When a mirror faces another mirror, it reflects countless mirrors.

This was the most basic physics.

But the mirror in front of Ariel was not an ordinary mirror, so the image it reflected was not a simple reflection of light.

The corridor outlines sketched outside each mirror symbolized mirror-space after mirror-space, each one looking no different from reality.

"So you’re saying there are countless of these mirror-spaces?"

Ariel’s expression turned heavy. "That’s way too sick. Countless mirror-spaces—forget normal people, even the most experienced mages would probably never get out once they were shut in, and even if they noticed the mirror was the problem, they still wouldn’t be able to escape."

She did not believe that some idiotic method like smashing the mirror would directly break a false space created by an ancient relic.

"This was a cage made specifically to imprison mages. Mages have too many methods, and most locks in this world can’t hold them. So a very, very long time ago, someone made this thing."

An gently stroked the intricate patterns around the mirror’s frame. The style of those patterns was completely different from this era—complicated and exquisite, like a pile of perfect geometric bodies that had been precisely calculated, then stamped together.

Needless to say, this was also a remnant from that era a thousand years ago.

Because only that era could make something so delicate and so uncanny.

"Unfortunately, it’s already damaged now."

"Damaged?"

"Can’t you tell? To reflect countless mirror-spaces, you need two mirrors—and there’s only one here."

An lightly waved her hand. The smooth mirror surface formed from metal melted away, and in that mirror that looked ordinary, there was only the reflection of the two of them, and the empty corridor behind them.

"You mean the Mirror of Bewilderment was originally a pair?"

"That’s right. As a cage, it’s indeed impressive, but the rules on the Mirror of Bewilderment are too simple—or rather, too weak. It was easily cracked by capable people. You only needed to take away one mirror. I mean the one in the real world. Once you remove it, the mirror-space collapses. And now, it hasn’t been able to reflect countless mirror-spaces for a long time. Even after some patchwork repairs, the number of mirror-spaces it can still use now is probably only around a dozen."

"From infinite to a dozen..." Ariel’s mouth twitched. "That’s a pretty huge drop."

"Ancient relics are that kind of thing. They are born by rules, and they die by rules."

An sighed softly. "There are many ancient relics like this in this city, but fortunately, most of them are basically half-destroyed. Otherwise, a reckless infiltration like yours would be no different from looking for death."

"Is that so..."

Ariel scratched her head in embarrassment. From the way things looked now, her infiltration really had been a bit too reckless.

Thankfully, that kind of situation was only theoretical. If the demonfolk truly °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° had that many intact and powerful ancient relics, they would have taken them to the battlefield long ago to smash through the empire’s defensive line, instead of leaving them in Gutongs Castle for the Enchantress Grand Duke to use as a toy for booking rooms.

But compared to those problems...

Ariel stole a glance at An’s flawless, calm face.

You could tell Miss An was very young—young enough that the fourth-rank realm she was showing now already counted as genius-level. Her bearing was dignified and steady, but the youthful air between her brows and eyes was something she could not hide.

So she could not be a historian who had poured most of her life into studying ancient texts. She could not be a demonfolk specialist who had spent an entire lifetime dealing with the Abyss. And she definitely could not be some old monster pretending to be someone else.

And yet... why did she seem so familiar with this city?

This ancient city that even her own teacher had vaguely felt was familiar?

If Ariel was guessing right, then based on Miss An being a pretty young girl, and the way she had come out of that room, she should also be like Ariel—someone the demonfolk had "caught" and brought here.

They were both infiltrating. So why did she know so much? Had Ariel been wasting her time in the Abyss this whole while?

"What is it?"

As if she had noticed Ariel’s gaze, An tilted her head slightly.

"N-no, it’s nothing."

Ariel abruptly put on a straight face and said seriously, "I just think Miss An is really pretty."

"Thank you."

An gave a light nod and turned back, as if that sudden, overly intimate remark could not even stir the slightest ripple in her eyes.

"So cold."

Ariel puckered her lips and muttered.

An’s vibe was cold too, but it was not like Celicia’s kind of chill that came from personality and bone-deep nature.

An’s cold was the cold of indifference—like she did not care about anything at all. As if, deep in those dark-gray eyes, there was nothing in existence.

With someone like that, forget winning her over—even building a good relationship was extremely difficult.

But Ariel still did not lose confidence. She even secretly clenched her fist to hype herself up. After all, she had already suffered so many setbacks. She was tough and unyielding now. Her heart had grown strong enough to fear no hardship or danger. How could she shrink back just because of a little bit of coldness?

If she shrank back over this, how could she ever pick up her great ideal again? How could she ever renew that fated bond with Miss Muse?

