# Chapter 105: Completing the World (VII)
The doll's eyes stared fixedly in the direction of Qi An, and the nobles who were the dolls' owners seemed to sense something as well. Their eyes followed the dolls' gazes and turned toward Qi An.
Those were eyes completely devoid of any emotion.
Blank, mechanical, wooden—if it wasn't his imagination, Qi An sensed that the nobles' movements had become sluggish. The way they turned their necks grew stiffer and stiffer, as if the sound of bones grinding could be heard.
Everything in Qi An's vision slowed down.
The nobles and the dolls began moving in startling synchronization. They all gazed in the same direction outside the city gates, and the corners of their mouths simultaneously began to rise into the sweetest smiles imaginable.
The smile curling at their lips seemed to express some uncontainable emotion from deep within them, as if saying:
—Welcome, welcome to here, having appeared... within our sight.
—We are... waiting for you to walk over.
"Princess." Zhuli's gentle voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, and the scene before Qi An's eyes returned to what he had seen at first.
A flourishing capital, proud nobles, endless streams of pedestrians, and vendors hawking their various wares. Everything here was full of life and vitality again, as if the lifeless scene he had just witnessed was merely an illusion.
[An'an, this servant... may really not be an ordinary person.] The system's voice shifted slightly. Based on its years of understanding of its host, the moment the elegantly-dressed young man had shown a subtle daze upon passing through the city gates, it knew Qi An had encountered some sudden situation.
Therefore, it had been trying to reach Qi An this whole time.
But for some unknown reason, their connection seemed to have been severed. No matter what the system said in Qi An's mind, Qi An acted as if he hadn't heard a single word.
Until... Zhuli had spoken just now.
It instinctively followed the sound, and saw a face on this seemingly gentle girl that was completely different from her usual self.
All expression had drained from her face. She was coldly observing the scene inside the city gates. Zhuli's figure remained as delicate as a young girl's, pitifully frail compared to the sturdy guards in armor surrounding them. Yet the system sensed an exceptionally intense danger.
It and Qi An had encountered all sorts of people—powerful transmigrators and time travelers, prestigious experts in mission worlds—yet never had any of them made the system feel its scalp go numb like this.
Without any movement or expression whatsoever, the system still felt it—this girl was displeased.
It's as if... a volcano that could erupt at any moment.
And the trigger for whether this volcano would erupt was very clear: its host.
[Hmm.] While the system spoke of Zhuli's unusual nature in his mind, Qi An raised his eyes and placed his gaze upon the girl respectfully looking at him.
Her smile was perfectly standard, fitting court etiquette to a T. When speaking with him, Zhuli's back remained slightly bowed, showing just the right amount of humility and deference. However, the girl's fair white hands were trembling.
"What are those dolls?" Qi An quickly shifted his gaze back to those nobles.
Their expressions were natural, their movements elegant, yet each of them carried a doll on their hand or shoulder.
They looked exceptionally, exceptionally cute.
Qi An still had the impression of that scene from moments ago in his mind—how these high-and-mighty nobles had, in an instant, become like... puppets on strings, completely losing their own will, as if being assimilated by these dolls.
"Oh, those. They're dolls made by the Duke of Xini's estate. Because of their adorable appearance, they gained tremendous popularity the moment they went on sale and quickly became a trend. Though the price is high, many nobles take pride in owning one." Zhuli's voice was soft and gentle. Looking at Qi An standing before her, her smile widened by some unknown degree. "The Princess should still have some impression—these dolls are the same as the ones in Miss Jenny's basket back then."
"To be honest, I find it quite strange. I don't know why so many nobles are so especially fond of these dolls. As far as I know, even those who previously explicitly stated they didn't like cute things at all have become devoted to them, and everyone who owns these dolls... can't bear to let them go." Zhuli seemed to be merely stating facts, yet also truly puzzled. Her beautiful brows slightly curved.
These dolls were identical to the ones in Jenny's hands.
According to the system's description, Zhuli knew about the strange scene Qi An had witnessed just now.
By saying this now, deliberately reminding him to connect this matter with Jenny, she was trying to guide him into suspecting Jenny.
What was her purpose in doing so? And why did she stay by his side in the guise of a servant?
With such a... gentle, harmless appearance at that.
Inside the grand Duke's estate, warm yellow lights illuminated the entire palace. This was a place resembling a dining hall. The master of the house was at dinner, and the fragrant aroma of food wafted through the room.
The Duke of Xini, the Duchess, and the two young missus of the estate were dining in formal attire. One side of the table stood an entire row of attendants, heads slightly bowed and eyes demurely fixed on the floor.
