The man seemed to pause for a moment, then bent down, his pale face slowly approaching Heita.
He took a light breath, as if smelling her scent or examining his prey.
"Any price...?"
His light laugh carried a hint of amusement.
"I'm a monster who loves eating people, and you have no right to bargain with me. But for someone so young to dare come here, you certainly have courage."
"Hmm... Helping you isn't impossible, provided you're truly willing to pay any price."
The girl looked up, confirming again: "I am, as long as it's something I have."
"Good... Do you remember your name?"
"Heita."
"I'm Qi Zhimu, and I know some very powerful magic. So, you can call me Mr. Magician. Come with me."
"Aren't you going to send me back?"
"Wishful thinking. I never run errands for others. If you want to save Azure Star, you'll have to take the thing back yourself. And..."
At this point, Qi Zhimu pointed to his own eyes.
"Me... I don't see very well. In this Labyrinth Zone, I'm at a disadvantage. You'll have to be my eyes. After you deliver the thing back..."
He stuck out his tongue, licking the corner of his mouth, lowering his voice like a demon's whisper.
"—I'll eat you!"
An ordinary girl would probably cry upon hearing this.
But Heita just looked at him quietly, her eyes dimmed by exhaustion showing no fear.
As long as she could deliver the data back, being eaten didn't matter.
"Fine, I accept."
Heita nodded, her voice unnervingly calm for a fifteen-year-old.
Qi Zhimu flicked the wizard hat on his head with a finger and turned around.
"Hold onto the hem of my clothes, kid. If you get lost and a monster snatches you away, I'll be heartbroken to lose a good meal."
"Understood." Heita extended her small hand, gripping Qi Zhimu's clothes somewhat loosely... In a world shrouded in memory substance mist, two figures, one large and one small, slowly made their way.
"Kid, I think I've heard your name somewhere before. They say you're Azure Star's youngest Spatial Studies genius, with some knowledge of Chronology too."
"If Azure Star can't be saved, it's all meaningless." Heita's tone remained calm.
"Let's set that aside for now. The rumored genius girl is said to be arrogant, self-centered, and unreasonable—"
Qi Zhimu rubbed his chin, tilting his head to examine the girl beside him.
"But the kid who made a deal with me has a kind of fearless calmness, a bit of a stoic, expressionless vibe. I say, your character setting doesn't quite match."
"...Does my character setting affect my taste?" Heita whispered.
"Of course, cheerful kids are tastier. Meat like yours is bitter. But I can understand, given you've fallen to the point of begging strangers."
"And hey, kid, do you know where you've fallen into?"
Qi Zhimu, lacking any magician's decorum, slung his staff over his shoulder.
"I've fallen into the Memory Substance Maze World. I have a name, Heita, not 'kid'." Heita followed closely beside Qi Zhimu, her small face calm as she answered.
"Alright, alright, Heita kid. Let me tell you, this is the deepest Labyrinth Zone within the Materia Void."
"What's the difference?" Heita tilted her head.
"The deepest part of the Labyrinth Zone has plenty of troublesome beings. Ha, human imagination becoming one of the causes of humanity's destruction—now that's entertaining."
"Don't you know magic?"
"I do, so?"
"So your magic can't defeat those troublesome beings?"
At these words, Qi Zhimu bristled like a cat whose Tail had been stepped on.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm the most powerful magician here. None of those beings are a match for me. One Forbidden Spell, and the entire Labyrinth Zone would be turned upside down."
"Remember this established fact, got it?"
"Got it."
Heita nodded her chin, then changed the subject.
"But I have no impression of you. What work did you originate from as a Virtual Substance Lifeform?"
"Don't know. I just know I love little ones like you the most—they taste delicious."
"..."
Heita felt neither disgust nor fear at the magician's undisguised craving.
This wasn't a nightmare; she had no right to be afraid.
Disgust wouldn't change the fact that she was in a desperate situation, forced to rely on a Virtual Substance Lifeform.
"Whoever created you must have had a twisted sense of humor. I've never heard of a human magician in any work who likes eating people." The girl remarked expressionlessly.
"Huh? You think I'm human?"
"You look like it. Are you actually an animal in your true form?"
Qi Zhimu rolled his eyes: "Fine, but little Heita, you need to know one thing—"
"What?"
"Art imitates life. Why is my setting an evil magician who likes eating people, not a righteous one? Twisted humor? I doubt it."
Heita fell silent.
She was young, but she understood some of the dark, unspeakable truths hidden beneath the surface.
"Ouch, how come there's a pothole in this damn place? Bad eyesight is such a pain. Kid, why didn't you warn me?"
"My name is Heita. The fog is thick; I can't see either."
"...I shouldn't have agreed to your request just for fun. Should've gobbled you up on sight."
"There's a fire-breathing snake ahead, blocking the path." Heita tightened her grip on his clothes.
As soon as she spoke, Qi Zhimu's ears twitched slightly, and in the next moment, two bolts of thunder struck down, piercing the giant snake's head.
The snake's body turned charred black, then dissipated into mist.
"Kill and finish it off in one go. Impressive, right?"
"Yes, impressive."
"Such a lifeless compliment, tsk... Hurry up and point the way. Which direction is faster from here?"
Heita analyzed the current spatial curvature to determine the general direction.
"Left."
The fog didn't clear; instead, it grew thicker.
The environment was damp, cold, heavy, and filled with an uncomfortable aura.
Heita felt that every time her lungs expanded, they had to overcome immense resistance.
Each breath felt like swallowing coarse sand, scraping her windpipe painfully.
She suddenly stopped.
"Why'd you stop, emergency rations?"
"...I'm out of strength."
"What a hassle. Get on!"
Qi Zhimu took off his wizard hat and placed it on Heita's small head, then bent down to carry her on his back.
"Hold on tight. If something by the roadside swallows you whole, I'd be very troubled."
"After all, you're my emergency rations. If anyone's going to eat you, it should be me."
Heita couldn't see his expression, but she could imagine the wicked curve at the corner of his mouth.
"I will." She wrapped her arms around Qi Zhimu's neck.
Mr. Magician's scent wasn't pleasant—it carried a faint, bloody smell, as if from eating people.
But at least it brought a slight sense of security.
"Which way now?"
"Right ahead."