NABC Chapter 45 Cinderella 4
Chapter 45 Cinderella 4
Inside the living room of "The Marigold House," the atmosphere was as heavy as a powder keg about to explode. Outside the window, the night of Sweet Dream Town was shrouded in an unnatural stillness; the dark vortex in the direction of the distant castle seemed to have stopped spinning, sinking into a deeper, more oppressive wait. The lingering echoes of the Fairy Godmother's bells in the town center had long since dissipated, but her cold, authoritative pronouncement, and the desperate last stand before the dilapidated wooden house, still pierced everyone's hearts like icicles.
In Wang Lin's outstretched palm, the rusty, rat-shaped metal pendant gleamed with a dim, ominous luster under the light. Two tiny red crystals at the rat's eyes resembled congealed drops of blood, or the final pupils of a dying creature. The pendant was icy to the touch, yet the faint, tenacious fluctuations within it, imprinted with endless pain and resolve, seemed to carry a scorching heat, searing into the consciousness of whoever touched it.
"Energy characteristics detection: Weak, with less than 5% indirect resonance with the painful energy field remaining in the dilapidated wooden house and the chaotic resentment at the edge of the forest. Structural analysis: Ordinary brass material, rough handcrafting, the style of which is quite different from the town's current 'refined and sweet' style, and is closer to... the common people's craftsmanship of a hundred years ago. Inlaid with red crystal... not a gemstone, similar to some kind of creature's... solidified blood crystal? The composition cannot be analyzed." Chu Xuan quickly scanned the pendant with his portable miniature analyzer, speaking at an extremely fast pace, his gaze behind the glasses as sharp as a scalpel, "Preliminary speculation is that this is not a simple ornament, but a kind of 'token,' 'mark,' or... some kind of simple 'energy resonator' or 'key.' Its target is likely related to the elements of the 'Cinderella' legend, as well as the 'other side' of the forest or the town that has been covered up."
He overlaid the pendant's image and energy spectrum with the mouse pattern on the previously discovered charred paper, as well as information about "mouse," "pumpkin," and "shoes" mentioned in murals and messages.
"In the original fairy tale, the mouse is Cinderella's friend, helping her with her work, and is even turned into a rickshaw driver by the fairy godmother. In this distorted version, the symbolic meaning of the 'mouse' may be completely opposite—representing 'resistance,' 'help,' 'an informed person who has not been completely brainwashed,' or... a vessel for some forbidden power. The woman's dying actions show that she believed the pendant was the key and that we (or at least you, Wang Lin) could use it."
Wang Lin gripped the pendant tightly in his hand, its icy touch and the heavy emotions it contained making him feel a weight on his shoulders. He looked at Chu Xuan: "Can you determine what kind of 'lock' this 'key' is used to open? Is it somewhere in the forest? Or a hidden entrance to a castle? Or... a trigger for some kind of 'ritual'?"
"Insufficient information, unable to confirm," Chu Xuan shook his head. "But considering the messages like 'Don't attend the ball,' 'They went to the castle and never returned,' and 'Only the forest,' as well as the Fairy Godmother's emphasis on the ball and prohibition of the forest, the most likely 'lock' exists in two places: one is deep in the forest, where there might be an entrance or item leading to the 'truth' or 'lifeline'; the other is inside the castle, where there might be a core area or item imprisoning souls and conducting sacrificial rituals. This pendant might be a 'credential' for entering one of these places, or for interfering with or disrupting a key part of it."
"We need to test the waters," Zheng Zha said in a deep voice, a decisive glint in his eyes. "Splitting into two groups is too risky, and we don't have enough time. We have to take a gamble. Chu Xuan, which side do you think is more likely?"
Chu Xuan paused for two seconds, his fingers tapping on the virtual keyboard, bringing up the rudimentary terrain and energy model he had previously constructed: "Analyzing from a rule-based perspective, the 'forest' is explicitly forbidden, a symbol of 'impurity' and 'danger,' an area that the 'Law of Happiness' vehemently rejects and conceals. Pointing the key's purpose to the forest aligns with the logic of the rebels (like the woman in the dilapidated cabin)—it's a blind spot or weak point of the law. But from the perspective of the 'Fairy Godmother' and the 'Prince,' the ball and the castle are the core of the ritual. If the pendant is meant to disrupt the ritual, then it's more likely to point to a weakly defended or necessary node within the castle."
