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墨書 Inktalez
The night enveloped the jungle of the island, quiet and mysterious all around.
A pile of bonfire danced in the clearing, illuminating the surrounding trees and grass, casting a cool silhouette.
Xu Qingyuan wore a simple and elegant coat, her dark long hair casually falling over her shoulders. Her delicate features appeared even more ethereal under the firelight.
With her eyes tightly closed and long eyelashes slightly fluttering, Xu Qingyuan seemed to be immersed in a tranquil dream.
A man with bronze skin slowly approached, his deep voice softly saying, "Professor Xu, it's time to wake up."
Xu Qingyuan's brows furrowed slightly, like the folds of a mountain peak, as she slowly opened her eyes.
In her star-like sparkling gaze, there was a hint of drowsiness and laziness, reminiscent of the mist lingering over a lake in the morning, elusive and hard to grasp.
She straightened up slightly, first scanning the roaring bonfire; the flickering flames seemed to tell ancient stories.
Then, she looked at He Shuo and gently nodded.
"Mm."
Her voice was cool and low, like a clear spring flowing through the mountains, carrying a touch of chill, akin to the cold wind of a deep autumn night that penetrates the heart.
Xu Qingyuan watched He Shuo leaning against a dry branch with his eyes closed. His bronze face appeared even more rugged under the firelight.
Xu Qingyuan took the spot where he had been sitting and added a few more twigs to the fire.
The cold wind howled past, swaying the flames and causing the firelight to flicker, revealing Xu Qingyuan's face, which appeared both clear and obscure.
His outline shifted between light and shadow, becoming increasingly mysterious.
He had just had a dream.
It was a dream about this island, unfolding from the beach to the jungle, then through the stone wall to reach this wooden cabin, all seen from one person's perspective.
He could not see that person's face clearly, but he could sense that they were having an incredibly good time.
They played freely on the waves, splashing white foam everywhere; in the jungle, they cleverly set traps to catch small animals; on the stone wall, they secretly carved drawings with a hint of mischief and curiosity; beneath the wooden cabin, indigenous people dressed in dark blue with yellow paint on their faces danced joyfully around a bonfire, each face radiating happiness, making everything seem as beautiful as a dream.
"I want to make a mark here; I’ve been here."
"Make a mark? Here? Are you crazy? The stone wall is not allowed to be damaged. If the priestess finds out, she will punish you."
"I'm not afraid; we can do it secretly. They won't know."
"Don't! The siren will punish you."
"So what if I get punished? I've never seen a god before!"
Ignoring the objections of the boy next to him who was dressed in traditional attire, the boy used small stones to draw a rough pigeon shape right below the stone wall.
He was stopped by an arm reaching out from behind before he could finish his drawing.
"What are you doing?"
The arm was painted with layered wave patterns, neatly arranged to resemble fish scales.
As he raised his gaze, before Xu Qingyuan could clearly see the face of the person blocking him, he was awakened by He Shuo.
Xu Qingyuan no longer thought about the dream. He activated his optical brain and began to watch the footage recorded at the stone wall today.
The stone wall here was severely damaged; the erosion of time and the ravages of wind and rain had left it marked with signs of age. Nevertheless, it still held significant research value.
Based on the color distribution and the degradation time of the paint, the optical brain quickly provided a detection result.
"The mural paint is derived from plant extracts, with the oldest dating back approximately three hundred years and the most recent around ten years."
Sliding the projection frame, he first saw the oldest siren's arm marked with a timestamp of about three hundred years. Then he slid the frame to the most recent section...
His hand paused, Xu Qingyuan stared blankly, his pupils slightly constricting as an indescribable shock surged within him.
The image astonishingly overlapped with his earlier dream.
Xu Qingyuan gently reached out his hand as if to touch it.
The Peace Dove sketch here has been painted over; although some of the color has chipped away, it is relatively well-preserved compared to other stone paintings.
This...
Images from his dreams flashed through his mind like lightning, overlapping heavily with the reality before him.