Everything here fit what a noble household should be, except for one jarring element—a girl in patched clothing was sweeping a broom far too large for her across the spotless floor.
Her current attire clashed entirely with the surroundings. She wore no accessories whatsoever, and her clothes were even more shabby than those of the serving maids beside her.
As if a commoner had wandered accidentally into a noble household.
The girl swept quietly while the Duke and Duchess at the table dined elegantly. The two young misses in beautiful dresses would occasionally glance over while eating, then snicker in a manner unbecoming of noble ladies.
Though strange, this scene perfectly matched the folk rumors.
The originally high-born eldest daughter of the Duke's estate had fallen from grace after her birth mother's death, was cruelly treated by her stepmother and two stepsisters, and lived a life worse than that of a servant.
But then, that soft and delicate Miss Jenny suddenly tightened her grip on the broom. The girl gradually raised her head.
At the same time, the atmosphere in the entire room shifted instantly. Everyone froze as if someone had abruptly pressed pause, each maintaining their position. The Duke was bowing his head, the Duchess was wiping her mouth, and the two missus had frozen smiles of mockery on their faces. Everything stood still except for that shabby girl and the door curtain swaying in the wind.
"The only thing that can provoke their reaction is that person." Jenny murmured in an unusual tone. She seemed troubled, her head beginning to bob—a liveliness completely unlike her usual timid demeanor. "It was the same before. At this time, the Princess should be arriving at the Kingdom of Nuomi as well, so..."
"I've finally found you."
The girl's words cut off abruptly. Her smile grew wider and wider as she began to hum a song of unknown name and lyrics. Jenny seemed overjoyed, her dimples clearly displayed.
The girl hopped and skipped over the dining table. She passed one by one by the Duke, the Duchess, and the two snickering missus, singing in a naive voice to some unknown tune: "A cold father, a wicked stepmother, two coarse and ugly stepsisters, little Jenny is so pitiful, so pitiful..."
Jenny ran to a massive mirror. The gem-encrusted surface reflected the girl's face. Though her clothing was shabby and worn, her face had no makeup, and her hair bore no ornaments, the girl's face was delicate and lovely. The dirty clothes反而衬得她更加楚楚可怜. The grimy clothing only made her appear more pitiful and endearing.
"She has no parents' love, no fine clothes, no beautiful jewelry.
Though born of noble blood, she lives a life worse than a servant's.
She must do exhausting dirty work. She receives her stepmother's contempt, her stepsisters' bullying. Even the servants look down on her.
Little Jenny is so pitiful, so pitiful..."
Jenny suddenly licked her lips, moistening them into a distinctly red color.
"But it's fine, it's fine...
The pitiful, kind little Jenny will receive other precious things.
Someday, she will wear beautiful clothes, don pretty crystal shoes, ride in a pumpkin carriage to attend the ball.
She will receive... the prince's favor."
The girl's brows curved into perfect crescents. She seemed to think for a moment, then continued: "Little Jenny will give the prince the doll she loves.
With those dolls'... companionship.
Little Jenny will live happily ever after with the prince..."
Jenny seemed to imagine some wonderful scene. Smiling, she slowly closed her eyes. After a long while, she opened them again, hopping back to her sweeping spot.
Jenny picked up the broom that had been dropped on the floor and began sweeping again. The instant she did, everything that had been frozen resumed as before. The Duke, Duchess, and the two missus continued eating the food on the table.
Everything seemed normal. But if one looked closely for a while, they would be astonished to discover that—except for that dusty girl—everyone in the dining hall seemed somewhat abnormal. Whether the high-born masters or that row of deferential servants, their movements and expressions all had a mechanical repetitiveness, as if every action had been... pre-programmed in advance.
With a rigid, stiff feeling.
Jenny's sweeping hand paused again. Her eyes darkened in the shadows. The girl subtly curled her lips: "Cinderella must be with the prince. I arranged all of this myself, designed this identity for myself, hoping that we could have a fairy-tale beginning..."
"So, no matter what happens in the middle, there must be... a fairy-tale ending..."
"Cinderella and the prince will live happily ever after... driven by those adorable dolls..."
Since this was the Kingdom of Nuomi broadly inviting nations from all directions, the guards stationed at the city gates had all been selected and trained. After presenting their credentials, Qi An was respectfully escorted to the guest palace where the Kingdom of Nuomi entertained distinguished visitors.
The representatives from each kingdom were strikingly similar—all were princesses of their respective nations. As Qi An was being led to his quarters, he caught sight of many princesses from other kingdoms. These princesses were all exceptionally beautiful and possessed unique characteristics of their races.
