The backyard was the same as what Bai Lixin saw that night.
Under the sunlight during the day, the backyard lost the hazy and dreamlike atmosphere of the night but gained a touch of brilliance and splendor.
Bai Lixin noticed that the path the tour guide took them on was the same place where Mrs. Nick, the youngest daughter, and the eldest son-in-law met that night.
Bai Lixin glanced at Emil, who was momentarily stunned but quickly understood Bai Lixin’s intention.
After taking a deep breath, Emil immediately switched to provocation mode.
“Hey, tour guide, are you trying to lead us in circles and delay time in the backyard? All we see are flowers here. Where is the craftsman and the owner of the resort?”
The tour guide glanced at everyone and said, “Don’t worry. So you don’t like these flowers? After visiting these flowers, I will take you to find the craftsman and the owner of the resort.”
He paused for a moment and asked, “Are you in a hurry?”
Emil continued to stir up trouble, “Of course, we are in a hurry. What good is it for me to have treasures and riches if I’m going to die soon? Don’t you see, we have no interest in appreciating this backyard. Am I right, everyone?”
Emil’s words instantly struck a chord with most of the people.
“Yeah, why are we wasting time seeing flowers? Can’t your resort be more considerate? Don’t you know what we want to see?”
“Can you take us to the craftsman immediately, at least to put our minds at ease?”
Bai Lixin had been observing these people secretly.
Some were genuinely anxious, while others were just interested in the excitement, like the director who was sneakily holding a camera.
Once anxiety arises, it spreads like a virus.
In the windless backyard, the colorful flowers suddenly began to tremble restlessly.
Not only the flowers, but the sound of metal leaves rustling could also be heard in the distance.
Hongyue and Bai Lixin exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with scrutiny.
Bai Lixin’s gaze fell upon the enchanting flowers, lost in thought.
It was difficult to define what type of copy this was. It was different from the copies he had experienced before.
Previous copies were either terrifying death scenes, supernatural events, or monsters.
But this copy was filled with warmth. Even though two people had died and two were missing, the intense feeling of splendor remained unchanged.
These people seemed to have little fear on their faces.
Just like the eldest daughter. She was terrified and restless yesterday because of her husband’s disappearance, but now seemed to have forgotten about it.
It was a strange feeling Indeed.
Some of these peoples reactions did not conform to normal human emotional logic.
The tour guide stared at Emil for several seconds and finally compromised, “Since that’s the case, let me take you to see the craftsman’s house first.”
“However, I want to inform you in advance that the craftsman rarely comes out. If he doesn’t want to meet you, you may not be able to see him.”
With that, the tour guide turned his head and walked ahead, seemingly unwilling to pay attention to these tourists.
They soon arrived at the place where Mrs. Nick hid her treasure that night. It was difficult for Bai Lixin to see what the stone looked like that night, but now, under the sunlight, he finally got a clear view of its shape.
That stone was not an ordinary-shaped stone. Walking closer, it looked like a woman with a bulging belly.
Although the facial features were blurry, from the gestures and details, it resembled a woman bowing her head gently and cradling her belly with both hands.
Bai Lixin took a few more glances at the stone.
Judging by the position of the hidden door, that narrow space was located exactly at the stone’s belly.
“Mr. Tour Guide,” Bai Lixin called out to the guide at the front, “What does this stone statue symbolize?”
The tour guide followed Bai Lixin’s finger and looked at the statue, then answered lightly, “That is the statue of the Holy Mother.”
“It is said that when the Father God was born, his mother experienced a painful delivery. Without the sacrifice of the Holy Mother, the birth of Father God would not have been possible.”
“The stone was carved like this to commemorate the contribution of the Holy Mother.”
“Speaking of the Holy Mother, there is another interesting story.”
“When the Father God was young, he made wrong judgments. At that time, everyone was afraid to criticize Father God, except for the Holy Mother, who stood up and criticized him despite her seemingly fragile and gentle appearance. Under the strict guidance of the Holy Mother, Father God gradually became an impartial judge of the world.”
“Because of this story, people often regard the Holy Mother as the goddess of gentleness and believe that if there is someone in the world who can change the will of the Father God, it must be the Holy Mother.”
