Hearing the system's prompt, Elena's smile became even more intense and bright. At the same time, the "Portrait: Clever Gnome" in the system's "Cognitive World" changed into "The Mirror of Illusion."
The Mirror of Illusion
Age: Young
Level: 61
Faction: Chaotic Neutral
Possesses: The power to see through illusions.
Weakness: Obsession, obsession, obsession...
Introduction: The third painting in the corridor of the vampire castle, or perhaps a mirror. In any case, no one remembers when or by whom it was hung in the corridor, nor do they remember whether it was a painting or a mirror when it was hung on the wall.
Elena smiled, smiled, and continued to smile... Sure enough, she wasn't wrong. Everything was an illusion! The blood rain and the blood seeping from everywhere in the castle were illusions! Only she could see, smell, and sense it. Otherwise, why would the vampire maidservants who just passed by not care about the blood? They were clearly driven mad by the blood in the first "Future Visible."
The third painting in the corridor was also an illusion! The reflection of the lightning clearly showed her appearance on the glass of the picture, while none of the other paintings could reflect such a clear image! Once one illusion is discovered, it's easy to think of other illusions. In the end, she could discover all this thanks to the "rational" vampire maidservant who just passed by.
"I don't know why, but your charming smile, Princess, makes me feel a little scared."
At this moment, the "goblin" on the third painting slowly disappeared, and then a smooth mirror surface appeared. Then, a row of rolling eyes opened above the frame, and sharp teeth cracked open below the frame. "But you are truly a clever princess. Not only can you see through your own illusion, but also mine," the mirror said with its crooked teeth.
Elena was pleasantly surprised that the third painting finally spoke, but the "Chaotic Neutral" faction of the other party made her unsure whether she should respond.
Dark World Survival Rule No. 4: Don't talk to chaotic faction members, even if they are chaotic good. When a chaotic faction member initiates a conversation with you, please respond. This can also be understood as: Members of the chaotic faction are all dangerous lunatics. You should avoid communicating with them as much as possible. However, since the mirror had already initiated a conversation with her, according to Rule No. 4, she should respond to it.
"You're clearly a mirror, but you insist on disguising yourself as a painting. You're really a lying mirror," Elena muttered.
"No, no! My beautiful princess. I'm the most honest mirror in the world. No one is more honest than me," the mirror retorted.
"Then why did you disguise yourself as a painting?" Elena asked.
"It's a long story, but not that long. Once there was a cute little girl with a teddy bear who wanted to play hide-and-seek with me. I said that as long as I hid, no one could find me, but she didn't believe me. So I got angry and kept hiding myself. I never expected that you would find me today, Princess. You are truly a clever princess."
Elena: (ΩДΩ)!!
"How long have you been hiding?"
"Five years... Ten years... Maybe even longer. I don't remember," the row of eyes on the mirror rolled around, answering with difficulty.
It's truly a chaotic fellow, and it's really persistent... But can she believe what it says? Aunt Mary's advice No. 1: The third painting in the corridor always lies. But Aunt Mary said "painting," not "mirror." In short, I can't believe you're honest. Let's end our conversation here. Goodbye," Elena said, and was about to leave in her high heels.
"No! Wait! Wait! Your Highness, the noble princess! You must believe me! Please believe me, I'm the most honest mirror in the world!" The row of eyes on the frame turned anxiously and shouted loudly.
Elena stopped and curled her red lips inwardly. A delusional mirror, weakness: persistence, persistence, persistence... Whether it was persistence in making people believe its lies or persistence in showing its honesty, it didn't matter much to Elena. What mattered was how much useful information she could get from this mirror that could see through delusions.
"Alright." Elena turned around helplessly, "Then let me test you and see how honest you really are."
The row of eyes on the frame all turned to Elena, full of anticipation. "The first question: The blood in the vampire castle only appears in wine glasses, but why do I see, smell, and sense blood everywhere around me?"
"Because you're suffering from mental pollution, my beautiful princess. Under the influence of mental pollution, you're seeing the thing you fear the most—blood. But the astute you have already discovered this secret and are fighting against your inner fear. Am I right, Your Highness?" The mirror answered smugly.
Mental pollution? Elena pretended to be calm and asked again, "Then do you know why I'm suffering from mental pollution?"
"A powerful being," the mirror said with some fear. "Due to the threat of your powerful father, he dares not attack you directly, but it's obvious that his determination to kill you won't change. You're in great danger, Your Highness."
A powerful being? Stepmother? Alucard? Or someone else? One after another, how much do I really hate this woman!
"Who is he? Why does he want to kill me? How can I get through this crisis?" Elena asked in one breath.
The eyes on the frame turned rapidly: "To be honest, I can't answer these questions. After all, that being is on par with your father in strength. But I can only say that your chance of survival in his hands is almost zero."
Almost zero... Then this guy who is on par with father in strength can't be the stepmother or Alucard. Because in the vampire castle, no one can match father's power! Even if they all combine, it's still impossible! Then... who the hell is this guy?!
Elena suddenly felt that it was so hard to want to live. She hoped the mirror was lying.
"Alright, next question," Elena didn't lose heart and thought carefully before saying, "What's the connection between Alucard and the frog?"
The mirror bared its sharp teeth and smiled: "When Alucard passed by me this morning, I noticed that there was witchcraft power on his bow tie. That bow tie was made from a witch's heart, containing all the witch's life force, enough to cause a disaster. But only for humans. After all, a witch's power is still insignificant in front of a powerful vampire."
"In the vampire castle, there is only one human—the princess. And according to etiquette, Alucard was supposed to go and welcome the princess. But when he came back, I saw that the witchcraft on his bow tie was still there. This means that the princess must have already discovered the problem and even knew that the witchcraft was related to the frog. Am I right, smart Princess Elena?"
Elena's blood-red eyes narrowed slightly.
Witchcraft...