For a moment, Xu Qingyuan felt as if he had been engulfed in a fog, unable to distinguish whether this was an illusory dream or a tangible existence.
His fingers were slender and long, resembling finely crafted works of art, with veins clearly visible against his fair skin, like blue threads winding across it.
Xu Qingyuan's eyelashes trembled slightly, akin to the wings of a startled butterfly. The corners of his moist lips were tightly pressed together, forming a determined arc, and his gaze reflected deep hesitation and confusion.
In that instant, a ghostly, hollow voice unexpectedly penetrated his mind.
“Lulu~”
The voice was chilling and piercing, as if carried by the cold wind from the depths of the abyss, instantly raising goosebumps all over Xu Qingyuan's body.
“Who?”
Xu Qingyuan suddenly turned around, a deep chill akin to winter's ice flashing through his eyes.
His sharp gaze shot out like a sword, radiating a fierce aura as it scanned the surroundings.
For a long time, the surroundings were silent, with only the sound of the night wind rustling through the leaves, like whispers hidden in the darkness.
Xu Qingyuan thought it was just his imagination. He slowly turned back and sat down, trying to calm himself and prepare to examine the stone walls again.
However, at that moment, the eerie sound rang out once more.
"Lulu~ Lulu~"
The hoarse and piercing voice became increasingly clear, as if an evil spirit was whispering right next to his ear, filled with endless eeriness and terror.
Xu Qingyuan suddenly stood up, his movements as swift as a startled cheetah.
He quickly retracted his projection and looked nervously at the others.
They were still soundly asleep, their steady breathing echoing clearly in the quiet night, completely unaffected, as if they were immune to this terrifying sound.
"Lulu~ Lulu~"
The voice seemed to swirl around him, following him closely. Xu Qingyuan frantically turned around, trying to locate the source of the sound.
It felt as if the voice had formed a three-dimensional cage, tightly enclosing him within.
Only he was tormented by this dreadful sound, while the others continued to sleep peacefully, utterly undisturbed.
This was clearly aimed specifically at him.
Xu Qingyuan's heartbeat quickened, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
He quickly tore off the edges of his clothing, cutting them into small pieces, and clumsily stuffed them in his ears.
Finally, the chilling sound diminished significantly.
Everyone else remained immersed in sweet dreams, quiet and peaceful; perhaps this sound would not harm them for the time being.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Qingyuan suppressed the fear within him. He did not wake anyone up but got up alone to search for the source of the terrifying sound.
The houses here were all two-story buildings, with livestock kept below and people living above, resembling the structure of the Dai people's homes.
Underneath one wooden house, Xu Qingyuan discovered a dilapidated well.
Demon Island was surrounded by the sea on all sides; logically, a well should have been built to store precious freshwater resources. But why was it constructed in such a remote corner instead of in the center of the village?
At that moment, Xu Qingyuan had no time to ponder this question. Gritting his teeth, he continued forward.
As he got closer, even with the fabric strips meant to muffle the sound, the horrifying noise grew louder.
There was no doubt that the sound was coming from this well.
Xu Qingyuan stepped on the thick layer of decaying leaves on the ground, producing a "crunching" sound that echoed loudly in the quiet night.
In the darkness, fear often amplifies infinitely; one must not scare oneself.
Xu Qingyuan took a deep breath.
The well still retained its original pulley system, which looked as if it could still be used.
Xu Qingyuan picked up a wooden bucket nearby and unhesitatingly threw it down.
"Plop."
The sound of the bucket hitting the water surface echoed.
There was no further noise.
Unable to see what was beneath the water, Xu Qingyuan leaned closer to the well's edge. The light from the optical brain in his hand was dim but barely illuminated the bottom of the well.
As the light spread, the dark bottom of the well was gradually revealed, and Xu Qingyuan saw the wooden bucket floating on the water's surface...
Suddenly, a shadow moved in the water, causing Xu Qingyuan's heart to tighten.
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