“There are a total of seven statues like this in the Eden Resort. However, with the passage of time, some of them have disappeared, and now there are only five statues left. The whereabouts of the other two are unknown.”
–Seven statues, five statues remain, and two statues are missing.
–Statues of the Holy Mother.
–An existence even higher than the Father God.
Bai Lixin silently remembered these few sentences.
The ground was paved with cobblestones, forming a path. It wasn’t easy to walk with a wheelchair, so Bai Lixin carried Jia’er throughout the entire trip in the backyard.
Jia’er was wearing a purple dress today, her arms tightly wrapped around Bai Lixin’s neck. A faint scent of grass and mint drifted from her body and into Bai Lixin’s nose.
Half of her golden hair was tied up on top of her head and the rest was loosely cascading down to her ears. The breeze brushed against her hair, and strands of hair fell on Bai Lixin’s cheek.
Another whiff of the faint grassy scent entered Bai Lixin’s nostrils. This scent was different from Dijia’s usual male hormone scent, but it gave Bai Lixin a sense of familiarity.
He felt like he had smelled this scent somewhere before.
Perhaps it was because this scent was mixed with the fragrance of grass and flowers.
Another strand of hair blew onto Bai Lixin’s cheek, tickling him.
He shook his head nonchalantly to remove the hair from his cheek. As his gaze shifted, it coincidentally fell on the delicate white fluff hidden beneath Jia’er’s veil.
————————-
“This is the craftsman’s room. Unfortunately, it seems that we’re out of luck. Look, the house is locked from the outside, and I don’t have the key to the room. It seems we won’t have the opportunity to visit the craftsman’s room.”
About half an hour later, the tour guide led them through the dense garden and made several turns. Just as everyone was about to get dizzy, they finally stopped in front of a house hidden among lush green vines.
It was a very dilapidated house. It was hard to imagine that such a shabby room could exist in such a luxurious resort.
Upon hearing that this was the craftsman’s house, Emil quickened his pace and walked briskly to the window, peering inside.
Through the dirty glass, he saw a pitch-black room.
The floor was made of red bricks and cement, with occasional weeds sprouting from the gaps between the bricks.
The walls were also black, and from what he could see, they were adorned with numerous handcrafted objects.
Bai Lixin and Hongyue also looked inside.
They carefully scanned every corner of the craftsman’s room, and just as they were about to reach the end, all three of them noticed a strange square cloth laid out on the floor.
It was a piece of black cloth, and on the cloth…
Because Bai Lixin was holding Jia’er in his arms, he could only stand far away and look inside. Just as they noticed the cloth, Jia’er faintly spoke, “That cloth… it seems like someone has fainted.”
Jia’er turned to the tour guide and asked, “Can’t we go in and take a look? Maybe someone is dead in there?”
The tour guide reiterated his reason, “But we don’t have the key. Without a key, no locked place can be opened. That’s the rule of the resort.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Emil: “Step aside. With this flimsy door, I can kick it open with one kick!”
As he spoke, Emil came in front of the house and angrily kicked the door.
The force was so great that people believed he could even kick open an iron door.
However, the seemingly shaky door only shook slightly, not even causing the dust on the wall to fall.
On the contrary, Emil was sent flying and landed heavily on the nearby grass.
With a muffled thud, Emil let out a painful scream.
He lay on the ground in agony, clutching his chest, saying with a weak and pale face, “My… my ribs seem to be broken. Help me!”
The others who were still eager to try suddenly froze, their eyes alert as they looked at the unassuming small door.
The tour guide: “Poor guest.”
“I’ve already said that a locked door can only be opened with a key. Without a key, guests can’t enter any locked rooms.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Only with a key can one enter a locked room. This is another rule of the resort.
Bai Lixin: “So, where is the key?”
The tour guide: “The keys are with the manager, but the manager took all the ateendants to call for help. He took the keys when he left. So, if you want to open the craftsman’s room, you’ll have to wait for the manager to return.”
“But now you can rest assured, right?”
“That person inside has fainted, but there’s no need to worry about. He often faints but quickly wakes up and continues working.”
“Without a key, it’s impossible to get him out.”
“Why is the lock on the outside?” Mrs. Aisli spoke up. “Have you imprisoned this poor craftsman? What has he done to deserve such treatment? It’s outrageous, a violation of human rights!”
