Because so many people had altered this book, The Emperor’s New Clothes was no longer readable. The original picture book, which only had five or six pages, had now become a thick volume of at least a hundred pages. Furthermore, every single page was marked with a red cross, leaving no way to know which content had been negated or what had been changed.

Now, only the last page remained without a red cross. It depicted a group portrait where everyone had smiles on their faces, though their expressions were stiff, like a posed photograph. The text accompanying the image read: “In the end, everyone lived happily ever after.”

The characters in The Emperor’s New Clothes were only the emperor, two swindlers, an unnamed minister, unnamed citizens, and the child who spoke the truth. It was impossible to know which group of people this happy “everyone” referred to.

“This book hasn’t just undergone cosmetic surgery; it’s been through ten lifetimes of reincarnation, hasn’t it?” He Fei said, shocked. “What kind of story has this turned into?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared, clearly having entered the book due to curiosity.

Mu Sichen shook his head. He had originally planned to enter the book together with He Fei and act jointly, but now that He Fei had entered ahead of him, unable to control his curiosity, they might not be assigned to the same place. Fortunately, he had long considered the possibility of them being separated and had agreed on a code word with He Fei beforehand, so they should be able to recognize each other then.

Mu Sichen studied the storybook seriously, thinking about whether the Apostle of Jiantong was truly here, and with that desire for knowledge, entered the story.

As the scene shifted, Mu Sichen found himself in a luxurious palace, sitting on an ornate chair. Before him, a handsome man dressed in knightly attire was saying respectfully: “Queen, your servant has already followed your orders and destroyed all the mirrors in the palace. I have covered all reflective objects with black cloth and prohibited anyone around the King from using basins of water. Washing must be done with running water. Now, in the entire palace, only the water in the back garden’s lake will reflect the King’s image. Do you want me to fill in the lake?”

Mu Sichen looked at the knight, first thinking about who this “Queen” was. It wasn’t that he couldn’t react, but rather that Mu Sichen didn’t dare to think in that direction for a moment.

After being stunned for a few seconds, the knight looked up and gazed seriously at Mu Sichen.

Mu Sichen slowly spoke: “Do you remember the octopus by Daming Lake?”

The knight was full of confusion, pondering for a moment before asking back: “Does the Queen intend to raise an octopus in the back garden’s lake? That is also a method. A minister said that a fisherman caught an incredibly huge octopus. If we raise it in the back garden, the water will ripple, making it very difficult to reflect a person’s image. Your servant will go handle it right away.”

This was the code word between Mu Sichen and He Fei. The knight was clearly not He Fei.

The knight was a person of great action. Having said this, he set about handling the raising of the octopus, leaving Mu Sichen stunned in the chair.

Mu Sichen thought he would at least become one of the emperor, the swindlers, the minister, the citizens, or the child. He didn’t expect to become the Queen.

He shook his head, shocked by his long hair and the heavy ornaments on his head. He looked down at the clothes on his body—a corseted, poofy dress, magnificent and beautiful, but extremely inconvenient. Adhering to the principle of “not looking at what is improper,” Mu Sichen did not check whether his body had completely turned into a woman’s.

He was a professional player; whenever a hot new game came out, he had to play all the characters within it to become familiar with their various skills. He had no aversion to playing a character of either gender. Even if his body had changed now, he could adjust his state very well.

No matter how thick a fairy tale book was, an hour would pass anyway. He would just treat it as role-playing; what was so awkward about it?

But the changes in this story truly exceeded Mu Sichen’s imagination. Breaking mirrors was one thing; after all, in fairy tales, actions like destroying all the spinning wheels in the country or driving away all the girls in the palace were numerous. Although a bit ridiculous, they were of the same origin and not worth being surprised about. But in which fairy tale would an octopus be raised in the palace’s back garden? Usually, it would be goldfish!

Just now, he had only been exchanging code words with the knight; how did an octopus actually appear?

Mu Sichen thought for a moment and called out: “Someone, come here.”

A middle-aged maid walked up.

Mu Sichen asked: “What is the deal with the octopus he mentioned just now? Do you know the details?”

“Him? Do you mean the Captain of the Guard?” the maid said. “I have also heard of the octopus the Captain mentioned. I do not advise the Queen to raise that octopus; it is somewhat sinister.”

“How so?” Mu Sichen asked.

