Chapter 151
Chapter 151
The Cheshire Cat licked its lips, staring fixedly at Wei Sen.
Wei Sen’s expression darkened. If this dragged on any longer, the Shrinking Potion would wear off, and she would never get out!
With that thought, she pulled a piece of ready-to-eat chicken breast from the System Space. Struggling to tear open the package, which was bigger than she was, she said coldly, “Hungry, are you? Want some chicken breast?”
No cat could resist chicken, and the Cheshire Cat was no exception. The moment it caught the aroma of meat in the air, drool began dripping through the gaps between its teeth.
Wei Sen was glad she had stocked the System Space with plenty of supplies before entering the Eerie World this time, just in case.
“Don’t you like bitter flavors? I have some seasoning that can make it taste even more bitter.” As she spoke, Wei Sen summoned a bottle and dripped the liquid inside over the chicken breast.
“Wow! It looks even more delicious!” The Cheshire Cat eagerly snatched the chicken breast away and began wolfing it down.
A cold glint flashed through Wei Sen’s eyes. She turned and hurried through the door, leaving the hall behind.
The instant she passed through the doorway, her body returned to its normal size. At last, the scene outside came clearly into view.
A gloomy sky. Tangled, withered grass. Bizarrely shaped rocks. And skeletons scattered everywhere.
Was this really “Wonderland”? It did not look remotely like a wonderland. If anything, it looked more like hell.
Had she taken the wrong door after all?
Wei Sen turned and peered back into the hall through the small doorway. The Cheshire Cat was already clutching its throat and convulsing on the floor. It soon went still.
What a shame. The Poison Taoyuan had given her was too potent. She had not even gotten the chance to ask whether she had taken the wrong path.
That vicious cat had wanted her dead, so naturally, she could not let it live either.
It could enter and leave the hall at will, making it a potential threat to her. Eliminating it while she had the opportunity was the sensible choice.
Of course, she could have left it alive. The cat was not entirely unreasonable.
But… she could not stand being threatened!
Without further hesitation, Wei Sen continued forward. Judging by the bones strewn across the ground, they probably belonged to Order Keepers who had entered this Instance before her but failed to leave.
She recalled the three Clearance Conditions Lin Ze had told her about. Each involved one of three figures: the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen, and the White Queen.
Before she found the clues needed for a Perfect Clearance and uncovered the Ether Group’s involvement, she first needed to secure an escape route for herself by fulfilling one of the three Normal Clearance requirements. That way, if she encountered mortal danger, she could leave the Instance World as quickly as possible.
Slaying the Evil Dragon would be too difficult.
Cutting off the Mad Hatter’s head would require a suitable weapon. She did have a kitchen knife in the System Space, but it was only an ordinary knife. If the Mad Hatter was something like an Eerie Human, it would pose no threat to him whatsoever.
That left the final option: earning the White Queen’s trust. That sounded much more feasible.
Besides, once she had earned the White Queen’s trust, searching for clues in this Instance World would become much easier.
With that in mind, Wei Sen decided to find the road to the White Queen’s Castle first.
“Oh my goodness! Alice!”
A pair of long rabbit ears poked out from the grass.
Wei Sen looked over warily. A pair of webbed hands parted the withered grass, and a filthy rabbit head emerged.
Was that… a Rabbit? But why would a Rabbit have webbed hands?
The creature before her stood only a few dozen centimeters tall. It had the head of a Rabbit, but its hands and feet were covered in green webbing. It wore a red suit, yet through the opening at its collar, she could see that its body was nothing more than a mass of rotting flesh with white bones clearly visible underneath.
Why were all the creatures here so strange?
The entire world seemed steeped in the stench of decay, giving Wei Sen the impression that everything here existed somewhere between life and death.
“Did you come out of that place?” The Rabbit asked in surprise, looking toward the hall.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
The Rabbit grabbed both of its ears. “Good heavens! Thank goodness you came out through the correct door. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would never have seen you again.”
Wei Sen considered its words. It seemed this Rabbit knew quite a lot.
There had been so many doors in the hall. If she had chosen the wrong one, she would undoubtedly have died.
“Why do you think I’m Alice?” Wei Sen asked in return.
