[Servant!]

(Christmas—give me your votes as a Christmas gift~)

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[Servant!]

The skin on that hand was old and withered, shriveled to an extreme, like a skeleton covered by a layer of skin—dried up like a section of black, ancient tree trunk.

The fingers rose and gently crooked at Du Wei and the others, signaling them to enter, before the hand withdrew.

Du Wei was the first to compose himself. He took two steps forward and placed his hand against the rippling cave wall. It felt soft beneath his palm, as though he were pressing into water. At a thought, his hand sank into the wall!

"It looks like... we can go in." Du Wei's voice was somewhat hoarse.

The two girls behind him could no longer help clutching each other's hands, standing tightly together.

"Are we going in?" Joanna looked at Du Wei, visibly nervous. "What if whoever it is means us harm?"

The scene was simply too eerie.

"Staying here is a dead end too," Du Wei said flatly. Then he beckoned to Vivian, and she immediately walked to his side.

"Do you trust me?"

Vivian nodded hard. Du Wei took her hand, looked deeply into her eyes, then turned and became the first to walk into the wall.

Vivian took a deep breath and silently prayed, Almighty God, protect poor little Vivian and Du Wei... oh, and Sister too.

Seeing that both of them had gone in, Joanna gritted her teeth and followed them inside.

And so, Du Wei held Vivian's hand, while Vivian held Joanna's...

The sight was rather bizarre. Three living people simply walked into the cave wall. As they entered, ripples spread across it like rings on water, then gradually subsided, until at last... it became a hard cave wall once more!

To Du Wei and the others, it felt as though they were walking through a nightmare.

It was pitch-black here. They could see no light and hear no sound. They could only rely on their senses to keep moving forward. Du Wei could not even be sure whether they were heading in the right direction...

The other party had probably used some kind of magic... But what if they withdrew the magic halfway through? Wouldn't we be buried inside the stone?

Just as Du Wei was wondering how much longer this darkness would last, the space before them suddenly opened up!

This was another cave, many times larger than the previous one.

In the very center of the vast cave stood a person.

This person wore a long black robe and a tall pointed hat. His entire body was exceptionally gaunt. What startled Du Wei even more was that the man's feet were floating above the ground!

"Hey, was it you who led us here?" Du Wei asked, forcing himself to speak.

The person remained silent. He merely raised a hand again and crooked a finger at Du Wei and the others.

The enormous cave was dimly lit and cold. This person hovered above the ground in black robes... the sight was truly terrifying. Even Du Wei could not help feeling his throat go dry.

"You... are... afraid..."

It was still that aged voice, so weak it seemed ready to expire at any moment. "Why?"

After taking a deep breath, Du Wei gritted his teeth. "Shouldn't we be the ones asking why? Why did you bring us here?"

The person did not react.

Gathering his courage, Du Wei asked again, "You're the master of this place, aren't you? Our raft was overturned at sea... that was your doing, wasn't it? Or was that monster your pet? Or perhaps it was you? And after we fell into the sea, a whirlpool swept us into that cave—that was also your doing, wasn't it? Where are we... Who exactly are you? Why are you targeting us?"

There was no answer.

Instead, a burst of "Heh heh heh heh" laughter rang out. Heaven bear witness, Du Wei had never heard such hideous, terrifying laughter in his life!

"Ignorant people..." the aged voice replied. "You should thank me for saving you... If I had not cast my spell, it would already have eaten you..."

This answer startled Du Wei and the others!

"You mean... you saved us?" Du Wei's heart pounded wildly. "What is 'it'? And who are you? Where are we?"

Another burst of "Heh heh heh heh" laughter followed.

The person drifted closer, floating to a spot several steps before Du Wei and the others. At last, Du Wei could clearly see his face!

It was an utterly pale face! What terrified Du Wei and the others was... that face was so white it was nearly transparent! This was no exaggeration—the skin on his face was practically translucent! They could even see the bones beneath it through his skin!

Anyone who saw such a face would likely have nightmares!

Du Wei could still force himself to endure it, but the faces of the two women behind him had already changed color.

Facing a face like a skeleton wrapped in withered, almost transparent skin, Du Wei felt that keeping his voice steady was already an extraordinary feat. Still, his attitude became somewhat more respectful. "May I ask who you are, exactly? And where are we?"

"Can't you ask something more meaningful?" There was a trace of mockery in his tone. The person slowly raised both arms. Beneath his wide sleeves, his two withered arms lifted lightly...

A radiance like starlight spilled from his hands, and before long, Du Wei and the others felt their eyes brighten!

Rows of candle flames materialized along the walls of the empty cave! The candles flickered brightly, instantly illuminating the entire cave!

Then, wherever that glow swept... stone tables, chairs, and even stone cabinets appeared throughout the cave.

