I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 109 - 109 108. The Essence of Madness_1

Chapter 109: 108. The Essence of Madness_1 Chapter 109: 108. The Essence of Madness_1 A sleepless night.

Early in the morning, looking slightly tired, Red Leaf pushed open the window and saw Lu Ban in the yard. Several birds were chirping beside him, and if one added the gradually falling cherry blossoms, it would have been a beautiful painting worthy of a master.

—If one ignored the fact that those birds had undergone mutation.

Chirp chirp chirp—

A mass resembling a clump of worms mimicked the low chirping sounds of birds. They stood warily beside Lu Ban, their calling creating an oddly inconceivable scene.

Next to Lu Ban, some void entity was on alert around those birds. Red Leaf couldn’t discern whether that thing was a person or a monster. As for the Air Friends in ghost stories, the Shrine Maidens knew very little since their hosts were mostly already dead by the time they were discovered.

“Are you… not afraid of these things?”

Red Leaf straightened her garment, put on her boots, and walked out of the room.

“In their perception, they are still just ordinary birds doing what ordinary birds do. Why should I be afraid of them? Could it be that they would swallow me whole?”

Lu Ban seemed unconcerned.

Next to him was a backpack and a crowbar, clearly ready for combat.

“But no matter how they disguise themselves or what they think they are, monsters are monsters.”

Red Leaf sighed softly.

“Actually, I think whether they are monsters or not isn’t important. If these creatures are simply ugly but harmless to humans, then there is no need to fear them. On the contrary, those that are beautiful but could harm others are the ones worth watching out for.”

As he spoke, Lu Ban withdrew his hand that had been toying with the “birds.” His fingers bore marks as if burned by flames. He looked at them, then cut his skin with a knife. Dark yellow blood poured out, and as it did, more plants spread from his skin, wrapping around his fingers and healing the wound.

In the sunlight, the greenery was vibrant, but growing on Lu Ban’s body, it seemed rather horrifying.

“It’s just that these birds carry Pollution, and through their flight, it could spread to other islands. So, unfortunately, they cannot continue to live.”

Hearing Lu Ban’s words, Red Leaf felt relieved for some reason.

Although this man seemed to have many secrets and his physique and personality were different from common people, it appeared his understanding of abnormal events was quite clear.

“Right, today we can investigate the disappearance of that missing artist.”

Lu Ban then shifted the topic.

“Why do we still need to pay attention to him?”

Red Leaf didn’t understand.

The pollution of the Island should have been a more serious issue. If it wasn’t handled properly, the entire Island might have to be burnt down—what problem could the missing artist pose?

“Think about it, the Island has already become like this, almost all the people have mutated into monsters. By all logic, this should be a completely disastrous situation, right?”

Lu Ban plucked the grass from his hand one by one, exposing the fresh, intact skin underneath.

“Then why is everything on the Island in order, and only the disappearance of the artist Wan Ye caused a little ripple?”

Hearing Lu Ban’s rhetorical question, Red Leaf’s thoughts suddenly became clearer.

According to what Lu Ban had just said, the birds still believed they were birds, so they kept acting according to bird behavior.

And the mutated humans on the Island still thought they were normal humans, so they continued to live as normal.

But a person who could see the truth would realize that the Island was full of monsters. He could see through everything, yet to ordinary “people,” the one discovering the truth was the mad one.

“…So he disappeared because he hadn’t mutated and noticed the changes on the Island?”

Red Leaf finally understood everything.

“Hmm, on this island, it seems that the craziest people are the most rational ones.”

Lu Ban nodded.

“Do you still remember the madman we encountered on the way here yesterday?”

“…Him?”

Red Leaf realized belatedly.

If according to Lu Ban’s logic, the ones who seem mad are actually the most normal, then the missing painter Wan Ye might very well be the madman who was killed yesterday?

“No, that’s not right, but he had already undergone mutation; he should have… No, if his body underwent mutation due to exposure to pollution, but his mind remained unpolluted, then that would explain such a condition?”

“That’s probably the case.”

Lu Ban recalled the content of a novel where the protagonist, who had been the mainstay of his family, suddenly turned into a huge beetle. His family went from helping him to despising him, and at last, he died alone on his bed.

If someone were to suddenly discover that their own body and those around them had changed, turning into monsters, and everyone else thought it was normal, while they alone noticed what was happening, their mind would definitely be under intense torment and eventually collapse, wouldn’t it?

This was like bragging in a group chat with a few friends during the summer vacation. Everyone claimed they had done absolutely none of their holiday homework, planning to copy everything quickly when school resumed to get it over with, leading to oneself slacking off for two whole months and not touching the mountainous pile of assignments, only to discover upon returning to school that the treacherous group mates had finished everything two days before the holiday ended, while one had not written a single word.

One would definitely feel like the clown was oneself.

“If one can maintain rationality, there might still be room for salvation, after all, there’s the saying about determination despite physical impairments.”

Lu Ban was full of confidence.

He and Red Leaf stepped out of the house and saw Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei.

These two had turned into two indescribable lumps of strange flesh. Sharp teeth grinded on the flesh, several eyeballs rotated, finally setting their gaze on Lu Ban and company.

“It seems the two of you had a rather pleasant night.”

Ginpei’s plump tentacles were still holding his fan, presenting an air of literary elegance befitting a scholar among monsters.

Red Leaf composed herself, offering no response.

Lu Ban smiled, following them into the central courtyard of Anxin Court. It was spacious and bright, with quite a number of “people” already gathered there.

Lu Ban saw that the painters and poets in kimonos had all turned into twisted and strange monsters. Those creatures, either writhing their bodies, waving their tentacles, covered in eyes, or piled with bones, converged in the courtyard, resembling a ghostly procession in a painting.

Paired with the floating Pure Glass Dolls in the sky, the scene was filled with an eerie sensation.

“Truly magnificent; this year’s Poetry Festival also seems quite grand!”

“Even though what happened before was unfortunate, it seems all is well now, we have to trust the officers of Song Island.”

“I’ve been here for many days, and I’ve felt nothing unusual at all. Indeed, one must see things with their own eyes and not judge subjectively whether there is something amiss.”

“I wonder what the poetic theme is this year; I’m quite looking forward to it.”

The air was filled with voices accompanied by static, these monsters were sharing their experiences and seemed quite excited about the festival.

Standing among these monsters, Red Leaf felt a sense of dislocation.

Only Lu Ban remained silent.

As the fireworks filled with a myriad of colors burst into the sky, the Poetry Festival began.

*

Asking for recommendation and monthly tickets!