Chapter 84
However, in the next moment, Ye Bai suddenly saw the Yalong guard spirit stop its movements. Two flickering flames danced in its eye sockets, and the exposed health bar retracted as if it were merely trying to scare Ye Bai. After that, it retreated down the passage.
Ye Bai watched this scene with some surprise, quickly interrupting her spell-casting to avoid attracting any monsters.
The Yalong guard spirit then stepped back down the passage, glancing toward the lower end of the corridor, where the giant door had been entered by the donkey earlier.
This time, without hesitation or doubt, it strode forward, moving much faster than before, almost breaking into a jog, as if something more urgent had caught its attention.
Could it be that the donkey stirred up some trouble?
Ye Bai felt a mix of confusion and concern. She recalled the strange humanoid figure that had spoken earlier and turned her gaze toward the wall of the passage where she had heard its voice.
However, in the dim light of the corridor, Ye Bai didn’t see any markings on the surrounding stone walls. Just as she hesitated about whether to light a candle for a closer look, the familiar voice rang out again:
“I’m here! I’m in your hand.”
Ye Bai: “...?”
In my hand?
Ye Bai looked down at her hands. In her right hand, the Snow-colored Sword gleamed enticingly, while her left hand held a magical scroll, ready to unleash its power... the magical scroll!
Regular magical scrolls are made from specially treated parchment, inscribed with magical runes using enchanted ink. Just like the dragon language carved into those massive stones, these magical runes are also a form of energy-laden script.
So... with a sudden jolt in her heart, Ye Bai looked at the magical scroll she had recently taken out from her backpack. On its rolled-up exterior, she saw a humanoid figure formed from magical runes, waving at her in a familiar gesture.
Due to the limited length of the rolled parchment, the figure was significantly smaller. In the dim light, Ye Bai brought the scroll closer, finally able to see the strange humanoid figure, which was no larger than her palm.
This time, the style had changed; perhaps due to the material and the style of the runes, it was no longer the ‘stick figure’ carved into the white stones of the dragon tomb.
Now, under the style of the black magical ink, Ye Bai saw the figure had simple lines for long hair and facial features, transforming from a stick figure into a minimalist line drawing... it truly looked like something out of an ‘anime’!
This is absurd! It’s absurd to the core!
Ye Bai was left dumbfounded. The appearance of the strange humanoid here didn’t surprise her too much; after all, it had previously mentioned a significant quest and the dragon clan’s treasure. What surprised her was the manner of its appearance.
She had thought this being could only manifest on walls as a ‘two-dimensional’ entity, but now she discovered it could also become a ‘paper figure’—a true paper figure!
Moreover, this was a magical scroll she had just taken out of her backpack. How did it manage to follow her? Could it also break through her backpack like the donkey?
Why are divine beings so unreasonable?
At the same time, as Ye Bai leaned in closer, the figure awkwardly withdrew its hand, and two ambiguous horizontal lines appeared on the ‘face’ outlined by a circular line.
When the strange humanoid spoke again, its tone seemed a bit less friendly:
“Um, you might be getting a little too close…”
“Ah?”
Ye Bai paused for a moment before realizing what those extra lines meant, and she was left speechless—are you blushing like a teapot?
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**Chapter 60**
Ye Bai raised her head, looking down at the magical scroll in her hand.
With a cold tone, she confronted the nameless strange humanoid: “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. I think you owe me an explanation for why you’re appearing on my magical scroll!”
If it hadn’t been for the warning about the undead guard, which showed a degree of goodwill, Ye Bai would have already discarded the scroll.
The being’s origins were mysterious, burdened with a powerful curse, and it had been intent on giving her tasks related to deities. She had always been wary of it.
“This situation is a bit complicated…” The figure’s tone became awkward again upon hearing Ye Bai’s question.
“Then take your time explaining.” Ye Bai was not willing to deal with the strange humanoid without understanding the situation, and she asked the most pressing question: “Can you enter my backpack?”
“Of course not.” The strange humanoid waved its hand. Oh, in this ink-line figure form, it didn’t seem so strange anymore. Ye Bai decided to internally rename it ‘Paper Man.’
The Paper Man waved its hand and said, “The curse on me erases my existence in reality; I can only wander within text. I can only appear to communicate with you because you took the magical scroll out of your backpack.”
Ye Bai asked, “What happens if I put the scroll back in the backpack?”
“Then you obviously won’t see me anymore,” the Paper Man replied matter-of-factly.
Ye Bai was skeptical. When the Paper Man wasn’t present, she couldn’t see it, making it impossible to verify the truth of this information by putting the scroll back in her backpack.
“Can you enter other scrolls too?”
As she spoke, Ye Bai took out another magical scroll from her backpack.
The Paper Man understood her intent immediately and made a jumping motion from the magical scroll in her left hand, appearing on the one in her right hand.
This scroll was inscribed with frost magic ink, and after the Paper Man appeared on it, its lines transformed into a deep blue.
Ye Bai raised an eyebrow: “From the ruins of the dragon tomb to here, that’s quite a distance. How did you get here? The jumping distance you mentioned can’t be what you said, right?”
The Paper Man looked at Ye Bai’s expression and, seeing no obvious anger, cautiously replied, “In fact, once someone can communicate with me, I can choose to appear on any text medium near that person.”
I knew this Paper Man was no ordinary being! What a curse this is; it’s practically a meme infection!
Ye Bai furrowed her brow, immediately pondering the implications of this statement.
Does this mean that as long as the Paper Man successfully communicates with someone, it can instantly appear in any text medium without delay?
Those who have successfully communicated with it would become carriers of the curse, with the only requirement being the ability to recognize the text that contains its existence.
Ye Bai felt a chill: “So, you could hide in widely known ordinary text and roam the entire world? You were lying before; you haven’t been near the dragon tomb at all!”
“No, no, no, I really was at the dragon tomb for a long time. I can only exist within text that possesses magical power, and…” At this point, the Paper Man sighed: “It’s limited to those with divine blood. You are the first person who has been able to communicate with me for so long.”
Hearing this, Ye Bai instinctively asked, “Does the donkey count?”
The Paper Man was taken aback, its eyebrows raising in surprise, as if it hadn’t expected Ye Bai to ask that question. Then it firmly shook its head: “The donkey definitely doesn’t count.”
So it’s limited to players... wait, besides players, the five major races in the divine realm, apart from the ancient dragon clan, also possess divine blood.
If “the donkey doesn’t count,” then the true identity of the donkey is worth investigating.
“…” After a moment of silence, Ye Bai took a deep breath: “So, my ‘recognition’ has also become part of your curse? Am I now one of the victims of the curse?”
“Yes, but you won’t be a victim.” The Paper Man nodded, then quickly explained: “You can see my current state; I cannot interfere with the real world. Please rest assured, I pose no harm to you!”
Ye Bai looked at the Paper Man, which could only exist on a two-dimensional plane, recalling its earlier warning. She couldn’t help but smirk: “Well, there is still harm.”
The Paper Man blinked: “What harm?”
Ye Bai: “There’s mental harm.”
The Paper Man: “……”
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