Translator: SumTLMan
The Enforcer had just jumped into the tunnel, not yet having the chance to take in its surroundings, when he found himself in another chamber.
It was a grand noble hall that appeared quite opulent.
However, unlike other noble castle halls, the Enforcer saw some peculiar things here. For example, a teacup floating in mid-air, with little ceramic hands on either side holding a spoon, tapping on its body, producing a crisp clinking sound accompanied by another group of bizarre floating musical instruments.
There were teacups playing trumpets, black and white cups on pianos, and tall glasses playing violins…
An entire orchestra of teacups.
Above the hall floated several mysterious, beautiful but ominously dangerous-looking rainbow dragonflies and light spots——that wasn’t even the strangest part.
As the Enforcer was dumbfounded, the Teacup Band began to play cheerful music.
With the music, a rhythmic tapping sound came from behind a curtain.
The Enforcer looked towards the sound and saw the curtain pulled back slightly, revealing two rows of Toy Soldiers no taller than a handspan, marching in unison and precise steps.
These Toy Soldiers wore red jackets and white trousers, topped with tall hats. Their cheeks were painted with two round red dots, making them look quite comical.
However, the Enforcer found nothing humorous about it, as both rows of Toy Soldiers held various weapons in their hands, bayonets, spears, muskets, and rapiers… These weapons, like the light spots above, gave the Enforcer a profound sense of danger.
The fact that he felt threatened meant that these weapons could indeed harm him. Being a legendary wizard, any weapon that could pose a threat to him was certainly a high rank alchemical creation, invaluable in the outside world.
Yet here, they were allotted to Toy Soldiers.
The Enforcer swallowed hard, whether out of fear or envy, and watched as the two rows of Toy Soldiers approached him.
Kick, tap!
The Toy Soldiers ended their march with ceremonial precision in front of the Enforcer, then split to either side, their stiff blocky hands simultaneously making welcoming gestures, pointing towards the direction of the red curtain.
“Is this meant to indicate that I should go that way?” the Enforcer wondered aloud.
No one responded.
The Enforcer thought for a moment; already inside the belly of the spotted dog, constantly in a state of being prepared for slaughter, he at least had it better than Gruz De Weld and the others. With this comparison, his inexplicable fear lessened.
With nowhere to retreat, he decided to move forward, towards the red curtain.
The Enforcer strode confidently forward.
As he took his first step, the Teacup Band struck up a welcoming tune, clearly indicating that the Enforcer’s thoughts were correct.
The Toy Soldiers were there to clear the way, while the Teacup Band was there to set the mood.
Together with the atmosphere of this noble hall, the Enforcer felt as though he was being invited by “some noble lord” to attend a dinner party.
Soon, the Enforcer arrived in front of a red curtain.
He had a premonition that perhaps behind the red curtain was the master of this space.
The Enforcer paused for two seconds, took a deep breath, and reached out to lift the curtain. As he drew the curtain, the music from the Teacup Band also stopped.
The Enforcer slowly lifted his eyes, seeing the scene behind the curtain.
A splendid long table, exquisite porcelain plates, and bright candlelight.
People were seated along the table.
Directly in front of the main seat… A person, however, on this central table, the spotted puppy lazily lay there, demonstrating that it was the true occupant of the main seat.
On either side of the main seat were also seated figures; on the right, a corpulent Void Traveler, it was like a big blob of soft jelly, completely filling the not-so-large chair.
On the left sat a familiar face to the Enforcer, Angel.
Angel was dressed as usual, sitting upright in his chair. Hearing the sound of the curtain being drawn, he turned his head towards the Enforcer.
The Enforcer: What’s going on here?
Angel: Ah, it’s a long story.
After exchanging a look, Angel gave him a slight nod, signaling him to take a seat first.
The Enforcer also understood that he had reached a point where sitting down was inevitable, and there was no escaping. So, he advanced without hesitation.
There were many empty seats at the long table, but the Enforcer did not hesitate at all and directly sat next to Angel.
After all, Angel was someone he knew well.
Once seated, a beautiful porcelain plate automatically floated in front of the Enforcer, the plate extended a hand, took bread and a knife from the center of the table, sliced the bread, and placed it on the plate. It then poured cream onion sauce over the bread.