Eye colors of every conceivable variety, some with elongated ears, some with wings.
Although the banquet hosted by the Kingdom of Nuomi was still seven days away, clearly every kingdom was showing the Nuomi great respect by arriving at the venue quite early.
"Did you see? I encountered quite a few princesses from other kingdoms again today when I came. They're truly so beautiful—I've never seen such lovely people." A guard glanced around and quietly spoke to the guard beside him.
"Mm." The other guard nodded flatly.
"I wonder why all these princesses like wandering around our place. Is it because the scenery here is nice?" The first guard shook his head after saying this. "No, that's not right. Because our Prince Tommy likes peace and quiet, our area is quite desolate—I'd even call it barren. If they wanted to stroll somewhere with nice scenery, they should go to Prince Elder's territory. But why is there no one at Prince Elder's place, while so many princesses are attracted to us?"
"What possible reason could they have for coming here to see scenery? It's obviously to see our prince." As the two spoke, a maid in relatively nicer attire approached. Her status seemed higher, her clothing noticeably more refined. The girl's eyes held a hint of jealousy. "They're just hoping for a chance encounter with our prince."
"But doesn't our prince already have a fiancée?" The guard answered blankly. "I heard that princess has already arrived."
"So what? That princess wears a veil all day long—who knows what she actually looks like." The maid said没好气地. "Moreover, didn't the prince previously express wanting to break off the engagement? It was only delayed due to some other reasons. Why else would all these kingdoms send their princesses? They want to use this opportunity to let the prince get to know them, and ideally facilitate some kind of marriage alliance."
"However..." The girl suddenly coldly smiled. "They probably didn't expect the prince is someone who enjoys peace and quiet. Besides when summoned by His Majesty, the prince rarely leaves his palace. All this dressing up and wandering around is just wasted effort."
"Sister Mo Li, I've heard others say this celebration banquet isn't quite what it appears to be on the surface. There seems to be some other intention involved. Do you know of any other hidden circumstances?" The guard looked at the delicately made-up girl and suddenly thought of something, deliberately lowering his voice.
"It's related to Prince Elder." Mo Li glanced at those distant princesses again, the mockery in her expression growing more evident. "Our kingdom only has two princes. Our prince has become the heir to the next Grand Priest, so he cannot inherit the throne. Therefore, the position of Crown Prince falls on Prince Elder—that temperament of his, you all know how... volatile he is. So His Majesty will hold another banquet before the one for our prince, this way, representatives and princesses from other nations will attend this banquet as well.
"His Majesty will announce Prince Elder's position as Crown Prince at this banquet, and... choose a consort for him."
As they spoke, the palace gates suddenly opened. The几个人's chatter immediately ceased. They respectfully watched the young man walking out from the gates.
The young man wore royal prince attire. He was very handsome, though his temperament was cold, his entire face expressionless, his gaze detached. Upon emerging, the young man stared directly in one direction.
That direction just happened to be the guest palace where the Kingdom of Nuomi housed distinguished visitors.
"Prince, is something wrong?" Seeing the prince's gaze fall upon those princesses, Mo Li subconsciously bit her lip, yet the words she spoke were still gentle and amicable. "Is there someone who has arrived at the palace today?"
"Were there any new arrivals at the palace today?" The young man's voice matched his cold exterior.
"Mm. Because of your celebration banquet, many... delegations from other nations have arrived." Mo Li felt relieved as the prince's gaze shifted away from the princesses.
"Mm." The prince nodded lightly. "...See to it that they are well received."
Having said this, the young man glanced once more toward where the guest palace lay. His ink-colored eyes drooped slightly, and he spoke in a voice so low that those around him couldn't possibly hear: "Can I finally find out what the reason is?"
Just now, his steadily beating heart had suddenly trembled.
He experienced a feeling he had never felt before—like someone had softly brushed a feather across his heart, as if something in his surroundings had changed.
It's as if... something he had been anticipating for a long time had finally arrived.
He could identify that this change came from the guest palace.
But Tommy didn't know why.
Although everything around him seemed to genuinely be happening around him, Tommy always felt a sense of detachment. He felt it was unreal.
Because his subconscious kept telling him—there was someone waiting for him. He needed to find... that person.
Someone very, very important to him.
"Yes." Mo Li appeared to respectfully comply, yet her gaze furtively slipped toward Tommy. The young man's expression hadn't changed at all, making it completely impossible to gauge why he had suddenly given this order.
Just as Mo Li was about to lower her head again, her pupils contracted slightly.
