When the light of the Teleportation Gate faded, and Ron and Eve reappeared in the "Upside-Down Café," the sight before them left both of them stunned.
At this moment, a strange celebration called "Upside-Down Day Party" was taking place here.
A noblewoman in a long dress was gracefully lifting a steaming cup of coffee with her slender ankles wrapped in stockings.
Her movements were extraordinarily skillful, her toes deftly manipulating the cup handle to deliver the coffee precisely to her inverted mouth.
Even more astonishing was her expression, maintaining the elegance and composure of high society, as if drinking coffee this way was the most normal thing in the world.
"What a wonderful aroma,"
the noblewoman praised with satisfaction, stroking the rim of the cup with her toes:
"Today’s coffee is exceptionally rich; tasting it with my feet allows me to experience more layers of flavor."
At a nearby table, a middle-aged man resembling a Merchant was "walking" on the floor with his head.
His suit was worn and dusty, his hairstyle completely disheveled, yet his expression was unusually serious.
As if this mode of movement was the most normal means of transportation in the world:
"Sorry to keep you waiting,"
he said to his partner sitting across from him, in the tone typical of business negotiations:
"Walking with the head is indeed slower than with the feet, but it allows me to feel the earth’s pulse better, aiding in making wiser business decisions."
The eeriest was the family of three in the corner.
The father crawled with his head against the ground, the Mother elegantly clamped the newspaper with her feet to read, and their young daughter was trying to comb the doll’s hair with her toes.
The family’s expressions were extraordinarily harmonious, filled with the warm atmosphere of familial joy.
"Daddy, look at the braid I did for the doll!"
The young daughter excitedly held up the doll with her toes, the doll’s hair styled into a bizarre spiral shape:
"Teacher says doing crafts with feet can develop the other half of the brain!"
"Well done, darling,"
the father spun around on the floor with his head to show appreciation:
"In an inverted world, only those who learn to adapt can survive."
The café’s waitstaff took this inversion to its extreme.
Not only were they inverted themselves, but they also performed incredible acrobatics in the air.
One waiter walked "on" the ceiling with his head, while carrying a tray with his feet to serve the guests.
The tray remained stable as a rock between his toes; not a drop of liquid spilled from the coffee cups.
"Welcome back to reality!"
Another upside-down waiter greeted them, his voice carrying a certain cheerfulness:
"Every time the Treasure Room is opened, it’s the Upside-Down Day Party at our café!"
As he spoke, he wrote in the air with his feet, producing neat characters:
"We believe that only by completely breaking from conventional thinking can we see the world’s truth!"
At this moment, guests continued to enter the café.
Their faces even showed expressions of enjoyment, as if this upside-down lifestyle brought them some form of liberation.
An elder who appeared quite normal now skillfully flipped through a heavy philosophical tome with his toes.
His expression was focused and deep, occasionally making gestures of thought in the air with his toes:
"Indeed, only by seeing the world upside down can one understand the true meaning of the Cave Allegory,"
he murmured to himself:
"We’ve always thought the truth was what we saw standing up, but that’s just a shadow. Only by inverting can we see the light source itself."
This absurd philosophical view sounds both ludicrous and somewhat reasonable, leaving one uncertain whether it’s madness or wisdom.
"But it’s finally over..."
Eve exhaled deeply, her eyes showing extreme fatigue:
"Each time visiting the ancestors feels like a reshuffling of my worldview."
She looked at the inverted people around her, confusion in her eyes:
"Sometimes I really can’t tell whether we are normal or they are normal."
"But isn’t it interesting?"
Ron thought of the few Treasures he had just acquired, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile:
"Though the process was very strange, the rewards are real. Besides..."
His gaze swept over the guests drinking coffee with their feet:
"Sometimes, seeing the world from a different angle can indeed reveal things that are usually overlooked."
Eve nodded, but then showed some disappointment:
"Master... You’re going to see Mother now, aren’t you?"
"She said there’s something important she wants to discuss with you..."
The young girl lowered her head, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the necklace on her chest.
It was the "Mirror of Lying Truth" just obtained from the King of Absurdity’s Treasure Room, now shrunken and worn as an ornament.
The mirror still displayed the image of a middle-aged woman filled with resentment, the person she would have become if the treatment had failed.
This image constantly reminded her of how precious and fragile her current life was.
"Yes, but don’t worry."
Ron reached out, gently stroking Eve’s hair.
His touch carried some soothing power, gradually relaxing the girl’s tense emotions:
"Tomorrow we’ll continue our mutual lessons? I’m looking forward to your new insights on Bloodline Studies."
Upon hearing this promise, Eve’s face lit up with a radiant smile like spring blossoms:
"Okay! I’ll be waiting for you!"
Her voice regained vitality and anticipation:
"I’ve prepared many questions to ask you, and some of my research insights to share."