owlsbooks Chapter 36-40: Welcome Back
Chapter 36-40: Welcome Back
Chapter 36-40: Welcome Back
Chapter 36: Welcome Back
As Sherlock opened his eyes, he could no longer control his desire to explore the unknown that had been suppressed all day. He immediately sat up from the sofa.
At this moment, the room presented two completely different visual states.
In the areas untouched by the worms, the room remained an unshakable pure white... But in other areas, the textures of the objects in the room began to manifest.
A large patch of the white seal on the floor near his feet had been wiped away, and he could hear the faint sound of his shoes touching the wooden boards as he stepped on them. The marks of crawling were visible on the coat rack, and when he touched the armrest of the nearby sofa, he felt the familiar softness that had been there for many years.
The entire room gave a sense of gradually peeling away from the dream and blending into reality.
Just as he was still adapting to this sense of detachment...Updated from
"Howl~ Howl~ Howl~"
Suddenly, a sound came from behind him.
Sherlock was startled... This was the first time he had heard a sound from outside the room in his dreams.
Instinctively, he turned his head.
And then, he saw the window behind him!
The window was clean and transparent, allowing the bustling and grandeur of London outside to pass through the glass and into Sherlock's line of sight... The removal of the seal on the window allowed the outside sounds to enter normally.
He took a deep breath and slowly stood up, walking to the window to gaze outside.
Unlike the previous peeks through a narrow gap, this time he observed the dream world with an open perspective.
Blood, turmoil, and burning permeated the chaotic and insane atmosphere.
Sherlock had caught glimpses of these scenes before.
But at this moment, he couldn't control his excitement, trembling all over, and struggled to accept everything in front of him.
Because... he saw...
Demons!!!!!
In the blink of an eye, he saw a rotting corpse dog roaming the blood-red streets outside the window; a gigantic centipede with spiky insect limbs writhing and twisting in the shadows of a building; a grotesque creature resembling an anteater emerging from a pile of ruins, curling its thorny mouthparts and cruelly inserting them into the head of another demon next to it. The latter was slowly having its brain marrow sucked out, emitting pitiful howls.
Demons appeared in his dreams...?!
During the previous observation from the narrow gap, Sherlock could only see the distant scenery. But this time, he clearly saw the long street up close.
Apart from the demons, a bloody Baker Street was completely exposed... The same architectural style, the same facilities, the same horse carriage signs on the sides of the road, trash bins in the alleys, fences, road signs, gas lamps, and everything else that should exist in the real Baker Street, just like a mirror image.
However, everything was immersed in substantial decay and ruin, marked by ruins, bloodstains, distortion, decay, and chaos. Even the fog that descended from above seemed like ash burned to dust, and the sunlight, like blood pouring from the sky, took on a strange crimson hue.
Sherlock looked up...
The enormous and twisted sun still hung above London's sky like a demon, its countless tendrils wriggling. It seemed that if he stared at it for just one more second, he would be trapped in eternal madness.
Yes, just one second!
In that second, Sherlock's gaze penetrated London's bloody mist, pierced through the sky between the clouds, traversed the billions of kilometers of empty space beyond the heavens, and touched the sun that had long lost its normal form.
This time, there was no white seal protecting Sherlock in his surroundings. His entire being was exposed by the window!
Exposed to the sunlight carrying madness!
Thus, the sun finally took notice of him.
At that moment, Sherlock witnessed a scene that he would never forget in his entire life!
A crack slowly opened in the middle of the sun... Within the crack, countless blood-red tendrils intertwined with each other. The crack widened until a crimson eyeball opened amidst the writhing mass, its pupils exploding like countless nebulae, but converting all the light and heat into pure chaos, piercing directly into Sherlock's gaze!
It was a confrontation! The first contact between an evil celestial body or perhaps some other existence that Sherlock couldn't comprehend and a tiny human.
At least that's what Sherlock believed.
And in that moment, he felt his brain almost boiling, on the verge of catching fire, like the boiling city outside.
