On the glass vase decorating the desk, two Roses, one red and one white, were inserted.
After a day of stillness, the flowers could no longer bear the loneliness of wilting. They voluntarily shed their withered outer petals, leaving only the tenderest few.
Sophia's pursuit of truth stemmed from good intentions.
However, seeking truth and pursuing righteousness, how could it be so easy?
This path was destined to be muddy and slippery.
Her ridiculous dreams and efforts were easily shattered by the harsh club of reality.
In the end, like the wilting red Rose, she could only lean against the mouth of the vase, holding onto the fantasy in her heart, allowing reality to humiliate and suppress her.
“Well, have you recognized reality yet?” Li Andy whispered.
“I… I’ve recognized it…”
Sophia gasped weakly, but secretly pouted, still retaining a last trace of stubbornness.
She wasn't admitting defeat; she was just… temporarily yielding!
The flesh could fall, but the heart’s fire would never extinguish!
What if one day… dreams truly triumphed over reality?
Li Andy smiled, not mocking her.
After all… a Sophia who would contend and resist life was more interesting and fun, wasn't she?
“Very good, I look forward to your next effort.”
Li Andy smiled as he stood up, preparing to depart grandly like a powerful villain.
But just then, Moss, who had fallen earlier, revived and crawled up again, grabbing his wrist with trembling small hands:
“Andy Gege… I… I’m ready again!”
Her expectant eyes seemed to hold hundreds of hungry lambs.
“……”
Li Andy froze in place. He realized that he, too, seemed to have a reality to face.
“Andy Gege… I… haven’t fallen yet…”
Moss’s breathing was somewhat hurried. The Clockwork Heart inside her pounded, greatly optimizing her body’s functions.
At this moment, she was like a small, unkillable hero who knelt before the Demon King with a sword, forever resilient.
Li Andy gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, and mercilessly shook off her hand:
“No, you’ve already fallen!”
Moss fell to the ground, finally no longer getting up, but a satisfied smile appeared on her flushed face.
It was as if that rough treatment was what she truly wanted in the end.
Li Andy quickly left, not daring to linger.
He planned to investigate the “Unknown Relic” that Rose might possess, and incidentally… recover his physical condition.
After all, there was still one more hero challenging the Demon King…
“Brother, I’m back.”
“!!”
Li Andy, who had just touched the doorknob, immediately shivered with fright.
Perhaps it was because he had just engaged in intense activity and his body was still in a depleted state, but he actually failed to detect Youxi’s return immediately!
“Brother, where are you going?”
Youxi asked with a gloomy smile, her hands behind her back.
“Uh… I heard about Sophia’s situation. I’m a bit curious how they managed it, so I plan to secretly investigate.” Li Andy leaned against the door and answered truthfully.
For some reason, he felt that Youxi at this moment was very dangerous!
“Just investigating a possible mysterious item?” Youxi stood on tiptoe and asked, her face close to his.
“Of course!”
Li Andy swallowed, explaining with a dry laugh, “It’s not like I’m going to chase a celebrity, is it? Hehe…”
Youxi stared quietly into his eyes. Two seconds later, she showed her usual heartwarming smile.
“Then, Brother, if you need help, just call Youxi. Youxi… will always only focus on her most beloved family…”
With that, the girl raised herself on her tiptoes again and lightly kissed Li Andy’s lips.
“Okay… I… I love my family the most too!”
Li Andy’s smile was a bit stiff, but he felt an inexplicable sense of relief inside.
“Then, Brother, come back early?” The girl looked shyly at her tiptoes, “And the buttons on my dress, you haven’t unbuttoned them yet…”
Li Andy’s breathing hitched. He suddenly felt like continuing the fight.
But his slightly aching waist reminded him that investigating the relic was more important.
The night was long; there was no need to rush.
After getting the answer she wanted, Youxi smiled and turned around.
Only then did Li Andy notice that the girl was holding a bundle of black cloth straps covered in red runes behind her back.
Demon Binding Seal?
What did she want to do? Where were the evil demons here?
Only Sophia, that werewolf vampire, would be relatively afraid of such things.
