258: Chapter 238 "Prisoners of the Demon King's Castle" Filming Set: Sweet Armory and Advertising Frenzy

[Previous content update completed. From now on, I will update 10,000 words every day. I've written so much about IZONE's variety shows... To be honest, I've exhausted my stockpile.]

Choi Yena ran desperately, her heart pounding wildly, the sweet, cloying air burning as she inhaled it into her lungs. She ran blindly, diving into every fork in the road she saw, trying to shake off that persistent pink figure behind her.

Just as she rushed through a narrow corridor carpeted with "Toffee," the ground beneath her suddenly gave way!

"Ah—!"

The "Toffee" carpet she had stepped on was actually a cleverly disguised pit trap! The carpet instantly flipped downward, revealing a pitch-black hole!

Choi Yena only had time to let out a short scream before losing her balance and falling into the hole!

"Meow?!" The Kitty Cat Guard chasing behind her was startled and slammed on the brakes. Its round body wobbled on the edge of the pit. It leaned over to peer into the dark hole, "Hey! Pisces Saintess! Are you okay? Meow? It looks pretty deep down there..."

The pit wasn't particularly deep, only about two or three meters, with thick, soft colorful foam mats at the bottom (as a safety measure). Choi Yena landed on the mat. Although it didn't hurt, the sudden weightlessness and darkness still left her shaken.

She lay on the mat, panting, listening to the muffled meowing of the Kitty Cat Guard above, her heart sinking. It's over. She'd fallen into a trap, and there were pursuers above. This time, she really couldn't escape...

However, just as she was in despair, a slight gurgling sound suddenly came from beside her, along with some kind of... soft sensation?

She sat up abruptly, using the faint light filtering down from above the pit to look to her side.

She saw a lump of... something on the foam mat beside her.

The lump was about the size of a basketball and was entirely semi-transparent, a pale green color like green apple jelly. It had no fixed shape, its body wriggling slowly like a mollusk, its surface shimmering with a moist luster. Embedded in certain parts of its "body" were a few small, precision gears and clockwork mechanisms that glowed with a faint blue light. As it moved, it made a subtle, pleasant "click-clack" sound. The entire creature (?) looked like a strange combination of the softest gel and the most precise mini-machinery, full of a contradictory yet harmonious beauty.

It seemed to have been startled by Choi Yena's sudden fall, stopped wriggling, and turned its entire "body" toward her. Where its "face" should be (if it had one), two small LED lights glowing with a soft yellow light lit up, like a pair of curious and innocent eyes, "looking" at Choi Yena without blinking.

Choi Yena forgot her fear and looked at this strange creature with curiosity. She had never seen anything like this in the castle. It looked... not evil at all, but rather cute? Those little gears and clockwork made it look like an exquisite living toy.

"H-hello?" Choi Yena said tentatively in a low voice, reaching out a finger to carefully poke the jelly-like body.

It felt cold, bouncy, and slightly moist, like the finest pudding. The spot where she poked it indented slightly and then slowly bounced back, the small gears inside turning gently with the movement.

The creature (a Soft Baby?) didn't seem afraid; instead, it rubbed against Choi Yena's finger, making a happy "pop-pop" sound like bubbles bursting. The yellow light-eyes on its body also curved into crescent shapes (was it an illusion?).

Just then, the voice of the Kitty Cat Guard came from above the pit again, seemingly trying to find a way down: "Saintess! Don't be afraid! I'm looking for a rope... Eh? Where's the rope? Meow..."

Choi Yena's heart tightened. There was no time!

Looking at the strange Soft Baby in front of her that seemed to have taken a liking to her, a bold idea suddenly arose. In fantasy stories, a heroine in distress often encounters unexpected allies... Perhaps, this was her chance?

She took a deep breath, gave the Soft Baby the friendliest, brightest smile she could muster, put up a thumb, winked her right eye in a classic gesture, and said in a spirited and expectant voice:

"You look so special! So soft and sparkly! Shall we... be friends? Let's escape this strange castle together! I'll call you... Lemm, how's that? Do you like that name?"

She didn't know if the creature could understand, but she was willing to try.

The Soft Baby—Lemm—seemed to understand. Its yellow light-eyes brightened, its whole body vibrated happily, emitting louder "pop-pop-pop" sounds. It even extended a thin, jelly-like "tentacle" from its body and gently touched Choi Yena's upright thumb, as if sealing a pact.

"Great! Lemm!" Choi Yena exclaimed happily, feeling that in this absurd castle, she was finally not alone.

She looked up at the opening of the pit, then at her newly made companion—who looked soft and cute but might possess special abilities—and hope reignited in her eyes.