The tour guide: “Please calm down, madam. Whenever the craftsman works on his creations, he prefers to have a quiet environment in his room. That’s why I mentioned earlier that the craftsman doesn’t like to be seen by others.”
“Our craftsman is the most dedicated craftsman in the world…”
Before the tour guide could finish speaking, a hand tentatively stretched out in front of him. “Could this be the key to the craftsman’s room?”
On the key, it even said ‘craftsman’.
The tour guide’s mouth went wide, staring at the key the young man was holding out. Under the sunlight, the brass key shimmered brightly, especially the words ‘craftsman’ on the key handle, nearly blinding the tour guide’s eyes.
The tour guide’s expression became somewhat uncontrollable for the first time.
He turned his stiff neck to look at the young man and said, “How… how do you have this key?”
Bai Lixin casually pointed to a certain corner, looking innocent, “I found it over there. The manager is really forgetful, how could he leave the key in such a place? He’s so careless. When he comes back, you should definitely criticize him.”
The tour guide: “…”
I don’t believe it.
Bai Lixin tilted his head and said, “What? You don’t believe me? Do you suspect that I, a distinguished guest, stole the key? Well, if you don’t believe me, you can bring the manager back right now, and I’ll confront him face to face.”
“A resort of your caliber is casually questioning the morality of guests?”
Emil in the distance was still in pain. He clutched his ribs and said, “Ouch, my ribs! Hey, can someone please take care of me? What a lousy resort, a trashy resort! The circus in our town provides better service.”
The tour guide gritted his teeth. “We are definitely better than the circus!”
As he spoke, he pointed to one of the attendants and said, “Quick, go and fetch a doctor.”
He paused and added, “Get the best doctor in the resort, no, bring all the doctors!”
After saying these words, he suddenly heard a harsh creaking sound, as if a woodpecker was pecking on an old and decaying tree.
With the “creak,” the craftsman’s room was pushed open.
The tour guide’s pupils quickly contracted, and his voice no longer sounded as calm as usual. “What… what are you doing!”
Hongyue pushed the door open, and put the key back into her pocket, “Are you blind? Can’t you see that we’re opening the door to save someone?”
The tour guide was about to speak when he heard another “ouch” from behind.
The tour guide could only turn around with a frown and ask, “What now?”
Emil said with a stiff neck, “What else? It hurts.”
The tour guide opened his mouth but closed it again as he heard the sound of hurried footsteps from behind.
He reluctantly turned around and found that Hongyue and Bai Lixin had already walked into the craftsman’s room.
The tour guide: “…”
Why don’t you three just kill me!
My neck is going to break because of you.
Hongyue quickly ran to the black cloth in front of her, and as she got closer, Hongyue and Bai Lixin finally realized that it wasn’t a black cloth, but a black cloak.
A cloaked man.
The man lay on the ground, his arms twisted in a severely contorted posture behind him.
All ten of his fingers were bent and deformed, with severe fractures. There were obvious calluses on the palms and backs of his hands.
Hongyue furrowed her brows and carefully dragged the man out from the darkness to the sunlight.
Only then did they realize that the reason his arms were twisted was that his arms were dislocated from the elbows.
There happened to be a chair in the room so Bai Lixin placed Jia’er on the chair. With a serious expression, he walked up to the man.
Instead of immediately reattaching the man’s arms, Bai Lixin felt the swollen joints where the arms were dislocated. He discovered that the joints had swelled up like a bun, and it was impossible to reattach the arms at the moment.
He laid the cloak on the ground, and exchanged a glance with Hongyue . They carefully untwisted the man’s arms and flipped him over to face upwards.
The man had a broad back, but his body was light.
When they turned him over, they finally saw the man’s face.
It was a face they expected but were caught off guard by.
The man’s cheeks were deeply sunken, and his once exceptionally deep eyes now looked sinister due to his emaciated appearance.
His lips were cracked and weathered, with countless fine lines on his lips, cheeks, and all over his body.
It was Samael’s face, but they could hardly recognize it. The mysterious man who used to be full of vigor in the game lobby had now become a terrifying skeletal figure with bones pressed against his face.