“Hiss…”
Li Andy shivered, suddenly realizing.
He hoped that Sophia’s recovery ability would last until he returned.
His remaining energy wouldn’t be enough to dissuade a resentful Youxi now.
However, Sophia, on the verge of death, was still giggling and seeking help from her good sister:
“Youxi, you’re back~! Don’t let Andy run away! He’s easiest to push down right now!”
Li Andy looked at her with pity, twisted the doorknob, and resolutely walked towards the empty room next door.
The hotel’s soundproofing was excellent. As long as he didn’t actively use any special means, he wouldn’t be able to know what tragedy was happening on Youxi’s side.
After closing the door, Li Andy took a deep breath, cleared his mind, took out the Mystic Mirror, and poured his spirituality into it.
‘Let’s investigate Miss Rose first…’
After hearing Sophia’s encounter, Li Andy felt that the girl named Moss was very likely the person who replaced Rose using the “Performer’s Mask.”
After all, in the game’s storyline, “Rose” was still the “Angel’s Throat” before her disappearance.
‘But that Moss still seems to be an ordinary person.’
‘The mask hasn’t reached her hands yet?’
‘What’s the relationship between that substitute singing relic and the mask?’
‘How did they get these things?’
‘Hmm… let’s observe first before speculating…’
The enhanced Mystic Mirror made his spirituality jump through various mirror surfaces, and within a few seconds, it found Rose’s room.
Then, like a high-definition camera, it clearly displayed the content of its Snoop in the mirror.
“Bang—!”
In the luxurious suite, a glass vase was smashed.
A man and a woman were arguing.
The man was Charles, the theater manager; the woman was Miss Rose, the big star.
And in the corner of the room was a gray-dressed girl with a slap mark still on her face.
“Are you crazy?!”
Charles’s eyes were bloodshot. He furiously smashed a vase, looking at Rose’s disdainful expression, feeling immense betrayal!
“Why sing the Imperial Anthem?! Why side with the Empire?! Have you forgotten how we were driven out of the City of Fog?! Don’t you know that we’ll die no matter which side we choose?!”
“Heh, do you think you can survive by choosing nothing?” Rose sneered, “You might as well disband the troupe after this tour. Maybe you can still keep your dog life.”
“Disband the troupe? Don’t even think about it!”
Charles pointed at Rose and cursed,
“Do you think you can still stand on stage so brilliantly if you leave the troupe?! Without the troupe, you’re just a vase for others to show off!
“Do you really think those lords you debased yourself for will cherish you for a lifetime?
“Heh heh, maybe in a few years, I’ll see you again in some dirty, stinky alley! You… you’re just a filthy whore!”
Rose’s expression was disdainful during the earlier insults, but upon hearing the last sentence, her face instantly darkened terrifyingly, and her angry gaze was like a torn wound.
“Yes! I’m dirty!”
“But this shitty troupe of yours, which time did it overcome difficulties without relying on my dirtiness?!”
“What you care about is not the people of the troupe; what you care about is just your broken troupe!”
Saying that, she grabbed a red wine bottle from the side and smashed it at Charles.
“Bang—!”
The glass shattered, and red wine mixed with blood flowed down Charles’s head. The dizzying sting, however, made him sober up a bit.
Looking at the sobbing Rose, he finally remembered her sacrifices.
“Rose… I… I was also doing it all for the troupe…”
At this moment, Rose suddenly grabbed a piece of the broken vase and aimed it at her own neck.
“Rose, you… you calm down!” Charles panicked instantly.
“Get out—!”
The celebrity’s normally sweet voice was now hoarse like a demon.
“Moss… you… take good care of Rose!”
Charles dared not stay any longer and fled the room in a state of disarray.
Rose threw away the glass shard and collapsed weakly onto the table, sobbing helplessly.
The gray-dressed girl, Moss, choked back tears and got up, hugging Rose tightly from behind.
Li Andy watched the scene in the mirror, his brows gradually furrowing.
Just then, there was a knock on his door, and the butler’s muffled voice came from outside:
“Young Master Andy, are you in there?”
