with peculiar motes of light—these motes looked dazzling, yet for some reason, they gave the Inspector a sense of danger.
While the Inspector stood there in a daze, the Teacup Band began playing a cheerful tune.
Along with the music came neat tapping footsteps from behind a curtain to one side.
Following the sound, the Inspector looked over and saw a corner of the curtain pulled aside. Two squads of Block Soldiers, each less than a palm's height, marched out in synchronized, orderly steps.
These Block Soldiers wore red uniforms, white trousers, and tall hats. Two round red spots were painted on their cheeks, making them look extremely comical.
But the Inspector did not find them funny in the slightest, because both squads of Block Soldiers held all manner of weapons in their hands. Bayonets, spears, muskets, rapiers... Like the motes overhead, these weapons gave the Inspector an intensely dangerous feeling.
If they could make him feel threatened, that at least meant these weapons could harm him. He was a legendary wizard, after all. For weapons to injure him, they had to be extremely high-grade alchemical