The backyard was the same as what Bai Lixin saw that night.
Under the sunlight during the day, the backyard lost the hazy and dreamlike atmosphere of the night but gained a touch of brilliance and splendor.
Bai Lixin noticed that the path the tour guide took them on was the same place where Mrs. Nick, the youngest daughter, and the eldest son-in-law met that night.
Bai Lixin glanced at Emil, who was momentarily stunned but quickly understood Bai Lixin’s intention.
After taking a deep breath, Emil immediately switched to provocation mode.
“Hey, tour guide, are you trying to lead us in circles and delay time in the backyard? All we see are flowers here. Where is the craftsman and the owner of the resort?”
The tour guide glanced at everyone and said, “Don’t worry. So you don’t like these flowers? After visiting these flowers, I will take you to find the craftsman and the owner of the resort.”
He paused for a moment and asked, “Are you in a hurry?”
Emil continued to stir up trouble, “Of course, we are in a hurry. What good is it for me to have treasures and riches if I’m going to die soon? Don’t you see, we have no interest in appreciating this backyard. Am I right, everyone?”
Emil’s words instantly struck a chord with most of the people.
“Yeah, why are we wasting time seeing flowers? Can’t your resort be more considerate? Don’t you know what we want to see?”
“Can you take us to the craftsman immediately, at least to put our minds at ease?”
Bai Lixin had been observing these people secretly.
Some were genuinely anxious, while others were just interested in the excitement, like the director who was sneakily holding a camera.
Once anxiety arises, it spreads like a virus.
In the windless backyard, the colorful flowers suddenly began to tremble restlessly.
Not only the flowers, but the sound of metal leaves rustling could also be heard in the distance.
Hongyue and Bai Lixin exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with scrutiny.
Bai Lixin’s gaze fell upon the enchanting flowers, lost in thought.
It was difficult to define what type of copy this was. It was different from the copies he had experienced before.
Previous copies were either terrifying death scenes, supernatural events, or monsters.
But this copy was filled with warmth. Even though two people had died and two were missing, the intense feeling of splendor remained unchanged.
These people seemed to have little fear on their faces.
Just like the eldest daughter. She was terrified and restless yesterday because of her husband’s disappearance, but now seemed to have forgotten about it.
It was a strange feeling Indeed.
Some of these peoples reactions did not conform to normal human emotional logic.
The tour guide stared at Emil for several seconds and finally compromised, “Since that’s the case, let me take you to see the craftsman’s house first.”
“However, I want to inform you in advance that the craftsman rarely comes out. If he doesn’t want to meet you, you may not be able to see him.”
With that, the tour guide turned his head and walked ahead, seemingly unwilling to pay attention to these tourists.
They soon arrived at the place where Mrs. Nick hid her treasure that night. It was difficult for Bai Lixin to see what the stone looked like that night, but now, under the sunlight, he finally got a clear view of its shape.
That stone was not an ordinary-shaped stone. Walking closer, it looked like a woman with a bulging belly.
Although the facial features were blurry, from the gestures and details, it resembled a woman bowing her head gently and cradling her belly with both hands.
Bai Lixin took a few more glances at the stone.
Judging by the position of the hidden door, that narrow space was located exactly at the stone’s belly.
“Mr. Tour Guide,” Bai Lixin called out to the guide at the front, “What does this stone statue symbolize?”
The tour guide followed Bai Lixin’s finger and looked at the statue, then answered lightly, “That is the statue of the Holy Mother.”
“It is said that when the Father God was born, his mother experienced a painful delivery. Without the sacrifice of the Holy Mother, the birth of Father God would not have been possible.”
“The stone was carved like this to commemorate the contribution of the Holy Mother.”
“Speaking of the Holy Mother, there is another interesting story.”
“When the Father God was young, he made wrong judgments. At that time, everyone was afraid to criticize Father God, except for the Holy Mother, who stood up and criticized him despite her seemingly fragile and gentle appearance. Under the strict guidance of the Holy Mother, Father God gradually became an impartial judge of the world.”
“Because of this story, people often regard the Holy Mother as the goddess of gentleness and believe that if there is someone in the world who can change the will of the Father God, it must be the Holy Mother.”
