After leaving Kaila's villa, instead of returning immediately to his rented accommodation, he wandered around the city. Before he knew it, he was holding a city travel guide, which he had picked up from a bookstore he passed by. The shop sold all kinds of seemingly useless books that no one purchased, as there was really nothing interesting in them, most were historical texts and documentaries about local big shots.
Even in modern times, few people read this kind of material. Most importantly, all those books were so expensive that the prices would frighten normal people to death.
One could imagine how well the bookstore business was going; the layer of dust on the books was so thick that when Ed blew it off, he coughed for a full minute. Only this guide was somehow helpful and surprisingly affordable for its quality.
After having a hearty meal in the afternoon at a nearby restaurant, while watching the beautiful waitresses in very short dresses boldly revealing their assets, Ed finally returned to the villa. Once inside, he headed straight to the master bedroom on the second floor. Standing at the door, he surveyed the room's layout.
"The light spot is on the left side of the room, near the inner corner," Ed mused, rubbing his chin.
Recalling the location, he looked toward that area. A row of neatly stacked solid wooden wardrobes stood there. He walked over and examined them. Only the last three seemed to align with where the light spot had appeared.
He opened the first wardrobe door. A dull, slightly musty smell wafted out. He waved his hand to dispel the odor and peered inside. It was empty, except for a few items probably left behind by previous tenants. There was no visible glow.
He opened the second wardrobe, again, nothing.
His eyes turned to the third wardrobe. Ed opened it. This one, slightly hidden by a bedside table, had a thick layer of dust inside and was completely empty. Still, no glow.
Ed began to feel around inside the wardrobe, tapping the surfaces in hopes of finding a hidden compartment, a common trope in movies. As he did, he tilted his head slightly and looked upward.
A small, palm-sized mirror hung from the wooden clothes rod on a silver chain, reflecting his face. A faint glow emanated from the mirror.
So, it's here, Ed thought, a smile forming. He carefully took the mirror down.
"Strange..." Ed muttered, confused.
The glow hadn't disappeared. He frowned and inspected the mirror closely. It seemed the glow was coming from the glass itself, not from the brass and silver casing surrounding it.
Ed held the mirror and walked to the table facing the window. He found an iron tool and carefully removed the outer shell, fully revealing the thin lens. As Ed's fingers touched the glass, the glowing outline on it completely disappeared, meaning he had harvested the treasure.
Only then did Ed begin to carefully examine the lens in his hand. One side was a very normal mirror, clearly reflecting his appearance and the surroundings, no different from any other mirror. The back, however, was smooth and felt like metal.
Under the sunlight, it seemed to have some kind of pattern engraved on it, though it wasn't very clear. No matter how he examined it, it appeared to be just an ordinary rectangular lens, the size of his palm.
There was nothing outwardly extraordinary about it. If not for his system's hint, even if someone paid him, he wouldn't believe this little mirror was a treasure.
Helplessly, Ed could only pick up the map and glance at the remaining two white dots and one blue dot, which were still flashing but had dimmed. He clicked on the dimmed blue dot.
[ Haunted Villa (Harvested)
Difficulty: For the brave
Popularity: 631
Treasure Information: Is there really a ghost in the haunted villa? Or is it just an illusion in a dream? The so-called fear and haunting do not seem to exist in reality but are rather some kind of power affecting dreams.
Treasure Harvest: Soul-Trapping Magic Mirror.]
There was a little more information about the treasure, but not much else.
"Dreams...? Dreams! In other words, I might have had a dream last night, and in that dream, I experienced the fear others had faced before? That much I already guessed. However, the vague details of dreams are easily forgotten upon waking. Why hadn't I been awakened by fear in the dream?"
Ed didn't think of himself as particularly brave. In a world where magical powers truly exist, he was still somewhat afraid of unknown things with bad reputations, especially entities like ghosts, which had dominated entire entertainment industries in his previous world. However, now that he knew this was influenced by energy emitted by the mirror and that no real ghost was involved, he felt a bit relieved.
"The Soul-Trapping Magic Mirror, huh. A magic mirror that imprisons souls? This name doesn't sound like anything good. What's the difference between it and a normal ghost living in a mirror? Aren't they the same thing?"
Staring at the mirror, Ed couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern. "Could it have a negative effect on me? I'm still young and haven't even seen my children; I don't want to die so soon."
He gulped nervously. After all, its power had already affected his dreams, and the name of the villa suggested it spread fear through dreams, which sounded undeniably sinister from any angle.
"Dreams occur at night. I wonder if this thing changes after dark? Although it's a bit scary and dangerous, since the system says it's not directly harmful, I should give it a try. Maybe I'll learn something about it."
Thinking this, Ed picked up the lens, pondered for a moment, then opened the wardrobe and tossed it inside. It was better not to carry it around to avoid any unexpected incidents.
Having found the blue-tier magic treasure with relative ease, Ed felt a bit more at ease. He looked around and found he had nothing else to do.
He picked up the travel guide from the table and began flipping through it. The guide detailed places worth visiting: beautiful streets, specially constructed gardens, statues, elegant fountains, and, of course, the bustling commercial streets in the city centre filled with luxury goods. Further on, he found mentions of various art exhibitions, auctions, and museums: the War Memorial Museum, the Island History Museum, the Construction and Development Memorial Hall, the Exotic Animal Museum, and the Insect Museum, among others. There was also a small section about love hotels, with models whose pictures were hot enough to attract most men's attention.
"Wait a moment. The Insect Museum?" Ed, whose attention had also been grabbed by the love hotel advertisements, suddenly widened his eyes and quickly flipped back a few pages as if he had seen something extraordinary.
"The Insect Museum features rare insects from both on and off the island, along with insect specimens and their history," Reading this, Ed couldn't help but think of Treasure Vault No. 5, which focused on insect-themed treasures. The key to unlocking its secret was related to an insect that symbolized courage and fearlessness, something unique to the island. But he didn't know if the key was a real insect or something symbolic.
After a moment's thought, he concluded that he needed to visit this museum.
Opening the curtains, Ed glanced at the sunlight streaming through the window. It was just past noon, and he had plenty of time. He put on his coat, grabbed his walking stick, and walked out of the villa.
After a short 30-minute walk, he arrived at his destination. Compared to a typical museum, it occupied a very small area. It was called a museum but was probably more like a specialized shop, exactly what the sign above indicated.
There were hardly any visitors, and the place was quite deserted. After all, there weren't many people who liked insects, and if it weren't for the sake of potential treasure, even Ed would never have stepped into such a creepy place. He had never liked insects.