The Girl Doll slowly lowered her head.
The hand she had held motionless, palm up, withdrew and turned toward the container holding the eyes.
The moment her fingertips touched the container, the liquid inside churned as though boiling. The pale yellow solution turned clear and transparent, the yellowed whites of the eyes gradually regained their original color, and the unfocused pupils slowly contracted to their normal size.
With a click, she reached out and opened the lid.
The eyes, their luster restored, flew out of the container on their own and into her hand.
Bo Yi did not know whether he was imagining it, but when the Girl Doll lowered her head to "look" at the eyes in her palm, he thought he faintly heard a long sigh.
The other dolls slowly stopped attacking. They all straightened up and began moving toward her, then slowly came to a stop two meters away, standing quietly as though waiting for something.
The five maids behind her moved as well. They stepped forward and formed a circle around her chair, shielding her like petals protecting the heart of a flower.
As she lowered her head, her black hair slipped off her shoulders, hiding her face and the movements of her hands.
The players held their breath, waiting for the final result.
Just then, a loud crash abruptly shattered the silence in the hall.
The players instantly turned to look. "Zheng Rong"-or rather, the Male Host-had started moving at some point and was running away from the main doors toward the stairs. The noise had come from the other dolls he had knocked over in his flight.
Whether she had been startled by the noise the Male Host made or had already fitted her eyes into place, the "petals" protecting her silently drew back again, revealing the girl within as she slowly opened her eyes.
Those eyes gleamed like obsidian, yet were also like deep lakes that drew people helplessly into their depths. Her face, exquisite but previously somewhat lifeless, came alive again with the restoration of those eyes.
"I finally understand... what 'the finishing touch' means..." Bo Yu murmured.
The girl who had opened her eyes slowly rose from her chair. She seemed to be searching for something, her gaze sweeping over every "person" present.
All the dolls held their heads up without moving, "watching" her. Until she extended a finger and pointed in one direction.
The dolls turned their heads in unison.
The players followed their gazes curiously-in that direction, there was only the retreating figure of a man fleeing in panic.
The next second, all the dolls suddenly moved. Identical expressions of joy appeared on their faces, their mouths open in silent cheers as they bounded forward, then pounced toward the Male Host like a pack of starving wolves.
Soon, the Male Host's screams came from that direction.
She, too, slowly stepped down from her magnificent chair and began walking toward the Male Host. Every one of her loyal servants followed behind her with their heads bowed.
"What are you standing around for?"
While the other three stared, dumbstruck, Bo Yi suddenly spoke. "Don't you want to clear the instance?"
Seeing the three of them still turn blankly toward him, he raised an eyebrow and tipped his chin toward the main doors. With the Girl Doll and her servants gone, the doorway was now completely clear.
He took the lead toward the doors. "Or are you planning to wait until they come back so you can say goodbye?"
The other three jolted and finally came to their senses. "We're going, we're going..."
Zhao Yi struggled to support his injured younger sister and, with Bo Yu's help, staggered after him.
The heavy doors were slowly pushed open. Only after Bo Yi watched the other three enter the white light outside and disappear completely did he step into it himself.
But before the white light swallowed his body entirely, some inexplicable impulse made him glance back.
At some point, all the dolls had returned to the main doors. They stood silently in rows, "watching" him with expressionless faces. In front of them all stood the girl with her ten servants.
-the last vacancy had been filled.
"Looks like this instance was aptly named."
Bo Yi chuckled. "So it really is-"
"a castle of dolls."
When the white light faded, Bo Yi reappeared in the woods where he had gone searching for anomalies.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, he finally confirmed that he had left that strange game. Unfortunately, the material he had most wanted to bring back to study-the Male Host's eyes-had not made it out with him after all. So his haul this time consisted only of a piece of meat that seemed capable of influencing people's emotions, some fingernails... Hmm, wait?
An unexpected cold sensation reached his fingertips, and Bo Yi slowly lowered his head-
A Red-Eyed Doll lay in his pocket, head tilted up with an innocent expression.
The doll was also clutching his Dissection Knife.
For the first time, a distinctly surprised expression appeared on Bo Yi's otherwise unruffled face-
How had he brought a doll out of that instance?!
Before you continue