Eileen crawled out of Huli's arms. She stood on the table and, like Little Red Riding Hood, stared absently at the empty lot outside the window.
"'Fairy Tales' first erupted here. Yet afterward, the victims treated this place as home... It feels kind of strange." The little doll muttered under her breath.
"Everyone needs a home." Little Red Riding Hood turned around with a faint smile. "I don't know how the 'predecessors' from many years ago made their decision, but the children living here now all regard this orphanage as home. To me, this is also a place where I can feel at ease... even though so many things have happened here."
"Only orphans are affected by 'Fairy Tales'?" Yu Sheng frowned. "Or are ordinary children sent here after being affected by the fairy tales?"
Little Red Riding Hood sighed. "Only orphans."
"Why? Is there a conclusion?"
"Because their hearts lack protection." Little Red Riding Hood spoke calmly. "Although there are still many gaps in our understanding of 'Fairy Tales,' based on our current progress, we can already confirm that its influence is related to the victims' 'personality patterns' and 'social relationships.' Orphans who lack the protection of parents or other relatives, remain psychologically unstable for long periods, and have weak social connections in the real world are its best 'prey.' After all..."
She paused there. After a moment, she gently shook her head. "After all, if reality is too cold, the warmth of fantasy becomes particularly tempting. When 'Fairy Tales' first begins to exert its influence, its power is actually very weak. All it needs is a thin 'rope' to firmly anchor the affected child to reality. But for many orphans, even that tiny 'rope' doesn't exist."
Yu Sheng's brows remained tightly furrowed. After a moment, he asked again,