After finishing his food, Perry looked up at the old-fashioned wall clock hanging on the wall of the room. The metal pointer moved slowly, making a faint ticking sound. This sound was particularly clear in the quiet night. The wall clock showed that it would take some time for the sun to rise. He sighed softly, wiped the corners of his mouth casually with a tissue, and turned his eyes to the other side of the room.
To kill time, Teresa sat on the chair next to him, leaning forward slightly, holding the book in her hands. The dim light sprinkled on her side face, reflecting her focused and slightly frowned brows. Her fingers turned the pages of the book skillfully, and the sound of the paper rubbing was like a breeze blowing past her ears, which was particularly prominent in the quiet room. Teresa seemed to be completely immersed in the world of books, and each page was turned slowly and carefully, as if she was afraid of missing any important information.
"She shouldn't want to chat for a while." He thought silently, looking away from her.
Since there was no urgent matter to disturb her, it would be better to take the time to rest. He moved his body and let himself sink into the soft mattress under him. Although the mattress was much softer than the hard bed he was used to, he felt it was extraordinarily comfortable at the moment. His body sank into the soft touch, and a feeling of fatigue quietly came over him, making him breathe a sigh of relief.
He turned slightly to the side, put his arm behind his head, closed his eyes, and felt the atmosphere around him. The room was quiet, with only the sound of Teresa turning pages and the occasional whisper. For some reason, that sound was like a kind of white noise, which made people relax involuntarily. He gradually calmed down and felt his thoughts becoming clearer.
"Now is a good time to sort out my thoughts." Perry muttered to himself. He breathed gently, and then called the system in his mind: "Eno, let's continue chatting."
After a moment of silence, Eno's calm and slightly mechanical voice emerged in Perry's mind: [Okay, Perry, what do you want to discuss? "]
Perry sorted out his thoughts a little and answered in his heart: "Actually, I just came back from that strange consciousness space. I should have been swallowed by the shadow and taken into that place. There... is a closed cave with no exit, which can be said to be used to imprison people. "He paused, and the dark and depressing scene seemed to emerge in front of him again, "I met a man named Limoz there, and he was trapped there. He helped me get out of that place and gave me some important clues - about the forbidden magician."
Eno was silent for a while, as if analyzing or extracting data. After a moment, its voice sounded again, low and calm: [Your experience has been recorded in my file. Regarding the forbidden magician... This organization is indeed not to be underestimated. They are a recognized threat in this world, not only because they possess extremely dangerous taboo knowledge, but also because they act in an extreme way, with clear goals and unscrupulous means.]
"Act in an extreme way? "Perry frowned and repeated these words in a low voice, feeling uneasy. Those cold words reminded him of the vague impression of the forbidden magician, but also made him feel an inexplicable pressure.
[Yes,] Eno's tone became more steady, [Most of the forbidden magicians ignore morality and rules, and the goals they pursue are often completely opposite to those of ordinary people. They act at all costs and are even willing to sacrifice the lives of a large number of innocent people to achieve their goals. This is why they are called "taboo" - not only because their magic itself violates the laws of nature, but also because their methods are extremely cruel and have touched the bottom line that humans cannot tolerate.] Eno's voice paused slightly, as if to emphasize, [The curse on you is directly related to them, it seems that this matter will be difficult to resolve.]
Perry's face became more solemn when he heard this. His hands unconsciously clenched the quilt, he took a deep breath, and tried to make his voice sound calm: "Then do you know if there is any way to remove the curse on me? To be honest, I don't have the time and ability to get involved with these people, and..." He paused, with a hint of hesitation in his tone, "and I have to find a way to get Limoz out of there. He's still there, and I can't just leave him alone."
Eno was silent for a while, as if he was sorting out his complicated thoughts. His voice was as low and calm as always, but this time it was a bit heavy: [The premise of lifting the curse is to figure out the nature of the curse and its caster. This kind of taboo technique is often highly targeted and secretive. If we don't understand it thoroughly, we can't find the right way to crack it.]
