But what truly held Lin Luo’s attention when he first entered, besides the living puppets, was the door beside them. On the surface, the door was unremarkable, plain as a common household entrance, yet… in this dreamlike, illusory room, the very existence of such an ordinary door was inherently strange.

“Pervert! Put me down right now!” Kongque continued to struggle in his arms, cursing as she fought, like a captured maiden resisting a strong man, drawing frequent, sidelong glances from the other puppets.

Lin Luo simply ignored her.

He reached the door and pushed hard, but it wouldn't budge. He then looked down and asked, “The key?”

“There isn’t one!” Kongque snapped back irritably, then added another insult, “Let go of me, you pervert!”

Lin Luo sighed, then gestured with his eyes toward the opposite door. “With abilities that only amount to scaring people, the one who built this room must be your Father-Adult. As I walked in, though I didn’t sense much myself, my companions reported seeing numerous long-abandoned alchemy arrays along the path. If those arrays had possessed enough power to activate, trapping and killing eight or ten first-rate alchemists would have been no problem at all.”

Kongque didn’t grasp the meaning behind his words, but being held against her will, she had no choice but to listen closely.

“Neither this room nor the arrays outside are simple creations. Your Father-Adult went to great trouble to provide you with such a beautiful and secure environment. This clearly shows the importance he placed upon you. Given that, how could he possibly put up a door in this room that is both useless and utterly mundane? If I haven't guessed wrong, behind this door is most likely his alchemy chamber, or perhaps his treasury. Furthermore, whether it’s an alchemy chamber or a treasury, these count as his legacy. And a legacy, naturally, must be passed on to his most cherished daughters. Even stepping back, if you had died before him, and then revived after his passing, you would still be able to locate the key to this door… You can call me a scumbag pervert, that’s fine, but insulting my intelligence is where you cross the line.” Lin Luo regarded her with earnest seriousness.

Upon hearing this explanation, Kongque exchanged looks with the others.

Lin Luo was correct; the alchemy chamber was indeed behind that door. Moreover, the door possessed a unique restriction: it could only be opened by a key to prevent outside intrusion. Forcibly breaking it down would destroy everything inside along with it.

Of course, such a room required a key, and the key was indeed in her possession, but she did not want to give it to Lin Luo.

This was because behind the door was her Father-Adult’s most crucial sanctuary, the very place where she and her sisters were born, holding countless memories of him. She did not want an outsider touching it, especially since she had no idea what Lin Luo might do once inside.

Lin Luo seemed to perceive her apprehension. He grew solemn. “I swear that once I enter, I will only look. I will absolutely not take anything from inside.”

Kongque gazed into his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and finally retrieved a black key, handing it over to Lin Luo.

Her swift compliance actually caught Lin Luo off guard; he had anticipated that persuading her would be a complicated affair.

Lin Luo was unaware that Kongque possessed a truly marvelous ability: discerning the sincerity of the heart. This wasn't to say she could read minds—she wasn't that powerful—but she could instantly tell whether a person’s spoken words were genuine or false simply by looking into their eyes. Lin Luo had been entirely mistaken in believing these puppets possessed only the abilities of projection and controlling large rats.

Kongque looked into Lin Luo’s eyes, recognized he was not lying, and thus gave him the key.

The key came easier than expected. Although Lin Luo felt a flicker of confusion, he didn't press the matter. After accepting the key, he immediately inserted it into the lock and turned… Click!

Following the sound, before either of them could react, a powerful suction pulled them inside, and the door slammed shut behind them once more.

In the pitch darkness, neither Lin Luo nor Kongque could see anything. Kongque was the first to cry out, “What just happened?”

“You haven’t been in here before?” Lin Luo countered.

Kongque first shook her head, then remembered the oppressive darkness and said, “No.”

“Why not?”

“…I didn’t dare.”

Kongque replied softly. Yes, she truly hadn't dared.

After being created, she had lived for only six months before her eyes finally closed forever. When she next opened them, she found herself lying on the vast floor outside, alongside her sisters, with a black key resting in her own hand. However… her beloved Father-Adult had vanished.

