Chapter 11: The Boy in the Wardrobe

[Before we begin our operation, I should probably confess why you’re not particularly well-liked by other ancient gods.]

[First, you are quite special. You have spent your life wandering freely through various spaces, facing minimal restrictions from the laws of reality.]

[Second, your diet is rather eclectic. Not only do you consume humans, but the power of other ancient gods and their kin also falls within your devouring range.]

[So, to other ancient gods, you are like a thieving mouse scurrying about to steal food… You can understand that, right?]

“Regardless of the circumstances, the comparison to a mouse is rather insulting to my dignity,” Si Qingxuan remarked.

[I was merely using an analogy to help you understand your level of hatred among the other ancient gods.]

[Throughout history, has any human ever shown mercy to a thieving mouse?] The system argued seriously.

“Who knows? Perhaps Buddha, Jesus, or Snow White might?” Si Qingxuan shrugged.

[…I’m not joking. I have only one reminder for you: be careful after entering the Illusion. Do not let the controller behind the scenes see through your true identity prematurely.]

Si Qingxuan smiled faintly.

The goal the system set for him remained simple and crude: find the “Origin” of this Illusion and devour it directly.

The “Origin” could be a crystallized form of the creator’s power or a certain talent imprint.

In short, as long as he ate it, it belonged to him; he wouldn’t lose out either way.

The only thing to watch for was that he had to be quiet before initiating the devouring process.

He couldn’t be discovered by anyone.

Si Qingxuan did not bring the Sword of Caligula with him this time.

He carried his handheld bag and took an unconventional route, lightly flipping over a low wall into the castle.

The moment he landed, dawn and dusk traded places, and the twilight sun shifted into the moon hanging high in the sky.

The chirping of crickets filled his ears.

The castle appeared almost “brand new,” with even the traces of moss on the wall edges not being as heavy as before.

Bright candlelight illuminated the various rooms of the castle.

It seemed to be showing the way forward for the visitor.

‘Is this the Illusion created by an anomalous creature? It seems quite peaceful.’

He walked into the garden, using the lush trees and flowers to hide his figure as he slowly approached the main building.

The sound of a hem dragging across the ground suddenly reached him.

A young maid carrying a lamp hurried down the stairs.

Her blonde hair was tucked under a headscarf, and a black underskirt cinched her slender waist.

She looked as if she were about to fly into the deep, dark night as she ran.

Si Qingxuan stood in the shadows and watched her carefully for a moment.

As her footsteps faded, an identical “she” emerged from the darkness of the garden.

Blonde hair fell over her shoulders, and a long black skirt covered her boots.

However, the oil lamp was no longer in her hand.

She walked leisurely into the porch and opened the heavy wooden doors.

The first floor was a magnificent but empty reception hall.

She climbed the spiral staircase step by step, arriving at the narrow corridor on the second floor.

Her boots made creaking sounds on the wooden floor.

She examined the oil paintings hanging on the walls of the corridor with composed and elegant steps.

As she passed a certain room, the door suddenly opened.

A silver-haired butler in a tailcoat stepped out.

His hair was meticulously groomed, and the golden monocle on his nose exuded a rigorous and old-fashioned temperament.

“Lucia, why haven’t you brought the horsewhip the young master asked for yet?”

The tone was lifeless.

It was as if a statue were speaking rather than a living person.

Or perhaps, he was expressing contempt and questioning “Lucia” in this manner.

“The stables are too far…” The maid shrank back and replied, “I forgot to bring a lamp.”

“The kerosene lamps are in the storage room at the end of the hall.” The old butler ignored her.

“Even if you are a newcomer, you should not scurry around the castle like an uneducated mouse.”

With that, he closed the door and turned to leave.

Si Qingxuan, who had used [Talent: Visual Mimicry] to turn himself into the maid: “…”

Close call. Fortunately, he had specifically looked at the structural diagram of the castle’s interior.

Regardless, the storage room was on the second floor, and the castle owner’s bedroom was on the third.

These layouts had not changed since the castle was built, as the former was the driest room and the latter had the best lighting and ventilation.

Si Qingxuan lightened his steps further and continued upward.

Unfortunately, the maid’s skirt was truly too long.

He walked carefully, but still accidentally stepped on his own hem.

A sneer suddenly echoed in the air.

A boy with curly black hair and sea-blue eyes, wearing a luxurious and oversized shirt, leaned against the wall nearby, watching Si Qingxuan coldly.

His features made him look like a pure, innocent angel.

His black eyelashes were thick and curled, yet his eyes revealed a profound malice.

“What are you doing, Lucia? You’re so incredibly stupid—tripping while climbing stairs. Goodness. I hope I don’t find your corpse in front of my door one day.”

