Chapter 20: Irene’s Information and Advice

Chapter 20: Irene’s Information and Advice

The doll girl in the oil painting greeted Yu Sheng happily and excitedly. Her voice carried a hint of surprise, but there was not the slightest trace of shock or panic at seeing a dead person return alive.

Yu Sheng felt that this definitely was not because Irene was unusually carefree.

Sure enough, the problem lay with himself. But considering how many times he had already died and come back to life in such a short period, it no longer seemed strange that something bizarre would happen to him.

“More or less by accident. At least I made it back,” Yu Sheng replied casually. He turned around and closed the half-open door, then immediately lowered his head to inspect himself. He confirmed that not only had his body completely recovered, but even his clothes had been restored exactly as they were before.

Yu Sheng frowned. Combined with Irene’s current reaction, he felt that rather than being “resurrected,” it was as if the entire “event” of his death had simply vanished from existence.

His dazed expression at the doorway caught Irene’s attention. The doll in the painting spoke up in confusion. “Yu Sheng? Are you alright? Why do you look so absent-minded? Oh, right, tell me how you got back. Our connection kept cutting in and out, and there were always all kinds of strange noises on your side. I have no idea what weird things you ran into in that Other Domain. Huh? What’s that thing you’re carrying?”

Only after she pointed it out did Yu Sheng notice that he was still tightly gripping something in his hand.

It was the severed tail covered in black scales, grotesque and ugly in appearance.

The corner of Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched. “Damn, I almost forgot about it. It’s actually still here.”

Even now, the thing was still contracting and writhing slightly in his hand. However, it was obviously nowhere near as lively as before. It seemed that although the monster’s severed limb possessed astonishing vitality, it would still gradually die after being separated from the main body.

A strange feeling rose in his heart. For a moment, Yu Sheng did not even know how to explain the thing’s origin to Irene. After a brief hesitation, he carried the severed tail toward the kitchen while speaking casually.

“...A local specialty.”

The doll in the painting froze.

“...Huh?”

By then, Yu Sheng had already tossed the severed tail into the kitchen sink. After confirming that it no longer had the strength to crawl out, he still felt uneasy and stabbed it several more times. Then he placed a pot lid on top of it. At least if it really managed to crawl out, he would hear the sound of the lid falling.

Only then did he return to the dining room with a trace of exhaustion, drag his heavy body to a chair, and collapse into it.

His mind was a mess.

There were too many things he needed to think about.

More importantly, he was truly exhausted.

But he forced himself to stay awake.

This was not the time to sleep.

Across the table, Irene watched him cautiously.

“Yu Sheng, tell me about what happened in that Other Domain. And how exactly did you...”

“I was just about to talk about that,” Yu Sheng interrupted with a wave of his hand.

He adjusted his sitting position, then looked seriously at the doll in the painting.

“I’ve got a stomach full of questions. First, let me tell you what I ran into over there. I met a girl who was trapped in the Other Domain just like me, except she’d probably been trapped there for a very, very long time...”

Yu Sheng hid nothing.

He recounted everything he had experienced in Nightfall Valley, telling the doll across from him everything in one go, including the information Hu Li had revealed and the bizarre monster that looked like a fusion of flesh and meat, its appearance completely unrestricted by conventional form.

The only thing he left out was his death and resurrection.

He still had not figured out how to explain that.

Of course, he knew that he and Irene were not particularly close, nor did they share much trust.

But he had no other options.

In this city, Irene was the only abnormal being he had encountered so far with whom communication was possible. She was also the only person he knew who understood things beyond common sense.

Other than Irene, he truly had no one else with whom he could discuss matters concerning the Other Domain.

He felt that he should place a little more trust in the doll within the painting.

After all, up to now, her attitude had been fairly friendly.

Except when she insulted people.

Irene listened very attentively.

The moment Yu Sheng mentioned the flesh monster, her expression became especially serious. Several times she seemed about to speak, but restrained herself each time, never interrupting his account.

Only after Yu Sheng finished speaking did the doll girl finally adjust her posture.

She sat properly in the chair covered with red velvet, her expression earnest as she spoke.

“First, I still need to emphasize something. I don’t remember much. This painting has worn away too many of my memories, so the help I can provide is very limited.”

Yu Sheng nodded.

“I know that.”

“Mhm.”

Irene acknowledged it, her expression relaxing slightly.

“Then I’ll do my best to supplement your knowledge about Other Domains. First, you should already have a basic understanding of them and know that they are a collective term for certain regions that deviate from order and violate common sense. But do you know that something called an entity can also be generated within Other Domains?”

“...Entity?” Yu Sheng asked, puzzled.