The Rabbit tugged even harder on both ears. “Because you’re Alice!”
Had the Instance assigned her the identity of “Alice”?
Wei Sen wondered silently.
The Rabbit released its ears and glanced at the pocket watch hanging around its neck. “Oh no! I’m running out of time. I can’t stand around chatting with you!”
“Wait! Do you know how I can meet the White Queen?”
“Oh, you’re looking for the White Queen… She isn’t someone you want to cross.”
“Who’s more dangerous, the Red Queen or the White Queen?” Wei Sen pressed.
The Rabbit looked conflicted and lowered its voice. “Alice, you know what they say. Serving a monarch is like walking beside a tiger.”
With that, the Rabbit took off running. “I really don’t have time! Goodbye!”
Wei Sen darted forward, grabbed it by the ears, and hoisted it into the air. At some point, a cleaver had appeared in her other hand. Her tone brooked no argument. “Take me to the White Queen.”
The cold gleam of the cleaver reflected across the Rabbit’s face as it kicked its legs frantically. “I can’t! I really don’t have time! If I’m late, they’ll turn me into spicy rabbit head!”
The Rabbit rummaged through its pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Wei Sen. “If you want to find the White Queen, cross this manor, pass the Mad Hatter’s house, and then cross a river. You’ll see the castle after that. That’s all I can do for you.”
With that, the Rabbit leaped into the grass and vanished in a flash.
When Wei Sen looked down at her hand again, the Rabbit’s ears she had been holding had turned into a red rose.
Magic?
Wei Sen tucked the rose into her belt, returned the cleaver to the System Space, and opened the envelope the Rabbit had given her.
[Manor Rules:
1. You must only follow paths with footprints. Otherwise, you will be lost in Wonderland forever.
2. The Twins in the manor are three people. If you can only see two of them, pretend you can see the third!
3. The Dodo in the manor is blue and has no feathers. If you discover that the Dodo has feathers or has changed to another color, flee immediately!
4. The Caterpillar will never turn into a butterfly. Be wary of every butterfly that appears in the manor!
5. The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is always one minute away from ending. If you do not wish to disturb them, do not make a sound!
6. If the Mad Hatter invites you to join the tea party, do not refuse. But remember: do not drink the tea on the table!
7. Remember, the March Hare is not a Rabbit, and the Dormouse is not a Mouse. Do not mistake them for the wrong creatures!]
Wei Sen found the rules deeply bizarre.
The Twins were three people, a bird had no feathers, the Caterpillar would never become a butterfly, the tea party was always one minute from ending, and a Rabbit was not a Rabbit while a Mouse was not a Mouse?
She put the Manor Rules away. This was an A-Rank Instance. If any of the rules were false, the rule sheet should have indicated as much.
Although she had the Eye of Chaos Lin Ze had given her, she could only use it once. She couldn’t afford to waste it lightly.
Besides, according to the rules, she couldn’t wander off wherever she pleased. She could only follow a path marked with footprints, which meant the path beneath her feet. The footprints along it came in all sorts of strange shapes, and none of them looked human.
With that in mind, Wei Sen continued down the path.
Before long, an iron gate appeared ahead of her. Dark red vines crawled over its rusted bars, resembling dried blood vessels wrapped around the manor’s boundaries.
The instant Wei Sen pushed open the gate, the sickly sweet stench of decay washed over her, mingled with the raw, metallic scent of soil.
The manor’s paths had long since been torn apart by frenzied vegetation. Bone-white finger bones protruded from the cracks. Fortunately, she could still make out the footprints, so she continued forward with her guard raised.
Flowers taller than a person surrounded her. The moment Wei Sen stepped among them, hundreds of flowers with human faces turned toward her in unison.
They grew from twisted stalks, their petals forming distinct facial features. Some were sobbing, others giggled, and still others whispered among themselves, “Another one… fresh flesh and blood…”
The atmosphere was deeply unsettling. Whenever Wei Sen turned away, she sensed all the flowers crowding in behind her. Yet each time she looked back, they were still rooted in their original spots.
Standing amid the sea of flowers, Wei Sen could feel her mind growing hazy. It was as though she, too, were a flower with a human face, and she should remain there with them.