Chapter 194: Valenna's Diary
"Look over here, Mantou!"
"I think there's a hidden chamber here!"
Singo found a secret door and easily pried open its old lock.
Mantou teased, "You, a dignified warrior, not only have perception skills but also trained in lockpicking?"
Singo replied righteously, "A professional must master various skills and adapt to any situation. Think about it—if it weren't for my lockpicking, you'd still be stuck here!"
"Tsk."
Mantou scoffed and remained suspicious about the mysteriously missing gold coins earlier.
"Alright, enough talking. Hurry before that monster catches up!"
Singo opened the secret door and crawled into a narrow tunnel first, with Mantou following close behind. The tunnel echoed with rustling sounds as they finally reached a pitch-black chamber.
Singo expertly took out a spare glowstone, lighting up their surroundings, which instantly became clear.
"This is…"
To their surprise, the chamber wasn't small and was spacious enough to accommodate them comfortably. Thick dust covered the floor, cobwebs filled the corners, and the place appeared long-abandoned.
The chamber was well-furnished with a bed, blankets, and a desk complete with quills and yellowed paper. Even the walls bore childlike drawings, giving off a faint sense of home.
Mantou stared at the drawings on the wall.
The crude but colorful sketches depicted a warm family: a man, a woman, and a little girl. The backdrop was mostly a dark tower, robed figures, and terrifying dragons.
The chaotic strokes revealed the girl's deep fear of those beings.
"A child's bedroom."
"It's unimaginable that someone lived in a place like this."
Mantou sighed.
"Mantou! Look what I found!"
Singo opened a drawer in the desk, discovering something remarkable inside.
"What is it? Let me see."
Mantou leaned over and saw a simple diary, clearly well-preserved despite its age. The pages were decayed, some violently torn out, and the cover bore large characters—[Valenna's Diary].
"Valenna's Diary."
Mantou's expression grew complicated, as if he had stumbled upon a dreadful realization. He remained silent, carefully flipping through the pages.
The handwriting inside was clumsy and childish, full of innocence.
"January 3rd: Mom told me to write this; it's my first diary entry. Dad, as usual, told me never to make a sound, or the bad guys from the Dragon Cult outside would catch me, and the scary dragons would eat me in one bite. I always obey."
"January 4th: Stayed in the room without speaking. Dad said I was a good girl."
"January 5th: Still stayed in the room. Found a cute animal today. Dad said it's a spider. I invited it to share my black bread."
"January 6th: Mom brought me a book called "Beautiful Bird". It's about a family of birds. I like it a lot."
"January 7th: Read the book in my room. A cute mouse kept me company. I named him Tete. As payment for keeping me company, I let him nibble a page from the book."
"."
"February 15th: Dad hasn't been back for a long time. When he came to see me today, I was very happy. He said he'd soon defeat the bad guys and save Mom and me from the tower. We'd be together like the family in the story."
"February 16th: Dad talked to me a lot. He said he'd show me the world outside. I was so excited."
"February 17th: Stayed in the room."
"February 18th: Stayed in the room. No more food left. I'm so hungry."
"February 22nd: I ate Tete. I feel sad."
"February 23rd: Mom finally came back and brought food. But she cried a lot. She said she'd been chosen as a 'sacrifice' and might never return. I hugged her for a long time."
"February 24th: Dad hasn't returned for a long time."
"March 17th: Mom celebrated my 12th birthday. I was very happy. I asked her why Dad hadn't come back. She didn't answer but looked sad."
"July 16th: I really want to see the outside world. I want a friend."
"."
"December 27th: Mom hasn't returned for seven days. I'm scared."
"December 30th: Dad has been gone for a long time. If I remember correctly, it's been ten months. Today he finally came back, but he said Mom died. I cried."
"January 20th: Dad said Mom's death was meaningful and great. I didn't understand what he meant, but I was scared. He seemed like a different person. He used to love Mom so much."
"January 21st: Stayed in the room, trembling."
"."
"September 12th: Dad said he defeated the bad guys. I asked if we could leave, but he didn't answer."
"September 13th: I was taken out of the room, but Dad still wouldn't let me leave the tower. I was so angry. This tower feels like a cage, just like in the stories—so restrictive."
"September 14th: A girl named Mary was brought to the tower. She's about my age. She was scared. I hoped to become her friend."
"September 15th: Stayed in the tower, but I snuck back here. This place feels safe. Here, I can remember the old Dad who used to love me and Mom."
"September 16th: Strange noises in the tower. Dad won't tell me what they are. Mary is scared too."
"October 1st: The noises are getting louder. I'm terrified."
"September 16th: Dad is really different now. I miss Mom. Cried for a long time."
"Don't know the date: Dad told me not to resist. His exact words were 'embrace the noble evolution with joy.' I don't understand what he means, but he scares me more and more."
"Dad is completely different now. He would never have treated me like this before. Never. I'm so scared."
"Mary said Dad is a bad person."
"Dad won't let me see Mary. He said she did something wrong and needs to be punished. He said I'll see her again someday."
"Dad said everything he does is for my own good. As long as I listen, we'll leave. I think that's true."
"I will listen."
"Day 1: Scales started growing on my body. It hurts."
"Day 2: More scales appeared."
"Day 3: Spikes grew on my back. Still hurts a lot, but Dad is happy. He said I'm close to success. Seeing him happy made me happy too."
"Day 4: I think I've become a bad person. Dad fed me some meat and said it's edible, but something feels off. My nose is very sensitive now. I think I smelled… Mary."
"Day 11: No changes today. Dad said he's disappointed in me and called me a lowly creature who let him down. I cried a lot. I don't know what I did wrong."
"Day 12: Dad said he found a new method."
"Day 14: Dad replaced my hand with a new one. I'm used to it now, but it still hurts a lot. He told me not to cry, so I held it in. I can't make him angry anymore."
"Day 15: I feel strange."
"."
The following pages were violently torn out.
Mantou flipped through to the end in one go, gasping sharply.