After all this, the plate suddenly spoke with a hollow voice: “Be gentle with the fork, do not puncture my skin, and don’t lick the plate after eating the bread. I despise being licked by men.”
The Enforcer stared blankly at the porcelain plate and replied subconsciously, “Oh.”
“What do you mean, oh? Show some manners. I despise rude men even more.”
A trace of embarrassment flashed across the Enforcer’s face: “I mean, thank you.”
“That’s better… You’re welcome; this is my job. Enjoy your meal, and don’t forget the rules I mentioned.”
The Enforcer nodded hurriedly: “Okay.”
The plate returned to normal, but the Enforcer felt somewhat abnormal. Was he really conversing with a plate? Was this plate a living entity? And were these foods merely resting on it?
“Have I entered a fairytale world?” the Enforcer couldn’t help but mutter quietly.
“Fairytale World? No, this is just an ordinary banquet hall,” Angel responded to the Enforcer’s murmur.
An ordinary banquet hall? The Enforcer gave Angel a weird look, wondering who was truly abnormal here. Was this what one called an ordinary banquet hall?
Angel said, “Your plate might be a bit haughty; it’s the first time I’ve seen a plate with so many rules. It’s an exception.”
As Angel finished speaking, the porcelain plate emitted a pleasant female voice, complementing his statement: “Yes, it’s an exception. I particularly want the distinguished guests to lick all over me; it makes me feel comfortable and also makes cleaning easier.”
This statement made the Enforcer view Angel with even stranger eyes.
Angel felt a bit awkward. Previously, the plate in front of him had been perfectly normal, quietly slicing bread. Now, as soon as it spoke, it said something so… peculiar.
Angel couldn’t help but rub his slightly throbbing temples. Indeed, the creatures released by the spotted puppy from the Nightmare Plane were never quite proper.
This hall was, in fact, originally a black chamber. However, to prevent the Enforcer from seeing the ‘transparent surveillance’ on the floor, Angel had released his Opulent Nightmare Domain.
Angel had used the Opulent Nightmare Domain in battles against others, resulting in the death of many of its creatures, like the Teacup Band and the Toy Soldiers, leaving only a few battered survivors.
Seeing these battered survivors, the spotted puppy, perhaps out of pity, or perhaps premeditated, spat out a brand-new Teacup Band and Toy Soldiers from its mouth.
In addition to that, it also supplied some household items for the Opulent Nightmare Domain, such as these talking plates.
Angel hadn’t expected the plates to talk; even more unexpectedly, they had begun speaking because the Enforcer had arrived and they had spoken out of disdain for him.
Seeing the Enforcer’s strange gaze, Angel also felt at a loss for words.
If only he had known, he would have just cast a layer of mist on the floor instead of using the Opulent Nightmare Domain… Angel thought somewhat bitterly.
Despite his inner turmoil, Angel had to maintain his composure on the surface.
After all, he was the only one at the table who could speak. The spotted puppy was listlessly sleeping at this time; even if it wasn’t sleeping, it could only bark. He didn’t want to expose himself, so everything that followed had to depend on Angel alone.
“Lord Enforcer, I know you have many questions. Why don’t we dine first? Then I can explain everything one by one.”
The Enforcer looked at the now normal porcelain plate; he always felt something was odd and really wanted to say he wasn’t hungry. But Angel spoke again, and now he also began to doubt Angel’s identity, was this Angel the one he knew? Did his words carry some deeper meaning? So, should he eat?
The Enforcer hesitated for a moment, glanced towards the direction of the Void Traveler opposite him, and then quickly peeked at the curled-up spotted puppy.
“Cough, they… haven’t eaten either. It seems somewhat improper for us to start eating while our host hasn’t dined, doesn’t it? Maybe, let’s just leave it, I’m not hungry either?”
Angel: “They don’t need to eat this human food. But since Lord Enforcer is not temporarily hungry, then let’s just talk.”
Angel had been leisurely eating bread, but now he also put down his knife and fork, rinsed his mouth with a cup, and wiped his lips.
“Lord Enforcer, you can ask your questions now.” Angel finished speaking and silently added to himself: Provided that I can speak.
The Enforcer stared intently into Angel’s eyes: “Are you Angel? The Angel I know?”
In this strange place, Angel’s behavior was too compliant, which made the Enforcer feel uneasy.
