dmims Page 164
Page 164
Despite her smooth, fair skin, almost reflecting the light like the floor, and her beautiful, long, untangled hair, Saint Karina couldn't sense the girl's life.
She seemed to spring from a stone, or perhaps be a projection of some kind of will. Even if Saint Karina were to unleash a magic attack on her, she probably wouldn't bleed.
However, regardless of the answer, Saint Karina did not intend to attempt an attack.
She appeared harmless, easily crushed with a pinch, and showed no physical strength, yet she was incredibly dangerous, dozens of times more terrifying than the Irasorosaur. This was even more alarming than the Pope's sister had been to her. In short, Saint Karina didn't want to provoke her, nor did she want to try anything troublesome.
She's probably not human...
So... was she created by the Forbidden Library? An being who communicates with Saint Karina and the others.
“Saint Karina…that girl, does she have magic?”
The captain was trembling slightly.
"No, I guarantee it."
"So she just appeared out of thin air? My God. This girl is too weird, I'm about to have a breakdown."
"Alright, let the master handle it."
Melissa rolled her eyes.
She has always looked down on this human and would seize any opportunity to make sarcastic remarks.
This is normal, though. Humans and demons have never gotten along, and demons look down on humans who are too weak to absorb much magic energy.
This is why ordinary demons are physically stronger than well-trained human soldiers.
People as powerful as Saint Karina are ultimately a minority.
"If you're afraid of even a little girl, then you might as well not take on your master's mission and just drown in your own splendor."
She spoke with great confidence and arrogance, her words sharp and sarcastic. If one didn't know Melissa well, even Santa Karina would have been fooled by her bluff and feigned fearlessness.
“I’m not afraid of a little girl… provided she’s a normal little girl.”
The captain's mouth was trembling, and her whole body was shaking.
Perhaps Melissa is right; such a dangerous place shouldn't be for an ordinary person like her. But without the captain, it would have taken them a long time to find Dragon Island.
Well... Saint Karina originally thought that Dragon Island was named that way because a vicious dragon was imprisoned there, but now it seems that's not the case.
In fact, not only the captain was afraid of the little girl, but they were all afraid.
Only Saint Karina, who has seen many storms and experienced a near-death experience, can remain calm now.
After all, the unknown is something that inspires awe and fear.
"Alright, regardless of this girl's identity, her appearance now should be of help to us. I think I can ask her later and get what we want to know. She can guide us to where we want to go."
"Master...you mean you want to talk to her? Aren't you afraid?"
When she heard that Saint Karina wanted to go up and talk to her, she stopped pretending to be reserved.
“I would be afraid of a little girl like that, who is weak and helpless. Of course not.”
Saint Karina left those words behind, then abandoned the three of them, her shoes clicking on the floor as she walked towards the little girl.
"Excuse me, I'd like to ask you something. I think I should be polite and introduce myself first. I am Saint Karina, the Saintess of the Lorian Empire, Saint Karina Randall."
Then, the girl heard Saint Karina's voice.
She stopped burying herself in her book and looked up. The moment their eyes met, Santa Karina felt the blood in her veins freeze.
her eyes...
Her eyes were ice-blue, like chilling bone fire, colder than ice, devoid of emotion; in those inorganic eyes, there was a bone-chilling coldness.
In short, no human being... or any living thing, should have, and cannot have, such eyes.
That cold, empty gaze... sent chills down Saint Karina's spine.
"Ahem. As I just said, I want to ask you something. I'm here on someone's behalf; I want to find the Demon Dragon. Can you help me?"
The girl remained silent; it was unclear whether she had heard Saint Karina's words or not. Her expression remained unchanged throughout.
She didn't change at all... Perhaps, Saint Karina asked the wrong question? Was she approaching it incorrectly?
However, Santa Karina didn't know if the other person could show facial expressions; perhaps the other person just had facial paralysis?
She looks like a human, but she lacks human intelligence or humanity; she is merely an empty shell.
However, just as Saint Karina was considering whether to continue questioning the other girl, the little girl suddenly stood up, tossed the book in her hand, and it automatically disintegrated in mid-air, floating and disappearing. She raised her snow-white, bare feet, and then…
She glanced at Saint Karina and the other three, leaving them with a lingering, intriguing look, before turning away.
"What's going on? Is she planning to lead the way for us?"
The little girl left without saying a word, leaving the other three to speculate wildly.
"I think...maybe so."
Saint Karina thought for a moment and then gave her an affirmative answer.
"But why doesn't she say a word? We can't even tell if she's friend or foe. Is it okay to just follow her like this?"
"Um...maybe, I think maybe it's not that she doesn't want to talk to us, but that she can't talk."
"Is she mute?"
"I don't know... Never mind, that's not important. Don't pry. I'm not very clear about the situation here either. Anyway, let's go. We need to catch up with that girl."
Saint Karina actually had a guess in her mind, but she didn't intend to tell the three of them.
This will only cause panic...
"Hey! Saint Karina, you can't swallow back what you're about to say! You're such a riddle, always hiding half of what you're saying. It's like I didn't hear anything at all, and it's really making me uncomfortable... Please continue."
"Boom."
But in response to the persistent questioner, Saint Karina simply flicked her forehead.
Then, in the quiet, pin-lower-the-barrel library, there were crisp sounds and a girl's scream of "Ah!"