The escape plan seemed to have a new turning point? And the ally was a cute little jelly-machine?

Behind the monitor, Jiang Zhiyu watched this "touching" meeting in the pit, the corners of his mouth curling into a satisfied arc. He said to the special effects director beside him, "Lemm's mechanical sound effects and lighting effects are done well, and the motion capture is soft and cute enough. Next, it's time for it to demonstrate the interesting properties of a 'Newtonian fluid' to help Yena escape her predicament."

A new adventure, accompanied by the addition of a new partner, was about to unfold. Above the pit, a certain clumsy Kitty Cat Guard was still meowing in frustration because it couldn't find a rope.

At the bottom of the gloomy pit, the newly established alliance brought hope. Choi Yena (Pisces Saintess) pointed to the opening above where faint light shone through, gesturing eagerly to the jelly-like mechanical creature—Lemm—clinging to her side: "Lemm, can you help us get up? Or... is there another way out of here?"

The pale green luster on Lemm's body surface flickered softly, and its glowing yellow eyes turned to one side of the pit wall. It looked like solid "chocolate bricks," but under the direction of Lemm's "gaze," Choi Yena leaned in for a closer look and realized there was an extremely hidden crack at the base of the wall, deliberately covered by colorful frosting.

The crack was very narrow, definitely impossible for an adult to pass through, but it seemed... it could be opened?

Next to the crack was a small button device, similar to an old intercom, protected by railings with equally narrow gaps.

Choi Yena tried to reach for the button, but her fingers were still a few centimeters away from the button inside the railing. She tried to pry the railing, but it didn't budge; it was a sturdy prop.

"Ah... I can't reach it..." She said, feeling a bit frustrated.

Just then, Lemm made a soft "pop-pop" sound, wriggling its soft body, and approached the railing. Its semi-transparent, jelly-like body, to Choi Yena's surprise, began to deform like a true non-Newtonian fluid. It was no longer a round lump, but was stretched and flattened as if by an invisible hand, becoming thin and long, like a pale green "soft rope" shimmering with a subtle mechanical luster.

This "soft rope" easily and without any hindrance "flowed" through the narrow gaps of the railing, as if the hard railing were just air to it.

"Wow..." Choi Yena couldn't help but exclaim, captivated by this magical scene.

After Lemm "flowed" inside the railing, it quickly restored part of its spherical shape, then used its jelly-like body to "plop" softly but accurately press down on the small button.

"Click."

A crisp mechanical sound came from inside the wall. Immediately after, the hidden crack, accompanied by a slight "rumble" and a puff of sweet dust (frosting), slowly slid open to one side, revealing a pitch-black hole only large enough for one person to crawl through.

"Success! Lemm! You're amazing!" Choi Yena exclaimed in surprise, unable to resist gently stroking Lemm's soft, bouncy body. Lemm made a happy "pop-loo" sound, rubbed against her hand, and then "flowed" back outside the railing, returning to its original form, though it seemed to have consumed some energy, as its luster was slightly dimmer.

Choi Yena did not hesitate, bent down, and crawled into the newly opened passage. Lemm followed closely behind, rolling in like a glowing ball of jelly.

The inside of the passage was unexpectedly spacious, but the environment was completely different. It was no longer sweet candy decorations; the walls were rough, dark-toned rock (imitation), the ground was wet, and occasionally the sound of "drip-drop" water could be heard from afar. The air was permeated with a... complex odor mixed with chocolate, syrup, and some indescribable scent similar to fermented fruit.

"This place... seems to be the castle's sewer or abandoned pipes?" Choi Yena guessed, carefully avoiding the small puddles on the ground. Lemm hopped along at her feet, its faint glow becoming the best guide in the darkness.

She didn't know which way to go and could only choose forks in the road based on intuition. Whenever she hesitated at a junction, Lemm would make a soft sound, rubbing its body in a certain direction, or the small gears inside it would speed up in a certain direction. Choi Yena chose to trust this new partner's "intuition."

After winding and turning, passing through several areas piled with strange "candy waste" and broken "cookie gears," they arrived at a pipe junction. Above them, voices could be vaguely heard, and the voices seemed somewhat familiar?

Choi Yena immediately stopped, held her breath, and signaled for Lemm to be quiet as well (Lemm obediently stopped wriggling and glowing, leaving only faint breathing light spots). She carefully approached a ventilation opening with a grid gap and looked up.

This seemed to be a crawl space or maintenance passage beneath some massive room. Through a gap, she could vaguely see the scene above—a room decorated in a darker style, featuring gears and metallic textures, with torches (props) burning with eerie blue flames hanging on the walls.