If it were anyone else, they would undoubtedly have collapsed in absolute despair at that instant, because they couldn't understand, let alone think, and could only allow the gaze from beyond to erode their sanity completely.
But Sherlock was different. As he had said countless times before, he was a detective.
He liked the unknown, the puzzles. His mind needed those incomprehensible things to fill it. He yearned to tear through layers of mist to glimpse what was hidden within.
The less he understood, the more excited he became!
So, at this moment, his mind involuntarily began to work, striving beyond its capabilities, shaking like a gnat against a tree but displaying an unparalleled audacity, arrogance, even pride! It wanted to analyze, decipher, and understand the madness behind this moment!
The next second!
With a loud crash!
He fainted...
Sherlock's body fell heavily by the window, motionless like a corpse.
However, his thoughts continued to restlessly churn, digesting and deciphering.
It was unclear how much time had passed, and it might have been that he had gone mad, become foolish, or simply broken down completely! But it was also possible that his thoughts had truly transformed all the madness into information he could understand.
In any case, within this unconsciousness, a voice slowly emerged in his mind.
Surprisingly, the voice sounded respectful, humble, as if bowing slightly before Sherlock:
"Welcome back..."
"Welcome back..."
"This time, have you figured out a solution...?"
Chapter 37: My Domain (Part 1)
When Sherlock opened his eyes again, two days had passed.
His head throbbed, as if he had a hangover, and his body felt weak and lethargic. The last image in his memory was facing the enormous eye in the sky.
After that... everything went blank.
He had blacked out. As for the humble voice, it became a dark area in his memory, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Sherlock shook his head, and judging from the rumbling hunger in his stomach, he realized he hadn't eaten for at least 48 hours. He got up and walked to the window. It was noon, and the sunlight, rarely seen, filtered through the mist, casting mottled shadows on Baker Street.
Good, at least he could confirm that he wasn't in a dream.
He leaned his head close to the tap of the cold water, gulping it down for a while, which made him feel slightly better. Then he opened the cupboard, intending to see if there was any leftover food from a few days ago that hadn't gone bad.
But as his hand reached towards the cupboard...
"Hmm?"
Sherlock paused.
Because he saw a shimmering trace around the cupboard... It was like the iridescence when gasoline mixes with water, but it disappeared in an instant.
Although he couldn't explain it, in the first second he saw this peculiar iridescence, he was certain that it was the trace left by his contract worm crawling in the dream!
"What's going on? Are the areas crawled in the dream being reflected in reality?!"
He quickly turned his gaze to other parts of the room and, indeed, those areas that were erased in the dream emitted a faint glow. During the time he was unconscious, it seemed that the worm hadn't been idle and had completely erased all the seals in the room.
This included the door...
Sherlock swallowed his saliva. Although his expression didn't show much disturbance, every muscle in his body instinctively tensed.
The seal on the door had been undone.
In other words... as long as he entered the dream now, he could push open the door and step out of this room that had imprisoned him for thirty years.
Not by breaking the window or smashing the wall barbarically.
But by opening a door, in a dignified and straightforward manner...
An unknown world was beckoning to him!
Sherlock's body began to tremble slightly, and every fold of his cerebral cortex started to cry out in excitement.
But at this critical moment... he took a deep breath.
Then calmly, he opened the cupboard, took out a leftover cornbread from a few days ago, sniffed it to make sure it hadn't spoiled, and then turned on the stove, which he rarely used, to heat it up.
"Take it easy, don't rush..."
He carefully soothed his nearly boiling thirst for knowledge.
Opening the door might be simple, but what would happen after that?
Would he be facing the demons on the street?
Clearly, as a human being, if he were seen, those demons would definitely go crazy and devour him, leaving nothing but bone scraps.
Sherlock wasn't foolish. Although the old priest had diagnosed his dreams as some kind of nervous disorder or other ailment, he was well aware that this was definitely an "Awakening Dream."
However, the form of the dream was somewhat unique.
For now... he didn't know whether this "uniqueness" was good or bad.
Before he could settle his thoughts, the footsteps outside grew closer.
