"No." The woman's expression was calm, her inner thoughts impossible to decipher.
Shawn seemed in the mood for a chat, trying to break the ice by saying, "After death, the consciousness is muddled, I don't remember much."
"I only remember drifting aimlessly in nothingness."
"Is there any more to eat?"
The woman conjured up another piece of bread out of thin air — a minor detail, as Shawn had witnessed stranger occurrences than objects appearing from nowhere.
This bread was sweeter, as if flavored with honey.
With his hunger sated, Shawn's mind became clearer.
"Do I have to rely on myself to navigate this corridor?" Shawn looked into her eyes and said deeply, "Your mentor should be the one who truly decides my fate."
"I want to speak with him."
Having been given another chance at life, he certainly wouldn't give up easily.
Shawn was sure of one thing.
He, himself, had value, otherwise in the scenes of Death Retrospect, the woman wouldn't have exhausted herself to save him. She clearly rejected him, hoping he'd willingly rest in peace, yet she desperately dragged him out of the writhing shadows.
Having value meant negotiation was possible; Shawn's bargaining chip was himself!
The woman remained silent for a long time, then softly said, "You want to meet my mentor?"
The man before her regained clarity of mind swiftly; the chaos of death often lingered for a long time, which was [Soul Weakness]. His thoughts had already returned to normal, perhaps even surpassing an ordinary level.
This was both good and bad.
Because should anything go wrong, this man would be extremely dangerous.
She knew the man in front of her was different, yet remained highly cautious.
The same mistake, she would not make twice.
"Mentor." The woman suddenly bowed her head, expression respectful.
A glimmering ripple formed, and in front of Shawn, a white skull appeared, its forehead set with an eye-catching ruby. With interest, it gazed at Shawn and slowly said, "Of course not."
"You can seek my help."
The moment Shawn thought of meeting him, this creature, likely a Witch Demon, had already taken an interest in him.
This Otherworld soul regained its rationality very quickly.
Bafflement, helplessness, terror, despair, etc., these negative emotions were what a newly reborn Otherworld soul should have. After all, they just crossed from fantasy to reality, but in Shawn, none of these were visible.
This Otherworld soul was a bit too calm.
"What do I need to give?" Shawn took a deep breath and asked.
The other spoke of seeking help.
This hellish place likely didn't offer free meals.
"Nothing," the floating skull said, shaking its head, "At least not yet."
"Your most important task now is to stay alive."
"Being alive is to have value!"
The void shaded arms converged, like sinister ghost hands. The skull produced a monocle from nowhere and handed it to Shawn.
"What is this?" Shawn reached out to take it.
The skull before him smiled, its expression richer than the nearby woman, and its jaw opened slowly, "Confusion."
"It's called Confusion."
"A little trinket I obtained while I was alive, it can shield your inspiration."
If Shawn was attracting the great detective Morty Laine due to a writer's nature, he would be doomed, but if it was due to too much inspiration, he might survive.
This place had a repulsion to writers.
Of course, painters might not fare much better.
Should the characters in a writer's fictional novel become brain-devouring knowledge, then paintings coming to life would seem quite normal.
The frantic inspiration of artists would become the most dreadful thing here.
The first dies, the latter survives.
Surviving proves value.
Shawn hesitated slightly, then resolutely put on the monocle.
The next second.
He felt a slight dizziness, then everything ahead began to transform, like a faded black-and-white photo. In the deep, void corridor, the wandering shadows gradually dispersed, and visible and invisible things dissolved, floating knowledge melted away. He saw a corridor, no sculpted murals, no written symbols, just an ordinary dark corridor.
When he snapped back to reality, only the expressionless beautiful woman remained by his side.
— When you see Them, They also see you.
Shawn could no longer see them now!
"Let's go." The woman said softly.
This time, Shawn saw nothing, safely traversing the dark corridor, and the instant he completed his journey, countless memories began to madly replay in his mind.
Soul Resonance!
What you dwell on will echo back.
Those unforgettable memories surged and swirled in his mind, of his past life, this life, his, others', and for a moment, Shawn couldn't distinguish himself, not knowing if he was Shawn from Earth or the young man named Sean.
He was merging into this world.
Like a bright torch obscured by this world's haze, blending with the light and merging into the deep dark.
The ominous entities that had been watching his soul also gradually lost their target.
In the corridor.
A vague echo seemed to carry a hint of madness and resentment.
"Next time, I will definitely catch you! Sly criminal!"
There is no vessel more suitable for the unutterable void to enter the real world than an Otherworld soul. The living knowledge, the writhing knowledge, they have not given up.
......