Lord of the Mysteries: Yao Guang

"When we enter the castle, no matter what the invitation is, don't accept it. No matter what happens, don't leave me five meters away."

When Benjamin said this, the two of them could already see the moonlight bridge on the ground. In a few minutes, they would step into the moonlight range of the old castle.

Esther responded in a low voice but did not ask any more questions.

She was still thinking about the previous questions about "above the true God" and "beyond the sky", her brows furrowed unconsciously, and she allowed Benjamin to lead her forward.

Suddenly, Benjamin and Esther stopped at the same time.

Their senses were touched, but Benjamin just smiled and made no move to dodge or hide at all.He held Esther's left hand very steadily. Esther couldn't pull him back and turn around and run away, so she had to calm down and observe the changes around her.

The crimson light gauze fell towards the two of them. The moment she was enveloped by it, Esther felt a burning heat. She seemed to be walking through terrible flames. The flames were dancing on her skin, trying to penetrate into her pores and tear them apart. Her pain-sensing nerves.

But the next moment, the light gauze fell to the ground and tore into a long, spread-out blanket, which did not cause any substantial harm to the two of them.

Benjamin loosened his fingers on the right lens: "It's just a simple defense mechanism. If you avoid it, you will start to be hunted. I defrauded its judgment of 'guest'. Let's go, from now on, as long as We abide by the master's rules and are safe for the time being. Please put the compass away first."

Esther stole the compass and left her left hand free. She subconsciously lowered her voice and tried her best to follow Benjamin's pace: "Will the master of the castle be difficult to deal with?"

"It's just an evil spirit that comes out to take a breather every time the red moon comes. There's nothing to be afraid of." Benjamin's tone was very indifferent, even too arrogant, like the evil spirit in the evil castle and a plate of unpalatable food. No difference.

His attitude calmed Esther's uneasiness. The red carpet under her feet attracted her attention. Every time they stepped on it, they would leave a string of charred footprints.

When the two stepped onto the crimson steps in front of the castle, they left several meters of footprints behind them. Esther noticed that those black marks were crawling upwards. The bad premonition made her turn around quickly. He turned his head and looked away at the steps in front of him.

"Don't worry, it's just that the blood flow trying to swallow up the footprints was suppressed by me." Benjamin did not lower his voice deliberately, as if he didn't care about being heard by others. "It won't disappear before we come out. If there is If something unexpected happens, we can still leave along this road."

Esther lowered her voice and asked, "Are you just going to say it so openly?"

Benjamin looked at her with a smile: "What else? There are no completely sane 'living creatures' here, so don't be so nervous."

Then the corners of his lips moved slightly without making any sound. Several seconds passed before the voice floated directly into Esther's ears: "If there is an accident within an accident, you can escape in any direction, and this road is also It’s not necessary.”

After receiving further explanations, Esther no longer worried about the footprints left by the two of them: "Did you defraud the sound transmission process?"

Benjamin smiled and said: "That's right. If I weren't worried about the light in your hair, I could even steal your ideas directly and give you my ideas. That would be more efficient than communicating with words."

Esther subconsciously shrank her neck: "No, no, no, forget it, I don't like the feeling of having my brain messed with..."

She was suddenly glad that the light spots hidden in her hair could effectively prevent others from stealing her thoughts, and she could still retain her privacy.

For lower-sequence Beyonders, parasitism is probably enough, and there is no need to even steal ideas.

As the two walked to the top of the steps, the beautiful music in the castle became clearer. This emotional dance music seemed to affect people's minds, making people subconsciously want to dance to it.

Esther glanced at Benjamin distressedly: "You don't need to dance, do you?"

"Unless you also want to become a resident of this castle and be forced to participate in the dance every blood moon, it is best not to consider this matter. If you are willing, I can teach you later." Benjamin said to Esther He raised his eyebrows.

Esther laughed dryly: "Thank you for your kindness, but no need... I'm not interested in dancing."

Benjamin turned his head, and with a seemingly humble smile, his tone was quite arrogant and disdainful: "Many people who entered here by mistake ended up staying here forever because they were greedy for this dance. But no one stayed here voluntarily, and the closer they got, the more they stayed here." The dance is more dangerous at dawn, and you’ll be able to see it later.”

"Have the official Beyonders never dealt with this place?" Esther stepped firmly on the crimson carpet and looked at the moon in the sky doubtfully, "If this happens once a month, this place will be really dangerous."

