In the next second, the world before Jiang Ming’s eyes was stripped of all light and sound without warning, sinking into total darkness.
There was no process, no struggle — in just the blink of an eye, reality had been completely replaced.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar room.
He was standing at the doorway, his posture relaxed, looking just like a visitor who had been invited over and had just rung the doorbell to wait for the host to open the door. Beneath his feet was a soft, clean carpet.
The room was decorated with a lived-in feel, one that could even be called cozy. Warm-colored walls and a uniquely shaped floor lamp cast a soft glow, while several finely woven blankets were draped casually over the sofa.
The scent of a faint aromatherapy candle drifted through the air.
“Since you’re here, come on in. Remember to change your shoes,” a familiar, somewhat lazy and comfortable woman’s voice drifted from the sofa deep within the room.
Her tone was incredibly natural, as if Jiang Ming were truly an old friend who had made an appointment to drop by this evening.
Jiang Ming looked down and saw two pairs of slippers neatly placed by the door. One pair was women’s slippers embroidered with delicate, dark patterns, and the other was a simple dark gray style for men, the size of which seemed to fit him perfectly.
He didn’t ask any questions. He simply took off his leather shoes, which were stained with the dust of the mansion, and put on the slippers prepared for him.
He stepped into the room and arrived at the large, comfortable sofa, sitting down in a single armchair diagonally opposite the red-haired woman. His movements were steady, as if he had rehearsed this many times before.
The red-haired Beelzebub, or perhaps more accurately the hostess of the room, was curled lazily on the long sofa. She wore soft, smooth dark purple silk pajamas, her long hair draped over her shoulders like flames.
One hand held a large paper bucket of popcorn that emitted the sweet fragrance of butter, while the other held a glass of lemon soda filled with fine bubbles, a slice of fresh yellow lemon perched on the rim.
Seeing Jiang Ming sit down, she naturally pushed the popcorn bucket toward him, her beautiful eyebrows arching slightly as she signaled for him to help himself.
Immediately after, she seemed to think of something and casually snapped her fingers with the free hand.
Snap.
Jiang Ming’s hand felt heavy.
An identical glass of chilled lemon soda appeared out of thin air in his palm.
“Don’t be stiff,” Beelzebub said, biting into a piece of caramel-covered popcorn. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction, her voice muffled but carrying a hint of a smile. “Think of it as — an intermission. The music outside is too loud, isn’t it?”
From the moment he stepped into this space, or rather, from the moment he realized he had stepped into this space, Jiang Ming had not made a single sound.
Silence.
Jiang Ming was truly silent this time.
He had imagined the scene of meeting Beelzebub of Gluttony again — that ancient existence who legendary accounts said wielded the Authority of Taotie and symbolized endless consumption and desire — countless times.
In his imagination, it might be in the depths of some unknowable palace, so massive it induced vertigo. He would have had to trek up long, seemingly endless stairs, flanked by pillars built from bones and treasures, while the air hung heavy with sulfur and the ceaseless wails from the bottom of the Abyss.
Ultimately, at the end of the stairs, he would look up at a throne as high as a mountain, cast from distorted living beings and solidified lava. He would be forced to kneel under an invisible pressure before he could barely catch a glimpse of the blurred, terrifying figure on the throne.
Or perhaps, it would be in the center of a sea of blood and wasteland piled with the remains of countless worlds and the bones of losers. The throne would be soaked in thick, never-congealing blood and desire, while she sat upon it with struggling lost souls beneath her feet.
“Are you surprised?” Beelzebub looked at the silent Jiang Ming and laughed.
Jiang Ming grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bucket, stuffed it into his mouth, and then nodded.
At this point, he might as well eat some popcorn. At least the popcorn was indeed delicious, wasn’t it?
‘At this point, I might as well eat some popcorn. At least the popcorn is delicious, isn’t it?’
“To be honest, I quite like these little things humans have cooked up.” Beelzebub seemed very satisfied with his reaction. She leaned back, sinking more comfortably into the expensive-looking soft sofa, and even raised a leg, her posture as lazy as a cat basking in the sun. She casually grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bucket in Jiang Ming’s lap and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing with great relish.
“The changes over these 100 years have been too great. Delicious food, fun things, all sorts of strange ideas and technology… they keep emerging one after another.” She narrowed her eyes as if reminiscing. “Only a fool would stay huddled on a cold, hard throne dazed. That thing,” she curled her lip, her tone carrying unabashed disdain, “isn’t even one-tenth as comfortable as this sofa.”
“You were looking for me?” Jiang Ming asked directly.
“Weren’t you looking for me?” Beelzebub blinked, a bit more mischief in her smile. “You were the one who… walked into that Telephone Booth yourself.”
Indeed, he had proactively stepped into that abrupt red iron box.
He shook his head. Time was tight, and he didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on such matters.
“What do you want?” he asked succinctly. “My soul?”
The events of tonight had already spiraled completely out of control. The appearance of the Bliss Troupe, the maze-like Lower City, and the currently unknown status of Lillian and Elvira… every single piece was like a heavy chain, dragging him toward a bottomless vortex.
No matter how smart he was, he could not untangle this mess and ensure everyone’s safety through his own strength alone.
This wasn’t a game; there were no save files, and there was no walkthrough that guaranteed success. He needed power — power that could break the current deadlock.
“Your soul?” Beelzebub repeated, propping up her chin as she appeared to think seriously. “Hmm… it is indeed a very, very tempting offer. Pure and resilient — a top-tier collectible.”
But then she shook her head, her golden hair swaying with the movement.
“However, you know,” she extended her index finger and shook it gently in the air, “we Angels are all about Equivalent Exchange. No cheating the young or the old, prices clearly marked. The little trouble you’re facing right now…”
She paused, her red lips curling into a meaningful arc.
“Doesn’t require using your precious soul as the price just yet.”
“Then what do you want?” Jiang Ming’s vigilance spiked instantly. No soul? That only made him more uneasy. The “equivalent” of an Angel was never as simple as it appeared on the surface.
“The price? You’ve already paid in full.” Beelzebub’s voice carried a low laugh of sulfur that echoed in the depths of his consciousness, like lava flowing through cracks in the earth. “You set foot in this realm, and the threads of our fates were already intertwined and knotted. That is enough.”
The non-human existence seemed quite satisfied. She paused for a moment, as if measuring and selecting.
“Since that is the case, I shall grant you… a corresponding reward.”
“Let me think…” Beelzebub’s mind seemed to flip through an invisible catalog, finally settling on a specific entry. “Ah, here it is. I’ll grant you… a Miracle for tonight.”
‘A Miracle?’ Jiang Ming asked in shock within his heart.
“Exactly. A Miracle only once a night, never to be repeated,” Beelzebub confirmed, her thoughts carrying a sort of prank-like interest. “It comes with a small gift as after-sales service.”
“A dream. Go out the door, turn left, and you will know.”
After hearing this, Jiang Ming didn’t waste any more words and walked straight toward the door. He knew that he didn’t have much time.
Exiting the room and turning left, as expected, Jiang Ming saw a door. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and walked inside.