“There are a total of seven statues like this in the Eden Resort. However, with the passage of time, some of them have disappeared, and now there are only five statues left. The whereabouts of the other two are unknown.”
–Seven statues, five statues remain, and two statues are missing.
–Statues of the Holy Mother.
–An existence even higher than the Father God.
Bai Lixin silently remembered these few sentences.
The ground was paved with cobblestones, forming a path. It wasn’t easy to walk with a wheelchair, so Bai Lixin carried Jia’er throughout the entire trip in the backyard.
Jia’er was wearing a purple dress today, her arms tightly wrapped around Bai Lixin’s neck. A faint scent of grass and mint drifted from her body and into Bai Lixin’s nose.
Half of her golden hair was tied up on top of her head and the rest was loosely cascading down to her ears. The breeze brushed against her hair, and strands of hair fell on Bai Lixin’s cheek.
Another whiff of the faint grassy scent entered Bai Lixin’s nostrils. This scent was different from Dijia’s usual male hormone scent, but it gave Bai Lixin a sense of familiarity.
He felt like he had smelled this scent somewhere before.
Perhaps it was because this scent was mixed with the fragrance of grass and flowers.
Another strand of hair blew onto Bai Lixin’s cheek, tickling him.
He shook his head nonchalantly to remove the hair from his cheek. As his gaze shifted, it coincidentally fell on the delicate white fluff hidden beneath Jia’er’s veil.
————————-
“This is the craftsman’s room. Unfortunately, it seems that we’re out of luck. Look, the house is locked from the outside, and I don’t have the key to the room. It seems we won’t have the opportunity to visit the craftsman’s room.”
About half an hour later, the tour guide led them through the dense garden and made several turns. Just as everyone was about to get dizzy, they finally stopped in front of a house hidden among lush green vines.
It was a very dilapidated house. It was hard to imagine that such a shabby room could exist in such a luxurious resort.
Upon hearing that this was the craftsman’s house, Emil quickened his pace and walked briskly to the window, peering inside.
Through the dirty glass, he saw a pitch-black room.
The floor was made of red bricks and cement, with occasional weeds sprouting from the gaps between the bricks.
The walls were also black, and from what he could see, they were adorned with numerous handcrafted objects.
Bai Lixin and Hongyue also looked inside.
They carefully scanned every corner of the craftsman’s room, and just as they were about to reach the end, all three of them noticed a strange square cloth laid out on the floor.
It was a piece of black cloth, and on the cloth…
Because Bai Lixin was holding Jia’er in his arms, he could only stand far away and look inside. Just as they noticed the cloth, Jia’er faintly spoke, “That cloth… it seems like someone has fainted.”
Jia’er turned to the tour guide and asked, “Can’t we go in and take a look? Maybe someone is dead in there?”
The tour guide reiterated his reason, “But we don’t have the key. Without a key, no locked place can be opened. That’s the rule of the resort.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Emil: “Step aside. With this flimsy door, I can kick it open with one kick!”
As he spoke, Emil came in front of the house and angrily kicked the door.
The force was so great that people believed he could even kick open an iron door.
However, the seemingly shaky door only shook slightly, not even causing the dust on the wall to fall.
On the contrary, Emil was sent flying and landed heavily on the nearby grass.
With a muffled thud, Emil let out a painful scream.
He lay on the ground in agony, clutching his chest, saying with a weak and pale face, “My… my ribs seem to be broken. Help me!”
The others who were still eager to try suddenly froze, their eyes alert as they looked at the unassuming small door.
The tour guide: “Poor guest.”
“I’ve already said that a locked door can only be opened with a key. Without a key, guests can’t enter any locked rooms.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Only with a key can one enter a locked room. This is another rule of the resort.
Bai Lixin: “So, where is the key?”
The tour guide: “The keys are with the manager, but the manager took all the ateendants to call for help. He took the keys when he left. So, if you want to open the craftsman’s room, you’ll have to wait for the manager to return.”
“But now you can rest assured, right?”
“That person inside has fainted, but there’s no need to worry about. He often faints but quickly wakes up and continues working.”
“Without a key, it’s impossible to get him out.”
“Why is the lock on the outside?” Mrs. Aisli spoke up. “Have you imprisoned this poor craftsman? What has he done to deserve such treatment? It’s outrageous, a violation of human rights!”