"They also tried to deal with it, but to no avail. They even hired a lot of people. In the end, they could only seal off the area and minimize the chance of it being discovered by ordinary people." Benjamin chuckled, "But I have to Said, those lackeys left too many loopholes, I can come in or leave at any time."

"Then if you leave me here, will I be miserable?" Esther asked with a smile.Benjamin looked at her extremely seriously, and the grip on his hand tightened for a moment: "I won't leave you here."

After a pause, he added: "We have to attend the meeting of the 'Hermits of Destiny' tomorrow, and you promised to help me investigate Amon who was mixed in, and I will not intentionally hurt you before I achieve my goal. "

For Benjamin, fraud is not harm, and he said this with a clear conscience.

Esther could hear the sincerity in his words, smiled and shook her head without saying anything else.

However, the smile soon disappeared. The two of them walked to the gate of the castle. The thick and huge stone door opened to both sides. The sweet and fishy smell that resembled blood kept pressing down, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Esther looked at the rushing red river under the broad red carpet: "Have you smelled that strange smell..."

"No, there is only a faint smell of blood." Benjamin sniffed twice. It was obvious that there was a gap in perception between him and Esther. "Is it an illusion? You were strongly affected?"

Esther raised her head and looked at the open stone door. She tried to relax her tense body, but every breath made her feel her lungs twitching: "No, it should be some kind of special induction."

Benjamin's expression was no longer so joking: "If you find it unbearable, you can tell me you want to leave at any time."

Esther nodded, trying to slow down her breathing, trying to ignore the pressure caused by the weird smell, and trying to ignore the slight pain in her chest.

When the two of them approached the door, Esther stared closely at the figure beside the door, but Benjamin moved his lips slightly, letting the voice fall directly into her ears: "That is the housekeeper of the castle. He is not a bad person, at least he doesn't look like... The head maid is so crazy."

Esther was shocked by his words. It was difficult for her to visually recognize that the creature was still in the category of "human":

Except for the body shape that barely retains the head, torso and limbs, the butler is clearly a bunch of branches wrapped around the skeleton. The brown branches penetrate the ribs and eye sockets, and the green ivy is wrapped around the arms. In the normal human heart, There is also a group of bright red flowers blooming at the location.

After the two people approached, the branches wrapped around the skull twisted, and the cracked skull swayed up and down, letting out enthusiastic laughter: "Welcome, welcome! I am so happy to welcome you to Marquis Kelar's ball, The Marquis will be delighted! All guests are welcome, provided they bring the right companions..."

The skull suddenly flipped up and down, and as the branches extended, his upside-down hollow eye sockets came close to Esther, spinning in front of her and remaining silent for a few seconds.

Esther resisted the urge to retreat and looked at the skull calmly until the strange bulging branches slowly retracted and the skull was wrapped around the skeleton again.

The vines wrapped around the arms rotated, causing the figure beside the door to open his hands toward the door, inviting the two of them to walk into the trap openly: "Dear guests, please come in. I hope you can enjoy this beautiful red night to the fullest. The Marquis of Kelard shares this crimson joy."

"My heartfelt thanks to the Marquis for the invitation, it will definitely be a wonderful evening." Benjamin replied elegantly.

He shook Esther's arm gently. Esther understood his hint and immediately said in a similar way: "This is our honor. Thank you Marquis for the invitation."

When the two of them walked past the "butler", the scene in front of Esther suddenly became blurry. Surrounded by the crimson moonlight, everything became light and airy.

At the position where the skeleton was fixed, she saw a middle-aged man wearing a neat tail dress and a red bow. His upper lip with a short beard was slightly raised, showing a kind and kind smile, and he was speaking respectfully. He spread his arms to invite the two of them into the castle.

His expression was very warm, and his scarlet eyes were gentle and respectful. He even lowered his head slightly on purpose, not daring to meet the guest's eyes.

The grip on her hand suddenly tightened, which made Esther tense up again. The scene she just saw suddenly disappeared again. The skeleton controlled by the plants was still standing outside the door, getting farther and farther away from them.

Esther looked at Benjamin: "I just..."

"Yes, what you just saw was their illusion of luring intruders." Benjamin's smile was elegant and reserved, as if he was really just a nobleman who came to attend the banquet on an appointment, rather than a thief who sneaked in to steal something. .

Esther did not look back. She tried her best to keep her eyes fixed on the same place as Benjamin: "Why did the illusion only appear for a moment?"

Benjamin turned his head and gave her a teasing look: "Because this castle is trying to exert more influence on you... Didn't I say it? I brought you here just to use you as bait."

Esther was speechless.