The maid replied: “That fisherman who caught the octopus was always crying. He said that after he caught the octopus, he knew this thing was too terrifying to sell for a high price, so he released it. The octopus was grateful to the fisherman for sparing its life and said it could grant the fisherman’s wishes. The fisherman asked for a new boat, a new house, endless wealth, and to become king; the octopus granted all these wishes. But he was insatiable, feeling that even though he was king, he was still a mortal, so he demanded from the octopus immortality and the ability to fulfill all wishes.

“The octopus said this wish could only be granted by eating its heart, so the fisherman killed the octopus. But the moment the octopus died, everything the fisherman had vanished. Before him was only a broken net and a huge octopus.

“The fisherman cried bitterly, brought the octopus to the palace, and said to the king: ‘The position you sit in was originally mine; I will exchange this octopus that can grant wishes for it.’ The king thought he was a madman and locked him up, and the octopus was taken away by a minister.

“I feel this octopus is transformed by the devil. It is too dangerous to raise it in the palace. It should be released back into the sea.”

Wasn’t this just The Fisherman and the Goldfish? How did the goldfish turn into an octopus?

After listening, Mu Sichen felt that this book had been turned into a hodgepodge of fairy tales by a group of people, with no main plot to be found. But due to the existence of the octopus doll, Mu Sichen was exceptionally interested in the octopus. He said to the maid: “Hearing is false, seeing is believing. I will go see that octopus for myself. Take me there.”

The maid immediately ordered people to prepare a carriage, helped Mu Sichen, who was wearing little high-heeled leather boots, walk out of the palace, and even helped him lift his skirt. This maid talked a lot, like an NPC that could provide information. Mu Sichen urgently needed to understand the plot and just happened to be scouting for news from her.

Mu Sichen tentatively asked: “Do you think I was wrong to destroy all the mirrors in the palace?”

The maid said steadily: “The King is obsessed with clothing and does not handle state affairs. Instead, he spends his days finding tailors to make clothes and admiring himself in front of the mirror. It is only natural for the Queen to destroy the mirrors for the sake of the country and to help the King break his obsession with clothing.”

The plot… miraculously matched up. So this really was The Emperor’s New Clothes, just that the worldview had been infinitely expanded by the donors, enriching the plot. With so many characters added, he didn’t know where He Fei was.

Searching aimlessly might not lead to reuniting with He Fei. It was better to follow the plot. The central figure of The Emperor’s New Clothes was, after all, the King. He Fei would definitely try his best to get to the King’s side. Since he was already the Queen, he was very close to the King; there was no need to wander around, which might cause him to miss the chance to reunite.

After all, this was a book, so there wouldn’t be a scene of bumping along the road in a carriage. As soon as Mu Sichen stepped one leg into the luxurious carriage, the maid beside him said: “Queen, we have arrived.”

Turning the page caused Mu Sichen to lose the chance to sit in the carriage. He felt a bit of regret. Previously, when he was working in an amusement park handing out balloons, he had seen the park’s large carriage; riding the carriage around the park cost 100 yuan, a very luxurious amusement project. He thought he could get a free ride once, but who knew the page would turn in the blink of an eye? Mu Sichen held the noble head of the Queen high, his heart filled with regret.

A minister greeted him, respectfully saying to him: “Queen, I have temporarily kept the octopus in the moat of the outer city. As soon as it enters the water, it takes on the color of its environment and cannot be found at all. Using fresh fish cannot entice it to appear either. The Captain of the Guard is using a net to find the octopus’s whereabouts, but he has already circled the river once and still hasn’t found it. It might have returned to the sea.”

“What color was this octopus originally?” Mu Sichen asked.

“Blue,” the minister replied.

Mu Sichen: “…”

Blue octopuses were rare in the real world, and the elements of blue and transparency made him think of the little octopus too easily. But this was inside a Pillar; how could Qin Zhou’s power be here? Previously, in the book Embrace, it was because Mu Sichen called upon Qin Zhou, using his own body as a medium, that he attracted Qin Zhou’s power. After he left Embrace, Qin Zhou’s power should naturally have returned to its true form; how could it appear in another book?

Even taking a step back, if Qin Zhou hadn’t left and the power remained on him, then the octopus should have appeared with him, rather than being caught by a fisherman.