She saw the prince's eyes had turned blood-red—a deeply repressed indifference that made one dare not look into his eyes, as if some kind of evil was hidden within that gaze.
Mo Li suddenly felt cold. She found this young man... terrifying.
Although countless invitation letters from foreign princesses had arrived on his side, Qi An turned them all down. During his stay at the guest palace, Qi An began browsing the collection of books there, gradually gaining a basic understanding of this world.
This was a very chaotic world, containing all manner of races and professions—elves, demons, angels, dwarves, and other races, as well as wizards, priests, bards, alchemists, and various other professions. Therefore, conflicts in this world were particularly acute. In its early history, this world had been in constant warfare.
Until the birth of a wizard, who brought catastrophic disaster to the world. Each race suffered tremendous losses because of him. For their own interests, these races united against him. During this process, the conflicts between them were eased. Thus, the various races and professions of this world now maintained relatively good relations.
Of course, there was another important reason: the wizard's matter had not been resolved. Although every race dispatched their elite forces and tried every means to eliminate this wizard, they never succeeded. In the end, they could only specially construct a tower with no exit.
They couldn't kill the wizard, so they cast magic to put him into a deep slumber and imprisoned him within. Despite laying many enchantments on the tower, hidden dangers remained.
Just recently, the sleeping wizard suddenly awakened. Accompanying this, the sun vanished from the sky. A blood moon hung high in the night sky, and the entire world was shrouded in darkness.
The wizard made a demand in response: he wanted the races to help him find... a person.
The wizard set a deadline—he wanted them to find that person before the blood moon fully set, or he would let darkness completely descend.
Under these circumstances, all races maintained superficial friendliness and discussed countermeasures.
Because this world was full of blades and blood, it also possessed a strong romanticist character. Since ancient times, various mouth-watering hero legends have been passed down. Among them was the warrior incident that had only recently begun circulating.
As an ordinary person, he had defeated a dragon through his courage and saved a region of people.
Upon reading this point, Qi An's hand holding the book suddenly paused. The young man flipped back a few pages and began re-reading this story.
The system, upon seeing this, also followed along with the young man and reviewed the content again. [An'an, is something wrong?]
These pages described in detail the life of the warrior—Lu Wuyi—and the detailed process of him defeating the dragon. From the descriptions, Lu Wuyi was a very intelligent and brave person. His plan to defeat the dragon was meticulously laid out, and many of the methods used were clever.
This was precisely what earned him praise from bards. If it had been an ordinary person, achieving this level would indeed be strange. But knowing the warrior was Lu Wuyi, these accomplishments became perfectly reasonable. The system didn't think this content was worth its host flipping back to read again.
[Hmm, there's something very strange.] Qi An was silent for a moment. He reached out his slender hand and pressed it against his temple, closing the book.
[Wha... what?]
Before the system could finish its question, Qi An's door was gently knocked several times. Zhuli walked in from outside. "Princess, the banquet for the Kingdom of Nuomi's Prince Elder is about to begin. Shall we depart now?"
After curtsying, Zhuli walked toward him. Qi An gave a soft hum and placed the book back on the shelf.
From what Qi An had learned about this world, he also discovered a thought-provoking coincidence.
The time when Zhuli began serving the original host... coincided with the date recorded for the wizard's awakening.
The palace banquet venue was decorated with exceptional luxury. Inside were nobles of the Kingdom of Nuomi and lovely princesses from foreign lands. They all wore court attire befitting noble status, elegantly walking about the venue, conversing with smiles.
Yet they shared one common point—despite their varied attire and makeup.
Every single person had a cute doll pinned to their shoulder.
These dolls came in various styles—wearing different clothes, sporting different hairstyles, with different skin tones. But they all appeared unnaturally lifelike. Perhaps due to the lighting, there seemed to be light rippling within the dolls' eyes.
As if... they were about to come alive.
Upon stepping into the venue, Qi An went directly to a relatively remote corner. Though his frame was slender and his formal attire merely passable, because Qi An wore a veil, he attracted considerable attention.
Among those attending the banquet, only one person wore a veil. Qi An's identity was easy to identify. He chose a remote corner where few people gathered, but no sooner had he stood still than many princesses crowded over.
"Is that Princess Lu An? The one who has an engagement with Prince Tommy?" A person in a pink dress placed her hand beside her mouth, as if about to whisper something, yet her voice showed no intention of being hushed at all.
"The only one who would wear a veil to a banquet would be her, I suppose. I really don't understand why she doesn't dare show her face. Could she be ugly?" Another young lady made the same gesture.
