Chapter 125: Bad Review! Where's the VIP Service?
Edward forked the last piece of apple pie, ready to put it in his mouth.
The next second, everything went sideways!
The floor beneath him twisted and rotated without warning, and a bottomless black vortex appeared out of thin air, radiating a bone-chilling aura.
A powerful suction force hit, and Edward didn't even have time to react—he, along with his chair, was instantly swallowed whole.
The vortex flashed and vanished, as if it had never existed.
In the kitchen, only four stunned girls remained.
"Ahh—!"
Carrie was the first to react, letting out a short shriek, and the plate in her hands clattered to the floor, shattering into pieces.
"Underworld energy." Lily licked the remaining pie crumbs from her spoon, and instead of fear, a playful, cold smirk appeared on her small face. "He went to the Underworld."
She paused, then added in a gloating tone, "Who is it? So thoughtful—even sent transportation to pick him up on Christmas! What a nice person!"
Emma, sitting beside her, had emerald eyes sparkling with excitement and obsession. She stared intently at where the vortex had vanished, as if trying to see through the space itself. "I knew it... this sensation, it's pure dark power! I must obtain it!"
Only Esther quietly put down her fork, clasped her hands in front of her chest, closed her eyes, and began praying softly.
"God, save me..." Her small face was filled with the despair of utter hopelessness. "In this family, I seem to be the most normal one. Please, next time something like this happens, leave me out of it."
An endless sensation of falling came.
Edward felt like he was passing through a cold, endless tunnel, surrounded by howling winds and distorted light and shadow. The temperature dropped lower and lower, the cold seeming to penetrate his very bones.
After an unknown period, the falling sensation abruptly stopped.
THUD!
He felt like he'd landed on something soft, like a cushion that absorbed all the impact.
Edward quickly got up, vigilantly surveying his surroundings.
This was a world of gray and white. The sky was leaden gray, the earth pale white, and the sparse withered trees in the distance were also ashen and desolate. The entire world was lifeless, devoid of any vitality, and the air was filled with a mixture of dust and decay.
"Is this... the Underworld?" Edward floated into the air. His field of vision widened significantly, but all he saw was an endless expanse of gray and white.
Just then, a familiar yet somewhat lazy and alluring voice seemed to come from all directions, resonating directly in his mind.
"Sweetie, welcome to my domain. I still have an important performance to prepare for, so I won't personally entertain you. You can get started right away, 'kay?"
It was Dorothy!
Edward's face instantly darkened. "Hey! No tutorial? Where's the map? You just drop me here? One star! Definitely leaving a bad review!"
However, Dorothy's voice didn't sound again—she'd clearly cut off communication.
Edward sighed helplessly. He flew aimlessly forward, wondering where that living person could be.
Just then, a crisp sound of bells came from the sky above.
Jingle-jingle-jingle—
He instinctively looked up to see a sleigh pulled by several running skeleton reindeer streaking across the gray sky at incredible speed.
"What the hell?!" Before Edward could even complain about this Underworld version of Santa Claus, the sleigh seemed to lose control and crashed straight toward him!
CRASH!
With a loud bang, Edward's vision went black, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting in the sleigh's passenger seat.
He turned his head to look at the driver's seat, where a tall skeleton dressed in a tattered red Santa suit was frantically pulling the reins.
"Hello?" Edward tentatively greeted.
"Who? Who are you?" The skeleton was startled by the sudden voice and turned its skull. "Why are you here? On the great Pumpkin King Jack's sleigh!"
Edward pointed downward expressionlessly. "Uh, you hit me."
As he spoke, he pulled out Ivory, the muzzle aimed squarely at Jack's forehead.
Sssss—
The Holy Light power, upon contact with the undead body, immediately produced a sound like sizzling bacon, and a wisp of smoke rose from Jack's skull.
He could clearly feel a scorching, sacred power emanating from that small metal barrel, making his entire soul tremble.