Wait… perhaps it wasn’t impossible. What if one of the 16 people who changed the book’s ending was a follower of Qin Zhou? Qin Zhou had sent quite a few people to Eye Town. Almost every pillar had people from Xiangping Town nearby, and it was highly likely that His subordinates existed in the library. This octopus might truly be the little octopus.

Mu Sichen couldn’t describe his feelings. He suddenly became urgent; despite not being accustomed to the high-heeled boots, his steps became very fast. He thought, perhaps he wanted to see the little octopus a bit.

Mu Sichen’s steps grew faster and faster, and the maid followed closely with flying speed, not lagging behind at all. On the other hand, the minister, who was too fat, jogged along panting the whole way, yet still fell far behind Mu Sichen.

Mu Sichen soon arrived at the riverside and saw two teams of guards standing on both sides of the moat, dragging nets in a carpet-like search. Seeing Mu Sichen arrive, the Captain of the Guard immediately knelt on one knee and said: “For the Queen to personally come, your servant is truly incompetent.”

Mu Sichen shook his head and said: “I am very curious and want to see the octopus with my own eyes. Have you still not found it?”

“No.” The Captain of the Guard shook his head in frustration.

At this moment, the minister finally caught up, out of breath and nearly collapsing. His servant approached with a jar and said: “My Lord, drink some honey water to soothe your throat.”

Just as the minister was about to take the jar, Mu Sichen said: “Give the honey water to me.”

The minister swallowed, very reluctantly offering the honey water with both hands, saying: “Honey beautifies the skin, it is indeed more suited for someone as beautiful as the Queen.”

Mu Sichen was not interested in his current appearance; it was nothing more than a fake skin suit, anyway. He took the jar, squatted by the river, and opened it.

Everyone didn’t understand what he was going to do.

Suddenly, a blue tentacle flew out of the river, splashing water everywhere. The Captain of the Guard said: “Quickly protect the Queen!”

“No need,” Mu Sichen said. “It just likes drinking sweet things.”

Sure enough, the tentacle did not attack anyone but tentatively probed around before squeezing its huge claw tip into the jar, drinking with loud gulps. Just seeing this huge tentacle, Mu Sichen felt that this was definitely the little octopus.

So he stretched out his finger and poked the tentacle. Sure enough, the feel was exactly the same—bouncy.

The honey water in the jar was quickly drunk up, but the tentacle did not leave. It poked its head out, resting on Mu Sichen’s shoulder, and rubbed against his neck. Afterward, a massive octopus head emerged from the moat. The moat was three meters wide, but this octopus head was ten meters in diameter; it was unknown how it had hidden in the riverbed. It could only be said that this octopus was probably liquid, capable of changing its shape at will. Once in the water, it could probably turn its round octopus head into an oval or cone shape.

Its eyes were jet black and bright. Because it had just emerged from the river, water droplets were still hanging from the corners of its eyes.

Mu Sichen saw his reflection in its big eyes. His appearance was very similar to his original self, just with softer features and a slimmer figure.

Mu Sichen stretched out his hand to the octopus and said: “You can return to the sea, or you can come with me. I will raise you in the lake in the back garden. Do you want to come with me?”

The octopus seemed to hesitate, stretching out two tentacles, suspended on both sides of Mu Sichen’s head, looking him up and down, finally placing its big paw on Mu Sichen’s palm.

With its action, the big octopus suddenly turned into the size of a Q-version doll. Mu Sichen unfolded his hands and could hold it in his palm. It was only until it fully emerged from the water that Mu Sichen discovered this octopus had only six tentacles—two were missing.

“What is going on? Why are two missing?” Mu Sichen asked, pinching the octopus’s paws.

The Captain of the Guard looked at the minister. The minister stuttered for a long time, wiped the sweat from his face, and said: “When I bought it, it only had six tentacles; I didn’t steal or eat any!”

It was the maid who stepped forward and said: “Queen, I have heard this rumor.”

His maid was truly a gossip lover. Mu Sichen nodded: “Speak.”

The maid told him: “I heard that when the fisherman caught the octopus, it only had seven tentacles. By the time the fisherman had granted a bunch of wishes and cut out the octopus’s heart, it only had six tentacles left. So I think the octopus probably loses a tentacle every time it dies or grants a person’s wish.”

“It can grant wishes, and there are still six left…” the Captain of the Guard and the minister said simultaneously, both looking at the octopus with rather greedy eyes.

