"This is... Essence Spirit Liquid?"

Zhou Chen’s face showed surprise, which quickly turned to joy in his heart. ’I’ve struck it rich!’

This pure Essence Spirit Liquid, condensed and refined from the absorbed quintessence of the heavens, earth, sun, and moon, possessed an excellent Essence fusion rate. It plays a crucial harmonizing role in Advancement rituals, increasing the chance of success.

Consuming it directly could also strengthen the body, Soul, and Essence. It could also be used as a raw material to concoct potions that repair the Soul. Furthermore, in the realm of Alchemy, it was an exceptionally rare, high-grade material.

This mass of Essence Spirit Liquid was a full three liters, its value immeasurable.

Zhou Chen looked at the cracked, lapis-colored metal. It was hollow inside. This metal possessed an incredible absorption and filtration ability, like a natural reservoir. It had slowly absorbed Extraordinary Essence under the wind and sun, extracting and accumulating it as a spiritual liquid. When the liquid inside accumulated to a point where the metal could no longer contain it, the Essence Spirit Liquid would burst out all at once, breaking through its container.

If it hadn’t been discovered in time, the precious Essence Spirit Liquid would have been wasted.

With a thought from Zhou Chen, the pale Furnace Fire swept out, melting the cracked, lapis-colored metal on the table into a puddle of molten iron. He then shaped it into a container, poured the Essence Spirit Liquid inside, and sealed it. The remaining metal he refined into a rectangular Lapis Iron Ingot, keeping it as a material he might need later.

"You’re next..."

He looked at the Cursed Puppet, placed the doll in front of him, and with a casual wave of his hand, erased the seal on its body.

The Cursed Puppet was small and delicate, with chestnut-colored hair, a rose hair ornament, and a gorgeous, elegant Gothic dress. After the seal was removed, it remained completely still, without a hint of any eerie aura, just like an ordinary doll.

"Stop pretending. I know you’re active."

Zhou Chen wore a faint, unreadable smile. He leaned back, resting his elbows on the chair’s armrests and steepling his fingers, his aura powerful and mysterious.

The Gothic Puppet immediately began trembling like a leaf, springing to life as if it were truly alive. It dropped to its knees and prostrated itself on the floor. "Great being, I meant no offense, no intention to pry! Please forgive my foolish actions..."

"Name," Zhou Chen asked flatly.

"The one who made me called me Angela. I have the Ability of Entering the Dream. I can infiltrate the dreams of assassination targets. If I kill them in their dream, they will die in reality as well," the Gothic Puppet answered truthfully, its voice trembling.

"What is your relationship with Alice?"

"She is something of a sister to me. We were both made by the same person, who is known as the ’Puppet Master.’ Great Master, are there any other questions I can answer for you..." Angela couldn’t hide her terror, as if she were enduring unimaginable Fear and pressure with every passing second.

"Why is your intelligence so high, while Alice can only mechanically repeat fixed phrases?" Zhou Chen asked with a hint of interest.

The intelligence displayed by this Gothic Puppet was countless times higher than that of the Killing Doll, Alice.

"I am the Puppet Master’s most outstanding masterpiece. I... I was once a human, but for some reason my Soul was stuffed into this puppet’s body. I’ve forgotten many of my past memories, but I still possess a Soul. Alice and the others are just Cursed Artifacts; they don’t have Souls," Angela explained, her voice trembling.

’It has a Soul?’ Zhou Chen was lost in thought. ’No wonder Angela’s intelligence is so high. Not even the Blood Race’s seal could completely contain it...’

"Great being, I am willing to serve you as my master, to become your humble servant," Angela begged piously, suppressing the Fear in its heart. It knew this was likely the only way to avoid being annihilated.

What followed was a long silence.

If Angela had such things as pores, it would have long since been drenched in a cold sweat in the suffocating silence. Its joints were trembling violently in extreme terror, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

After a long wait, it finally heard the verdict it had been hoping for:

"You may."

Angela was overcome with relief, but it remained kneeling respectfully.