In the center of the room stood a tall figure. It was a gray wolf mascot costume that looked tattered but even more ferocious, with sharp eyes (drawn on the mask)—this must be the so-called "Gray Wolf Commander." Standing before the Gray Wolf Commander, bowing and scraping as it reported, was none other than the one recently blasted away by her (dried fish?) and rocket launcher (?)—the tattered General Kitty Cat!

Lee Chaeryeong's voice, which was still faintly recognizable despite the mascot costume and voice modulation, struggling to maintain a "General's" dignity while failing to hide its guilty conscience, drifted clearly down through the gap:

"... Lord Commander! That is how it happened, meow! That Pisces Saintess is extremely cunning! She caught me and the loyal Golden Retriever Corporal off guard and ambushed us with evil magic (dried fish?)! She even detonated a dangerous weapon (rocket launcher?) she got from who knows where! Poor Golden Retriever Corporal was severely injured while protecting me, meow! She is still lying in the infirmary now!" (The tone was mournful, as if it had truly suffered a great loss.)

The Gray Wolf Commander seemed skeptical. It pulled a crystal ball (prop) from its pocket (mascot suit) and wiped it. The crystal ball immediately projected a scene (post-production effect): it was the footage taken earlier of Golden Retriever Corporal (Shin Yuna) with a bump on her head, lying on a cushion covered with white gauze (pretending to be a hospital bed). However, there was no pain on her face; instead, because her mouth was stuffed with a giant lollipop painted with a "bone" pattern, she wore a silly, satisfied grin, even flashing a peace sign at the camera (crystal ball).

Inserted footage: Golden Retriever Corporal's "severely injured" bedridden show.

General Kitty Cat pointed at the screen, heartbroken: "Lord Commander, look! Golden Retriever Corporal has been blasted into a daze and can only giggle! How severe this injury is!"

Choi Yena: "..." (That expression on Golden Retriever Corporal is clearly because she's happy to be eating candy, okay!)

Choi Yena's eye twitched as she listened from below. Twisting the truth! This is completely twisting the truth! It was clearly you who got desperate after losing the dried fish and started firing, so how is it all my fault?! Does Golden Retriever Corporal's silly, happy expression look anything like a severely injured patient?!

The Gray Wolf Commander's deep (the actor was trying hard) voice rang out: "Hmph! Useless thing! You couldn't even keep an eye on a Saintess who lost her powers! And you lost a great general (it glanced at the inserted footage, and its mouth seemed to twitch as well)! Now, according to reliable intelligence, the Saintess's accomplices, the other Star Envoys, seem to be gathering their forces in the mortal realm, attempting to rescue her."

General Kitty Cat immediately straightened its (tattered) back, and a (self-perceived) fierce glint flashed in its cat eyes (drawn on): "Lord Commander! This is our perfect opportunity, meow! They are delivering themselves to our doorstep, so we can wipe them all out! We will capture them all and present them to Lord Star Demon! That way, no one in the mortal realm will ever be able to stop the great cause of our Star Demon Legion, meow!"

The Gray Wolf Commander nodded seemingly satisfied: "Hmm... The plan is not bad. But first, we must ensure the safety of the castle itself. Especially the 'Starry Lava Chocolate' enshrined on the 'Star Wish Magic Platform' at the very top of the castle, which contains magical power and can open a stable entrance to the mortal realm! That is the key to connecting our two worlds and transporting our troops! It must absolutely not be destroyed or stolen!"

It looked sternly at General Kitty Cat: "Do you understand? General Kitty Cat! Your primary mission is to protect that chocolate at all costs! If there is another slip-up... Hmph!"

General Kitty Cat immediately snapped to attention (nearly falling over) and roared with all its might: "Yes! Lord Gray Wolf Commander!! This subordinate understands! I will die protecting the 'Starry Lava Chocolate'! Meow!!!"

The voice echoed in the room and also reached Choi Yena's ears below clearly.

Beneath the vent, Choi Yena's eyes lit up instantly! Her fatigue and tension were swept away, replaced by the excitement of finding a clear objective!

She never expected that eavesdropping would yield such crucial intelligence!

Her other companions (the other constellation Saintesses played by the other members of IZ*ONE) were trying to find a way to save her!

The enemy wanted to use a counter-plot to wipe out her companions!

The most important item—the "key" to opening the passage home (the mortal realm)—was a piece of magic chocolate located at the top of the castle called "Starry Vortex Chocolate"!

