Operation Red Book

"Mr. Ivy, can you see my reflection in the water?"

"Yes, it's right here..."

Ivy pointed at the water and spoke bluntly.

"Messy hair, pistachio-shaped eyes, a mouth with no visible lips... It's exactly the same as you on the shore."

"Thank you for your precise description... although I can't see it at all..."

Joshua reached out his hand towards the water. The stream here was very clear and did not seem to be very deep.

The fingers moved closer and closer, but there was still no reflection on the water.

This is not an ordinary reflex, but a valve connecting two worlds.

"It's easy to get in, but hard to get out. You have to find the little girl in the garden. More importantly, you have to find the passage between the consciousness space and the real world..."

Beatrice's instructions slowly emerged in Joshua's mind, which gave him a bold guess.

"Is this the place..."

At the same time, Joshua dipped his fingers into the water filled with petals. He did not feel the expected coolness, but layers of pressure and gravity.

"Huh? Your fingers are glowing?"

Ivy said in amazement, she clearly saw the circle of white light where her fingers met the water surface, which was brighter than the sun and whiter than the moonlight.

"That's it!" Joshua said with surprise.

"This? What is this?" Ivy asked puzzledly.

"The passage out from here is this stream!"

"It's inexplicable. I'm hungry and need to eat."

"Wait, wait! You have to leave here with me..."

The shadows around him suddenly disappeared, and the dazzling sunlight made Joshua unable to open his eyes.

He stood up quickly, grabbed Ivy's wrist with a swift hand, and turned in the direction she left.

"Listen to my explanation..."

In just a moment, Joshua's anxious voice became smaller and smaller, and the last syllable quietly died out, turning into a breath that could not be swallowed.

In their peripheral vision, a tall and thin shadow stood in front of the two of them. He was very tall and had an unusual aura.

"It's late. I'll pick you up."

He spoke in a melodious and gentle voice. His accent was not like that of a British person, but rather solid, with a mellow rhythm like that of Italian.

It was sunset, and the light-colored sun had turned orange at some point, hanging on the stone bridge like a painting.

The sun shone from the west, the world became silent, the water surface flashed blood-red light, and Ivy's beige dress was also dyed with an orange-red hue.

After a long silence, Ivy hummed reluctantly from her throat.

A tall figure slowly walked out from the shadows of the trees, and both Ivy and Joshua stopped breathing temporarily.

The scorching sun shone on the three-dimensional face, and Joshua finally saw the appearance of the person.

He was wearing a bright red lapel robe with white waisted trousers underneath. The brown combat boots with laces made his attire look more formal. The curling golden flowers on his chest were delicate and generous.

The withered and yellow curls were gathered together at the back, and a few long strands of hair hung down from the face, completely blocked by the high nose.

His face was very pale, even a little blue, and his eyelids were half-lifted, as if he was deliberately hiding his glowing red pupils.

Looking like a sickly Roman noble, Joshua immediately gained confidence. He tightly grasped Ivy's wrist, ready to fight her at any time.

Although his own strength is far inferior to that of his SCO partners, he has at least experienced so many life-and-death tests and tribulations.

Joshua secretly thought in his heart that as long as he was not as strong as Holmes and Alexander, he could still fight hard for the time being...

"This is Lord Leon."

It’s better to find a way to bypass him and return to the real world. Joshua’s eyes suddenly became clear again.

"Excuse me, your Excellency?"

"This is Joshua, my brother..."

Ivy grabbed Joshua with her backhand and brought him forward.

"do you remember?"

Ivy tilted her head and smiled, holding Joshua's fingers and exerting slight force.

Joshua could feel her nervousness and fear, so he also squeezed hard.

"remember."

Lord Leon did not deny it. He put his hands behind his back and nodded slowly towards Joshua. His movements were elegant and very polite.

"Hello, I guess you are here to attend the wedding tomorrow."

"wedding?"

Joshua's heart skipped a beat and he looked at Ivy in horror.

After a frantic glance up and down, he finally found the azure diamond ring on Ivy's ring finger.

"wedding?"

Ivy seemed unaware of the situation. She looked at Joshua with guilt and suspicion, and only realized the ring she was wearing after Joshua reminded her.

"with who?"

What a stupid question! Lord Leon's expression darkened significantly.

"You should go back. It's going to be dark soon and there will be mosquito bites here."

The whole world seemed to confirm his words. The sun disappeared into the clouds, and the colorful clouds in the sky were covered by the quiet blue.

"No..." Ivy shook her head, "I want to talk to him."

"No, dinner is already prepared and it will get cold."

"I said, I want to talk to my brother here."

Ivy spoke word by word, her attitude firm, and she didn't avoid looking at Lord Leon at all.

Lord Leon still didn't fully lift his eyelids. His face was frighteningly dark, and the look he gave Joshua was filled with murderous intent.

Joshua suddenly felt panicky, Beatrice's screams of pain were still vivid in his mind.

The other party is a vampire who has been practicing for thousands of years, and this is still his consciousness space...

This is no joke. Provoking him won't end well. Otherwise, just go along with what he says...

"Don't keep me waiting too long."

"it is good."

Lord Leon left, folding his arms, taking each step, his back filled with emotion, and he left easily.

Joshua was stunned again: "Are you familiar with him?"

"We've only met two or three times. If he proposes to me right after we met, he's definitely not a good person..."

Ivy muttered, pulling Joshua to a sturdy willow tree.

"He is very dangerous, a cruel and violent vampire. You are also dangerous. Half of your energy has been consumed!"

Joshua continued to persuade Ivy that the night was falling and the full moon was approaching, so they had to seize the time.

"I have found a way back. As long as you are willing to go back with me..."

"The fact is that I can't go back with you, and I don't want to."

Ivy put on her clogs and leaned gently against the uneven branches.

"Why? You will die, Ivy!" Joshua was a little panicked.

"You have been lying in bed for two weeks. You should wake up. This is the world of consciousness, not reality..."

"That stream is not the way back, Joshua. I wade in this stream every day, and my body never glows like yours."

Ivy smiled at him lightly, her voice unusually calm.

"Maybe it's a way back for you, but not for me."

"Also, I know this isn't the real world..."

Ivy picked two bunches of dewy roses and gave one to the silent Joshua.

"I have slowly remembered that here, I have never slept, never looked in the mirror, I don't have my own bedroom, and even the servants in the castle are all wearing solid armor."

"But I like it here. There are no annoying nobles, no endless work, no financial burden, and no danger."

"There are only gardens and castles here, my own world, my own life."

“Whether it’s the 21st century or the 19th century, isn’t this our goal?”

"But you will die..." Joshua said silently.

"I will die if I go back, and I will die here too, so why not end everything quickly? My soul will be eaten by the devil anyway, so why can't I choose to die in happiness and joy?"

Ivy asked from the bottom of her heart, her nose felt a little sour and her vision gradually blurred.

"I'm very rebellious, Joshua. I come from a single-parent family. My mother is a strong woman. She came to London with her own ability. I also dream of becoming like that."

"But she didn't want to. What she asked of me was to be patient. Be patient when being lectured, be patient, be patient when being discriminated against, be patient when being bullied..."