## Chapter 1015: The Doorless Mirror
The “Mirror Hall” has no doors.
For a door implies a seal, and a seal is silence; while a key implies an opening, and an opening is a wound. Beauty perishes in silence, and wounds mar beauty. Therefore, the Mirror Hall has no doors, only windows—windows are eyes, the medium through which beauty is observed.
Thus, every painting on the outer walls here is a mirror, a window.
Eivass led Arsen towards the painting closest to them.
—It was a religious painting, rendered in dark red hues and inlaid within a wall of red jade.
Eivass recognized this painting. It belonged to an acquaintance of his.
It was the work of Adolf von. Mentzer, the former Vice Principal of the Spirit Tower, the one who had painted “The Pale Extremity” with all his life, soul, and memories.
This painting was titled “The Iron Rolling Mill,” an oil painting.
He had depicted with near-perfect skill the scene of workers in a steel mill, laboring with focused intensity in their harsh environment. Within the dark red, dim factory, the scorching metal shone brightly, like the sun. Merely looking at it evoked a sensation of heat and vitality mixed with the smell of burning and dust, which rushed over one. The workers’ movements were full of power, as if they were coming alive… The clang of hammers and the voices of people could be heard in one’s ears.
These were not mere exaggerations.
The closer they walked towards the painting, the more real it became.
The pungent, industrial scent grew stronger, and the ethereal heat scorched Arsen’s cheeks until he felt they were burning.
And when they got close enough…
Arsen gradually realized that, without knowing when, he had already stepped into that factory.
—That painting had become a real, existing world!
He was no longer looking at the painting; he was wearing the clothes of a worker and had walked inside it!
The clanging sounds, accompanied by the groaning of machinery, resounded throughout the space. The chatter, arguments, and curses of the workers filled the air, reminding Arsen of the port.
He subconsciously took half a step back but did not exit the painting again. He merely felt a slight bump against a wall.
Arsen’s heart gave a thump, and he turned to look. But he saw nothing.
Behind him was a wall.
A wall with no windows and no doors.
In that instant, cold sweat broke out on Arsen’s brow.
“—Follow me.”
But Eivass said with extreme familiarity.
He acted as if he had been here before, heading in a certain direction without hesitation.
He must have… been here before, surely.
After all, he was the former Pope; perhaps he was well-acquainted with the Twin Mirrors… Arsen thought to himself as he followed.
“Inside the Mirror Hall…”
—Are all these worlds paintings?
Arsen was about to ask.
But Eivass quickly stopped him: “Hush.”
Realizing that it was inconvenient to talk there, Arsen immediately closed his mouth.
Eivass walked to the end and, without hesitation, chose the left of the two staircases leading down.
Here, the voices of the workers gradually faded.
But after following Eivass down the stairs, Arsen found himself, at some point, standing before a sacred, pure white church, while a fierce heat emanated from behind him.
Arsen recognized this church; it was called the Chapel of the Sacred Candle.
It was the most famous church on Île de la Cité. Because the Iris people did not have a good relationship with the Church, there were not many Iris churches. It could even be considered the largest church in the entire Iris domain. Compared to the ordinary Church of the Nine Pillar Gods, this church was more focused on worshiping the Candlemaster himself… It was managed by three pure-blooded Elf Bishops and one Elf Archbishop, with its management completely independent of the Iris people.
However, because the Chapel of the Sacred Candle was one of the few “sufficiently staffed churches,” the Candlemaster had become the sole object of faith for many Iris people, especially those on Île de la Cité—churches in other areas could hardly provide healing for so many people. With a small population on Île de la Cité, the quality of the clergy was exceptionally high, medical resources were abundant, and there were never any hauntings. This led many to call Île de la Cité “the true capital of the Iris.”
And about twenty years ago, a painter, lacking inspiration, consumed a “Mind-Opening Potion” that was said to be able to foresee the future and reveal truths—this was a type of potion that had been popular in Iris for a period.
It was sold under the guise of an alchemical potion, and indeed, it possessed supernatural efficacy… However, it was a witch’s potion, making it entirely unsafe.
Upon consumption, there was a 30% chance of experiencing hallucinations, a 30% chance of precognition, and a 40% chance of falling into a coma and having a bizarre dream. But because it was impossible to distinguish between the characteristics of “foreseeing the future” and “hallucinating,” the prophetic ability it brought became extremely dangerous… Some might mistake hallucinations for the future; others might mistake the future for hallucinations.
This was more deadly than not having prophecies at all!
It gradually led to chaos and was eventually halted by a joint decree of the Four Dukes. Even before that, many avant-garde artists had experimented with the potion.
This painter was a prime example.
He painted a picture titled “Destruction of the Chapel of the Sacred Candle.”
In the painting, the Chapel of the Sacred Candle was burning fiercely amidst flames, shattered into pieces. Countless crimson bats flew about, and the entire sky was illuminated in red.
Due to the transcendent status of the Chapel of the Sacred Candle, the painting sparked intense debate as to whether it represented a hallucination or the future. Subsequently, “bats” became the second focus of attention, with people even discussing whether the fire was set by the Children of the Moon.
To bear the blame for an event that never happened, for the sake of a painting’s nebulous content—it was as absurd as a couple arguing about “how to spend the lottery winnings” until they divorced.
The Children of the Moon certainly could not accept such a situation. They were the ones who made others suffer; when had they ever suffered such indignity themselves?
Consequently, the painting was later sealed by the Children of the Moon for “failing to pass artistic ethical review.” However, in Iris, the more something was banned, the wider it tended to spread…
When Arsen saw the church, he immediately realized—he had appeared in another painting!
He finally understood the mechanism here.
“No wonder this palace is called the Mirror Hall…”
“You finally understand.”
Eivass nodded with satisfaction.
—Here, any mirrors, paintings, windows, staircases… any connecting objects, except for “doors,” could be a bridge between two paintings. And by passing through these “bridges” in one painting, they could enter another. This process would repeat, allowing them to reach any location by entering from any painting.
“…Are all worlds here paintings?” Arsen asked.
“Impossible. Plays, poems, sculptures, music… anything is possible. It’s just that ‘related things’ and ‘related things’ tend to be closer to each other. For example, these two paintings are both paintings and share dark red hues, so they would be closely connected.
“This domain is the ultimate core of all ‘man-made beauty’ in the world—any beauty created by wisdom can appear here.”
Eivass said with a smile, “And Envoys of the Twin Mirror, Heavenly Envoys, Heavenly Singers, and their Apostles could potentially play certain roles as individuals within various spaces. Perhaps some people from the steel factory you just passed through are hiding there, watching the spectacle.”
As for himself—of course, he was not afraid of such matters.
He had run this dungeon so many times that he was intimately familiar with the Mirror Hall’s web-like map and its edge-seeking logic. Even navigating an uncharted territory would not be difficult.
The information Arsen provided was very clear: Sherlock was in a tan, library-like building, and there were two candles, one black and one white, on the table in front of him. This meant the painting should be quiet, with light, primarily in tan tones, and not easily accessible from other paintings.
—Therefore, all they needed to do was find similar ones!
As the surrounding spaces became increasingly similar, it would indicate that they were getting closer to Sherlock’s possible location!
(End of Chapter)
