The doll maiden in the oil painting greeted Yu Sheng happily and excitedly. Her voice carried a hint of surprise—but there was not the slightest shock or panic at seeing a dead person return to life.
Yu Sheng felt certain that this was not because Eileen was thick-skinned.
Sure enough, the problem lay with him—but considering how many times he had died and come back to life in such a short period, perhaps nothing too bizarre happening to him was all that strange anymore.
"Let's just say I came back by accident. At least I made it back." Yu Sheng replied casually, then turned around and shut the half-closed door. Immediately afterward, he lowered his head to examine himself, confirming that not only had his body completely recovered, even his clothes had been restored exactly as they were before.
Yu Sheng frowned. Considering Eileen's current reaction, he felt that rather than having "come back to life," the entire "event" of his "death" seemed to have vanished into thin air...
The way he stood dazed at the doorway caught Eileen's eye. The person in the painting spoke in confusion: "Yu Sheng? Are you all right? Why do you look so spaced-out? Oh, right, tell me how you came back. Our connection kept cutting in and out, and there was always a bunch of chaotic noise on your end. I had no idea what strange thing you'd run into in that Otherworld... Huh? What's that you're carrying?"
Only after she reminded him did Yu Sheng notice that he was still clutching something tightly in his hand—a hideous, strangely shaped severed tail covered in pitch-black scales.
Yu Sheng's mouth twitched. "Fuck, I almost forgot about this... It's still here."
The thing was still faintly contracting and writhing in his hand, but it was clearly no longer as "full of life" as it had been at first. It seemed that although the monster's severed limb possessed astonishing vitality, it would gradually die after being separated from its body.
A strange feeling rose in Yu Sheng's heart. For a moment, he did not even know how to explain the thing's origin to Eileen. After hesitating briefly, he carried the severed tail toward the kitchen and casually said to Eileen as he walked, "...Just a local specialty."
The person in the painting froze. "...Huh?"
By then, Yu Sheng had casually thrown the severed tail into the kitchen sink. After confirming that it no longer had the strength to crawl out, he still cautiously prodded its surface several times with a knife. Then he placed a pot lid over it—so that at least he would hear the lid fall if it really crawled out. Only then did he return to the dining room, exhausted, and drop heavily into a chair.
His mind was a complete mess. There were too many things to think about, and more importantly, he was truly exhausted.
But he forced himself to stay awake. It was not yet time to sleep.
Across the table, Eileen watched him cautiously. "Yu Sheng, tell me about what happened to you in that Otherworld, and how you..."
"I was just about to tell you." Yu Sheng waved a hand before she could finish. Then he adjusted his posture and stared seriously at the person in the painting. "I've got a stomachful of questions. First, let me tell you what I encountered over there. I met a girl who was trapped in the Otherworld just like me, but she may have been trapped there for a very, very long time..."
Yu Sheng hid nothing. He poured out everything he had experienced in Nightfall Valley, including the information Huli had revealed to him and the grotesque monster that looked like some kind of flesh-and-blood amalgamation, with an extremely free-form appearance.
He left out the matter of his own "death and resurrection." He had not yet figured out how to explain it, so he decided not to mention it for the time being.
Of course, he knew that he and Eileen were still not very familiar with each other and could not be said to trust each other much. But he had no other options. In this city, Eileen was the only "anomalous individual" he had encountered so far who could communicate with him. She was also the only person he knew who understood anything about "matters beyond common sense." Other than Eileen, he genuinely did not know whom else he could discuss the Otherworld with.
He felt that he should place a little more trust in this person in the painting. After all, so far, her attitude had been fairly friendly—except when she was cursing, and her language then was truly vicious.
Eileen listened very seriously. The moment Yu Sheng mentioned the flesh monster, her expression became especially grave. Several times, she seemed about to speak, but restrained herself and never interrupted his account.
Only after Yu Sheng finished did the doll maiden finally adjust her posture. She sat upright in the chair covered with a red velvet carpet and spoke with a solemn expression: "First, I still have to emphasize one thing. I don't remember much. This painting has worn away too many of my memories, so there's very little help I can give you..."
Yu Sheng nodded. "I know that."
"Mm." Eileen hummed in response, then relaxed slightly. "Then I'll do my best to fill you in on what I know about Otherworlds. First, you should already have a basic understanding of Otherworlds. You know that they're a general term for certain 'regions' that deviate from order and violate common sense. But do you know that something called an 'entity' can also be generated within an Otherworld?"
"...An entity?" Yu Sheng looked puzzled.
