The Skeleton Queen's story was simple: she was once the Empress of a world, and the entire world was her territory.
But then the Backrooms discovered her world.
As time passed, more and more people went missing, which caught her attention… but she was powerless. Eventually, the day of reckoning arrived, and her entire world, along with her kingdom, was assimilated by the Backrooms.
Perhaps due to her faith, she survived, but she became what she is today. Her people had all perished with time, leaving her to wander alone in this forest.
Year after year.
As more and more worlds fell into the Backrooms, her strength grew, but she could never reclaim her kingdom or her people.
Now she is the Skeleton Queen… and merely the Skeleton Queen.
While telling her story, the Skeleton Queen gracefully savored the food Yang Tao had brought out. Though she hadn't tasted food in who knew how long, she maintained the elegance ingrained in her bones.
In a trance, Yang Tao saw an Empress dressed in luxurious clothes with an extraordinary demeanor.
Soon, the meal was finished. The Skeleton Queen picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth, which hadn't been used at all. Your Majesty looked at Yang Tao and softly said, "Thank you for your hospitality. I am very satisfied. Today is the happiest day I've had in so many years. Yang Tao, are you interested in becoming a noble of my kingdom?"
"Of course!"
Seeing that Yang Tao did not refuse, a stone tablet flew out from the Skeleton Queen's body. Her doll-like bone claws gripped the tablet and gently snapped it.
A crisp cracking sound echoed, and a corner of the stone tablet broke off. The fragment was not large, occupying about one-twentieth of the entire tablet.
"I have marked out an area in the forest. From now on, that will be your territory, Earl Yang Tao…"
Yang Tao reached out and caught the stone tablet fragment that flew to him.
[Level 32 World Proof (Incomplete)]
Yang Tao: "…"
This thing was useless to him!!
Originally, he just wanted to get some useful treasures from the Skeleton Queen, but now he effectively owned a part of the territory of Level 32 'Forest of the Skeleton Queen'.
Although it was useless, he still put this [Level 32 World Proof (Incomplete)] into his backpack.
No reason to refuse it; at worst, he could build a supermarket here… though he didn't know if any Wanderer would come to his territory.
"Thank you, your Majesty."
Yang Tao looked at the skeletons hanging on the surrounding trees and asked, "Your Majesty, do you enjoy collecting skeletons?"
"No, it's just that they are too impolite. If they could be as gentlemanly as you, instead of throwing Fire Salt, Almond water, and even various weapons at me as soon as they arrive, I wouldn't mind them too much."
"I am just too lonely and wanted someone to confide my story in."
Yang Tao looked at the Skeleton Queen and the skeletons swaying in the wind on the surrounding trees, thinking, 'With this environment and atmosphere, if I didn't know the information beforehand and met you, let alone those Wanderers, even I would have to greet you with a Red Matter Katar.'
"How can you, your Majesty, let ordinary commoners see your revered face?! Don't worry, I will arrange for people to build a castle for you, and also recruit some guards to drive out any Wanderers who accidentally trespass into your territory."
"If you are bored, I will bring you some books. If you have wireless internet here, I will bring you a computer."
As long as he could turn the Skeleton Queen into a homebody, wouldn't this level be his to command?
At that time, the survival difficulty of Level 5 recorded in the M.E.G. database would directly drop to Level 1!
Everything was for humanity!
But making some money in between shouldn't be a problem.
"Computer? What is that?"
"Please wait…"
Yang Tao stood up, summoned a wooden door, and returned to the Overworld. The Skeleton Queen stared blankly at the disappearing wooden door. Only then did she realize that the other party could easily leave her territory and did not need her to send him out of this cursed forest.
She sighed softly.
Less than two minutes later, the wooden door reappeared, and Yang Tao returned to the Forest of the Skeleton Queen. He came to the table and took out a laptop and a mobile phone.
The wooden door did not disappear; a group of Villagers streamed out from the Overworld.
"These are?"
Even the well-traveled Skeleton Queen had never seen Villagers.
"These are my construction team. How about you clear out an area? I'll have them build a castle."
"Huh? You're serious?"
The Skeleton Queen gently waved her doll-like hand, and in an instant, the dense forest around them was parted by an invisible force.
Yang Tao nodded to the Villagers, and they walked towards the cleared space and began to get busy.
"Respected Empress, let me teach you how to use these devices…"
Two days later.
"Duke Yang Tao, can you find this person called 'Manure Seeking Flower' and bring him here? I want to hang him on a tree."
The Skeleton Queen pointed at the computer screen and spoke with an incredibly cold tone.
Yang Tao, who was directing the Villagers in decorating the castle, heard the Skeleton Queen's words and said helplessly, "Your Majesty, this is the 72nd netizen you've wanted to hang on a tree."
"He's too impolite!"
"How about we stop playing? Shall I find you some books?"
Your Majesty refused without thinking, "Forget it then, I'll forgive his rudeness this time!"
Putting 'Manure Seeking Flower' out of her mind, the Skeleton Queen suddenly asked, "The 9527 Yang Tao mentioned online, that's you, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's right."
"They say you're black-hearted, a vampire, a capitalist, and insatiably greedy!"
Yang Tao smiled at this, saying indifferently, "That's just the internet. They can say whatever they want; it can't affect me at all."
"They say you're gay with a man named Eric. Duke Yang Tao, what does 'gay' mean?"
Yang Tao, who had been amiable, heard the Skeleton Queen's words, and the carbon pen in his hand shattered.
"Your Majesty, I take back what I just said. Look at which trees still have space, and I'll hang these guys who pollute the online environment on them!"
"How about Duke Yang Tao, you just don't go online? I'll find you some books?"
The boomerang came back fast and hard, leaving Yang Tao battered and bruised.
Another day was spent finishing the castle's decoration.
Yang Tao held the [Level 32 World Proof (Incomplete)] from his backpack in his hand. What was originally one-twentieth of the stone tablet was now one-fifth of the entire tablet.
Of course, this was also reflected in Yang Tao's title.
'Tsk tsk… In a few days, I'll get some brain-dead TV dramas from the normal world. That will definitely make the Skeleton Queen stay cooped up at home all day, and then this level will be up to me, the regent, to decide!'
"Hehehe…"
"Duke Yang Tao, your laugh is not gentlemanly at all, and even a bit impolite…"
Yang Tao turned to look at the Skeleton Queen, who had walked up behind him with her phone, and laughed, "The castle is already decorated, and it's time for me to leave."
"You're leaving already?"
"The Backrooms are so vast; I want to see them."