In the oil painting, the doll-like girl waved happily at Yu Sheng, her voice carrying a hint of surprise.
Yet, there was no shock or panic to be seen, as one might expect when a dead person miraculously returns to life.
Yu Sheng felt that this couldn’t be due to Erin’s calm nature.
The issue, as it turned out, lay with him.
Considering how many times he had faced death in such a short span, it seemed only natural for even stranger events to occur in his life.
"Guess it’s a happy accident that I’m back," Yu Sheng said casually, turning around to close the slightly ajar door.
He then lowered his head to check himself thoroughly, confirming not only that his body had completely recovered, but even the clothes he wore looked exactly the same as before.
Furrowing his brow, he pondered Erin’s reaction.
Rather than “resurrection,” it felt more like the entire “incident” of his death had simply vanished into thin air.
His dazed expression caught Erin's attention.
The doll in the painting looked puzzled and asked, “Yu Sheng? Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it? By the way, can you tell me how you got back? I've been trying to reach you, and it has been on and off. There’s been all sorts of commotion on your end, and I have no idea what strange things you encountered in that foreign land… Oh? What’s that you’re holding?”
At her prompt, Yu Sheng became aware of what he was tightly gripping in his hand—a strange, ugly tail covered in dark scales.
His mouth twitched. “Wow, I almost forgot about this… It’s still here.”
The appendage still moved slightly in his grasp, though it was no longer as lively as it had been at first.
It seemed the monster’s severed limb, though it had impressive vitality, would gradually perish after being disconnected from its main body.
A strange sensation bubbled up inside him.
For a moment, he didn’t even know how to explain this thing to Erin.
After some hesitation, he walked towards the kitchen holding the tail and casually said, “Just a little souvenir.”
The doll in the painting froze, "…Huh?"
By this time, Yu Sheng had already tossed the tail into the kitchen sink.
After ensuring it had no strength left to crawl out, he stabbed at it a few times for good measure and then pressed a pot lid on top, so he could at least hear if it managed to escape.
With a slight weariness, he returned to the dining area and collapsed into a chair.
His mind was in disarray, flooded with too many thoughts, and more importantly, he truly felt exhausted.
But he forced himself to stay alert; now wasn’t the time to sleep.
Sitting across from him, Erin was watching cautiously, “Yu Sheng, can you tell me about your experiences in that foreign land, and how you…?”
“I was just about to tell you,” Yu Sheng interrupted her, adjusting his posture to look serious as he faced the doll. “I’ve got a mountain of questions—first, let me tell you about what I encountered over there. I met a girl who, like me, was trapped in that other realm, but she’s been stuck there for a very long time…”
Yu Sheng didn’t hold back, relaying his entire experience in that valley of darkness, sharing everything including the information Hu Li had revealed, as well as a description of the bizarre, flesh-like creature he had seen.
Apart from his own “death and rebirth” situation, he hadn’t yet figured out how to explain that part, so he chose to hold off for now.
He understood that he and Erin weren’t very familiar, and trust was still shaky, but he had no other options.
In this city, Erin was the only person he had interacted with who could communicate about the “uncommon matters” he faced.
He felt he should trust her a little more, especially since so far, her attitude had been somewhat friendly—barring the moments when she was cursing loudly.
Erin listened intently.
When he mentioned the flesh creature, her expression grew noticeably serious.
A few times she seemed like she wanted to speak but held back, allowing Yu Sheng to finish his story uninterrupted.
Once he concluded, the doll adjusted her posture.
Sitting upright in her red-carpeted chair, she said earnestly, “First, I must emphasize that I don’t remember much. This painting has taken away much of my memory, so my assistance will be limited…”
Yu Sheng nodded. “I understand.”
“Okay,” Erin responded, relaxing her expression a bit. “I’ll share what I can about the foreign realms. First and foremost, you should have a basic understanding of them, knowing they are regions that deviate from order and defy common sense. But do you know that these foreign realms also produce something known as ‘entities’?”
“... Entities?” Yu Sheng questioned, puzzled.