"Find out who cast the curse?" Perry murmured again, with an unconcealable bitterness in his tone. He smiled bitterly and looked down, "It sounds simple, but there is no way to find this clue. "
Eno's voice softened a little: [That's true. But you are not hopeless. Judging from the existing clues, Limoz has an important connection with this matter. You can try to find some valuable information from his information.]
Perry nodded, and he whispered to himself: "That's true, and we can wait for Miss Crocker to come back. She might know something... I hope she won't be delayed for too long." There was a hint of fatigue in his voice, "After all, I still have my own goals, and I can't stay here all the time. I hope to solve this matter quickly, and then go all out to become a chef."
[Well,] Eno's voice was still steady, but with a hint of soft concern, [Solving the curse is just the first step. As long as you have a goal in mind, you can go further. Now, the most important thing is to take care of your body.]
Perry rubbed his temples, trying to keep himself awake, but a sudden tiredness enveloped him. He shook his head and frowned in confusion: "Strange, why am I suddenly... so sleepy? "His voice became blurred, and even the strength to speak was being drained away little by little.
[Don't resist, relax,] Eno's voice was slow and soft, as if it had some kind of soothing power, [Your body needs rest. Get some sleep, it's not too late to start again tomorrow.]
Perry wanted to say something else, but in the end, no sound came out. His eyelids became heavier and heavier, and his consciousness seemed to be pulled into a soft deep sea, and his thoughts gradually dissipated. He slowly fell on the bed, and his breathing gradually became steady and even.
Watching Perry fall asleep completely, Eno's voice sounded low, as if he was talking to himself , and it seemed to be telling some invisible existence: [I hope tomorrow will bring more answers...] As soon as the voice fell, the room fell silent. The moonlight outside the window fell quietly, covering the sleeping Perry, and the water-like light seemed to hide some unsolved secrets.
Perry heard a soft conversation in his ear, as if someone was whispering beside his bed, but the content was vague and he couldn't tell for a while. The voice was intermittent, but with a kind of peaceful rhythm. He tried to open his eyes, but because he was stung by the strong sunlight, he frowned reflexively. The dazzling light The line made him feel a little uncomfortable, so he had to close his eyes again and slow down his breathing.
After a few seconds, he tried to open his eyes again, and this time the light in front of him seemed to be a little softer. His vision gradually became clear, and what came into view was a strange and weird figure. He saw an elderly woman standing beside his bed, looking down at a yellowed parchment scroll. She was wearing a strange uniform, and the robe was embroidered with complex symbols, like an ancient magic circle. The robe fell to the ground, swaying gently with her movements, and she was wearing a tall magic hat on her head, with a few sparkling beads on the edge of the hat, reflecting in the light. It emitted a faint light.
Perry blinked and felt as if he was dreaming. He calmed down and noticed the old woman's face: deep wrinkles crisscrossed her face, as if depicting the traces of time. Her eyes seemed particularly bright, like two dazzling gems, revealing a wisdom and vitality that did not match her age. Her nose was slightly hooked, and coupled with the pointed magic hat, the whole image reminded people of the witch in fairy tales.
The old woman seemed to notice that Perry had woken up, and she slowly turned her head, with a kind and a little weird smile on her lips. "Oh, awake?" Her voice was hoarse and a little brisk, as if she had expected Perry to wake up at this time. She put down the parchment scroll in her hand, put her hands behind her back, leaned forward a little closer, and looked at him carefully.
Perry stared at the strange old woman in front of him, his heart full of doubts and uneasiness. He couldn't help but speak, his voice was slightly hoarse: "You... who are you? Where is this? "He tried to recall, but found that his memory of this place was blank, as if he had experienced a long darkness.
The old woman raised her hand and gently tapped her magic hat with her bony fingers, with a sly light in her eyes. "Who am I? Haha, young man, you can call me 'Witch Alma'. As for this place..." She turned around slowly, waved her hand, and the curtains on the wall immediately opened by themselves, and the sunlight poured into the room more brightly, "This is our sanatorium, a special place, specially prepared for interesting people like you."
Perry was confused and frowned slightly. He subconsciously wanted to sit up, but found that his body was still a little weak, so he could only lean on the head of the bed and look at Alma in confusion. "Interesting people? What do you mean? What are you talking about?"