Though she had regained life, Kongque felt no joy, for she knew that holding this black key meant her most adored Father-Adult was dead. Despite knowing this fact, her heart recoiled from facing the reality. Thus, though she possessed the key, she had never once opened that door.

It was as if, for her, as long as the door remained shut, her Father-Adult would live forever.

Lin Luo could not see her expression, yet he understood her feelings, though his own confusion deepened, prompting him to ask, “Then why did you give me the key?”

“It always has to be faced eventually,” Kongque stated calmly.

And so, Lin Luo fell silent.

Indeed, some things must ultimately be confronted, no matter how much one tries to flee.

Suddenly, a pinpoint of light ignited, rising to hover in mid-air, flashing once to illuminate the silhouette of a middle-aged man.

“Father-Adult?!” Kongque exclaimed immediately, her face a mixture of shock and pure joy.

But the middle-aged man seemed not to see her; instead, he gazed at Lin Luo, who held the key, and smiled softly.

Lin Luo understood. This was also a projection, albeit one of a significantly higher caliber than the puppets.

“Since you have entered this chamber, I presume you are also a Puppeteer,” the middle-aged man addressed Lin Luo, though his words were clearly aimed at the one holding the key. “It is evident that I am dead. All my final legacies belong to my daughters, but they too are dead…”

A shadow of sorrow crossed his features. After a brief pause, he continued, “Before my death, I placed the key to open this door upon my eldest daughter, Kongque. Taking the key from her is not difficult, but to open this door requires that you can see me, all without harming them. You can see me. That is good… I am a Divine Artificer. I dare say no other Divine Artificer can surpass me in the crafting of puppets, and all my life’s learning resides within this room. As you are a Puppeteer, these things should be useful to you. You may take everything in this room, but I only ask that you return the key to my daughter’s possession. The key is the very source of power that sustains that outside room. Although my daughters have lost their lives, their bodies will not decay. That is the only home they have left. Please, at least preserve this home for them, can you?”

Upon first contact with the black key, Lin Luo knew it was no ordinary object, certainly worth a fortune. But he never imagined that the very reason the outside room remained unchanged for a century was due to this key. That meant the key’s value far exceeded his initial estimations.

Though the key was immensely valuable, Lin Luo had no intention of being greedy. He nodded. “No problem.”

He wouldn’t even have taken the contents of this room for a mere key, yet what truly puzzled him was: what would have happened if he had lied?

The middle-aged man maintained his smile. “Do not mistake my death for an inability to judge. If even a fraction of what you said just now had been untrue, my final remaining power would activate, reducing everything here to ash… You are honest, and you are fortunate. Congratulations. And finally, thank you.”

As the words faded, the middle-aged man’s projection vanished, and instantaneously, the entire room brightened.

Lin Luo stood frozen, a cold sweat breaking out on his skin… He could judge that the projection had not lied—a dead man has no need for deceit. But if the man spoke the truth, how profound must his level of mastery have been?

Creating a space that defied the passage of time was one thing; creating a door impervious to brute force was another; projecting his final words centuries into the future was also within reason. But… to possess the ability, even posthumously through a projection, to verify sincerity and act upon that verification—that was truly astonishing.

Lin Luo estimated that the Divine Artificer’s realm must have been at least High Earth Rank or above.

At that level of cultivation, one essentially possessed near-permanent life; unless violently destroyed by external force, death was unlikely. Yet, this man was dead, and it didn't appear he was slain violently, which was deeply unsettling.

It seems this world is far more advanced than I imagined, Lin Luo mused silently. He didn't immediately examine the room's contents but turned his gaze toward the small puppet beside him. At that moment, Kongque was already weeping uncontrollably.

She couldn't help but cry. Upon entering, seeing her father’s image, she had been overjoyed, believing her most beloved Father-Adult was still alive. Then, realizing he was truly gone, seeing only a projection, the sorrow deepened. Hearing his final words, knowing that even in death he had considered their well-being—that profound love moved her to her core.

She cried tears of joy, tears of sorrow, but above all, tears of being deeply touched.

In that moment, only one thought echoed in her heart: It was so wonderful to be Father-Adult’s daughter, so wonderful to enter this room, and so wonderful to see her father one last time!