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He walked into Stormstone Keep.
It was even more dilapidated than he had imagined; even though the fortress was built of grey-green stone, it still seemed so fragile in the face of time.
Reaching out to touch the stone bricks eroded by time, Yang Tao quietly said to Blue Knight, "It looks like this is a big project."
Entering the castle, it was very dim inside with no lighting whatsoever. Blue Knight's voice was a little embarrassed as he said, "I don't usually need lighting, so it's a bit dark… Wait for me, I'll go light the candelabra."
"No need to be polite, I'll do it."
He took some torches from his backpack and inserted them into the walls. The flickering orange flames illuminated the surroundings. Although the castle was a bit broken, the interior was quite tidy.
Uh, and a bit shabby.
Not to mention the carpets that should have been there, there were no other decorations on the walls apart from some bronze items.
Of course, it's also possible that it's just a fortress and not a true castle.
Led by Blue Knight, the two arrived in a reception room, where a set of stone tables and chairs were placed. Perhaps because Blue Knight frequently wiped them, the set of tables and chairs had already developed a patina.
"Sit down, but I'm sorry, I really don't have anything to entertain you with here."
Blue Knight usually doesn't eat or drink, and he doesn't leave the fortress unless there are special circumstances, so it's normal for him not to have living supplies.
"It's fine, I have some."
He took out a bottle of Almond water from his backpack. A considerate guest would never make the host feel awkward.
"By the way, why don't you live on other levels?"
Yang Tao was very curious about this point, mainly because he wasn't very familiar with Blue Knight and didn't have much information about him.
Blue Knight sat on another stone chair, his armor and the stone making a crisp clinking sound.
"I want to leave here too, but I don't want to hurt others…"
"All the storms on this level are my fault. It's fear, the fear I feel and possess creates them. I don't know what to do, and I can't make it stop no matter what I try. When I can only hear breaking sounds all around me, I can't concentrate or do anything. Even though I try to convince myself."
"I really want to leave here. I want to live on Level 4 or Level 11, but I'm not sure if it's truly safe for others to have an… Entity like me living nearby?"
"I look like a human knight, but I'm not. I have no body, no heart, no mind, no name. You know of my existence because you gave me a voice, otherwise, I am nobody, nothing."
Yang Tao listened to Blue Knight's heartfelt words, while outside the fortress, rumbling thunder could be heard, indicating that Blue Knight's emotions were a bit unstable at the moment.
"I have a place that might be able to suppress your abilities. Would you consider moving there? Although there aren't many people, it's at least much livelier than here."
The thunder outside stopped abruptly.
"I've tried to leave here before, but without exception, all attempts ended in failure."
Blue Knight seemed to fall into thought, recalling something, and then said, "If possible, I can visit. Although I don't like it here and even want to leave immediately, this is my home. I've been living here since I became conscious."
"And some humans accidentally come here. If no one guides them, they won't be able to survive here at all."
Yang Tao nodded slightly, understanding Blue Knight's thoughts. However, he didn't give up on the idea of 'kidnapping' him. With a change of thought, he switched his approach and said, "Then… I'll arrange for people to come and renovate your castle first."
"Although they look a bit strange, they can communicate, which can also relieve your loneliness. Do you mind if I open a door here?"
If he couldn't take Blue Knight, then he would pack up the entire level and bring it into his sphere of influence. Thunderstorms?
You haven't tasted a lightning rod!
Blue Knight shook his head gently and said, "I don't mind. I'm very curious about the strange creatures you mentioned. Are they stranger than Partygoers?"
"Not necessarily… Just, when talking to them, absolutely, absolutely do not let them lead you astray. Other than that, they are quite good…"
Yang Tao stood up and summoned a wooden door.
The appearance of the wooden door immediately attracted Blue Knight's gaze.
"Is this your ability?"
"Mm, want to come to my world and sit for a bit?"
Blue Knight looked at the wooden door opened by Yang Tao. Inside, it gave a feeling of bright sunshine and birdsong and flowers. Usually, environments like this in the Backrooms are often dangerous worlds.
"Your world? Are you also an Entity?"
"I personally think I'm human, although it's a bit far-fetched in the eyes of others. So, I just gave myself an Entity number…"
Yang Tao said with a smile, "9527 'Yang Tao', not bad, right?"
"Mm."
"…"
After returning to the Overworld and arriving at the village, some little Villagers joyfully gathered around him, chattering incessantly.
Yang Tao took some snacks from his backpack to send these little guys away.
And he had the Librarian gather some unemployed Villagers to assign the task of renovating the castle.
"I only have one request: no matchbox houses, no matchbox houses, no matchbox houses. You're going to renovate, not demolish… Uh, those who worked on Level 0 before, don't go this time."
Lest they get carried away and demolish Stormstone Keep completely.
"Greater Demon King… No, that Hero, I want to go this time."
Hearing the familiar voice, Yang Tao looked at the Green Robe Villager standing in the crowd. That 'wise' gaze, with one eye looking left and the other looking right, gave Yang Tao a strange sense of crisis.
'No, no, this guy's intelligence looks like the kind that's contagious. If he infects Blue Knight, that would be a big problem.'
He glanced at the surrounding Villagers, then waved at the Green Robe Villager. When he ran over, he put an arm around his shoulder and led the Green Robe to the side, whispering:
"I'm tricking those Villagers into doing hard labor. You're different; you clearly have great wisdom. Here… this emerald is my gift to you."
"Talented people like you aren't suited for ordinary work like this. When the number of Green-robed Villagers in the village increases, I'll promote you to Five-Stripe Captain, and then send you to the bloody… cough… to heaven to develop your own village."
Yang Tao's eyes were filled with sincerity as he gently patted the Green Robe Villager's shoulder twice and slipped an emerald into his hand.
The Green Robe Villager was so flattered by Yang Tao that he was practically disoriented. His big nose wiggled on his face, combined with that 'wise' gaze, even an ordinary person who didn't know the meaning of Green Robe would have a thought pop into their head when they saw him now.
'This guy wouldn't happen to have a serious illness, would he…'
"I never thought my hidden talent would be discovered by you, Greater Demon King. You're right, I'm completely different from those short-sighted fellows."
"Since you're so polite, Greater Demon King, I'll give you a gift too."
A gift?
Yang Tao was a bit incredulous. This idiot… no, Big Brother, where did you get a Hidden Catalyst from??
Watching the Green Robe Villager pull out a dark cyan Whispering Growth Pod from his bosom, Yang Tao suddenly felt that the Green Robe had become rather pleasing to the eye.
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