"I think she is, and she's really strange. Didn't we all send her invitation letters? But she accepted none of them. Staying in her guest palace the whole time, never coming out. So reclusive—I wonder if she has something to hide." The speaker's voice was somewhat sharp. "Moreover, she doesn't seem to have any special qualities either."
Various feminine voices reached Qi An's ears. Because of the veil, the "young lady" who had been surrounded was completely concealed, hiding whatever expression he might have been making.
But his head lowered slightly.
"She really doesn't deserve Prince Tommy. No wonder someone as good as him would主动开口要求解除婚约 initiate the engagement's dissolution."
Although many people gathered here, there was an empty circle around Qi An. The other girls clustered together in close groups, chatting intimately. The "young lady" surrounded by the crowd was utterly alone, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding scene.
Exceedingly fragile.
[These people are so mean.] The system muttered in his mind.
[They came here, probably having been taught beforehand to build a... favorable relationship with Tommy. I, as the fiancée, am naturally a stumbling block in their way.] Qi An's voice answering the system was flat and matter-of-fact. [If they want my and Tommy's engagement dissolved, the best approach is to start with me.]
Upon mentioning the name Tommy, Qi An's brow furrowed slightly.
He wanted to meet this prince who was engaged to him.
[Totoro, do you think Tommy will come to this banquet?]
[Tommy? The likelihood is quite small, I suppose. Didn't they say he likes peace and quiet and never attends these banquets? But when his celebration banquet comes in three days, he'll definitely appear...]
The system discovered it had been proven wrong the next instant, because all the chattering feminine voices around them had vanished. The banquet became deathly quiet. Everyone's gaze turned toward the entrance.
"It's Prince Tommy!" Someone gasped quietly.
A young man slowly walked through the entrance. Upon seeing this person's appearance, the system's voice couldn't help but change. [It's actually... Zhang Zhaoqi.]
"How could Prince Tommy suddenly attend this banquet? Oh my, oh my—if I'd known, I wouldn't have worn this today." The princess in the pink dress anxiously asked the maid behind her. "Quick, look—is my makeup okay? Is my hair a mess?"
Some of the princesses who had just moments ago carried noble airs began to stir because of the young man's arrival.
This young man, deeply favored by the princesses, was very handsome. Though his face showed no expression, he appeared composed, possessing a unique charm.
And his face was indeed exactly like Zhang Zhaoqi's.
Tommy glanced around, then began walking in a certain direction. Nobles blocking his path immediately shuffled back, creating space for him to pass.
He seemed to be heading somewhere.
Thus, under everyone's intense attention and the princesses' eager, bashful gazes, this young man in prince attire walked continuously forward until he stood before that "young lady" wearing a veil.
"You're blocking the prince's path." A princess glared jealously at Qi An, then stepped forward, grabbing Qi An's sleeve to pull him back—apparently intending to drag him to the rear.
But the next instant, her expression froze. The prince who had been composed this whole time suddenly stepped forward quickly, taking hold of this princess's hand and removing her hand from Qi An's clothing.
"He's not blocking the path. I came specifically for him."
Tommy's voice was cold. The princess's hand trembled involuntarily. She struggled to pull her hand from Tommy's grip.
"I've finally... found you. Your name is Lu An, correct?" The prince's voice suddenly turned very gentle—a gentleness no one had ever heard before.
[An'an, Zhang Zhaoqi seems to... not recognize you.] The system's voice shifted.
[This world is very strange.] Qi An was silent for a moment before answering the system.
When reading about the warrior's deeds earlier, he had already discovered something strange. Those feats were indeed something only a person like Lu Wuyi could accomplish. However, the timing was off. The warrior's defeat of the dragon had occurred a while ago—before he... had arrived at this world.
Logically speaking, the timing when all transmigrators descended upon this world should be the same.
But Zhang Zhaoqi had just used the word "finally."
In other words, he very likely had arrived at this world at a different time than the other transmigrators.
The other transmigrators had arrived earlier than him.
Just as silence fell over the scene, another wave of exclamations rang out at the entrance. "Who is she? Which kingdom's princess is she? I've never seen her before?"
"Yes, she's so beautiful, and she actually came in a pumpkin carriage."
Amidst the exclamations at the entrance, a young lady appeared. She wore a beautiful pair of crystal shoes. Her exquisite formal attire accentuated her figure. She became the second person to provoke an enormous reaction.
Undeniably, this young lady was very beautiful.
However, the reason that made Qi An's eyelashes quiver slightly was not this. It was that this newly arrived young lady bore a striking resemblance to Gao Lijun.