"Simply put, they're the 'natives' or 'products' of an Otherworld. Entities don't necessarily have any particular form. Sometimes they may be strange-looking humanoids, sometimes beasts or monsters, and sometimes even a ball of fire, a gust of wind, or a stone that can run. As long as something is generated within an Otherworld, possesses clear 'vitality,' and can react to outsiders, it can be regarded as an 'entity.'"
Yu Sheng nodded thoughtfully.
"Entities are broadly classified and numerous," Eileen continued. "Generally speaking, entities have very obvious 'anomalous' characteristics. Born within Otherworlds, they naturally possess traits that defy common sense and are strange and dangerous. Most entities lack reason, or at least never display 'thought processes' that humans can understand. But it seems that a very small number of entities possess intelligence... I can't remember the details.
"Anyway, ninety percent of entities are dangerous. They differ in strength, though. Some entities may only make a person's nose itch, while others can put a human's life in danger simply by being witnessed. That's why people have a theory that 'entities' are a kind of rejection response from Otherworlds, antivirus programs generated by Otherworlds to eliminate intruders. According to this view, the investigators and lost travelers who come from the world of order and common sense are the indescribable monsters from an Otherworld's perspective..."
Yu Sheng listened silently, then suddenly realized something. "...So the 'monster' I encountered was an 'entity' generated by the valley?"
"Most likely." Eileen nodded.
"Can entities be destroyed?" Yu Sheng asked immediately.
"Entities can be killed, but they cannot be completely destroyed," Eileen said solemnly. "Strictly speaking, an entity is only a 'product.' Once one is killed, a new 'copy' will be generated within the Otherworld. They embody the operating rules of an Otherworld. As long as the Otherworld remains, entities will continue to be generated. Normally, though, generating an entity takes time, and there seem to be methods of suppressing the operation of certain Otherworlds, delaying or even preventing the generation of their entities... I don't remember the specifics."
"They can be killed, but they cannot be completely destroyed..." Yu Sheng repeated the words, suddenly feeling that things were even more troublesome than he had imagined.
He was not afraid of death.
That monster seemed even less afraid...
Without realizing it, Yu Sheng had already assumed that he would return to that valley and encounter that monster again. He did not know where this idea had come from. By the time he noticed it, the thought—or perhaps some kind of "intuition"—had already taken root in his heart.
"...Whatever. Being able to kill it temporarily is still a good thing." He exhaled softly, then looked up at Eileen. "Besides that, what else do you know about entities? For example, their weaknesses."
"Entities don't have a universal weakness. Sometimes an entity's weakness isn't even within itself, but in the 'Otherworld' or in the Otherworld's own rules. Some entities may even change their own weaknesses." Eileen shook her head. "So exploring Otherworlds and fighting entities is a professional and dangerous undertaking. I suggest you find a professional to help you if possible—not someone like me, who's trapped inside a painting."
Yu Sheng rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say. Where am I supposed to find a professional? They're not going to put up little advertisements on telephone poles..."
Eileen said, "They do."
Yu Sheng said, "...What?"
"They have contact information. Of course, it may not necessarily be on little advertisements stuck to telephone poles." Seeing Yu Sheng's dumbfounded expression, Eileen nodded emphatically. "Since Otherworlds are everywhere in this world and dangerous to ordinary people, there naturally has to be a large group of professionals dedicated to dealing with them. Never mind anything else—such a huge city must have people responsible for maintaining order, both openly and behind the scenes, right? Officially, there are departments in charge of this. Among civilians, there are also organizations of various sizes. I don't remember the specifics very well, but these people must be active everywhere...
"Of course, under normal circumstances, they keep their distance from ordinary people's lives and hide in the shadows, because many Otherworlds have strange and bizarre properties, such as 'becoming active once they are known about' or 'actively approaching people who fear them.' So it's important to prevent ordinary people from coming into contact with information related to Otherworlds as much as possible. But once some unlucky person has already encountered an Otherworld, or an Otherworld reaction appears in a city, these professionals naturally have ways to locate them quickly and come knocking..."
Yu Sheng listened to Eileen's explanation in a daze. After hesitating briefly, he raised his head and looked out the window.
"So since an 'Otherworld reaction' has already occurred here, all I have to do now is wait for the 'professionals' you mentioned to contact me, right?"
"...Probably...?" For some reason, Eileen's tone suddenly sounded far less confident.
Yu Sheng could hear the lack of confidence in her voice. "...Then why haven't they come?"
"I don't know. They should have come by now, in theory."
Before you continue