Water vapor rose in the little octopus’s big eyes. Its six paws instantly curled up under its head, and it hid its little paws.

Mu Sichen: “…”

Not right, not right; the plot was getting stranger and stranger. What if it turned into the Queen getting a magical octopus that could grant six wishes, being coveted by greedy people, and causing the entire country to fall?

He sneered and said: “Think about the fate of that fisherman. Whether this is an octopus that can grant wishes or a devil that makes people hallucinate and ultimately fall into madness is unknown. To prevent the world from being deceived by the octopus devil, I have decided to seal it in the palace. Drive the carriage; I am going back.”

After he finished speaking, the scene shifted again; he was now holding the octopus and walking into the back garden. So, he didn’t get to ride the carriage after all.

Mu Sichen put the octopus into the water. The little octopus was somewhat unwilling, one paw still hooked onto Mu Sichen’s wrist. Mu Sichen felt that it remembered him. In reality, Mu Sichen was currently unable to distinguish between the octopus and Qin Zhou.

Logically speaking, the octopus doll he initially brought to the dormitory had already been used as a totem to summon Qin Zhou; this was another octopus. But this octopus appeared very familiar with him, and likewise loved drinking sweet water. Perhaps it was because Qin Zhou and the totems shared consciousness; the experiences he had in the real world with the octopus were known to Qin Zhou, and the power avatar He split off knew them as well.

But thinking in this way made it even stranger. Mu Sichen recalled the little octopus’s clingy, whiny demeanor; he truly couldn’t associate it with that dignified, powerful, calm, and somewhat desolate terrifying God-level monster.

“If you really do not want to leave, then turn small and follow me,” Mu Sichen said.

At this moment, the maid appeared behind Mu Sichen as silently as a ghost, saying in a calm, waveless voice: “Queen, when you left the palace just now, the King took advantage of your absence and came to the lakeside to look at himself in new clothes for a long time. Since you do not intend to use the octopus to disturb the tranquility of the lake’s surface, then fill in this lake.”

You’re still here… Mu Sichen turned around to look at this plain-looking maid, unable to read this person’s thoughts from her face. If it hadn’t been for the maid’s reminder, he would have almost forgotten the original plot of this book.

“Then fill the…”

Just as Mu Sichen wanted to say fill the lake and use this plot of land to plant vegetables, the little octopus’s entire body crawled out of the lake, and the water became clear and thorough, not reflecting a single image.

And the little octopus’s tentacles had also turned into five.

It had granted Mu Sichen one wish, even though Mu Sichen did not intend to do so.

The maid’s dead-water-like eyes moved.

Mu Sichen pinched the little octopus’s big, round face and whispered: “I didn’t ask you to grant my wish. I originally planned to fill the lake! Do not show this kind of ability in front of people!”

He pinched the little octopus’s tentacle to touch his own brow, but did not hear Qin Zhou’s dignified explanation; instead, a clear, youthful voice complained aggrievedly: “You didn’t finish speaking. I thought that in order to prevent the King from looking into the mirror, you were going to throw me into the lake.”

Mu Sichen was so anxious he wanted to pull his hair out. What on earth was going on? Did Qin Zhou follow along with this book and turn into a fairy tale as well?

Given that the maid was still staring at him from behind, Mu Sichen had to pretend to be calm and say: “Heh, truly a devil that knows how to seduce people. To prevent you from wreaking havoc on this country, you had better stay by my side. I do not allow you to use this kind of evil power again.”

The little octopus curled up its remaining five paws, gradually becoming transparent, and actually merged into Mu Sichen’s clothes, turning into a blue belt around Mu Sichen’s waist.

Seeing that the little octopus had so many hiding methods, Mu Sichen felt slightly reassured.

He had to follow the plot. Since the maid had mentioned the King who loved to wear new clothes and look into the mirror countless times, he would go and meet this King.

“The King is obsessed with external things and neglects state affairs. Someone should go and persuade him,” Mu Sichen said to the maid. “Take me to see the King.”

Author’s Note:

Mu Sichen: You weren’t like this before. Why did you turn into this look?

Octopus (five claws aggrievedly hiding its paws): Because this is a fairy tale book. I am the six-clawed octopus that can grant the Queen’s wishes in a fairy tale.

Mu Sichen: The story breaks, and your characterization breaks too, is that it?

Octopus (opening big eyes): I have never broken character.