The curator was overjoyed; he had no ulterior motives in this action.
He just truly, desperately yearned to alleviate his own pain.
The ritual’s setup was completed very quickly.
That mark of pain link was already branded onto Wen Xishu’s body.
The curator kept his promise and did not immediately let Wen Xishu feel the pain.
"I will transfer my pain to you in an hour. I hope it will be of help to you."
"Warrior, it is time for you to act."
Wen Xishu did not hesitate any longer and turned around to leave.
When he came to see the curator, Wen Xishu had walked a long distance, making him think the other party might have some space manipulation ability.
But on the way back, Wen Xishu did not take the same amount of time; he walked out very quickly.
This also made Wen Xishu certain—
The curator indeed had space manipulation abilities.
...
...
Wen Xishu soon returned to the auction site.
Yoshida Take had already been waiting for a long time. As soon as Wen Xishu appeared, he immediately began questioning him about his grandson Yoshida Koki.
Wen Xishu simply said:
"Koki can’t come back. He is already dead. But if there is some afterlife... Koki is very happy in that world."
With only half his brain remaining, Yoshida Take burst into tears.
He started beating the ground with his head frantically:
"I ruined him! I ruined him!"
Wen Xishu shook his head and said:
"No... Your intentions were good. Yoshida Koki did live very happily, but only in the world inside the person hole. If he could truly experience that world, he would be grateful to you. Mr. Yoshida, I think Humantunnel Village really has a way to make people happy."
"For specifics, I still need to explore Humantunnel again. Please wait for my news."
Yoshida Take lifted his head:
"Thank you, adventurer. I believe what you say. I don’t know how to repay you, but whatever you want to do, just tell me anytime!"
Wen Xishu nodded, not refusing:
"In the future, we will meet in a more real world."
The promise of the Deceit Tower was meaningless. But Wen Xishu also knew, Yoshida Take was indeed one of the few normal people who truly loved his grandson.
If the invitation could allow him to return to a crucial point—
Maybe he could save Yoshida Koki.
But before activating the invitation, Wen Xishu had to find out—
Who the real boss was.
Only then could he go to the Desire Tower and end it all in one stroke.
Soon, a portal appeared beside Wen Xishu.
"Let’s go... warrior," said Xu04.
Wen Xishu was very curious, if he drank this wine, what kind of memories would awaken?
In the end, he did not try it and walked into the portal instead.
...
...
Humantunnel Village.
The floating buildings seemed to have risen higher.
The sky was gloomy.
Walking through the gray world, Wen Xishu saw one human silhouette hole after another, feeling a kind of psychological horror.
He walked towards the depths of Humantunnel Village. The scene in the inner parts differed from the outer parts.
The village’s depths were shrouded in thick fog, with very low visibility.
One might accidentally walk right up to the entrance of a person hole and a single step could get sucked in.
Most of the houses by the roadside were dilapidated, the wooden doorframes covered in dark green moss. Some houses had faded talismans hanging under their eaves.
Those talismans, painted with dark red symbols, looked like some twisted kind of eye.
These eyes swayed in the wind, sometimes appearing out of the fog.
Wen Xishu walked very slowly and cautiously, not letting himself enter any person hole.
But he knew he had already reached the deepest part of Humantunnel Village.
Soon, Wen Xishu spotted a relatively large mansion.
The mansion’s lintel was engraved with the words "Blessing God" in reverse.
Wen Xishu pushed open the mansion door, and a strong musty smell hit him. The tatami at the entrance had turned yellow and black, with a sticky feeling underfoot.
The paper sliding doors on the walls had many holes, and through these holes, Wen Xishu saw faint lights flickering in the depths of the corridor.
They were candle lights. These candle lights hadn’t been extinguished.
There were portraits on the walls on both sides of the corridor, but the faces in those portraits had been deliberately smeared, leaving only hollow eye sockets.
Wen Xishu felt a massive chill.
"Do not enter... do not enter... do not disturb everyone’s happiness."
The little boy’s voice echoed again.
This meant Wen Xishu had already reached the edge of a person hole.
"Please, leave quickly, big brother. Everyone is living happily. Why do you want to make them unhappy?"
Wen Xishu thought about it and realized he hadn’t seen the person hole itself at all.
But he could hear its voice.
So, did this mean—the person hole was hidden by some force?
He decided to respond to the little boy:
"If everyone is happy... then what is that black vortex in the sky?"
"What is this curse that everyone fears? How can there be a completely happy life in this world?"
"Moreover, a lot of people’s happiness is built on the misfortune of others. Why do you think... everyone is happy?"
"They are so far from reality; how can they talk about happiness?"
The little boy did not speak.
Wen Xishu didn’t care. He continued to delve deeper into this mansion in Humantunnel Village.
At the end of the corridor was a tatami room, the paper sliding door painted full of those eye symbols.
Wen Xishu pushed the door open, and in the tatami room, there was a low table.
And beside the low table—
there was a person hole, half-kneeling.