Chapter 58 : Gray Figure

The two of them were only three or five meters away from the door, yet Milly still felt as if she were dreaming.

After wandering in that strange corridor for so long, she had already resigned herself to the thought that she would be left behind here.

But to her surprise, Estelle really did lead her out.

Just the thought of how she, who didn’t seem like an elder at all, had shown such a defeated look in front of her junior made Milly blush deeply.

As her heartbeat quickened, her body gradually warmed up as well.

Milly shyly said, “Estelle, please put me down quickly. I’m actually fine now…”

“Oh.”

Estelle released the hands that were holding Milly’s soft thighs without hesitation.

Once Milly’s feet touched the ground again, she shyly began tidying her disheveled clothes and her messy shoulder-length hair.

At the same time, she said to Estelle, “I’m sorry. Before, I still thought I couldn’t get out and wanted you not to bother with me. I even let Estelle carry me… And at first, I didn’t believe you either…”

Estelle didn’t mind at all.

She felt Milly wasn’t a bad person, and if she had died here, Estelle would have remembered it for a lifetime.

The notes had said that cultivating the mind was more important than cultivating strength—not only refining the soul but also pursuing a certain mental state.

“Estelle, were you reading a strategy guide before?”

“No.”

“Oh, right. Estelle, did you come out here alone? Do you have a place to stay in Redwood City?”

Estelle shook her head.

Milly’s eyes instantly brightened.

She puffed up her chest and said proudly, “I saved up some money before and bought a small house.

You can come stay at my place.

My house is pretty big.

If I manage to condense my core and break through to the fifth rank, I’ll have to leave Redwood City.

Then I can just hand the house over to you.”

“……”

Estelle hesitated.

On her journey to Redwood City, she had been finding shelter in the wilderness to cultivate instead of sleeping, and now it was summer, so there was no need to worry about catching a cold sleeping outside.

After arriving here, she had gone straight to the Adventurers’ Guild and then set out with Anna and the others.

If nothing went wrong, their schedule would be three days of traveling, seven days exploring the ruins, two days filling in any gaps, and then three days back to Redwood City to report to the Adventurers’ Guild and take a day or two to rest while waiting for the settlement.

But plans rarely survive contact with reality, and some unexpected things happened.

Estelle felt a hand hold hers.

She turned to look at Milly, who was also looking back.

Milly smiled and asked, “Does Estelle ever want to be protected? Like by your parents or something…”

“No.”

“……Alright, alright.”

Milly gave an awkward smile at her failed attempt to make conversation, then tightly held Estelle’s hand and, despite some muscle soreness, started walking toward the door.

If they didn’t take a look, they would never know what was behind the door.

Just like before, if Estelle hadn’t refused to give up on the “Endless Corridor,” they might really have been trapped there forever.

She still lacked courage.

Milly thought she might be a good teammate but not a qualified adventurer.

The three or five meters passed in just a few seconds.

The two arrived at the door and cautiously peeked inside.

Both Milly and Estelle were stunned.

Beyond that door was a ruined street.

The ancient buildings had decayed and collapsed under the ravages of time, and the street was still littered with skeletons.

These remains were mostly intact, without injuries from fights.

They looked as if they had died peacefully in their sleep.

This was a huge underground city, so vast that even from afar the edges couldn’t be seen.

Though ravaged by time, its former prosperity was still visible.

Covering the old city ruins was a strange kind of flower.

Its petals glowed with a blue light, and from the calyx extended a few black lines.

Though only half a thumb in size, these flowers decorated the broken walls and ruins beautifully.

“There really are Black Anling Flowers here…”

Ordinary Anling Flowers weren’t uncommon, but the black variety was just a legend.

According to the story, this flower fed on the lingering emotions of the deceased after death, often appearing on graves.

When in bloom, if you picked one and placed it by your bedside, you could dream of the departed.

As they approached, insects with a faint blue glow rose from the nearby flowers.

The first one took flight, triggering several others around it, which spread to tens, then hundreds.

They danced through the air like snow.

The pale blue glow illuminated the silent city.

Looking at the scene, Milly could no longer hold back her emotions.

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

She had come for a flower like this.

Now that it was right in front of her, she felt so sad.

Letting go of Estelle’s hand, she wiped her tears and slowly walked into the flower patch, dancing with the fireflies.

From slow steps to quicker ones, then running, and finally stopping within the flowers.

Milly crouched down, reached out, and grabbed the black-gray stem of an Anling Flower.

After taking one, she didn’t take any more.

She turned to Estelle, gently raising the black flower in her hand, smiling and crying at the same time.

Estelle was still standing at the door.

She recalled the contents from the notes.

About the northern mountains, the story at the end of Dream City, where Enya obtained the Anling Flower seeds from the witch and planted them on the desolate ruins left after the dream shattered.

Then, the witch directly sent Enya to the surface…

Estelle looked at Milly’s joyful expression and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just as she was about to walk over, an unexpected event happened.

She had only taken a step when the whole world instantly turned gray and white.

Behind Milly appeared a tall shadow.

Its form was unstable, with thin limbs and a jet-black body.

Yet inside the blackness, red and blue vein-like lines could be seen.

Its face was a chaotic mass of white lines.

That tangled white mass gradually twisted into a cracked, smiling mouth.

It grabbed at Milly with a hand as withered as a tree branch, and the entire space echoed with the laughter of children.

To this Monster, Milly was like a mouse to a cat.

Without hesitation, Estelle rushed forward, knocking Milly down and holding her as she moved away from the Monster.

She could feel Milly trembling uncontrollably.

Estelle froze for a moment, then quickly looked down and saw that Milly’s eyes were wide open but her pupils were vacant, as if trapped in some illusion.

“Milly, wake up!”

Estelle’s heart pounded violently.

She felt as if something had been shoved into her body.

The Monster shadow, like a child losing its toy, erupted into a shrill, chaotic cry in the gray-and-white world, making the atmosphere unbearably tense.