Si Qingxuan: “…”

“Where is the horsewhip I asked for?” A faint impatience appeared on the boy’s face.

“Forget it, I can make do without it. I’m tired of hearing your screams anyway; it spoils my appetite every time.”

“Why don’t you balance a vase on your head this time and let me throw darts while blindfolded? Use that blue porcelain one in the corner.”

“You’d better be careful. If you break that vase, you won’t be able to pay for it even if you work here for the rest of your life.”

Si Qingxuan: “…”

‘Where did this brat come from?’

A gentle smile, one that absolutely did not belong to “Lucia,” slowly appeared on Si Qingxuan’s face.

Half an hour later.

The boy was tied up and locked in the wardrobe.

A freshly minted “Young Master” played by Si Qingxuan emerged.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the master bedroom door.

A timid maid’s voice reached Si Qingxuan’s ears through the door:

“Young Master… I have found the horsewhip for you…”

“Get lost.”

Si Qingxuan mimicked the brat’s tone from earlier, scolding coldly toward the door, “I don’t want to see you right now.”

“Do you… do you no longer need… me?” A word was deliberately omitted by the maid, but Si Qingxuan knew what she meant; it was likely a word like “whipping.”

“Or, you can play other games. I will cooperate fully and won’t resist…”

Si Qingxuan rubbed his forehead. What was with this girl? Couldn’t she take a hint?

“I beg of you, I really need this job.” The maid’s sorrowful crying could be heard.

“If I can’t stay, my mother and brother definitely won’t survive this winter. I don’t want to be dismissed. I’ll do whatever you want, even if you want me to serve you with my body, I—”

Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Si Qingxuan had to interrupt her: “I’m just suddenly not in the mood. I don’t want to do anything. I’m annoyed. Do you understand human speech?”

The maid outside fell silent for a long time. Her crying gradually stopped.

“…Understood.” The maid’s voice was low and carried a faint sense of despair. “I understand.”

A few seconds later, her footsteps faded away. Si Qingxuan breathed a secret sigh of relief.

The feudal era truly was a sin.

After confirming the maid had gone, Si Qingxuan opened the wardrobe.

The boy inside looked at him with astonishment, his face full of disbelief when he saw Si Qingxuan’s appearance was identical to his own.

“Mmph, mmph-mmph!”

“I’ll remove the gag, but you aren’t allowed to shout,” Si Qingxuan threatened. “Otherwise, I’ll lock you in a vegetable jar in the cellar.”

Although Si Qingxuan didn’t know if this place actually had vegetable jars, he bet this little young master didn’t know either.

Sure enough, the boy immediately quieted down and was very cooperative.

Si Qingxuan pulled out the cloth strip from his mouth.

The boy’s face lit up as he spoke: “Who are you? Why can you turn into me? Are you a magician… or an alchemist?”

Si Qingxuan fell silent.

He asked the system, “What’s with this Illusion? Why are the people we’re meeting just ordinary humans?”

[Every Illusion has its own characteristics; you cannot generalize.] The system replied leisurely.

[Besides, you don’t actually think the people you’ve met so far are living humans, do you? They are merely derivatives of the Illusion.]

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

Si Qingxuan looked up at the boy he had tied up, clearly seeing the strong expectation in his eyes, as well as a hidden sense of urgency.

“Who I am is not important,” Si Qingxuan replied after a moment.

“As for you, as the young master of this family, why do you whip a timid and humble maid?”

The expression on the boy’s face faded instantly.

“No particular reason,” he whispered. “I just don’t like the look of her.”

“Then you might as well just fire her,” Si Qingxuan said with a fake smile.

“You think I don’t want to?” The other party suddenly looked up. “It’s only because—”

Suddenly, the clock on the bedside table chimed.

The long, drawn-out sound of the clock echoed in the room.

Soon, like waves, it spread to the surroundings, causing more echoes.

Dong, dong, dong.

Chimes rang out one after another throughout the room.

Only then did Si Qingxuan realize that almost every wall in the room was hung with clocks of different shapes, and there was even one on the wardrobe shelf and beside the bed.

“Shh!” The boy suddenly panicked and lowered his voice, shouting, “It’s time to rest. Get back to bed, quickly! Rudolf will be here soon!”

Si Qingxuan was wondering who Rudolf was, but he followed the suggestion anyway.

He closed the wardrobe door and climbed onto the large white bed, covered himself with the quilt, and pretended to be in a light sleep.

Creak. The door was gently opened.

The silver-haired butler, Rudolf, walked in.

Unlike before, his pupils had disappeared, leaving only the whites of his eyes.

The shadow beneath his feet was no longer normal either; it had become a writhing, maggot-like mass.

Si Qingxuan felt a gaze with an intense presence sweep across his face, then linger circling over him.

It was as if he were salivating over something.