Angel: “I indeed am Angel. I understand why you ask this question, I… I just know a bit more than you do, really, I’m just an ordinary person.”
An ordinary person? The Enforcer didn’t believe at all that any ordinary person would know about the existence of the spotted dog.
However, Angel expressed that he was just “more informed”, so his compliance might not be false.
Enforcer: “If you are Angel, you should know what I most want to ask right now.”
Angel: “Where is this? And how do we leave? Right?”
The Enforcer looked straight into Angel’s eyes.
“Let’s start with the overall environment.” Angel pointed at the drowsy spotted puppy: “This is inside its stomach.”
“And we are in a space it created. Yes, whether it’s the pure white chamber you were in before or this banquet hall, it’s all created by it.”
The Enforcer caught a detail: “You knew where I was before?”
“Yes, it told me that.” Angel nodded, pointing to the Void Traveler opposite.
This time he wasn’t pointing at the spotted puppy, but the Void Traveler? The Enforcer found this strange, but he temporarily suppressed the doubts in his heart, began to inquire.
“As for how to leave, we need its permission.” This time Angel pointed to the spotted puppy.
As Angel said this, he paused in his speech, then looked at the Enforcer: “Lord, do you have any other questions?”
“Of course, what you’ve said amounts to saying nothing at all,” the Enforcer silently fumed inwardly, yet maintained a calm demeanor: “If I may be so bold, what role do you play in all this?”
Angel remained silent.
After a while, the Enforcer said, “If it’s inconvenient to speak, no need to answer.”
“It’s not that it’s inconvenient, I just don’t know how to put it in a way that won’t be misunderstood by the lord,” Angel sighed.
“Feel free to speak your mind.”
“Me and them,” Angel gestured towards the spotted puppy and the Void Traveler, “are not really acquainted, having met only two or three times.”
“It’s called Woof Woof, considered… one of its subordinates?”
“Since I’m the only human Woof Woof has ever met and have been indebted to it before, I appeared here this time as its messenger to repay that favor.”
After finishing, Angel looked earnestly at the Enforcer: “Lord, do you believe what I’ve said?”
The Enforcer smiled without responding, thinking to himself: I don’t believe it.
Angel exhaled deeply, a self-mocking expression on his face: “See, I knew you wouldn’t believe me, no matter how I put it, I would be misunderstood. But what I’ve said is indeed true, it’s just that some things I can’t explain openly.”
The Enforcer asked, “You mentioned you’re a messenger, what does that mean?”
Deciding to bypass the trust issue, the Enforcer pressed for the essence.
“It means just what it sounds like, Woof Woof has some matters that need to be communicated by someone. And sadly, I was chosen by it to be that messenger.” Since magic is sealed here, and this is Angel’s own opulent Nightmare Domain, he could lie effortlessly, without fear of the Enforcer seeing through him.
“What message does it want to convey? To whom, me?”
Angel: “Yes.”
Angel: “I’ve mentioned before, I know about the pure white chamber; it was actually Woof Woof who told me. Woof Woof has been watching everything that happens in the pure white chamber. It was also Woof Woof’s idea to release the Enforcer.”
The Enforcer spoke, but his heart harbored doubts. Everything Angel said seemed to be arranged by Woof Woof, but what role did this… spotted puppy play here?
He had always thought it was the spotted puppy watching over the pure white chamber, but now Angel says it was Woof Woof, which made him feel a slight discrepancy.
“Woof Woof released you, Lord Enforcer, actually wanting to reach an agreement with you.”
At this point, the Enforcer roughly understood the situation. He could be released only because he was valuable.
Plainly speaking, he was being threatened.
If it were according to the Enforcer’s usual temperament, he would have turned away by now, but at this moment, he didn’t dare, nor did he dare to show his inner emotions.
The spotted puppy, this Great Demon Lord, was controlling the scene!
He dared not make any slight movement.
The spotted puppy was at least an existence at the level of Gruz De Weld, perhaps even… a higher Miracle creature.
Facing such an existence, any feelings of dissatisfaction could potentially be perceived by the other party, so, no matter how aggrieved or dissatisfied, it was better to graciously accept it; after all, it’s good to be alive.
“I wonder, what kind of cooperation?” the Enforcer asked.