Operation Red Book

"Hiss...my arm..."

"Mr. Moriarty, let me help you..."

Joshua staggered to his feet from the spring.

The enchanted branches danced wildly in the air, and the thorny vines whipped the tree trunk, making a "pa pa" mocking sound towards the three people under the banyan tree.

“Aaaaaahh! My palms are bleeding! Aaaaahhh!”

Thomas sat on the ground and cried loudly. Soon his tears covered his flushed face and mixed with the crystal clear snot.

"Don't cry! Don't cry! It's just a little scrape. Is that all SCO can do?"

Beatrice put away her wand, rolled her eyes and waved her hand. The wall of the tree house collapsed in an instant, revealing the various messy household items inside.

Seeing this, Thomas became quiet for a rare moment.

But before long, a branch twisting like a long snake quietly stretched out towards the tea table full of insect specimens.

It quickly picked out the largest and greenest caterpillar and threw it in Thomas' direction at a mischievous speed.

The fat caterpillar landed right on Thomas' forehead. Thomas stared at the caterpillar's green skin covered with black spots and was stunned for a moment... then he blinked...

A second later, a loud cry broke out under the banyan tree.

"Wuuuuuuuuuuuu! I'm just a cute eight-year-old kid! You're bullying me! Wuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

Thomas collapsed and jumped up, running around the yard.

"Stop crying!"

Beatrice shouted, and she pointed at Thomas, freezing him and the caterpillar in place.

Finally, the noise of the children stopped ringing in their ears, and Moriarty and Joshua both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tsk! I was already annoyed when I didn't see those two handsome guys...but it's you ugly freaks that are here!"

Moriarty and Joshua looked up in astonishment. This rude and disrespectful witch...

"You, Bird's Nest Head, take this!"

Joshua looked at Beatrice, who was dressed in black, with blurry eyes, and saw a thorny branch holding a black square moving towards him.

He instinctively turned his head, but was forced to look away by another branch.

It was not until the branches were almost touching his cheek that his hopelessly shortsighted eyes finally saw what was coming.

The cool touch touched his nose, and the scene in front of him finally returned to its original clarity.

Those were the glasses he had lost in the previous world. Joshua took a closer look: the broken lenses had been repaired, the screws on the temples had been tightened, and even the tiny scratches on the lenses had disappeared.

"It's so comfortable..." Joshua exclaimed, "Did you fix it for me?"

"It's just a coincidence. After all, I want to be the world's number one magic instrument maker!" Beatrice's dark face actually turned a little pink.

As if she realized her own gaffe, she coughed twice and reached out to take a letter from the branch.

"Since I fixed your glasses for you, you should do me a favor too."

Joshua put his glasses back on and deftly took the white envelope that Beatrice threw to him.

"Help me deliver this letter to the witch who lives on the hill."

Beatrice pointed to the woods beyond the fence, where a path was hidden.

"Why send a letter?"

Joshua handed the envelope to Moriarty and asked curiously.

"Why do you care so much!" Beatrice turned her eyes away again proudly.

"I don't know. Since I came to this place, I have to write a letter every day and send it to the witch on the hill before the sun sets."

"Do you know who the witch on the hill is?" Moriarty asked.

"I don't know. I only know that she lives in a red house on the hill and is a witch who likes to make potions... In the evening, she would ask a bird to deliver a letter to me, and I would ask a branch to deliver one to her."

"Why don't you go and see for yourself?"

"I can't leave this yard..."

Beatrice opened the fence gate as she spoke. As soon as she stepped out, she came out from behind the banyan tree.

"I can only stay here, writing and receiving letters, and making magic tools day and night..."

Beatrice's eyes were a little sad. She sat on the swing made of branches, quietly waiting for Joshua and Moriarty's response.

"Okay." Joshua answered readily, "But you have to let Mr. Moriarty and Thomas go with me."

"Yellow rock candy man, whatever you want..."

Beatrice smiled and waved the immobilized Thomas over.

"To prevent you from running away on the way, this orange-headed brat has to stay with me."

She stroked Thomas's orange curls and smiled widely.

“Boohoo, boohoo, boohoo…” Thomas let out a howl of resistance with a sad face.

"Deal!" Unfortunately, Moriarty didn't take him seriously at all.

"Go straight along this road until you reach a hill. There is an ugly red building on top. That is where the witch lives..."

"Also, don't peek at my letters! I've sprinkled enough itching powder in them. If someone opens them without permission, I guarantee that their scalp will itch for dozens of days, until all their hair falls out, their hair follicles rot, and their bones are exposed..."

"Especially you! You're a bird's nest head with a previous experience as a lesson!"

Beatrice's threat accompanied Joshua and Moriarty all the way, whether they were walking through dense jungle or passing by cool ponds.

"What a scary witch..."

Moriarty grunted and held the letter far away, as if the letter would ooze dark red blood and wet his shirt.

"And you..." Moriarty frowned and looked at Joshua.

"Why do you have to swear in front of the witch? You know how powerful she is. A narrow-minded person like her will definitely curse you."

"But I really don't know..." Joshua replied, shaking his head.

"Little lunatic... you have been crazy ever since Ivy fainted in McMillan Manor..."

"Actually, I know a clue."

Joshua said hurriedly, as if deliberately interrupting Moriarty.

"what?"

"At that time, I was holding a lightsaber and facing the magic wand. When I was about to be hit by magic, Ms. Bell put her hand on my shoulder and then she recited a spell..."

"Spell? What spell?"

"I don't know...it sounds ancient, peaceful, and scary..."

Moriarty fell silent as he listened to Joshua's words. He walked slowly on the path, not caring at all when a branch occasionally lifted his hair.

After a long time, Moriarty spoke quietly: "As far as I can guess..."

"Belle must have known about your situation. She could have seen the wand, and must have known the magic that came out of it."

"You must have been in great danger. To save you, she must have cast an ancient spell, perhaps a revelation spell, a backlash spell, or a drowsiness spell..."

"No matter what the spell is, it is the key to causing the witch to fall into her own consciousness space."

"Do you remember what the witch said?"

Moriarty turned around and asked.

Joshua nodded in understanding: "I know. Beatrice said that the person we are delivering the letter to is a witch who likes to make medicine. In other words..."

"Beatrice de Poppa came to SCO for Bell, and this is the consciousness space that belongs to both of them..."

At this point, Moriarty uttered a "tsk".

"The legacy issues between the ladies are the most troublesome, but I have to admit that if I want to return to the real world, I have to resolve the conflict between the two of them."

Moriarty supported his forehead with his unbroken hand and said impatiently, "But what is the conflict between them?"

"Why not just ask Ms. Bell herself?"

Unlike Moriarty's mood, Joshua pointed forward happily and said.

Moriarty looked in the direction of Joshua's finger, and a hill full of green grass stood before them.

A stone-paved path winds up the hill to the top of the green slope.

On the top of the hill stands a square building. It is not tall, but it has three floors, and on the top is an open-air vegetable garden.

Two green trees full of ginseng fruits stand on both sides of the building, and red brick walls cover all four sides.

There is a white fence around the bottom, and colorful flowers are in full bloom, like a fluffy girl's dress surrounding the red building.

In front of the off-white arched double doors, Bell, wearing a familiar nurse's uniform, was waving at Joshua and Moriarty.

Joshua's nose felt sore, and without paying attention to the etiquette of humility, he rushed towards Bell on the hill with red eyes.