So that was it! No wonder this castle was so strange; the core was the magic chocolate that could open the passage! As long as she got it, not only could she go back, but she could also stop the Star Demon Legion's plan to capture her other companions! Maybe... she could even use it to her advantage?

She looked down at Lemm by her feet. Lemm's yellow eyes were blinking at her, as if asking: "What do we do now?"

Choi Yena clenched her fists, her face showing the first smile truly full of fighting spirit and hope since entering the castle. She mouthed the words silently but firmly: "Alright! Target—the top-floor magic platform, Starry Lava Chocolate!"

She looked at General Kitty Cat above, still receiving a lecture (and bragging), then looked at her magical companion Lemm beside her, feeling that the hope of escaping this absurd castle, reuniting with her companions, and even turning the tables had never been clearer!

The adventure finally had a clear direction! And a battle of offense and defense centered around "chocolate" was about to unfold on the top floor of this sweet yet eerie castle!

After trekking through the sewer pipes for a distance, Lemm led Choi Yena to a slightly drier spot where the wall was inlaid with a giant heart-shaped embossed chocolate decoration. Lemm used its squishy body to nudge a subtle knob in the center of the chocolate heart.

Choi Yena understood and tried to turn it gently. "Click... Creak—"

Accompanied by a faint sound, like an old candy box opening, this "chocolate wall" actually swiveled inward, revealing a gap only wide enough for one person to pass through. Outside was the familiar, slightly brighter candy castle corridor.

Choi Yena was delighted and cautiously poked her head out to look. The corridor was deserted, with only the faint humming of the "Paw Patrol theme song" and orderly (clumsy) footsteps coming from afar—another squad of Golden Retriever Guards had just patrolled past.

Chance! She immediately slipped out, and Lemm also quickly "flowed" out. The wall silently closed behind her, returning to an ordinary decorative wall.

"Lemm, we have to get to the top floor quickly! Which way should we go?" Choi Yena asked in a low voice.

The yellow eyes on Lemm flickered a few times, the small gears inside rotated rapidly in the direction the Golden Retriever Guards had left, and then it pointed in that direction with a jelly-like "little tentacle."

"Follow them? The most dangerous place is the safest place? Or... is the direction they're going just happens to be the upper area?" Choi Yena guessed, deciding to trust her partner's judgment. She lightened her footsteps, trailing far behind the squad of Golden Retriever Guards, keeping a distance where she wouldn't be discovered, while using the various exaggerated candy decorations in the corridor as cover.

After tracking them for a distance and turning a few corners, the squad of Golden Retriever Guards walked into a large door hanging a sign with crossed "bone and candy" symbols, seemingly to change shifts or report in.

Choi Yena hid behind a giant "lollipop" pillar, observing the surroundings. This seemed to be the middle area of the castle; the corridor was more spacious, the decorations were more gorgeous (or rather, gaudy), and the air was filled with a mixed sweet aroma. Just as she was thinking about how to find the path to the top floor, a realistic and awkward problem hit her out of the blue.

Weapons! She subconsciously touched her waist, but it was empty. That bag of "Dreamy Star Dried Fish" that had once served as "bait" and "weapon" had long been consumed as snacks (hidden weapons) when dealing with that gluttonous Kitty Cat Guard.

Empty-handed? Choi Yena looked down at her slender hands and imagined the enemies she had to face: Golden Retriever Guards of unknown numbers wearing heavy mascot suits, possibly other candy soldiers, and even that Gray Wolf Commander who looked quite tough...

Just go up and challenge them like this? Steal the chocolate? Don't even think about it, she would definitely lose!

A chill and a sense of urgency welled up in her heart. Finding a weapon was of the utmost urgency!

"Lemm!" She turned urgently to the little jelly creature at her feet. "Is there anything nearby... that can be used as a weapon? Even a sturdy 'biscuit stick' would do!"

Lemm seemed to understand her anxiety. It quieted down, the light in its yellow eyes becoming somewhat rhythmic, as if scanning or sensing something. A few seconds later, a small gear inside it made a "ding" sound, and then it excitedly (body trembling rapidly) made "bo-bo" noises, squirming toward an inconspicuous small side path on the other side of the corridor, which hung a candy sign that read "No Entry, Sweet Restricted Area."

Choi Yena quickly followed. At the end of the side path was a "toffee" colored door without much decoration that looked quite heavy. A sign hung on the door, with crooked candy letters written on it: [Sweet Arsenal] [For Star Demon Legion Use Only, Unauthorized Personnel and Saintess Prohibited!] (Next to it, a fierce-looking candy skull was drawn, but it was drawn very childishly.)