"You seem to want to be rid of this body?" Zhou Chen asked in an even tone.

"Y-yes, this body is too small. It’s a bit cramped for me," Angela answered honestly.

"Do your job well, and I will help you get a new body."

"Yes! As you will it! Angela will be your most loyal servant!"

Angela displayed genuine piety, because it had no other choice. It could only follow the path of serving the great being before it to the very end.

It believed that if it showed even the slightest hint of betrayal, this great being would instantly annihilate it.

So it decided to embrace piety and worship this great being as its God.

This was also a good thing for it.

A believer who serves a God is destined to attain a lofty status.

Wishing Star Seed +10, Wishing Star Seed +10...

Zhou Chen was in a good mood. Just from interrogating this puppet, he had gained a total of twenty Wishing Star Seeds. He also learned that a special being like Angela could provide wish value.

With a thought, he sent Angela back to reality.

Angela stood on the floor, lifted the hem of its skirt, and gave Zhou Chen a ladylike curtsy. Then, its body went rigid, turning back into an ordinary Gothic Puppet.

’Next up are some Extraordinary Materials. When I have time, I’ll make a list and see what I can refine with them. Hmm... I should get Xiao Ye a gift to make it up to them, otherwise I’ll feel a bit bad...’

Zhou Chen’s consciousness returned to reality. He picked up Angela from the floor and said to it in a solemn voice:

"You are to protect the one person and one dog in this villa. Do not let any harm come to them."

"Yes. Please trust in Angela’s Ability."

Zhou Chen nodded. He carried Angela to the villa’s living room and placed it on the sofa. "Normally, you are to pretend to be an ordinary doll. I will explain your origins."

"Yes, I will follow your will."

· 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

·

Sun Miao, a twenty-two-year-old university student.

Today was the seventh day since her boyfriend, Qin Xiaoze, had passed away—the day his spirit was believed to return home for a final visit.

Qin Xiaoze had died in a car accident. When Sun Miao rushed to the scene, all she saw was a body mangled beyond recognition. Her emotions collapsed on the spot.

She was scared, heartbroken, and unable to accept the tragic reality.

She truly loved her boyfriend, loved him so much. From the bottom of her heart, she prayed for him to come back, but Sun Miao knew it was impossible. The overwhelming grief had turned her into a walking corpse, numb and unfeeling, spending her days curled up on her bed, crying alone.

Tonight, she was finally exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.

But just as Sun Miao was sleeping soundly, a familiar voice woke her.

"Miaomiao—"

The familiar voice made Sun Miao open her eyes, but she was immediately so shocked by the horrifying figure before her that she couldn’t breathe—her boyfriend, who had been nearly crushed into a paste by a large truck, was standing right in front of her, alive!

His lower body was intact, but his chest, along with his head, had been crushed into a flat slab of flesh. It was mangled beyond recognition, dripping with thick, crimson blood. And on that shriveled head, a twisted mouth opened and closed, emitting the voice she knew so well.

"Miaomiao, it’s me, I’m back!"

Sun Miao felt a chill freeze her to the bone. She wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. Her limbs felt as though they were being pinned down by invisible hands, unable to move an inch.

She could only watch, wide-eyed, as the bloody, mangled corpse drew closer and closer.

Sun Miao’s lips trembled, her heart filled with immense Fear. Finally, the Fear shattered some sort of mental shackle, and she let out a scream.

Then, her eyes flew open. She shot up in bed, waking with a start from the Nightmare.

She whipped her head around, but there was no bloody, mangled corpse by her bed.

Trembling, Sun Miao let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest reassuringly, telling herself that she was just hallucinating from her recent grief.

But in the next moment, she froze. Her eyes widened, her expression twisting into terror. Unable to suppress the Fear inside her any longer, she screamed, shattering the silence of the night. The high-pitched shriek caused the motion-Sensing lights of the residential complex to switch on one by one.

The bedside lamp cast a warm, yellow glow, revealing a pair of bloody footprints on the floor right next to her bed!

It was as if someone had just been standing there, silently watching her as she slept.