It was as if his consciousness was being dragged into a whirlpool of countless parallel worlds.
"Master, don’t look into its eyes for too long."
Eve timely reminded:
"Even when static, the fragments of possibility can affect the observer."
Just then, a graceful voice came from the side:
"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce to you a truly exquisite treasure."
The owner of the voice was a penguin, but this penguin was dressed extremely formally.
It wore a tailored tuxedo, white gloves, and a silk top hat on its head.
The penguin’s posture was as upright as a gentleman, even holding a cane made of ivory.
"This is the Paradox Dice."
The penguin gentleman took off its top hat and pulled out a seemingly ordinary six-sided dice:
"It can change luck, reverse fate, make the impossible possible! Want to turn the tables? Want to turn decay into magic? Just a light toss~"
The penguin’s voice turned somewhat eerie:
"Of course, every time you use it, you’ll become a little more... chaotic. The current level of chaos is... let me see..."
It put on a monocle and carefully inspected the surroundings:
"It’s already at the ’penguins can talk’ level. Well, still normal, compared to ’gravity reversing’ or ’time flowing backwards,’ this is just a small dish."
The penguin put its top hat back on and gracefully bowed:
"By the way, I was originally the butler of this palace, but since the master started using this dice for remodeling... well, what you see now is the result."
As they delved deeper into the treasure trove, Ron and Eve saw more incredible and strange artifacts.
"Look here! Look here!"
In a corner of the treasury, a carrot was shouting in an excited yet slightly crazy tone:
"This is the Truth Mirror that lies! It always says the opposite, showing illusions! But! Here’s the key! If you know it’s lying, then the illusion it shows becomes the truth!"
Reflected in the mirror were not Ron and Eve’s images, but two entirely unfamiliar people.
It was a bald old man and a wrinkled old woman.
"Do you see? This is your ’false’ future!"
The carrot swayed its leaves proudly:
"But since it’s false, the truth is you’ll never grow old! That’s the beauty of paradox!"
Speaking of which, it self-reflectively muttered:
"But then again, if the false becomes true, does that mean the true becomes false? This logic is a bit convoluted...
Oh well, as long as it’s magical!"
Further ahead, they encountered a potion bottle scratching itself.
This bottle had tiny hands and feet, sitting on a cushion with an expression both joyful and painful.
Inside, it contained shimmering blue liquid, but the surface constantly bubbled as if boiling.
"Hahaha... sob sob... hahaha..."
The bottle laughed and cried, its voice sounding extremely conflicting:
"This is the potion of sad happiness, drinking it will make you very happy, but tears will overflow and you can only cry while laughing..."
It explained while scratching itself:
"Turns out happiness and sadness are the same feeling, we just call them by different names, I finally understand. But this realization makes me more chaotic. Hahaha... sob sob..."
......
While Ron was carefully observing these strange treasures, pondering what he should choose.
Those peculiar creatures suddenly fell silent, as if awaiting the arrival of an important figure.
A silhouette slowly emerged from nothingness.
His upper body was that of a middle-aged gentleman in formal attire, handsome, with a gentle smile.
A white rose pinned to his chest, appearing extremely elegant and decent.
But his lower body was that of a gigantic octopus.
Dozens of stout tentacles crawled gently on the ground, each exuding strong magical power.
The most peculiar was his face.
The left side was smiling, while the right side was crying.
Two entirely different expressions coexisted on one face, creating an unsettling harmony.
"Welcome! Welcome!"
The King of Absurdity clapped enthusiastically, but the applause sounded like both a celebration and swatting a pesky insect: "Finally, some interesting guests! This treasury hasn’t welcomed such... special visitors for too long!"
His tentacles waved gently, and the display platforms for the creatures immediately lined up neatly, like soldiers accepting inspection.
"Ancestor..."
Eve’s voice was a bit tense, she instinctively moved closer to Ron.
Though the King of Absurdity was her ancestor, this legendary Witch King was so distant from her, distant to the point of being somewhat terrifying.
"Little Eve! How are you!"
The King of Absurdity’s octopus tentacle waved friendly, the tearful right face turned to a smile, while the smiling left face began to cry: "Looking good! How’s the recovery going?"
"Yes, ancestor."
Eve respectfully replied: "Thanks to the Master’s help..."
"And this... little Ron? Correct?"
The King of Absurdity turned his gaze to Ron, with some excitement in his contradictory eyes: "My great-great-great-great... forget it, too complicated lineage, basically grandson-in-law, right?"
"We haven’t..."
Eve’s face blushed immediately, her voice small as a mosquito’s buzz.
"Small matter! Small matter!"
The King of Absurdity waved his tentacle, with the teasing tone unique to elders:
"Love is something that happens eventually! What’s important is..."
He began to navigate the spherical space, octopus tentacles propelling the body as swimming in water:
"You’ve passed my test! Especially you, Ron!"
The King of Absurdity pointed a tentacle at Ron: "You’ve completely resonated with my paradox philosophy! This excites me greatly!"
Ron felt the dreadful pressure emanating from the opponent but maintained a calm exterior: "Thank you for the compliment, senior."
"So!"
The King of Absurdity suddenly announced excitedly: "I’ve decided to offer you a special choice!"
He snapped his fingers, a crisp sound echoed in the spherical space.
In the next moment, all the treasure display platforms started spinning wildly like carousel rides at the amusement park.
The mushrooms spun so much that all their eyes turned into whirl symbols;
The flying desk swirled like a drunk in the air;
The rainbow snake puked rainbow-colored bubbles;
The penguin gentleman’s top hat flew off, revealing a bald head...
"Rules change!"
The King of Absurdity announced like an excited game host:
"To celebrate little Eve’s recovery, now you may choose two treasures! However..."
He smiled weirdly, that smile was gentle yet terrifying, kindly yet cruel:
"You must choose with your eyes closed! Hahaha! That’s what makes it fun!"