No more princes or princesses were falling from the sky, nor any more oddities.

Yu Sheng silently withdrew his gaze from the sky, looking at the figures in the clearing ahead who had already calmed down and were now quietly resting or talking in low voices.

And around them, the land that had once been covered with rose bushes, smoke from cannons, and raging fires had completely reverted to the wilderness's original appearance. The things that had briefly spread from the nightmare had left no trace in this "Sanctuary".

A very dignified tabby cat walked through the crowd with its head held high, inspecting the surroundings as if on a patrol. It was accompanied by several "guards" clad in plate armor, magic robes, leather armor, and wielding various weapons. When it came beside Yu Sheng, it nodded and rubbed its head against Yu Sheng's leg, "Hmm, I'm very satisfied, meow."

Yu Sheng couldn't help but glance at the "King's" guards. These "followers," dressed like an adventurer team straight out of a storybook and looking almost human, had rather stiff expressions. When Yu Sheng looked at them, they even nodded back at him with serious faces.

"We are the King's blade!" The "warrior" in medieval plate armor suddenly declared with a robust voice.

Erin was startled, then mumbled softly, "…They look just like real people."

"We are the King's blade!" the "female archer" in leather armor, hearing Erin's mumbling, also suddenly shouted robustly, albeit stiffly.

Hu Li's ear fur bristled slightly, retreating behind Yu Sheng. He greeted the "guards" summoned by the King, "Um… hello."

"Hello!" the "magic user" in robes shouted loudly, "We are the King's blade!"

It seems those few lines are all they could say.

The cat king led its "adventurer guards" away with great dignity, continuing to patrol the wilderness. Yu Sheng then heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Little Red Riding Hood approaching.

"The 'King' can summon different guards; adventurers are just one combination. Sometimes, it summons the Imperial Guard or the Imperial Knight Order, who are all quite formidable," Little Red Riding Hood explained to Yu Sheng, casually watching the tabby cat that had already walked far away. "As for how many combinations there are, even it seems unsure—I saw the weirdest combination once when it summoned several old grandpas who looked almost dead…"

Yu Sheng was stunned, "Ah? Summon several old grandpas? What's the use of that?"

"They are 'flatterers,' who can fulfill the 'King's' requests almost like a wish machine for a certain period."

Yu Sheng was left agape, "...Whoa, that's impressive."

"But the 'King' usually just makes them turn out a heap of fish treats and then sends them back."

"...Whoa, even more impressive."

"Do you now feel that our abilities are quite interesting?" Little Red Riding Hood flashed a peculiar smile, looking at their resting comrades with Yu Sheng. "Even for me, it's the first time seeing them all land in the same place like this at once. It's a bit… unexpectedly chaotic."

Yu Sheng was silent for a few seconds, momentarily unsure of what to say.

If one didn't consider the underlying dangers and invasive forces, "Fairy Tales"… was truly quite like a fairy tale.

"Come on, as the 'host' here, it's time for you to make an appearance," Little Red Riding Hood smiled and patted Yu Sheng's arm before dragging him toward the others, "Everyone's waiting for you."

Yu Sheng walked over, and as soon as he did, the teenagers gathered on the grass immediately quieted down. Eyes turned to him, and the "Fairy Tales" members stood up, bowing silently and respectfully. Even the always proud tabby cat had somehow snuck into the midst of the crowd, lowering its head in greeting.

"Uh, hi everyone," Yu Sheng started nervously. Despite the fact that the "kids" in front of him were all sixteen or seventeen years old, or even younger (except for the cat), he felt a bit stuck when all those gazes were on him. This time, those focused eyes clearly carried a more fervent power than the last time they met. "...I don't need to introduce myself. You all know me. Anyway, this place is the 'Sanctuary Wilderness' I told you about. You're safe here, so rest well. That's all, nothing more."

The group of kids laughed heartily, and some clapped haphazardly.

So this was the first gathering of the "Fairy Tales" organization in the Sanctuary Wilderness.

Yu Sheng stepped back and sat on the ground with Little Red Riding Hood, who couldn't help but murmur, "That was quite a lame opening speech."

"I'm not good at this," Yu Sheng responded casually, his eyes scanning the surroundings, "Not everyone is here, right?"

Little Red Riding Hood nodded: "Hmm, except for the 'King,' there are currently sixteen 'Fairy Tale' guardians, and only nine are here now."