"Let’s go."

An did not know what Ariel was thinking. Even if she did, she would not care, because to her, who Ariel liked had nothing to do with her.

Unless she liked Young Master, reincarnated into a stinkbug—then it would need to be cleaned up.

But fortunately, this one liked women, and from An’s experience, that was not a lie.

An lightly pressed the mirror surface. After ripples spread across it, she stepped straight in.

Seeing An vanish into the mirror, Ariel hurried after her.

There was no sensation at all. She could not even feel herself passing through anything solid. Ariel lifted her head and found herself in a pitch-black space, while An was already standing among more than a dozen mirrors that were completely identical.

She did not hesitate as she walked toward one of the mirrors.

It seemed that during their idle chat just now, she had been searching for the real exit among these dozen mirrors.

Ariel turned her head and looked. The dozen mirrors were staggered in an extremely regular pattern, like a maze.

But in the end, it was only a dozen. Even if you were trapped inside, as long as someone noticed the mirror was abnormal, if they spent enough time, they would eventually find the exit.

But if the Mirror of Bewilderment were in its complete state, then according to what An had said earlier, this space would have been filled with countless identical mirrors, with only a single exit among them.

That would be a true labyrinth—countless mirrors crossing each other. Anyone who sank into it would have less than a one-in-a-billion chance of escaping.

"Ancient relics are really terrifying..." Ariel could not help murmuring.

...

Crossing that mirror, Ariel returned to the corridor again.

Other than the fact there were no traces of a fierce battle, this place was no different from what Ariel remembered. But Ariel knew very clearly that this was reality.

The proof lay in the demonmen sprawled at her feet.

Blood flowed, dyeing the ground red. Several low-ranking demonmen with red skin stared in terror, but judging from the traces around them, even in the final moment before death, they had not managed to make any sound.

"This was probably done by those guys who escaped before you."

"Probably..."

Ariel rubbed her chin.

Miss Feifei and the others were even less simple than Ariel had imagined.

"Even with an ancient relic like the Mirror of Bewilderment, the guards are only a few low-ranking demonmen. The demonfolk really are short on manpower right now."

An stepped over the demonmen and watched her surroundings warily.

"That’s a good thing. We can... hm?"

Mid-sentence, An’s body suddenly halted.

"What is it?"

Ariel looked at An, puzzled.

"I think I..."

An suddenly twitched her small, delicate nose and began sniffing lightly in different directions. She kept shifting her position, as if confirming something.

"Miss Ariel, can you help me burn these bodies? And this blood too," An said.

"Gladly."

Even though she did not know Miss An’s purpose, Ariel naturally could not refuse a pretty girl’s request.

She casually lifted a hand. Surging flame swept across the ground, instantly swallowing the demonfolk corpses and the pooled blood.

A shrill sizzling sound rang out without end. The stench of burning flesh spread, then was driven away by the scorching air.

Very quickly, as a breeze passed through, this corridor no longer held any messy, lingering odors.

"Sniff, sniff..."

An kept sniffing lightly around, like a cat that had found food.

And once all interference was removed, she could finally confirm it clearly.

No—maybe she had already confirmed it at the first moment. She had simply not dared to believe it.

"What is it, exactly?" Ariel could not help her curiosity and asked again.

An shook her head and did not answer.

But at this moment, the indifferent aura that had cloaked An suddenly vanished, and the dark gray in her pupils scattered like mist, bursting into bright color.

Ariel was startled. Their time together had been brief, but just as she had said earlier, she had already realized Miss An was a pretty young girl with an extremely cold personality. She maintained her dignity, elegance, and meticulousness at all times. Even her steps were perfectly consistent, as if measured with a ruler.

But now, her emotions were clearly slipping out of control.

The shock this sudden change gave Ariel was second only to seeing Celicia smile in front of that disgusting Muen Campbell.

"No, that’s not comparable!"

Ariel almost wanted to slap herself. How could she think of that disgusting guy in every situation? Miss An was someone she had met in a place like the Abyss—there was no way this could be tied to him!

"Are you okay, Miss An?" Ariel stepped forward, concerned.

"I’m fine... I just..."

I just sensed Young Master’s scent.

That’s right. It was Young Master’s scent. It was extremely, extremely faint, but she absolutely could not be wrong.

Her Young Master radar was absolutely accurate within a five-kilometer radius!

Which meant...

An’s gaze swept over the deep corridor, over the numbered rooms hanging on both sides, and finally landed at the end of the corridor—on the mirror they had just come out of.

In the mirror, her excited, burning face was reflected.

"Young Master... was also imprisoned here."