Chapter 116: The Mute Finds His Voice

“Knock, knock, knock!”

The sound echoed through the hollow corridor. In the dim, dilapidated passageway, the person knocking looked from afar like a hunched ghoul. It was Stone Silkworm, an attendant at the Mist Inn, anxiously pounding on Luo Hanya’s door as though he had something urgent to tell him.

Stone Silkworm knocked for quite some time, but there was no response from inside. He pressed his ear against the door and listened for a moment before stopping. The room was deathly silent and empty, without the slightest sound. It seemed that no one was inside.

Stone Silkworm paced anxiously in front of the door like an ant on a hot pan. His face twisted slightly, making him look even more terrifying. Clearly, he had something urgent to discuss with Luo Hanya.

After a long while, Stone Silkworm seemed to make up his mind. He glanced furtively in every direction like a thief, took a deep breath, then slightly opened his frightening mouth and called softly through the door.

“Sir, it’s time to get up and eat!”

“Sir, are you still there?”

“Sir? Where are you?”

It was bizarre—utterly bizarre. Luo Hanya, who was returning from the third floor, suddenly heard Stone Silkworm’s voice. Though faint, it seemed to penetrate directly into his mind, as if it were telepathy.

Luo Hanya stopped in the depths of the labyrinthine corridor and cautiously surveyed his surroundings, searching for the source of the voice. Naturally, he found nothing. After standing there and distinguishing the sound for a moment, he was startled by his own conclusion: the voice seemed to be coming from inside his body. Often, the most unreliable guess was the one closest to the truth.

“Sir? Where are you? I’m Stone Silkworm. I have something urgent to discuss with you. I’m right outside your room.”

The voice was muffled yet clear, and unmistakably anxious.

Luo Hanya had no time to think. His eyes flashed, and he strode toward his room.

“Sir, hurry over. Time is running short. Surely you know that the moment is almost here…”

Luo Hanya furrowed his brows tightly. He was anxious as well. He knew perfectly well how much Stone Silkworm could help him at this point. Any force that could aid him now was incredibly precious.

…

“Gasp… gasp…”

Luo Hanya ran to his door, breathing heavily. Yet the sight before him left him bewildered. Never mind someone as large as Stone Silkworm—even a ghost was nowhere to be seen.

Luo Hanya swallowed and repeatedly took deep breaths, steadying his ragged breathing. He kept glancing left and right, but he could not find even Stone Silkworm’s shadow.

His heart sank at once.

Could he have arrived too late? Had something happened to Stone Silkworm? Or had it already begun?

“Sir, come inside. It isn’t safe out there.”

The voice interrupted Luo Hanya’s ominous speculation at precisely the right moment.

Luo Hanya continued taking deep breaths until his breathing had steadied, then pretended to be calm as he entered the room.

That familiar yet terrifying face was waiting by the door for his return. Stone Silkworm stood perfectly still, like a ghost.

“Stone Silkworm, tell me what happened. We don’t have much time.”

Luo Hanya casually closed the door. He had no interest in asking why Stone Silkworm could speak or how he was capable of transmitting his voice telepathically over such a distance. He went straight to the point and asked anxiously.

“Sir, it’s too late. You came back one step too late. What was destined to come has finally arrived.”

Stone Silkworm stared at the doorway in terror, as though he had seen something unimaginably horrifying.

Luo Hanya abruptly followed his gaze and turned around. The door, which was nearly closed, was being held open by a hand. Someone appeared to be trying to come in.

“What is that?”

Luo Hanya’s pupils contracted. He instinctively reached back to shut the door.

“Don’t close it, don’t close it. Relax. It’s me—Oleander.”

The lazy voice drawled from behind the door.

“Oleander?” Stone Silkworm breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly familiar with the newcomer.

“Why are you here?” Luo Hanya asked, looking at Oleander in confusion.

“The final moment is approaching, so of course I had to come. Otherwise, I’d lose the chance to witness this grand spectacle.”

Oleander smiled casually. Still carrying a bottle of wine, he swayed into the room. From his tone, he sounded like a complete outsider, utterly unconcerned with the final outcome.

Luo Hanya stared at Oleander, studying his expression while his thoughts raced.

He doesn’t seem to be pretending. Could he really be an outsider? And if he is, then what about Macarius?

Of the six people, only one is an outsider. So who is it? Oleander or Macarius?

Luo Hanya grew increasingly agitated and scratched his head irritably, never once including Moonwater among the possibilities.

…

“But weren’t you mute? How can you suddenly speak?”

Oleander looked at Stone Silkworm curiously. He licked his lips and clapped his hands like a child.

“Ha! I get it! You must have secretly learned ventriloquism.”

Stone Silkworm hesitated for a moment before nodding. He ignored Oleander and said in a deep, muffled voice, “Actually, I came here to tell Sir something.”

“What is it?”

Luo Hanya looked at Stone Silkworm expectantly.

“I came to warn you not to touch anything Manluo gives you today.”

Stone Silkworm gazed seriously into Luo Hanya’s eyes and spoke with solemn emphasis. As though still worried that he had not made himself clear, he stressed the warning again.

“No matter what it is, you must not touch it!”

“Ah?”

Luo Hanya frowned slightly. He did not quite understand what Stone Silkworm meant by Manluo, but he still nodded firmly.

“No problem. I won’t touch anything he gives me.”

“And there’s one more thing…”

Stone Silkworm suddenly stopped and glanced nervously at Oleander, who stood by the door, taking tiny sips from the wine in his hand.

“Ha-ha, I’ll give you two some privacy.”

Oleander immediately understood. He tactfully stepped out of the room and deliberately slammed the door shut with a loud bang, apparently hoping to put Luo Hanya and Stone Silkworm at ease.

“This.”

As if performing a magic trick, Stone Silkworm took a small, exquisitely crafted piece of jade from his pocket. A blood-red radiance flickered within it, exactly the same color as the bloodstains on the cloth wrapped around Luo Hanya’s hand.

After taking it out, Stone Silkworm’s expression became extremely solemn. His ugly, terrifying face even seemed to carry a trace of holiness.

Stone Silkworm leaned close to Luo Hanya’s ear and whispered, “Sir, you must keep this safe. Do not use it until the final moment. Remember! This can only be used at the very end. Do not use it too early!”

“What exactly is this?”

“This is called a Heartblood Crystal. Heartblood is condensed within it, the spirit made translucent, vital essence solidified.”

“A Heartblood Crystal?”

“Sir, remember this. You must not use it too soon. Until the final moment arrives, you absolutely must not use it. This is to be your last resort…”