Nan Yue frowned and pondered for a moment. Logically, such a guess was possible, but if that were the case, wouldn't it mean Wen Xiang Yuan’s mother was the one stopping her?
She was indulging her son’s bullying and exploitation of her own daughter.
This...
Zhu Xi Ning seemed to realize what Nan Yue was thinking and let out a cold laugh. "This is a pollution world; anything is possible. Have you forgotten Multi-fortune Town?"
In Multi-fortune Town, those parents had even vied to eat their own biological children for the sake of longevity.
Nan Yue pursed her lips. "Then let's follow this line of reasoning. The mother's soul is attached to the roses, which is why Eden Garden is planted with such a vast number of them. That's also why a woman's scream can be heard whenever the roses are harmed."
"And at night, the mother's soul subjects all the servants to the nightmare's crying. Over time, they become walking corpses who only know how to be loyal to Wen Chu and Eden Garden."
Those things that looked like blood vessels might be the roots and stems of the roses, or perhaps the symbiosis between the roses and the castle had caused the castle itself to grow flesh and blood.
If the source of those anomalies was indeed the mother of the Wen siblings, then certain things started to make sense.
For instance, she was a mother after all; if someone disturbed her children's rest, she would attack them.
For instance, she was once the mistress of Eden Garden, so she would kill anyone who violated the rules, such as those who threw cigarette butts on the ground.
For instance, she lent the seeds of the blood roses to her son to prevent anyone from breaking into the rooms.
The logic was smooth, but Nan Yue’s heart felt heavy, as if something were pressing down on it.
Perhaps, at her core, she didn't want to believe that the secret of the main mission was like this—that behind the magnificent decorations of the vast Eden Garden lay the fact that no one truly cared about Wen Xiang Yuan.
She hoped that at least one person loved Wen Xiang Yuan.
And guessing that this person was the mother seemed like a natural conclusion.
The Wen Xiang Yuan of this timeline had suffered so much, and though her personality had become twisted, her underlying nature was still kind.
Nan Yue had thought this was at least because she had once experienced true love.
The others saw that Nan Yue was in a bad mood and said nothing. After a while, Nan Yue pulled herself together and shared her plan with everyone.
"So, our goal is to take Miss Wen with us and leave this garden."
"It’s best if we can leave before Wen Chu notices, but if he finds out, there might be a direct confrontation."
Nan Yue’s expression was calm, but beneath that calm was the grim determination of someone who had burned her bridges.
She didn't know if the Wen Xiang Yuan in this mission was a projection or the girl herself, so she couldn't give up on her, whether because they were companions or because Wen Xiang Yuan held the secret to her own connection with the pollution world.
Nan Yue wasn't sure what the consequences of facing Wen Chu would be. The worst-case scenario was a direct clash with the horrors within the castle.
That mother who doted on her son would come out to stop them, meaning they would have to face the boss of the castle.
"This isn't an absolute death rule. What we are doing is for her daughter's own good."
Huo Fuyu sneered. "It's true that it's not an absolute death rule, but that's only because you found a loophole."
After all, no one would think of escaping with an important NPC of the pollution world.
Nan Yue’s expression remained flat. "I once completed a mission where a scavenger chose to escape with the suffering natives inside. They felt that helping those natives was the only way out."
"That path was never wrong. Their failure back then was simply due to a lack of strength and luck."
There were too many people, and they made too much noise. The scavengers who tried to lead the imprisoned women out of Multi-fortune Town ran straight into the townsfolk the moment they stepped outside.
"This path is viable. At the very least, I have the confidence to see it through."
Nan Yue spread her palms. "Of course, you can also take the other path—stealing the key from Wen Chu or Miss Wen."
Huo Fuyu said nothing. He knew very well that this mission wouldn't be that simple. They would have to face one of the Wen family members regardless.
The key wouldn't be something they could steal easily.
Unlike the ledger kept in the office, Wen Chu likely carried the key on his person.
Unless someone had an ability specifically for that, it was nearly impossible for them to steal the key quietly.
In the end, it would still come down to a violent seizure.
Since all roads led to the same end, Nan Yue was simply adding the task of saving someone.
Huo Fuyu shrugged. "I have no objection."
Nan Yue nodded. She didn't ask the others. Before this, she had asked Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning many times if they wanted to take this path together.
Back then, it was because she was afraid—afraid that this path was the wrong one.
But now, she wouldn't ask anymore, because her companions had shown her through their actions that no matter where the road led, they would always follow by her side.
Because she had been tainted by pollution since childhood, Nan Yue’s personality seemed cold, but she was actually very sensitive. She feared hurting others because of her own choices.
But now, she had learned to trust, entrusting her back to her companions.
She was also growing, and she would use all her effort to protect them.
Nan Yue fell silent for a moment, letting Zhu Xi Ning inform Bai La La of their plan, and then she turned to Jiang Siyan.
"How many scavengers are still alive?"
Jiang Siyan elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin. "There were 15 scavengers when we entered the mission. Currently, 8 are still alive."
Aside from the four of them, Huo Fuyu, and Bai La La, Su Hong was also alive, along with a male scavenger in the cleaning group.
Zhu Xi Ning was the only one left from the gardener group; the others had died during that unexpected "dyeing" activity.
Because Su Hong knew her abilities were average, she had stuck close to Bai La La. She worked diligently and ignored any eerie things she heard or saw, which had actually allowed her to survive until now.
Nan Yue nodded. She didn't know the others and had no obligation to be responsible for their lives. If they had other ways to clear the mission, they were on their own.
This operation shouldn't run into the boss until the very last step, but there were still risks involved.
She was willing to take this risk for Wen Xiang Yuan, but there was no need to drag other unrelated people into it.
Nan Yue studied Huo Fuyu until he couldn't take it anymore and put down his chopsticks with a look of resignation.
"What do you want me to do now?"
Nan Yue gave him a smile. "Nothing much. I just wanted to ask you, what's the maximum number of people your puppet threads can control at once?"
Huo Fuyu rolled his eyes. "You're going to lose me if you keep milking me for all I'm worth like this."
Nan Yue nodded. "Mm-hmm!"
Huo Fuyu sighed. "Ten."
Nan Yue understood. "So, controlling around twenty-five people shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Nan Yue!"
Nan Yue quickly tried to soothe him. "I'm just asking! The situation might not even get that urgent!"
Huo Fuyu was so annoyed he didn't even finish his breakfast.
However, Nan Yue hadn't expected that while she had no intention of bringing the other scavengers along, the others didn't feel the same way.
Before breakfast was even over, Xu Kang, the other male scavenger from the cleaning group, came looking for them.
Rate on N.U.