He paused, then looked at Wang Lin: "Wang Lin, could you try to achieve a deeper 'resonance' with this pendant using your psychic vision and mental matrix? Since it was activated by that woman with her last bit of mental and life energy (her pressing action clearly triggered something), perhaps there are still some directional fragments of information remaining inside, or it might be able to react to specific environments."
Wang Lin nodded without hesitation. He sat down cross-legged on the sofa again, placed the rat pendant in his palm, and clasped his hands together. He closed his eyes, and his spiritual energy flowed out slowly, no longer probing over a wide area, but condensing and compressing into the finest and gentlest tentacles, carefully enveloping the cold pendant.
The nascent light of the mind rippled gently at the core of his spiritual sea, emitting a faint golden-white halo, adding an indescribable quality of "order" and "connection" to his spiritual power. He also infused this quality into his exploration of the pendant.
At first, the pendant was completely silent, with only a faint, resolute fluctuation remaining. But Wang Lin did not give up. His spiritual power, like a gentle stream, patiently washed and permeated every inch of the pendant's "surface," trying to find a frequency that resonated with that remaining fluctuation.
Time ticked by. The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, watching Wang Lin intently. Zhan Lan stood beside him, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders, using her dwindling mental energy to maintain a stable environment for his investigation, and preparing to deal with any potential mental backlash.
Suddenly, Wang Lin's body jolted almost imperceptibly!
In his mental perception, inside that lifeless pendant, it was as if a heart that had long since stopped beating was injected with the last drop of blood, struggling and throbbing weakly... for a moment!
Immediately afterwards, a fragmented, chaotic scene filled with extreme pain and darkness, like a flood bursting its banks, forcefully rushed into his consciousness!
Darkness. Boundless darkness. Thick, cold, and reeking of aged blood and decay.
*The ear-piercing sound of dragging chains. A woman's suppressed, desperate sobs.
*A pair of enormous, cold, evaluative, and greedy "eyes" look down from the darkness, like a god ignoring the struggles of ants.
The squeaking and squeaking of rats came from all directions, a dense, overwhelming sound, tinged with madness and... a strange excitement.
A pair of thin, bony feet, stained with mud and blood, moved with difficulty across the cold, rough stone surface. Around the ankles, there appeared to be some kind of heavy, rusted metal ring.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the corner of the stone chamber… there was a pile of things there. The vague outline looked like… a pumpkin? But its color was a nauseating dark yellow, covered in mold and writhing shadows. And… scattered, shimmering fragments? Crystal?
A low, hoarse murmur, as if countless voices overlapped, neither male nor female, echoed in the depths of darkness: "...The hour is approaching...the sacrifice...the key...returns...eternal...happiness..."
The scene abruptly ended, as if severed by a sharp blade. A chilling, brutal, and menacing mental shock, following the remaining visual connection, slammed back into Wang Lin's mental core! It was the power of those "eyes"! They had sensed the spying!
"Hmph!" Wang Lin groaned, his body swayed violently, his face turned ashen, and fine blood trickled from his seven orifices! His mind felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, and excruciating pain surged through him! The rat pendant in his hand seemed to have exhausted its last bit of power, and the light of the two red crystals dimmed completely, turning into two ordinary dark red pebbles.
"Wang Lin!" Zhan Lan exclaimed, quickly supporting him and simultaneously channeling her mental energy to stabilize his turbulent mental state. Zheng Zha, Chu Xuan, and the others also instantly gathered around, their faces filled with worry.
"N-nothing...it's nothing..." Wang Lin gritted his teeth, enduring the soul-tearing pain and intense dizziness, barely maintaining consciousness with Zhan Lan's help. He shared the fragmented images he had just "seen" with everyone through the mental matrix.
