A smile played in Grin's eyes. Without exposing her, he skillfully pulled a chair over to Betty's Princess Bed and sat down.
He patted the bed, signaling Betty that she could come over.
"How could I possibly refuse Betty's request?"
Seeing her little scheme seen through, the tsundere Great Spirit's face looked a bit embarrassed.
Keeping her head down to avoid Grin's gaze, she crawled from the foot of the bed into the covers and wriggled up to the headboard.
Grin summoned the [dark fairy tale book] and gently flipped it open.
The page for Little Red Riding Hood was already illuminated with color.
[Half-Wolf Girl Margaret (Core Illustration), Unlock Condition: Dissect the stomachs of one hundred canine creatures.]
[Status: Unlocked]
All the canine demonic beasts Grin had torn apart in the forest previously were counted.
To Grin's surprise, Little Red Riding Hood, which bore the words "Core Illustration," did not have any introduction for abilities or possessions.
What met his eyes was even more eerie content.
[Ritual Requirement I: A thousand tons of flesh and blood]
[Ritual Requirement II: Loudly chant the nursery rhyme "grace before meals"]
This nursery rhyme titled "grace before meals" was written in small print at the end of the page.
"Are you ready yet, Grin?"
Betty turned her head, her voice carrying a hint of subtle urgency.
Only then did Grin snap out of it. His fingertips brushed over the pages, and he gently flipped forward.
Two new stories emerged on the paper.
"Jack and the Magic Bean" and "the little match girl."
The storybook would not disappoint a child who longed for fairy tales.
If someone yearned for the world within a fairy tale, it would generously present that epic to them.
Seeing that Betty was already lying down obediently and looking over with wide eyes.
Grin cleared his throat and, lowering his voice, began to describe the colorful scenes in the story.
"A long, long time ago, on the outskirts of a kingdom, there lived a youth named Jack... Jack and his Mother were very poor, with only one old cow left at home to barely make a living.
One day, the cow stopped producing milk, and his Mother told Jack to take the cow to the market to sell it for food.
But on the way, a wizard tricked Jack out of his cow for some magic beans.
Jack returned home dejectedly and told his Mother what happened. Jack's Mother was both angry and anxious, and in her rage, she threw the magic beans out the window... During the night, the magic beans quietly sprouted and grew into a vine that reached the heavens.
Unexpectedly, it actually connected to a floating island in the sky... Many giants on the floating island followed the vine down to the ground, where they destroyed buildings and ate humans raw.
To make up for his mistake, Jack fought the giants. At the critical moment, he threw a magic bean into the Giant King's mouth.
The magic bean immediately began to grow, bursting out from the Giant King's stomach, and the Giant King's crown also fell to the ground.
That crown was made from the heart of the Giant Progenitor and possessed the power to control giants.
Finally, Jack used the crown to drive the giants back to the floating island, saving everyone... And so, it ends."
[Giant Catcher Jack, Unlock Condition: Capture a giant.]
Betty hadn't fallen asleep. After hearing the story, she frowned, her tone full of confusion:
"That's too unreasonable. Does a vine that can lead to the sky really exist?"
Grin tucked Betty in and whispered:
"Fairy tales are all lies. Of course, I won't lie to you. If that vine really exists, I will definitely take you up there to see it."
"Betty doesn't believe you."
"Do you want to pinky swear?"
"No."
Betty refused decisively, her small hand reaching out from under the covers to tightly hug the book of wisdom she kept pressed under her pillow.
Then she rolled over, turning her back to Grin to avoid his overly sincere eyes, her voice muffled:
"Betty can't go out..."
"Someone is talking nonsense again."
Grin smiled helplessly. Seeing her covers loosen again, he reached out to tuck them in tightly.
Betty fell silent, and the only sound left in the room was the soft rustling of pages.
After a long while, she spoke again, her tone wrapped in a deep sense of loss, like mist accumulated over four hundred years that finally couldn't help but overflow.
"Grin, you've shared so many stories with Betty... In exchange, let Betty tell you a story too..."
Grin was slightly startled, then his gaze softened: "It would be my honor, Betty."
The lonely Great Spirit curled up under the covers, hesitating for a long time as if gathering courage, or perhaps not knowing where to start.
Her voice was soft, with a hint of subtle trembling.
"Four hundred years ago, Betty was created by Mother and lived a carefree and happy life.
But one day, someone destroyed everything Betty had.
Mother sent Betty away, making her stay in [The Room That Exists Nowhere], guarding a library full of books.
At that time, Betty and Mother made a verbal contract to wait for [That Person].
She said the book of wisdom would guide everything, and Betty just had to wait obediently.
At first, that's what Betty thought.
But later, the book became blank.
Mother left, elder brother also left to accompany that Half-Elf, and the people in the Mansion came and went. Only the wind of the Forbidden Library blew through the pages year after year!"
Betty's fingers suddenly tightened around the book of wisdom, her knuckles turning white, but she quickly let go, her tone rising slightly as if trying to hide something.
"Those days were terrifyingly quiet.
Betty flipped through the books here over and over again, until she could remember exactly which page of which book had a worm-eaten hole.
The gate of opportunity stopped countless people. They either coveted the power of the Forbidden Library or were scared away by Betty's magic. Not a single one could stay.
None of them were Betty's [That Person]. Their names weren't in the book of wisdom at all."
"Betty, are you okay?"
Looking at her slightly trembling back, Grin felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He couldn't help but reach out and gently place his hand on her shoulder.
"Betty has long since become numb..."
Her voice took on a sobbing tone, as if she were murmuring to herself. "When will this endless waiting finally come to an end?"
Betty suddenly turned around and looked fixedly at Grin.
"Grin, are you Betty's [That Person]?"
The young girl's eyes, which were usually filled with pride, were now misty with unshed tears.
Grin's heart skipped a beat. A thousand words were stuck in his throat. He wanted so much to blurt out—I am.
But he knew that if he nodded now, all he would get was an empty shell bound by a contract.
If he truly wanted to save this little girl trapped in four hundred years of loneliness.
He would have to pull her soul along with her out of this cold, dark room.
"If you wish for That Person to be me, and you follow your heart to choose me unwaveringly... then I can be."
Betty's pupils trembled as she asked in confusion: "Why? Why don't you just agree directly, when Betty has already made it so clear?"
"If you are 'That Person,' all the books in this library will belong to you."
Grin shook his head, his gaze unwavering.
"I am not interested in this heavy knowledge."
"Then you can also get a contract with a Great Spirit!"
Betty grew anxious, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.
"My power is almost equal to elder brother's! At that time, no matter what you want to do, Betty will become your sharp sword!"
Grin still shook his head, his gaze landing on her reddened eyes, his tone serious and firm:
"What I want has never been a cold puppet."