“Put simply, they’re the ‘native inhabitants’ or ‘products’ of Other Domains. An entity doesn’t necessarily look a certain way. Sometimes it may be a strange-looking humanoid. Sometimes it may be a beast or monster. Sometimes it might even be a ball of fire, a gust of wind, or a rock that can run around. As long as something originates within an Other Domain, possesses obvious activity, and can react to outsiders, it can be considered an entity.”

Yu Sheng nodded thoughtfully.

“Entities cover a broad range and exist in huge numbers,” Irene continued. “Generally speaking, entities possess obvious abnormal characteristics. They’re born within Other Domains and naturally possess traits that violate common sense, making them strange and dangerous. Most entities lack intelligence, or at least don’t display any thinking behavior that humans can understand. However, it seems that a very small number of entities possess wisdom... That part I can’t remember clearly.”

“Anyway, ninety percent of entities are dangerous. The only difference is the degree. Some entities might do nothing worse than make your nose itch. Others can threaten a person’s life the moment they’re seen.”

“So people came up with a theory. They believe that entities are a kind of rejection response produced by Other Domains, antivirus programs generated to eliminate intruders. According to this view, from the perspective of an Other Domain, the investigators and lost wanderers arriving from the world of order and common sense are the truly indescribable monsters.”

Yu Sheng listened silently, then suddenly reacted.

“...So the monster I encountered was an entity generated by the valley?”

“It should be,” Irene nodded.

“Can entities be destroyed?” Yu Sheng immediately asked.

“Entities can be killed, but they cannot be completely eliminated,” Irene said seriously. “Strictly speaking, entities are merely generated products. Kill one, and a new copy will eventually be generated somewhere within the Other Domain. They are manifestations of the operating rules of the Other Domain itself. As long as the Other Domain exists, entities will continue to appear.”

“Normally, though, generating entities takes time. And there seem to be certain methods for suppressing the operation of some Other Domains, delaying or even preventing the creation of entities within them... As for the specifics, I don’t remember.”

“They can be killed, but not completely eliminated...”

Yu Sheng repeated the words.

Suddenly, the situation seemed even more troublesome than he had imagined.

He was not afraid of dying.

That monster seemed even less afraid.

Without realizing it, Yu Sheng had already assumed that he would return to the valley and encounter the monster again.

He did not know where the thought came from.

By the time he noticed it, the idea, or perhaps a certain intuition, had already taken root in his heart.

“...Forget it. Being able to kill it temporarily is still something,” he said softly with a sigh.

Then he looked up at Irene again.

“Other than that, what else do you know about entities? Things like their weaknesses.”

“Entities don’t have a universal weakness. Sometimes an entity’s weakness isn’t even located within the entity itself. It may be tied to the Other Domain, or to the rules governing that Other Domain. Some entities can even change their own weaknesses.”

Irene shook her head.

“So exploring Other Domains and fighting entities is a specialized and dangerous profession. I strongly recommend finding professionals to help you.”

“Not professionals like me who are trapped inside a painting.”

Yu Sheng immediately rolled his eyes.

“Easy for you to say. Where am I supposed to find professionals? It’s not like they’re posting advertisements on utility poles.”

“They do.”

Yu Sheng stared blankly.

“...What?”

“They have ways of being contacted. Not necessarily through utility-pole advertisements, of course.”

Seeing Yu Sheng’s dumbfounded expression, Irene nodded emphatically.

“Since Other Domains exist everywhere and are dangerous to ordinary people, there are naturally large groups of professionals dedicated to handling such matters. Leaving everything else aside, in a city this large, someone has to maintain order both openly and behind the scenes, right?”

“The authorities have specialized departments. Private organizations exist too, large and small. Although I can’t remember the exact details anymore, those people are definitely active everywhere.”

“Of course, under normal circumstances they keep their distance from ordinary life and remain hidden. Many Other Domains possess bizarre properties, such as becoming active once known about, or deliberately approaching people who fear them. So it’s important to minimize ordinary people’s exposure to information concerning Other Domains.”

“But once some unlucky person has already come into contact with an Other Domain, or an Other Domain manifestation appears in the city, those professionals naturally have methods for locating the situation quickly and showing up.”

Yu Sheng listened to Irene’s explanation in a daze.

After hesitating for a moment, he raised his head and looked out the window.

“So you’re saying that since an Other Domain manifestation has already appeared on my side, all I have to do now is wait, and these professionals you’re talking about will come find me on their own?”

“...Probably... I think?” For some reason, Irene suddenly sounded much less confident.

Yu Sheng could hear the lack of confidence in her voice.

“...Then why haven’t they come yet?”

“I dunno. Logically, they should’ve shown up already.”