"...Dungeon...Stone Chamber...Chains...Giant Eyes...Squeaks of Rats...Pumpkin Pile...Crystal Shards...And...The Whispers of the Sacrifice and the Key..." Chu Xuan rapidly repeated the key information, his eyes flashing with data. "The background of the scene matches the internal structure of the castle by 47%. Chains and a dungeon fit the scenario of imprisoning or controlling a sacrifice. 'Sacrifice,' 'Key,' 'Return to Place,' 'Eternal Happiness'—this confirms the sacrificial nature of the ball's selection! The 'Key' likely refers to two things: one is the rat pendant itself, a 'physical key' to unlock a certain stage or location; the other is the chosen 'brides,' who are themselves the 'living key' or 'sacrifice core' required for the ritual! 'Return to Place' means the ritual requires a specific location and steps. Those 'pumpkins' and 'crystal shards'...likely correspond to the pumpkin carriage and glass slipper in the Cinderella story, but here they are distorted into part of the ritual, or...are containers imprisoning souls?"
"Those 'eyes' are the Fairy Godmother, or rather, the manifestation of the will of the rules of this distorted world," Wang Lin added breathlessly, wiping the blood from his face. "They sensed my probing and retaliated. Very strong... extremely strong. At least it's oppression at the level of rules, not just a matter of mental strength."
"You saw rats, you heard rats squeaking." Zheng Zha grasped the key point. "The pendant is shaped like a rat, and there are rat sounds in the image. In this world, rats are indeed a symbol of some kind of 'resistance' or 'knowledge.' Those rats might know the secrets of the dungeon, or even... to some extent, be allies of 'Cinderella,' or perhaps a manifestation of her power?"
"We need to find those rats, or find where they congregate," Li Shuaixi said. "The pendant might be able to attract or communicate with them."
"There's another clue," Zero suddenly spoke up. He had been silently wiping his sniper rifle, but now he looked up, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone. "The footage mentioned 'crystal shards.' And we know that one of the keys to the ball is 'the girl who can wear the crystal shoes.' There must be a connection between the two. The crystal shoes might not just be a selection tool, but part of the ritual, or even... a vessel for imprisoning or transferring souls? Could those 'shards' have been left behind by a previous 'bride'?"
This speculation sent a chill down everyone's spine. If the glass slipper is a vessel for the soul, then "wearing" it might mean that the soul is imprisoned, marked, and sacrificed!
"Based on the existing information," Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the cold light of the terminal screen, "we can try to construct a preliminary 'ritual model': The ball selects 'pure' and 'beautiful' (compliant with the rules) young women as 'bride candidates.' The prince (or the fairy godmother's representative) makes the final confirmation through the glass slipper. The chosen 'bride's' soul is extracted or marked in some way (possibly through the glass slipper), and then taken to a specific ritual location deep within the castle (the dungeon chamber). There, using the 'bride's' soul as a 'key' or 'sacrifice,' combined with other possible elements (such as the twisted pumpkin carriage symbol? The rat's resentment?), a final ritual is completed to achieve a certain purpose for the 'fairy godmother' or the 'prince' (to obtain eternal power? To maintain the existence of this twisted world?). And this rat pendant might be a 'loophole key' in this ritual chain, which should have been held by 'Cinderella' (or her ally), used to disrupt or interfere with the ritual."
"The woman in the dilapidated wooden hut might have been someone who knew about the ritual, participated in it, or even... a survivor or escapee of the last ritual?" Zhan Lan speculated, following her train of thought. "That's why she knew so much and risked her life to leave behind this pendant."
"Then, our objectives are clear." Zheng Zha clenched his fist, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "First, do everything possible to prevent our people (especially Zhan Lan, Ming Yanwei, and Evelyn) from being chosen at the ball. Second, if that's unavoidable, then after they're chosen, use this pendant to try and disrupt the ritual, rescue any imprisoned souls (including the possibly still-existing 'Cinderella'), and attempt to destroy the ritual's core. Third, search for forces or entities related to rats; they might be allies. Fourth, the forest, as a potential escape route or reconnaissance location, needs to be evaluated."
"The ball is tomorrow night, we don't have time to thoroughly explore the forest," Chu Xuan shook his head. "The forest can only be used as a last resort. Our main battlefield is the castle. Now, we need to develop a detailed plan for the ball, and... a contingency plan in case someone is chosen."
