Notes

In the dense forest, Iris pushed aside a cluster of branches and looked ahead.

Ahead was still an endless sea of trees, with no end in sight.

"Where are we going?"

"To find where the merchant lives."

"But... how do you know where he lives?"

Linton turned his head back and said calmly, "Iris, I just carefully observed the surrounding terrain. It's surrounded by heavy mountains, and only the area where the village is located is relatively flat. According to geographical explanations, it's a basin."

"...Is there a problem?"

"Let's put that problem aside for now." Linton said in a deep voice, "I ask you, if someone could deprive a person of some emotions, what do you think their ability should be?"

"A Mind Mage," Iris answered without hesitation. "Their ability is to control people's emotions through various means to control their thoughts. To be their enemy, just a brief exchange with them could lead to falling under their control. It's no exaggeration to say they are the most terrifying mages."

"As for depriving emotions... only someone with profound attainments in mind magic could do it, right?"

"Very good. Now we have preliminarily determined some characteristics of the person who created this bizarre village," Linton continued. "I remember the man we spoke to earlier told us that outsiders hadn't entered this village for many years, and the only person who entered was a mage, and a very powerful one at that..."

"Do you remember we discussed before that for a mage to improve their strength, they need to absorb a lot of knowledge, but if the path they take is different from their predecessors, or if no one has ever reached further ahead, they need to forge their own way."

"How do you think these mages should do it?"

"—The collision of good and evil is a very interesting subject, and this place is a natural experimental ground with sufficient materials, isn't it?"

Iris fell silent.

She looked up at her surroundings.

The mountains were twisted, unlike mountains, but like giant railings, interlocking to form a massive fence.

The people in the village were not like people, but like little white mice in a laboratory. They could have their own thoughts and move around in their small cages, but one day, they would have to complete the "mission" assigned to them.

"Of course, this is just my guess."

Linton suddenly smiled. "To know the truth, we need to find where the 'merchant' lives first. Perhaps there will be clues there."

"But we only know a general direction, and this place is so big, how do we find it?"

"Iris, do you know?" Linton said softly. "When we were still in the village just now, I glanced towards the west."

"There's a mountain there, the lowest mountain nearby. But compared to the surroundings, the vegetation there is sparser. I can even count the number of trees on it with my naked eye."

"Conversely, from up there, can you see everything exposed in this small village?"

Iris sighed in admiration. "I understand."

"To observe an experiment, you always have to choose a good spot, right?"

"Then, let's go."

As it turned out, Linton's guess was not wrong.

On that mountain, they found a simply constructed campsite.

The camp consisted of several tents. Their appearance was very clean, without a trace of dust, clearly special items enhanced by magic.

Lifting the curtain and walking inside, the interior was simple, with only a portable folding table and chairs.

On the table lay an open notebook, and nothing else.

"This is so strange."

The moment Iris saw the notebook, a strong sense of unease suddenly arose in her heart.

She felt as if the thing had been deliberately placed there, waiting for them to uncover the answer.

Linton looked around but found no other anomalies.

He cautiously walked to the table, picked it up, and began to read carefully.

"July 13th: I've searched half of the Kingdom of Blossoms and finally found a place where I won't be disturbed by those idiotic knights. Phew, good and evil, the inherent nature of humanity. What kind of sparks will arise when there are no other factors interfering? I'm really looking forward to it!"

"August 7th: These ordinary people's walking pace is too slow. It took them so long to walk this short distance, and their physical fitness is also poor. I brainwashed hundreds of people to come here, but so many died climbing the mountain. Now there are only about a hundred left... but it's still okay. Next, I'll open their memories and let them suspect each other in difficult situations, and then become the best breeding ground for sin."

"March 21st: Good, these people indeed did not live up to my expectations. They fought and excluded each other. It's almost time to harvest."

"March 30th: Miscalculation. It's not so easy to synthesize this kind of malice filled with impurities. Sigh, I should find more people."

"September 17th: After several waves of people, I finally found the balance point. I gave this manifestation of malice a name, Bella. It doesn't have any special meaning, it just sounds nice. Next, I need to fabricate an identity and background that fits the human living environment. Another big project."

"October 2nd: Implanting the idea that everyone moved in from outside has been initially completed. This way, a simple background has also been created. Anyway, they are just disposable items, no need to make them too complicated. Next, I'll find a family to place Bella in. Heh heh, a manifestation of human malice living with a 'good person' who has lost all their bad thoughts... Just thinking about it is incredibly interesting!"

"February 7th: Interesting, interesting. The manifestation of malice has actually developed other emotions like regret and guilt, and is transforming towards becoming a true person. Products born from human thoughts will ultimately not deviate from their essence. No matter how pure they were originally, will they always develop towards a true personality? Or is it because humans are inherently impure species, and I failed to extract the purest malice? Or perhaps, the pure kindness is too contagious... I need to observe more."

"January 29th: Damn it, I forgot to come back for too long. Bella's various emotions are already close to a balanced state. I need to deal with it. Huh? These 'good people' have also developed a bit of malice? As expected, emotions are contagious."

"..."

"April 4th: Damn it, I interfered too many times. Bella's balance has been disrupted. After she killed her 'parents,' guilt consumed all other emotions, instantly crushing the malice. Forget it, it's broken, it's broken. At least there was some gain..."

At this point, the notebook ended.

Linton was wrong.

The key to the quest was not pursuit, but...

—An illusion!