"The others..."

"Some are still on night patrol in the real world, some probably didn't enter the 'Dream' today, and some... might have won today," Little Red Riding Hood explained softly. "We'll need to ask directly at tomorrow's morning meeting to confirm the details, but it shouldn't be a worry."

Yu Sheng nodded thoughtfully, while Erin, floating in midair, suddenly asked, "Can you actually win?"

"Of course we can!" Little Red Riding Hood replied immediately. "We don't always just get chased around in the nightmares; there are times when we gain the upper hand, though usually, the nightmare's power becomes overwhelmingly strong toward the end— but even at my stage, I occasionally win!"

Erin thought for a moment and then wavered in midair: "Oh... never seen you win."

Blue veins instantly popped on Little Red Riding Hood's forehead.

Seeing this, Yu Sheng quickly advised: "Don't pay attention to her; she has a knack for being annoying."

Then, before a certain puppet could start babbling nonsense again, he swiftly changed the subject: "Alright, we've confirmed the protection plan is effective, now let's talk business—I have some matters to discuss with you, regarding that squirrel and the 'Dark Angel' named 'Anka Aela.'

Upon hearing this, Little Red Riding Hood's expression immediately became serious—even Erin, who was preparing for the next real attack, descended and stood firmly on the ground like a portrait between Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood, looking solemn.

Without holding back, Yu Sheng revealed all the information he had obtained from the squirrel.

Halfway through his explanation, Snow White was drawn in and sat nearby to listen, followed by the 'King' who squatted heavily on the grass with a serious cat face.

Little Red Riding Hood's brows furrowed tightly.

Here, she was the only one who had known the 'squirrel' for the longest time and had gotten to know it best.

The squirrel was a guide for every Little Red Riding Hood and the only 'friend' each Little Red Riding Hood had in the Black Forest—She had been curious about it and had inquired before, but it wasn't until today that she finally understood... why there was a mysterious 'squirrel' in the Black Forest.

She also learned how the paths, street lamps, fireplaces, and candlelights in the Black Forest came about.

"Do other 'subsets' show similar gradual growth?" Yu Sheng asked curiously.

"Every subset undergoes gradual change and improvement; this phenomenon is certainly not unique to the Black Forest. Furthermore, the 'strength' of each subset, like the Evil Wolves in the Black Forest, increases with our 'characters' growth—the crazy old woman from the Bloodstained Court wasn't so powerful at the beginning," Snow White nodded and then shifted her tone, "but the 'squirrel' is indeed unique to the Black Forest. There is no similar entity on stages like the Bloodstained Court or the Eternal Ball."

Yu Sheng nodded lightly, his expression thoughtful.

With more information and clues accumulating, he increasingly sensed the Black Forest's uniqueness among all the fairy tale subsets.

The 'squirrel' was trapped in the Black Forest, and seventy years ago, the Deep Dive Team had transformed into the 'Hunter' after breaking through the fairy tale shell, landing also in the Black Forest. Additionally, the mutations in the Black Forest appeared distinct from other subsets, presenting a hint of stability in the combination of the forest and the Evil Wolves...

This made Yu Sheng curious—what caused this uniqueness in the Black Forest?

...Could it be related to the fairy tale book the squirrel handed to Anka Aela? Was 'Little Red Riding Hood' a special chapter in that fairy tale book?

After a moment of pondering, he broke the silence: "When you go back, thoroughly search that orphanage, especially areas like the basement and the oldest building structures within the compound."

Little Red Riding Hood instantly understood Yu Sheng's intention: "...You suspect traces left by 'Anka Aela' in the real world might still be in the orphanage?"

"It's possible. Though a lot of time has passed and many buildings in the orphanage have been renovated, the traces left by the Dark Angel might not necessarily fade with time. Some things... might 'imprint' onto this world," Yu Sheng mused aloud. "The squirrel recalled that the glowing object once 'merged' into the yard's central open space. Didn't you also see strange thorny shadows on a wall near the yard before, Little Red Riding Hood? There could be a connection between these incidents."

Immediately recalling the suspicious shadows she had previously seen at the orphanage's corner, Little Red Riding Hood's expression grew serious.

"I understand," she nodded solemnly. "We'll organize a team to inspect it as soon as we return."

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