He looked at Wang Lin: "Wang Lin, are you still in a condition to support the operation of the mental matrix? At the ball, we need the matrix for real-time communication and tactical coordination, but we must avoid the Fairy Godmother's perception."
"Yes, but we need to adjust the frequency to simulate emotional fluctuations closer to 'happiness' and 'anticipation,' and significantly reduce the intensity of active detection, maintaining only basic connections and short-range information transmission." Wang Lin took a few deep breaths, feeling his mental energy slowly calming down under the warmth of the jade and his own recovery. "Zhan Lan, you are mainly responsible for using your mental energy to disguise our collective emotional field, trying to match the atmosphere of the ball as closely as possible. Chu Xuan, you will command through the matrix, but the instructions should be vague, using code words."
"Alright. Now, let's assign roles and tasks for the ball..."
For the rest of the day, the entire "House of Marigolds" entered its final and most tense state of preparation. Based on limited information about the castle's structure (from townspeople's casual conversations, the background of Lady Trent's portrait, and deductions from the fragmented images Wang Lin had seen), Chu Xuan constructed several emergency action routes and support plans. Wang Lin and Zhan Lan focused on restoring their mental strength and repeatedly adjusted the disguise frequency of their mental matrix. Zheng Zha and the others inspected and maintained every piece of equipment, optimizing the allocation of limited ammunition and energy crystals. O'Connor and his two companions were also assigned simple tasks and self-defense equipment.
The exhausted rat pendant was carefully sealed by Chu Xuan in a specially made metal box with a weak energy shield, and given to Wang Lin to carry close to his body. It was now their only "secret weapon" that might change the situation.
As the false yet still scorching sun of Sweet Dream Town slowly sank below the western horizon shrouded in forest shadows, painting the sky with a sickly, golden-red sunset, the atmosphere of the town began to subtly change.
On the streets, the townspeople, with their standard smiles, seemed to quicken their pace, their smiles becoming even more "enthusiastic." Warm lights (also fake fires) shone from the windows of every house, and the faint, cheerful, simple, and repetitive melody drifted from the direction of the town center. The air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers, mixed with a new, richer, and more intoxicating fragrance of perfume and cosmetics.
The night of the ball is about to begin.
Inside the "House of Marigolds," everyone was ready. The men had changed into slightly retro but neat formal wear (exchanged or modified from the main god) that suited the style of this world. The women wore relatively simple but appropriate long dresses ("purchased" from the town under the protection of Zheng Zha and others) by Zhan Lan, Ming Yanwei, and Evelyn, and had done simple makeup—to be befitting their status as "guests" so as not to overshadow the "local ladies," and to avoid attracting too much attention prematurely due to being too outstanding.
Wang Lin checked the mental matrix connection one last time, confirming that everyone's (including O'Connor and the other two) consciousness nodes were stable online. He carefully disguised the fluctuations in the matrix as an ocean of emotions mixed with "excitement," "anticipation," and "slight tension," perfectly blending into the increasingly intense, false atmosphere of joy in the town outside the window.
"Everyone," Wang Lin's voice rang out in the matrix, calm yet firm, "Remember our goal, remember your roles. Stay vigilant, but also 'get into character.' May we... all see tomorrow's sun."
"Let's go!" Zheng Zha took a deep breath and opened the bright yellow door of "The Marigold House".
Outside the gate, in the town of Sweet Dreams, night was falling, the lights were just coming on, and music was playing. In the distance, the outline of the castle, in the deepening twilight and its own faint glow, a mixture of splendor and unease, resembled a crouching behemoth, its gaping maw, adorned with colorful lights and flowers, leading to an abyss.
The members of the Central Continent Team, with standard "expectant" smiles on their faces, just like the townspeople, stepped onto the cobblestone street and joined the flow of townspeople, who were also dressed in their finest attire and were heading towards the castle with perfect smiles on their faces.
Behind them, the door to "The House of Marigolds" slowly closed, leaving this brief hideout in the increasingly deep, sweet yet dangerous night.
From the direction of the castle, the bells rang again, melodious and alluring, like the prelude to a funeral.