It was probably because he had entered the domain that the demons outside couldn't smell him anymore, or for some other reason.
In any case, the other carrion dogs that had been attracted by their companion's roar seemed unable to find Sherlock's location. They lingered outside for a while before finally discovering their target.
These creatures didn't have much brain left, and upon seeing their companion's corpse, they didn't realize that something was amiss. They just barked frantically and swung their jowls before lunging toward Sherlock.
There were three of them in total, the first two relatively intact and much faster. In an instant, they rushed into the room.
The result... was the same as their unfortunate predecessor just now. The moment they set foot in the room, they suddenly froze in place, their eyes staring straight ahead as if they had witnessed something absolutely terrifying.
Meanwhile, the third, weaker one, with one leg rotting up to its buttocks, hopped up the stairs in a "three-legged jump" manner due to its slow speed. Since the two previous dogs blocked most of the space at the door, the last dog didn't charge in but stood at the doorway, with only one extended claw vaguely touching the edge of the domain, grazing past it.
However... with this seemingly insignificant touch, it instantly! Made it feel the most horrifying and bone-chilling gaze it had experienced in its entire dog's life!
Gaze!
It had no idea what was staring at it. All it knew was that with a slight glance, its soul boiled with despair and fear.
Without thinking, the carrion dog turned around to flee.
Perhaps because it didn't fully step into Sherlock's domain, or perhaps it had overcome the oppressive aura from the depths of its soul. In any case, it ran away, completely ignoring everything and dashing madly in a direction it didn't know and definitely didn't care about!
But in the next second of its escape...
A tentacle!!
Descended from the sky!!!
Yes, it descended from the sky!
Or to be more precise, it should be said that the sun hanging in the sky had some kind of displeasure toward this miserable and weak demon on the ground. It waved one of the thousands of tentacles it possessed, traversing an unknown distance in an instant. It pierced through the vast dark abyss of the universe, piercing through the atmosphere, clouds, smoke, and scorching flames over the boiling city, descending to the surface in a way that was absolutely unimaginable in people's perception.
If measured from the visual perspective, that tentacle must have been as thick as a mountain range, with a diameter reaching tens of thousands of kilometers. However, upon its actual arrival, it discovered that the tip of the tentacle was so delicate.
Delicate enough that it accurately and unerringly inserted itself into the head of the fleeing carrion dog!!
In an instant, the carrion dog began to convulse violently, enduring indescribable despair and pain. It was as if its body couldn't bear the pain for a moment longer, and it tried, deluding itself, to use brute force to separate itself from its own head!
But it ultimately couldn't succeed.
That tentacle, strange and grand, descended in an instant, and in another instant, retracted from beyond the heavens, carrying away this wretched demon.
Sherlock stared blankly at the scene.
Since participating in the enfeoffment ceremony and establishing a connection with that useless little worm, his dreams had undergone earth-shattering changes, giving him unprecedented shocks with almost every sleep!
Therefore, after witnessing the scene that was completely beyond rational comprehension, Sherlock surprisingly didn't show a shocked expression for too long. He... accepted it quite easily.
He just pondered curiously, wondering if the dog was really taken to that terrifying sun in this way? If so, what would it experience?
Furthermore, why did this phenomenon occur?
Could it be that the sun in the sky... was helping him?
And in those few seconds of contemplation...
His contract worm seemed very happy and content as it crawled toward the dead carrion dog's body.
And then...
It burrowed into the empty eye socket...
Chapter 40: Who's the Proper One to Contract with Demons? We Just Enslave Them Directly
"..."
Sherlock watched the behavior of his contract worm and a peculiar association formed in his mind. However, he didn't know whether this association was good or bad.
That is... if everywhere his contract worm crawled created a domain, then... what did it mean for it to crawl into this carrion dog's corpse?
Could it create a domain within the corpse as well?
As time passed, second by second, Sherlock's eyes grew wider.
Because he unbelievably sensed that there was a certain connection between himself and the carrion dog's corpse!!!
It was similar to the connection between himself and the contract worm, and it was becoming clearer and clearer.