"What are you doing?"
"Here's a good way to make you shut up and follow me."
Yes, Saint Karina did not intend to reveal her suspicions.
The reason the girl cannot speak is likely not because she is mute, but because she cannot speak to lower-level beings. Her true form... might be a deity.
Humans must not listen to divine words or look at the divine countenance, or they will suffer divine retribution.
It's probably that the moment they hear or see it, lower-level creatures won't be able to withstand that pressure and will die instantly.
"Hmm... violent woman, I know, I'll obediently follow and shut up. But I'm not happy at all."
So, everyone stopped discussing it and obediently followed.
Having a guide is like having a lighthouse to guide you in the darkness in this forbidden library.
Layer upon layer, like phantoms, swept past Saint Karina. Saint Karina looked at the books, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
Her head was about to split open, because the books here were stacked on top of each other, seemingly endless.
Some books are very old, looking tattered and with yellowed paper, while others are exceptionally luxurious, with gemstones inlaid in the cover and gold thread outlining the edges.
Some books are as thick as bricks, while others are only thin sheets, looking as delicate as cicada wings.
Do these books contain all the knowledge of this world?
Saint Karina didn't know, and no one told her the answer.
Gradually, she lost track of how long the silence and the ghostly navigation had lasted. But it felt like eternity.
Every second stretched out before her, then extended infinitely, like a vast desert, relentlessly and endlessly spreading outwards.
Time here doesn't flow normally like it does outside; it stops and starts intermittently, like sand in an hourglass collapsing towards the center.
Saint Karina felt as if they had spent countless years here, having forgotten the concept of time, yet she was also in a daze, as if only a moment had passed.
Just like the long time that just passed, when you wake up in the next moment, it's nothing more than a fleeting dream.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the white-haired little girl, their little guide, stopped in front of a bookshelf.
The book looked exactly like the others on the shelf, with no difference whatsoever, but Saint Karina could hear it calling to her.
So, Santa Karina ignored the girl's instructions and went to get it directly.
It was a very ordinary book, pitch black, and looked nothing special. Except that, like any other book, its gray spine had no name or author's signature.
It looked nothing special, but Santa Karina knew... the answer she was looking for was in this book.
"Hey, did you hear that?"
"What did you hear?"
"It's this book; it's talking to me."
Like a gentle whisper, Saint Karina finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"Um, may I open this book? I want to find the answer."
Saint Karina asked the guide a dangerous question.
"Can I look at this book? See the world inside?"
The guide remained silent, like a real sculpture temporarily granted the ability to move, or perhaps a walking corpse...
In short, after a long, suffocating silence, the little girl finally nodded.
"Since you've nodded, then I'll take it as you agree."
Saint Karina's heart pounded; she was about to achieve her goal, and her fingertips trembled with excitement.
She pressed her fingers firmly and turned the pages of the book.
When Saint Karina turned the pages of the book, the other three—Miss Captain, Melissa, and Hero—all gathered around her.
Even though I knew it was dangerous, I just couldn't suppress my curiosity.
The pages were thin and brittle, indicating it had been many years. Saint Karina handled the book with care to avoid damaging it.
She didn't want to accidentally tear the page and be punished by the guide's fierce glare.
It's best not to know about those bad things...
So Santa Karina stared intently at the words on the pages. The words were quite unfamiliar to her; at least, they weren't words she recognized.
She had never seen this language before; it was completely foreign to her…
However, when the words entered her mind, they were automatically translated into language that she could understand.
And then… in that instant, Saint Karina saw it. She was able to construct the image in her mind.
274. The World in Books
At 8:30 a.m. sharp, the aroma of food waking up St. Karina from her bed through the crack in the door.
How many times?
After entering the world of the book and taking over the body and memories of the character, she found herself unable to use magic and had become an ordinary person.
Not only that, this is the third time – the day before yesterday, yesterday, and today. They say things shouldn't happen more than three times, so she might need to consider calling the police to ensure her personal safety.
A female college student living alone rarely interacts with her neighbors or brings any classmates or friends home. No one knows she lives here except her landlord.
The landlord lives in the UK and leads a luxurious and leisurely life. He has no time to care about this inconspicuous two-bedroom apartment among many properties in China. He only needs to pay rent every three months, and the two of them basically don't contact each other.
The dishes piled up in the sink before bed were washed clean and then sorted by size and put back in the cupboard. Even the wok and rice cooker, which hadn't been used for centuries, showed signs of use and cleaning. Even the dusty stove and range hood had been cleaned.
She walked around the table laden with food and went to the balcony.
The pile of unwashed clothes were all hung on the clothesline, stretching out in the morning breeze and sunshine. Underwear was hung separately to dry. She carefully counted them and found that the quantity was not missing.
In addition to these, the bathroom was also cleaned, and the clothes that were randomly piled up in the closet were arranged by season and thickness, presenting an amazing sense of neatness and order.
This pervert is actually quite nice. He comes into the house without stealing or robbing, and even helps with laundry, cooking, and housework. What does he want from this?
Saint Karina couldn't understand it, so she grabbed her chopsticks and sat down.
It's confirmed that nothing strange, like computer parts, was added to the food. She ate half of it a couple of days ago, and didn't experience any adverse reactions.
Since there's nothing else to do, let's just eat our fill.