Chapter 43: Irene’s Plan
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Yu Sheng had always been aware that Irene had all sorts of remarkable abilities. He remembered it clearly from the time he followed the strange little doll into Foxy’s dream world. Still, Irene could be so unreliable now and then that one could easily forget just how extraordinary she truly was.
Now, seated on the sofa, Yu Sheng looked very serious indeed. He leaned forward, his gaze drifting down to the doll at his side. “Alright,” he began, “there’s one last thing we need to figure out.” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “We have to find a way to recreate that door to the Otherworld Valley.”
Irene peered up at him, her tiny painted face thoughtful. “Are you still planning on using trial and error?” she asked. “I mean, do you just try out every frequency until you hit the right one?”
Yu Sheng let out a heavy sigh. “It seems that’s the only option I have,” he admitted. “The first time I opened that door, I hadn’t fully understood the technique. I missed a lot of important details.”
Irene tilted her head, small golden curls painted near her frame, and frowned in concentration. After a moment, she spoke hesitantly, “Actually… I might have an idea.”
Yu Sheng leaned in, instantly interested. “Really? You think you know a way?”
She shrugged her little shoulders, looking both eager and uncertain. “It might not work,” Irene said softly. She shifted, turning slightly on the cushion so that her painted frame caught the lamplight. “You see, I don’t really understand how you open those doors or what this ‘frequency’ you keep talking about even is. But as far as I can tell, you need something to help you find the place you want to reach. Like some kind of signal, or a feature that stands out… correct?”
Yu Sheng scratched his head. “That’s one way to put it. Honestly, I don’t fully understand it myself. It’s something I worked out alone, trusting my instincts more than anything else. Still, yes, a kind of ‘signal’ or a strong memory seems to fix the pathway into a definite place instead of something random.”
Irene nodded, pleased. “Right. So if we could leave a marker in Foxy’s dream, something you can remember strongly, then you could use that to guide yourself next time. It would be like setting a beacon, wouldn’t it?”
Yu Sheng’s brow furrowed. “Yes, that’s the general idea. But how do we place a marker there when we can’t even enter the Otherworld Valley right now? If we could reach it easily, we wouldn’t need a marker at all.”
Irene suddenly brightened, as if a clever thought had just popped into her head. “What about using her dreams themselves?” she suggested.
Yu Sheng paused, eyes widening as he thought it through. He was starting to understand what Irene might be implying.
Irene explained further, her small voice sure and steady. “Last time we slipped into Foxy’s dream, I managed to make a slight connection with her mind. If I can deepen that link, I might be able to tap into her senses. And if I bring you into that dream connection as well, you could use what she sees or feels to reach the valley’s essence. That would be like leaving your marker through her perceptions.”
As she spoke, Yu Sheng found himself more and more intrigued. Irene’s idea was bold—maybe even a bit mad—but the more he considered it, the more he believed it might just work.
“However,” Irene continued, raising a tiny wooden hand, “there are two big problems we’ll have to face. First, we need Foxy’s cooperation. She has to open her mind willingly, let you in without resisting. But I think we can manage that. After all, she trusts you, doesn’t she?”
Yu Sheng nodded. That seemed reasonable enough.
“The second problem,” Irene went on, her expression turning serious, “is that Foxy’s mind isn’t entirely her own right now. Entity-Hunger has settled deep inside her subconscious. If you connect to Foxy’s thoughts, you’ll also be brushing up against Hunger’s presence. I can’t predict what that might cause. In theory, you’ll be fine if you keep the contact short, but there’s a risk. If Hunger finds a way into your mind, it might reawaken at the worst possible time—like when you return to the valley and face that beast head-on.”
Yu Sheng fell silent, lost in thought. He knew how dangerous Entity-Hunger could be. This risk was not small.
Irene immediately spotted the worry on his face. She hopped off the sofa and stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him fiercely—though she was still much shorter, barely reaching his knee as he sat. “Don’t even think about dying first just to escape the risk and reset things!” she scolded, bright red eyes burning. “That’s a terrible habit. What if the thing follows you even after death, and you can’t shake it off?”
Yu Sheng shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t say anything…” he defended weakly.
“I can tell what you were thinking,” Irene snapped, her tone sharp. “Stop it.”
Yu Sheng sighed. It was odd how this strange doll, usually so scatterbrained and unreliable, had suddenly become so perceptive. “Alright, alright,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “I promise I won’t make dying my first plan. Let’s focus on the main idea. I think we should still try your method. The risk is real, but if we want to save Foxy, we have to be bold.”
Irene studied him carefully with her crimson eyes. Finally, she gave a small nod. “So you do care about her that much,” she said, sounding almost impressed. “You’re right about one thing: we don’t have much time. Her situation isn’t getting any better. Alright, let’s go ahead with the plan.”