The tour guide: “Please calm down, madam. Whenever the craftsman works on his creations, he prefers to have a quiet environment in his room. That’s why I mentioned earlier that the craftsman doesn’t like to be seen by others.”
“Our craftsman is the most dedicated craftsman in the world…”
Before the tour guide could finish speaking, a hand tentatively stretched out in front of him. “Could this be the key to the craftsman’s room?”
On the key, it even said ‘craftsman’.
The tour guide’s mouth went wide, staring at the key the young man was holding out. Under the sunlight, the brass key shimmered brightly, especially the words ‘craftsman’ on the key handle, nearly blinding the tour guide’s eyes.
The tour guide’s expression became somewhat uncontrollable for the first time.
He turned his stiff neck to look at the young man and said, “How… how do you have this key?”
Bai Lixin casually pointed to a certain corner, looking innocent, “I found it over there. The manager is really forgetful, how could he leave the key in such a place? He’s so careless. When he comes back, you should definitely criticize him.”
The tour guide: “…”
I don’t believe it.
Bai Lixin tilted his head and said, “What? You don’t believe me? Do you suspect that I, a distinguished guest, stole the key? Well, if you don’t believe me, you can bring the manager back right now, and I’ll confront him face to face.”
“A resort of your caliber is casually questioning the morality of guests?”
Emil in the distance was still in pain. He clutched his ribs and said, “Ouch, my ribs! Hey, can someone please take care of me? What a lousy resort, a trashy resort! The circus in our town provides better service.”
The tour guide gritted his teeth. “We are definitely better than the circus!”
As he spoke, he pointed to one of the attendants and said, “Quick, go and fetch a doctor.”
He paused and added, “Get the best doctor in the resort, no, bring all the doctors!”
After saying these words, he suddenly heard a harsh creaking sound, as if a woodpecker was pecking on an old and decaying tree.
With the “creak,” the craftsman’s room was pushed open.
The tour guide’s pupils quickly contracted, and his voice no longer sounded as calm as usual. “What… what are you doing!”
Hongyue pushed the door open, and put the key back into her pocket, “Are you blind? Can’t you see that we’re opening the door to save someone?”
The tour guide was about to speak when he heard another “ouch” from behind.
The tour guide could only turn around with a frown and ask, “What now?”
Emil said with a stiff neck, “What else? It hurts.”
The tour guide opened his mouth but closed it again as he heard the sound of hurried footsteps from behind.
He reluctantly turned around and found that Hongyue and Bai Lixin had already walked into the craftsman’s room.
The tour guide: “…”
Why don’t you three just kill me!
My neck is going to break because of you.
Hongyue quickly ran to the black cloth in front of her, and as she got closer, Hongyue and Bai Lixin finally realized that it wasn’t a black cloth, but a black cloak.
A cloaked man.
The man lay on the ground, his arms twisted in a severely contorted posture behind him.
All ten of his fingers were bent and deformed, with severe fractures. There were obvious calluses on the palms and backs of his hands.
Hongyue furrowed her brows and carefully dragged the man out from the darkness to the sunlight.
Only then did they realize that the reason his arms were twisted was that his arms were dislocated from the elbows.
There happened to be a chair in the room so Bai Lixin placed Jia’er on the chair. With a serious expression, he walked up to the man.
Instead of immediately reattaching the man’s arms, Bai Lixin felt the swollen joints where the arms were dislocated. He discovered that the joints had swelled up like a bun, and it was impossible to reattach the arms at the moment.
He laid the cloak on the ground, and exchanged a glance with Hongyue . They carefully untwisted the man’s arms and flipped him over to face upwards.
The man had a broad back, but his body was light.
When they turned him over, they finally saw the man’s face.
It was a face they expected but were caught off guard by.
The man’s cheeks were deeply sunken, and his once exceptionally deep eyes now looked sinister due to his emaciated appearance.
His lips were cracked and weathered, with countless fine lines on his lips, cheeks, and all over his body.
It was Samael’s face, but they could hardly recognize it. The mysterious man who used to be full of vigor in the game lobby had now become a terrifying skeletal figure with bones pressed against his face.
