"We're entering a dungeon," Xu Huo said to the painted woman.
The painted woman understood and immediately followed him into a relatively secluded corner.
She turned into a painting and slipped inside his coat. A moment later, Xu Huo vanished from where he stood.
A faint glimmer flashed before his eyes, and the scenery around him changed from a street to a classically decorated dining room. At first glance, it seemed as though he had entered a castle from a fairy tale. Through the windows on either side of the dining room, he could see snow-covered mountains and several towers blanketed in snow. Their original appearance was hard to make out, but the flower trees in the garden below, trimmed into the shapes of little animals and blooming despite the heavy snow, showed that the castle's owner had a whimsical side.
Even the twenty-four candlesticks on the dining table were soldier dolls dressed in blue.
Many other details in the dining room hinted at the castle owner's interests. The twenty-five sets of tableware were decorated with simple, charming drawings or carvings of animals. Cats, dogs, and bears appeared most often, along with birds. The tablecloth was spread out across the entire table and depicted an enormous brown bear. Much of its body was hidden beneath the candlesticks, leaving its head exposed. Its deliberately beautified eyes and expression looked harmless.
The chairs around the table were no different. Their armrests featured animals with various expressions, and their legs were shaped like animal paws. The carpet had no picture on it, but it looked as though it was made from an animal's pelt. A few metal ornaments sat on the Short Cabinet against the wall, some of them shaped like animals.
What drew the eye most, however, were the dolls displayed inside