The last time Lu Li had entered Dream of Delusion, he hadn't understood what was going on, and he'd soon run into a monster. He hadn't had a chance to take a good look at the place. Now that he was studying it closely, he realized it really didn't resemble the real world.
The terrain here was completely flat, with virtually no rises or dips. Blood-red snow drifted through the sky, but none gathered on the ground. The flakes seemed to disappear as soon as they touched it.
Even the ground looked like ordinary dirt. But Lu Li remembered the fire. Earlier, Puppet had tossed some soil stained with Corpse Ghost fluid into the flames. Yet just a moment ago, Lu Li had noticed that the spot had been smoothed over. Puppet probably hadn't bothered to fill in the hole, which meant it had to have repaired itself.
"This world, Dream of Delusion, feels... artificial!" Lu Li paused before settling on the word. Everything here, everything in Dream of Delusion, felt far too deliberate. It was modeled on the real world, but without its terrain. Everything here had a purpose, except for the ghosts, and the world could even restore itself. Of course, that was only Lu Li's personal impression. Even counting this visit, he'd only been to Dream of Delusion twice.
"When we reach the temple, young master, please open the doors for me," Puppet said quietly as she walked ahead. "I am a ghost, after all. I can't enter a house that symbolizes safety on my own."
"You're different, young master. Though you can move freely through Dream of Delusion, you're still human, so you can open the temple doors." Puppet spoke earnestly, then stopped, as if sensing something. She adjusted her direction slightly and continued on.
"How do you know where the temple is?" Lu Li asked as if the question had just occurred to him. He saw Puppet's steps falter. She continued forward, still speaking in her respectful tone. "We haven't run into any Corpse Ghosts along the way. Given how many there are here, that's not normal. And earlier, they were all surrounding the temple. I thought they'd be gathered around it here, too, so I sensed their presence and followed it to find the ruined temple."
"You know exactly what's happening in the real world." Lu Li smiled. Puppet stopped again and turned to face him. Seeing the amusement on his face, she realized for the first time just how terrifying this usually unflappable human was. Her voice turned mournful. "Young master, perhaps I have indeed concealed some things from you. But for my master's sake, please forgive me for now. Once this is over, I'll accept whatever punishment you choose."
"What are you talking about? I never said I'd do anything to you!" Lu Li smiled, looking sunny and carefree. "Let's keep going. I want to save the old man, too. You don't need to worry about that."
Puppet seemed about to say something, but seeing how unconcerned Lu Li looked, she gave a slight bow and turned back to follow the Corpse Ghosts' traces toward the temple. The tension between them made for an awkward silence—until Puppet suddenly stopped.
Lu Li walked over and saw something that looked out of place. Everything in Dream of Delusion had meaning; nothing was useless. Here, a mound of earth rose slightly above the ground, with a skeletal hand sticking out.
Lu Li didn't hesitate to dig into the dirt. The soil was unusually soft, and before long, most of the skeleton had been uncovered. Now he understood that the important thing wasn't the skeleton itself, but what it held in its hands.
The skeleton lay on its back in the dirt, staring up at the sky. Its mouth was packed with soil. A chisel and a small hammer had been buried with it, and its hands clutched something tightly to its chest: the Headless Buddha's head!
This was the thief who had stolen the Buddha Head. He'd never expected the man to have died here! Or had he died in the real world, only to appear in Dream of Delusion because his death held some special significance?
Lu Li picked up the Buddha Head, and a new prompt appeared in the corner of his vision. Acquired Ghost Relic:
[Ghost Relic: Buddha Head]
[Item Description: This is where a ghost's essence lies, infused with the faith of countless believers. Though it is itself a ghost, it can also suppress ghosts.]
[Ability Description: Can suppress ghosts and resist evil.]
[How to Use: Just hold it. How else do you expect to use it? Rip off your own head and stick this one on? Hey, that's not a bad idea!]
Ignoring the sarcastic remark, Lu Li glanced at Puppet. She didn't seem to be reacting at all. Come to think of it, Puppet was strange. Other ghosts feared fire, but she could sit by the flames. And now, even the Buddha Head, clearly marked as effective against ghosts, had no effect on her.
Setting aside his questions about Puppet's unusual nature, Lu Li slowly pieced together the significance of the skeleton's presence. "It wasn't just here to remind me that the Buddha Head was buried here. The treasure under the altar is what caused the Corpse Ghosts to form. It clearly has the power to revive the dead. The Buddha statue suppressing it lost most of its power when its most essential part, the Buddha Head, was cut away. That let the treasure's power leak out. That's what caused the Corpse Ghosts to appear—and even the temple was ruined because of it!"
Lu Li had pieced together a story. It might not be right, but at least it made sense. Long ago, someone had acquired a treasure capable of bringing the dead back to life. It could even make corpses rise and turn into ghosts. Thinking it inauspicious, that person had wanted to destroy it, but greed or some other feeling had led them to seal it beneath a Buddha statue instead.
Later, for reasons unknown, that person never returned to use the treasure. But the Buddha statue's fine craftsmanship attracted thieves. The ones who stole the Buddha Head might have been a group, with some responsible for the theft and others waiting to help them escape. Once the Buddha Head was stolen, the treasure's power began leaking out. Whether it had lured them or they'd grown greedy and wanted to keep everything for themselves, the thieves turned on one another—or perhaps the temple monks discovered them. Either way, a fight broke out.
One of the thieves escaped with the Buddha Head, badly wounded, and died here. Others died as well. But the treasure's power hadn't fully escaped yet. It wasn't until some night, when maggots appeared in a corpse, that the treasure finally infected it and turned it into a Variant Corpse Ghost. It went on a killing spree, and more and more Corpse Ghosts began wandering the area. The thief who carried the Buddha Head, on the other hand, was protected by it and never turned into a Corpse Ghost!
Now, Puppet had somehow learned about the treasure. She wanted to bring Old Man back to life, so she longed to get her hands on the treasure that could revive the dead. Then, even if Old Man died, she could bring him back!
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