“In simple terms, they are the ‘natives’ or ‘products’ of these realms. Entities can take various forms—sometimes they are bizarre humanoid shapes, sometimes they manifest as beasts or monsters, and occasionally they can be a flame, a gust of wind, or even a moving rock. As long as they originate in the foreign realm, showing clear signs of ‘life’ and capable of reacting to outsiders, they are considered ‘entities’.” Yu Sheng nodded, contemplating this information.
“Entities are diverse, with a wide range of characteristics,” Erin continued. “Generally, they exhibit distinct ‘abnormal’ traits. They are born in their foreign realms, inherently presenting features that are out of the ordinary and dangerous. Most entities lack reasoning or will at least not demonstrate any behavior that can be comprehended by humans. However, there are rare cases where some entities show signs of intelligence… Though I can’t recall the precise details.”
“In short, about ninety percent of entities are dangerous. The threat they pose can vary from minor irritation to life-threatening danger. There’s a theory suggesting that entities are a kind of defense mechanism for the foreign realms to eliminate invaders, a virus-killing program if you will. This view holds that investigators and wanderers from the orderly world are the incomprehensible monsters in the eyes of these realms…”
Yu Sheng listened quietly, suddenly realizing, “... So, the ‘monster’ I encountered was just an ‘entity’ generated in that valley?”
“Most likely,” Erin nodded.
“Can entities be killed?” Yu Sheng asked immediately.
“Entities can be killed, but they can’t be completely eradicated,” Erin answered gravely. “Strictly speaking, entities are merely ‘products’. If you kill one, a new ‘copy’ will emerge in the foreign realm. They symbolize the operational rules of the realm; as long as it exists, entities will continue to be spawned. However, typically generating entities requires time, and there seem to be methods to suppress certain realms, delaying or even obstructing the creation of entities… but I can’t recall the specifics.”
“Killed, but not completely eradicated…” Yu Sheng repeated, sensing the situation was more complicated than he had imagined.
He wasn’t afraid of death.
That monster, it seemed, was even less fearful…
Unknowingly, Yu Sheng had accepted that he would return to that valley and encounter that creature again.
He wasn’t sure where that thought came from, but by the time he noticed, this idea, or perhaps some sort of “intuition”, had already taken root in his mind.
“... Never mind, being able to kill it temporarily is a good thing,” he exhaled softly and then looked at Erin, “Besides that, what else do you know about entities? For example, their weaknesses?”
“Entities don’t have a single, unified weakness. Sometimes an entity’s weakness may not even lie within itself, but within the ‘foreign realm’ or its rules. Some entities can even change their weaknesses,” Erin shook her head. “So exploring these realms and combating entities is a specialized and dangerous task. I recommend finding professionals to assist you—not someone like me, trapped within a painting.”
Yu Sheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that. “Easier said than done. Where can I find professionals? They won’t be advertising on telephone poles…”
“They will,” Erin replied.
“...?”
“They have contact methods—though it doesn’t necessarily mean advertisements on telephone poles,” Erin emphasized, seeing Yu Sheng’s bewildered expression. “Since there are foreign realms everywhere, and they pose a danger to ordinary people, there will certainly be a large group of professionals dealing specifically with these matters. In a city this size, someone must be responsible for maintaining both the visible and hidden order, right? There are official agencies as well as various organizations, big and small. Though I can’t recall the specifics, I’m sure they are active everywhere…”
“Of course, they normally keep their distance from ordinary lives, remaining hidden, because many foreign realms possess strange qualities—such as ‘activating when known’ or ‘moving closer to those who feel fear’. Therefore, it’s crucial to avoid exposing regular folks to information related to foreign realms. But once someone unfortunate has indeed come into contact with a foreign realm, or if a foreign response occurs in the city, these professionals will have methods to quickly locate and approach the issue…”
Yu Sheng listened attentively to Erin's explanation.
After a moment of hesitation, he looked out the window.
“So since I’ve already experienced a ‘foreign reaction,’ does that mean I just have to wait for the ‘professionals’ you mentioned to come find me?”
“... They should… right?” For some reason, Erin’s tone suddenly felt less certain.
Yu Sheng sensed the doubt in her words. “... So why haven’t they arrived yet?”
“I don’t know. They should’ve come by now.”
(End of Chapter)