All of these furnishings were exceptionally exquisite and magnificent. At last, several stone doors appeared along the cave walls as well!

"Please sit, my little guests." The person pointed to the stone chairs nearby. "We can talk at leisure."

Then, as if pondering something, he said, "Oh, let me think. What else is missing... Ah, I know."

He raised his head to look overhead, then lightly tapped with a finger... A beam of light shot from his fingertip and struck the ceiling of the cave...

Before Du Wei and the others' astonished eyes, the cave ceiling above them suddenly pressed downward!

The ceiling descended to a certain point and stopped. Then the domed roof transformed into something like a flat ceiling. A streak of golden light slowly spread across it, finally taking the shape of a golden chandelier! Twelve candle flames swayed gently atop it...

Du Wei and the others stared in utter stupefaction!

Vivian and Joanna especially! Both were gifted mages proficient in magic, and they knew quality when they saw it!

Magic like this was simply divine beyond measure!!

"My little guests, do you have any other requests?" the man asked coldly.

"...Food and water." Du Wei tested the waters. "We haven't had a full meal in days."

"..." The man smiled. Fortunately, he did not laugh aloud this time, merely smiling soundlessly... Watching a translucent skeleton smile at you was not a pleasant sight.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." The man shook his head, his smile seeming somewhat helpless. "My magic can create anything here... except food and water. Everything you see is a magical illusion. These chairs, tables, even the light—they can deceive your eyes and deceive your sense of touch. But I cannot create food or water, because I cannot deceive your stomach. I cannot make your hunger and thirst disappear."

He seemed rather regretful.

But Du Wei and the others already felt that this fellow was unbelievably formidable!

"Vivian, can you use magic to create all this in an empty room?" Du Wei quietly asked the little fool beside him.

Vivian immediately shook her head. "M-Master can't do it either!"

Du Wei looked at Joanna again, and she said, "Do you think mages are gods?"

"Oh, what did this white-haired little girl say..." The other party had heard Joanna. "You said, 'Do you think mages are gods?' Hmm, that's what you said..."

He drifted a few steps closer to Joanna, his tone grave and low. "Then what do you think so-called gods are?"

Joanna grew a little nervous, unconsciously leaning back. "Gods... gods are gods! Gods created the world and all things..."

Before Joanna could finish, the man suddenly flew into a rage!

His robe abruptly swelled as though inflated! Then he let out a roar that stunned Du Wei and the others!!

"LIES!!!!!!!!!!"

The roar reverberated through the cave, leaving even Du Wei somewhat dizzy!

The man before them had a savage expression, furious beyond measure. His robe billowed around him; he was clearly in a state of extreme rage...

Du Wei immediately said cautiously, "Then... sir, what do you believe the 'truth' is?"

That question immediately calmed the other party. He lowered his arms and seemed to glance at Du Wei. "It is not yet time to speak of such things."

The man drifted back a little. Looking over his three guests, he said, "First, tell me your names, my little guests."

"Why?" Joanna asked.

"Because it is the most basic respect due to one's host." The man smiled, with a trace of mockery in it.

Du Wei did not hesitate. He was the first to speak loudly. "Du Wei Roland, of the Roland Family of the Roland Empire, Deputy Commander of the Imperial General Staff, son of Count Raymond."

Vivian could only give her own name as well. Then came Joanna. After hesitating, she said helplessly, "Joanna!"

"Oh, very good." The host smiled. "One noble gentleman and two female mages. These guests are far more interesting than the last batch."

"Then, your name?" Du Wei smiled at him. "As the host, you should also show your guests the most basic respect."

"Me?" The man's voice sank. "My name is of no importance. But if you insist on knowing, my name is... Chris Duriel Saunier Alabat Chira Igral..."

He rattled off an extraordinarily long name in one breath, enough to make Du Wei and the others dizzy just hearing it.

At last, the fellow got to the point. "...Actually, I am not the master here. I am merely a servant. The most loyal servant of my master!"

A servant?

A mere servant possessed such magical power? Then who could possibly have such a servant?!

"Then... your master is..." Du Wei asked cautiously, his tone gaining a few more degrees of respect.

After all, the other party's strength was right there before them!

"My master..." The fellow smiled, faint lines appearing at the corners of his mouth. "You must know his name, though he has many different names in all kinds of books... Still, the people of the world have one collective name for him. That is..."

He paused, then smiled.

"Demon."

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(I'm taking leave—this is the only chapter today. Tonight I'm spending Christmas with my wife... Sigh. I personally don't care much for these foreign holidays, but women seem to care about them a great deal. I've never had weekends off from writing, and I've neglected my wife somewhat, so tonight I have to make it up to her properly.

I also wish all my readers a happy holiday tonight. Brothers, don't let your guard down—make sure you give your wives or girlfriends a gift. Women really care about holidays like this.

Finally... consider your votes my Christmas presents!)

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