Mysteries: Arcana Wars

Chapter 496 The Girl Wandering in the Illusion

Audrey opened her eyes from her dizziness.

The familiar metropolis of Backlund has vanished, and the detective and magician have disappeared without a trace. All that remains is lush green foliage and a clear, bright blue sky.

I sat up, and all I could see was an endless forest.

"How...how did I end up in the forest?"

Audrey tried hard to recall what had just happened.

She had just been helping Susie evacuate the crowd when they encountered a group of the legendary postmodernists, and for some reason, they were swept up and pushed away by them.

Later...later...

Later, I think I was bending down to pick something up when I accidentally caused a stampede by the protesters, and it felt like something poked into my head.

...It's an obsidian fragment!

Thinking of this, Audrey subconsciously touched her forehead. The obsidian embedded in her forehead had vanished without a trace, leaving no scar, as if it had never existed at all.

Headache, dizziness, headache, and fainting continued to plague Audrey.

I don't know what happened in between, but when I woke up, I was in this big forest.

Now that things have come to this, the first priority is to take action and find a way back to Backlund.

Audrey staggered to her feet and looked down to find that her clothes had been changed at some point.

The clean and tidy modern clothes disappeared, replaced by a set of Fifth Age classical-style clothes.

Sturdy leather shoes, warm stockings, neat suspender pants, a clean beige shirt, a soft little cape, and even a pair of heavy gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose.

This look reminded Audrey of many TV dramas.

The popular mystery dramas in Backlund often use the Fifth Age as their historical backdrop, and the screen image of detectives in the steampunk era is often like this.

A detective look so typical it's almost stereotypical...?

"Okay, if this is some kind of prank, it should end now."

Audrey was annoyed, feeling as if she had been tricked and deliberately dumped in this deserted forest.

"My goddess, I'm dressed like a detective now, I could go straight to acting."

Finally, she sighed, calmed herself down, pushed aside the dense bushes, and randomly chose a place to move forward.

Susie—

"Detective Leonard—"

"Merlin Hermes—"

She called out her teammates' names repeatedly in the forest until Audrey was tired of calling, but there was no response.

As if all her energy had been drained away, Audrey slumped to the ground, letting out a long sigh.

It seems we need to prepare for a long struggle in this forest; the most urgent task is to conserve our energy.

Audrey quickly recovered and, after resting, ventured deeper into the forest again to see if there was any food to eat.

Just then, a strange noise came from the bushes, and a girl jumped out from the leaves.

"No time left, no time left!"

"Miss Assistant, what are you still doing here!"

She wore the exact same clothes as Audrey, but with many more accessories. A magnifying glass, a cane, a pocket watch, a hat, and small gadgets made of gears and sheet metal jingled around her, giving her a reassuring and reliable aura.

Compared to Audrey, she was the steampunk detective who stepped right out of the TV.

The only eye-catching feature was the girl's white rabbit ears on her head and her short, cute rabbit tail behind her.

"Uh...excuse me, ma'am, who are you?"

Audrey pointed to herself.

"Is someone calling me, 'Miss Assistant'?"

"That's right, that's right!"

The rabbit girl jumped up in a panic.

"I'm the detective, and you're the assistant. We've known each other for years, haven't we?"

"...Huh?"

With that, the rabbit detective grabbed Audrey's hand and dragged her along without another word.

After a rapid run, the rabbit detective finally stopped and led Audrey to a small village in the forest.

Although it was called a village, the houses here were built with great care and attention to detail. Neatly arranged wooden planks were firmly nailed together to form walls, pillars, and beams. Vibrant leaves and flowers were carefully placed in hanging baskets under the houses, brightening Audrey's eyes.

The villagers were extremely friendly; upon seeing the rabbit detective and Audrey, they all came out of their houses to greet them warmly.

The inhabitants weren't all human. Besides the detective with ears, there were two-meter-tall cats, palm-sized mice, jewel people who walked with a clattering sound, and some orcs with strange ears and tails. Audrey couldn't recognize what kind of animals they were.

"Miss Detective, thank you for helping me find my lost ring!"

"Miss Detective, thank you for helping me find my leg that I left in the forest!"

"Detective, thank you for helping me find my lovely little bird!"

"Detective Miss..."

The eccentric residents lived together in the forest village, working and harvesting together, forming an inseparable whole. A strong sense of warmth flowed throughout the village, allowing Audrey to feel a long-lost sense of relaxation and comfort.

Transcending reality, interpreting ideals, and expressing dreams.

It's just like... a fairy tale.

Do stones and gems move? Do mice and cats talk? Do houses and roads grow on their own?

No, this phenomenon, which clearly defies all the laws of reality, is now being vividly displayed before my eyes.

So... I haven't actually woken up yet?

Am I lost in a deep dream?

...So in reality, I'm probably still unconscious. I need to find a way to leave the dream and wake up.

"Detective, what are we going to do now?"

Since we can't return to Backlund for the time being, we should first try to find a powerful backer and understand what's going on.

"What are we going to do? We're going to investigate a case, of course!"

"..."

Audrey didn't really want to follow the detective and do chores like catching pets and finding things; it would drain her energy and time and hinder her from finding a way out.

But now that things have come to this, following the detective's lead may be the only answer.

Audrey reassured herself, "Relax, it's just some small things—feeding the livestock, knitting, checking the accounts." These everyday "cases" could be quickly "solved" through their collaboration.

After passing through another forest, a charming wooden house came into Audrey's view.

The detective's expression turned serious, as if he were about to catch a trembling little pet that had accidentally wandered off.

"Assistant, you follow behind me."

The detective reached out to stop Audrey, slowly walked up the steps, and carefully pushed open the door.

First, a nauseating stench assaulted the senses, followed by a glaring red. Rotten flesh mixed with pale bone meal, smeared with fat and brains, covered the entire room, hanging on the wooden structure of the house, rotting and infested with maggots, with wriggling sesame seeds and grains of rice on the surface.

It's as if you beat a person into a near-liquid mess and then spray them with a high-pressure water gun onto the wall panels, beams, and columns.

"The deceased were the reclusive Mr. Flame and his family."

Audrey immediately felt a strong churning in her stomach and collapsed at the doorway.

"The murderer is..."

A cold wind blew by, and the last candle in the room went out.

"An alien whale parasitizing the Tesla constant!"