"Whoa! Whoa! Friend! Easy now!" Jack immediately raised his hands. "This is a misunderstanding! A beautiful Christmas misunderstanding! To express my apologies, how about I give you a Christmas present?"
"Let's see it." Edward didn't lower his gun.
Jack extended a bony hand, rummaged around in the huge burlap sack behind him for a while, and pulled out an exquisitely wrapped gift box, handing it to Edward.
Edward took it with one hand and opened it.
Inside the gift box, a shriveled, wrinkled human head adorned with a few feathers lay quietly. A shrunken head.
Edward raised an eyebrow. "This isn't exactly a Christmas present—looks more like something for Halloween."
"What?!" Jack, hearing this, seemed struck by lightning. "Could it be... I prepared for the wrong holiday?!"
Before Edward could respond, Jack, as if greatly distressed, suddenly shook the reins and shouted, "Mush! Mush! Quick! We must go back! Everything's all wrong!"
The skeleton reindeer let out a whinny, the sleigh instantly accelerated, and transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the gray sky.
Edward was pushed off the sleigh by an unseen force, landing steadily on the ground, still holding the shrunken head.
He watched Jack's retreating direction, his mouth twitching. "Hit and run?"
Tossing the bizarre gift into his inventory, Edward continued forward. After passing through a withered forest, his view suddenly opened up.
A colorful, brightly lit world appeared before him.
Countless uniquely shaped buildings towered into the clouds, connected by golden bridges paved with marigold petals. The entire city was immersed in a joyous, bustling festive atmosphere, forming a stark contrast to the previously dead, gray world.
"This is also the Underworld?" Edward was somewhat surprised.
He entered the city and found its residents were all skeletons of various forms, dressed in festive attire, singing and dancing. However, when they saw Edward—this "living person"—the joy on their faces instantly turned to terror, and they screamed and scattered.
"A living person!!!"
Edward ignored the commotion around him. In a secluded alley, he witnessed an argument.
An elderly female skeleton was speaking to a small boy carrying a guitar, her expression agitated.
"No! I can't do it!" The boy hugged his guitar, stubbornly shaking his head, then turned and ran.
"Miguel!" The female skeleton called out anxiously.
Edward's eyes flickered. The living person Dorothy mentioned must be this kid, he thought.
He flashed forward, instantly appearing in Miguel's escape path, and grabbed the back of his collar with one hand.
"Hey!" Miguel struggled but found he couldn't move at all.
"Miguel!" The female skeleton, Imelda, caught up. When she saw Edward, she first froze, then sharply demanded, "You're also a living person? Let him go!"
Edward held Miguel, calmly looking at her. "What if I say no?"
Imelda's tough stance instantly crumbled, and she dropped to her knees with a thud, her tone almost pleading. "Please! Let him go!"
"This..." Edward was caught off guard by her sudden kneeling.
In that moment of hesitation, the quick-witted Miguel suddenly slipped out of his jacket, escaping Edward's grasp like a snake shedding its skin, and ran into the crowd without looking back.
Edward watched his retreating back, then looked at the jacket on the ground, but didn't pursue. Instead, he said something meaningful to Imelda.
"Family is more important than dreams."
Imelda froze. She looked up at the mysterious living young man before her. "Thank you... But you're also a living person, aren't you? What are you doing here?"
Edward, hands in his pockets, stated calmly, "I was hired to catch a living person who accidentally came to the Underworld and deliver him to Dorothy."
"The Enchantress!" Hearing Dorothy's name, Imelda's expression (if skeletons had expressions) changed drastically. "No, you can't! You can't give Miguel to Dorothy! He's still so young—he has his whole life ahead of him!"
"So isn't this a lesson for naughty kids?"
Edward shrugged, leaving her with that cryptic remark, and turned to walk in another direction.
Imelda watched his retreating figure, her eyes filled with anxiety and dread. She quickly scrambled to her feet and hurried back to discuss countermeasures with her family.
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