The worm... was assimilating with the carrion dog!!!
Sherlock rubbed his face. He realized that his knowledge was still lacking, whether it was about demons, awakened dreamscapes, or even hell. In any case, the books available on the market couldn't help him understand everything that had just happened.
In fact, even the clergy within the Vatican would probably be dumbfounded if they encountered what he had seen and heard.
Oh, speaking of "what he had seen and heard," at this moment, Sherlock naturally summarized all his recent experiences in his mind:
First, he seemed to have truly dreamt of an entire world, and this world was very likely hell.
Second, there was a sun in the sky above hell, covered in countless tentacles.
Lastly, his contract worm seemed to possess a certain domain, which had some kind of connection with the mad sun in the sky. As a result, any demon that tried to escape the domain would be attacked by the sun.
With these thoughts, Sherlock finally glanced at the two dogs that had remained motionless from the moment they entered the room until now. These two pitiful creatures had likely been enduring the torment of extreme fear from beyond the heavens during this time.
Anyway, since they didn't move, whenever they went insane, it would be considered their own problem.
Sherlock affectionately patted the dog's head, as if encouraging a lovable pet.
Just then...
A faint "gurgling" sound suddenly came from below. He lowered his head and saw his contract worm crawling out of the eye socket of the corpse.
The little creature seemed very happy and content, wriggling its chubby body on the floor.
Such twisting and contorting behavior was normal for a worm, but after experiencing so many bizarre things, Sherlock's mind instinctively began to entertain some "unconventional" possibilities.
He watched the worm's twisting and contorting form, furrowed his brow, and recalled his first sight of the sun when he looked up at the sky over London.
Countless tentacles surrounded that eyeball...
However, his focus now wasn't on the eyeball but on the tentacles...
Those pitch-black, sticky, wriggling tentacles!!!
Sherlock bent down, picked up his contract worm with his fingers, and as he did so, the useless worm became so frightened that it played dead and lay flat.
Perfect. This allowed him to observe it more closely.
It still had a black-gray body, about seven to eight centimeters in length. It felt somewhat soft, as if slightly sticky. The "head" was slightly thinner, while the "abdomen" was relatively plump. However, regardless of the position, Sherlock couldn't find any organ that could be called a "mouth," nor did it have eyes or anything else that a worm should possess.
The more Sherlock observed, the clearer his idea became. Although it wasn't strange for a demon worm to have an unusual appearance, not having a mouth was unacceptable. After all, demons couldn't survive solely through photosynthesis.
Could it be that his contract demon worm wasn't really a worm?
But rather... a segment... of a tentacle???
"Hoo... It seems things have gone beyond imagination," Sherlock muttered softly. Then he placed the little creature in his hand back on the ground and sat back on the sofa, deep in thought.
After a few minutes...
"Hahahathis is how life should be."
...
...
In the real world, Sherlock woke up leisurely.
He had obtained a lot of information in the dream this time, enough to excite his mind for a while. So, he didn't rush to continue exploring.
That's how it wasto encounter problems, think about them, solve them, and then turn the problems into chips for his continued exploration of hell. That was the best pace.
Sherlock was very happy, even humming a tune.
Oh... despite this detective's messy lifestyle, he still had a bit of artistic sense. When he was young, he even played the violin from time to time.
However, on one occasion, when he stuffed the head of the instrument into the throat of a robber who barged in, accidentally breaking the strings, he never touched a musical instrument again.
He stood up, stretched lazily, and prepared to go out to get something to eat. It had been several days since he had a proper meal.
But just as he stood up...
"Hmm?????"
A peculiar sensation suddenly surged from the depths of his heart, similar to the feeling he had when he first summoned his contract demon at the monastery a few days ago.
But as mentioned earlier, Sherlock had experienced so many strange things during this period that even a sudden peculiar feeling like this seemed insignificant to him.
So he simply followed this sensation, waved his hand, and a rift in space opened in the room.
Then...
A carrion dog crawled out of it.
...
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From now on, this novel will be updated only on Sunday. Every Sunday, 10 chapters will be updated at once.