The truly frightening aspect wasn't just the two white shadows and their eerie laughter, but what those things implied about the "entity" behind them... Unquestionably, Lin Luo knew they had been marked the moment they stepped into this castle, and perhaps the first white shadow Little saw was a warning, intended to scare them away.

But Lin Luo ignored that warning and pressed forward. Consequently, they transformed their warning into action. They didn't strike immediately; instead, they pretended nothing was amiss, allowing Lin Luo and his companions to enter, while secretly splitting into two groups to encircle them, ensuring no escape route remained.

Lin Luo couldn't be certain if his deduction was correct, but the fact remained that they were surrounded. The reason for this suspicion stemmed from the identity of the attackers... Indeed, his hair stood on end at the first glimpse, making him think he had encountered a ghost. However, upon seeing the second shadow, he grew considerably calmer. Their attempts at deception might fool others, but they couldn't fool him, because he was a Puppeteer.

How could a puppet possibly deceive a Puppeteer?

That's right—those two white shadows were puppets!

A castle abandoned for hundreds of years housed puppets capable of autonomous movement, puppets that actually tried to frighten and harm intruders. In Lin Luo’s view, only two possibilities existed. First: a Puppeteer resided in the castle, manipulating these puppets to drive them out or kill them. Second: uncontrolled by anyone, the puppets acted on their own will, intending to deal with them and expel them.

Lin Luo considered the first possibility highly unlikely, almost approaching zero probability. No matter how bizarre a Puppeteer might be, they couldn't possibly live in a place like this, even if they could endure the environment. To live normally, some improvements would at least be necessary, wouldn't they? Furthermore, even if a living person were present... Puppeteers were a type of Alchemist, and the alchemic fluctuations within them were more pronounced than those in mere artifacts. Qiqi wouldn't have failed to detect them, so that possibility was largely ruled out.

That left only the second possibility. But... if the puppets acted on their own will, it meant they possessed life and souls. Was that even conceivable in such a desolate, abandoned castle?

There were too many ambiguities. Lin Luo couldn't determine the exact situation based on speculation alone, but solving it wouldn't be difficult. All he needed to do was capture the two puppets.

Lin Luo instantly assessed the situation and formulated his countermeasure. Qiqi was perfectly attuned to him; even without the connection of the Contract Book now, a single glance was enough for her to understand his intention. Thus, in an instant, she leaped from his shoulder, and when the puppet ahead reappeared, she shot straight toward it.

"Heh heh..." The ghostly white puppet showed no panic as Qiqi charged, emitting that same unsettling laughter. Qiqi, as usual, remained expressionless, her small body rocketing forward like a cannonball, poised to collide.

However, something astonishing happened. Just as their bodies were about to meet, and Qiqi prepared to subdue the spectral puppet, she suddenly passed straight through its form without resistance, flying right through it...

"This is..."

Seeing this, Lin Luo instinctively recoiled, and a thought struck him. He instinctively glanced back, only to see the white shadow that had flashed past behind him reappear, charging at him with a ferocious expression.

"Master, watch out!" Xiaoxiao's face changed, and she cried out in alarm... She didn't know what means to use against such a thing, especially after witnessing Qiqi's failure, leaving her completely at a loss. But this didn't stop her from acting. Almost without thinking, the moment the words left her mouth, she reflexively shielded Lin Luo, positioning herself as a human shield.

Unfortunately, her human shield proved inadequate. The next moment, the white puppet passed directly through her body, arriving before Lin Luo, grinning sinisterly, its blood-stained hands lunging directly for Lin Luo's face.

Lin Luo currently possessed no fighting power. Although he had learned some basic alchemy, it was solely for crafting puppets, rendering his combat ability practically zero. Both Qiqi and Xiaoxiao could easily overpower him; he likely couldn't even defeat one of the bandits Xiaoxiao dispatched in a single move. By extension, he certainly couldn't block this terrifying white puppet.

But!

Facing the puppet's assault, Lin Luo merely frowned, remaining perfectly still... It wasn't so much that he was frozen with fear as it was that he simply didn't take the white puppet seriously, remaining utterly unmoved.

It was Xiaoxiao, however, who nearly froze in terror seeing this. She tried to rush forward to help, but it was too late.

Yet, the expected bloody scene did not unfold. Perhaps the white puppet didn't intend to inflict harm—despite its murderous aura, as it neared Lin Luo, it suddenly let out a faint 'heh heh,' then phased into the adjacent wall and vanished.

Simultaneously, the other white puppet quickly disappeared as well. Qiqi, having lost her target, flew back.

"Master, are... are you alright?" Xiaoxiao seemed relieved, but the expression on her face suggested she was still shaken.

Lin Luo smiled calmly, "Of course I am. That thing couldn't harm me at all."

"Eh?" Xiaoxiao was instantly stunned.

Then, Lin Luo looked toward Qiqi, who had already settled back onto his shoulder, and asked, "Did you notice it too?"

"Mmm," Qiqi nodded, saying nothing more.

"It seems the real attack is coming soon, but judging by the situation just now, the danger isn't great... Let's go. We'll capture the culprit directly," Lin Luo stated plainly, leading the way forward.

Xiaoxiao followed behind them, utterly bewildered.

What exactly was going on? What had Master and the Little Mistress discovered? What did he mean the 'real attack' was coming, and that the previous assault by the white phantom didn't count? And how could he tell the danger wasn't significant?

Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that keeping pace with these two often made her own mind feel insufficient.

The trio proceeded onward. They were not attacked by the white puppets again along the way. After traversing perhaps four or five corridors, the scent of decay grew stronger, indicating they were delving deeper into the castle's interior. Suddenly, a deep, muffled roar echoed from the darkness.

Completely unprepared, Xiaoxiao jumped in fright. Immediately after, she saw dozens of pairs of green eyes materialize from the shadows, staring at them like vicious beasts, seemingly ready to pounce from the darkness and tear them to shreds at any moment.

There were at least forty or fifty pairs of these green eyes, and whatever they belonged to remained unseen, appearing truly terrifying.

"Hmph, vermin!"

However, Qiqi let out a cold snort, charging fearlessly into the darkness.