Just then, Yu Sheng remembered another potential problem. “Wait, I’ve got one more issue,” he said quickly.
“What now?” Irene asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“Well, I don’t always dream about Foxy,” Yu Sheng explained, shrugging helplessly. “Last night I didn’t dream at all, and I have no clue how to control when or what I dream about.”
Rather than look worried, Irene simply grinned, her painted lips curving mischievously. “I can handle that,” she boasted, folding her tiny arms proudly. “You just fall asleep, and I’ll do the rest. Ever since I escaped that painting, my powers have grown by leaps and bounds! Honestly, it’s a bit frightening how powerful I’ve become—”
Before she could finish bragging, Yu Sheng shifted on the sofa, causing the cushion to dip. Irene, standing too close to the edge, lost her footing. “Oh!” she cried out, tumbling straight into the gap between the sofa and the coffee table. She ended up wedged awkwardly, her frame caught in such a way that she was half-hanging and half-sprawled, looking more like a clumsy puppet than a mighty mage.
There she dangled, flailing her little arms, spitting out rude words that were not at all lady-like. Yu Sheng reached down and lifted her by the edge of her frame, holding her up as she continued to grumble.
“It seems that those bindings on your body are still pretty tight,” Yu Sheng commented, trying not to laugh.
“Laugh at me again and I won’t help you!” Irene threatened, squirming as her arm got stuck in a strap. “Put me down properly! Hey, careful, my arm’s caught! Help me out here!”
Yu Sheng sighed, placing her back down and carefully freeing her painted joints while she muttered and complained nonstop.
Later that night, Yu Sheng settled under his blanket, preparing for sleep as best he could. He felt strangely tired, both in body and mind.
But Irene was still scurrying all over his bed like a restless squirrel that had gotten into the attic. She scampered from the foot of the bed up to the pillow, then over to the nightstand.
“Can’t you calm down for a moment?” Yu Sheng hissed, trying not to sound too desperate. “I need to sleep!”
“Your bed is enormous!” Irene chirped, sounding delighted. She hopped onto the headboard, then jumped onto the nightstand, tapping the lamp. “Hey, look, Yu Sheng! This lamp is shorter than me! I’m actually taller than it! Isn’t that neat?”
Yu Sheng rolled his eyes, completely unimpressed. “I’ll buy an even shorter nightlight next time if that makes you happy,” he said dryly, reaching over and lifting her off the lamp. “Don’t forget what you’re supposed to be doing! If you keep messing around, I’ll lock you in the wardrobe.”
With that threat, Irene finally seemed to remember their mission. She gave a guilty grin, nodding. “Yes, yes, sorry!” she said, settling down. “Go to sleep now. I’ll behave.”
Yu Sheng sighed heavily, too worn out to argue. He snuggled beneath the blanket. “Can you turn off the light?” he asked, trying to relax.
“Can’t reach it,” Irene said simply.
Yu Sheng groaned. “Use a chair.”
“Oh. Right!”
At last, the click of the switch plunged the room into comforting darkness. Yu Sheng let the silence wash over him like a soft wave. He finally felt ready to drift off.
But then he turned his head and nearly jumped. Two bright red eyes were peering at him in the darkness from the very edge of the bed. Irene clung there like a miniature koala, staring right at him.
“You know,” Yu Sheng said through gritted teeth, “it’s really hard to fall asleep when you’re watching me like some sort of night-owl.”
“Why did you even bring me up here?” Irene quipped. “The closer I stay, the clearer the signal will be. You know that!” It sounded perfectly honest, but Yu Sheng had a suspicion she was just making excuses.
Realizing he wouldn’t get any privacy, he pressed a hand over his eyes and tried not to think about it. Irene, at least, got the hint and jumped down to a chair not too far away. She remained silent, but he knew she was still watching him.
He had no choice. He had to ignore that scarlet gaze and focus on sleep. Slowly, as minutes passed—maybe an hour or more—exhaustion dragged him down into the soft depths of slumber.
In that gentle darkness, he heard Irene’s voice. It echoed like a whisper in a long corridor: “Finally, you’re asleep… Alright, this way now.”
Yu Sheng drifted toward her voice, and before he knew it, the dark fog lifted and he found himself standing in a dim landscape. The sky was gloomy, dull clouds stretched across it. The ground was barren and quiet. In the distance, small rolling hills rose and fell gently, and lying silently in a lonely field was the silver fox—Foxy, still slumbering, still trapped.
Yu Sheng stepped forward, taking in the scene. And there, floating beside him, was Irene, guiding his dream. He noticed a painting hovering in midair—her painting—showing Irene’s painted form just as he had first known her.
Yu Sheng blinked, confused. “Why does it look like the real you is inside that painting again?” he muttered.
Irene swiveled around, seeming just as puzzled. She looked down at herself, then at the dreamscape, and let out a startled cry, “Wait! Why am I back in the painting again?!”