novelonline Chapter 3517 "Fletcher's Bedtime Stories"
Chapter 3517 "Fletcher's Bedtime Stories"
Chapter 3517 "Fletcher's Bedtime Stories"
Galina, of course, realized that the person speaking on the stairs was not Dorothy:
"Lacia, if I were to actually say I want to stay right now with a smile, I'd like to see what you'd do."
She retorted without hesitation, and Xia De then spoke up:
"Okay, haven't your relationship improved? Why are you still like this?"
He took the initiative and made the decision:
"Tonight is Dorothy and Lacia's lesson time, and that won't change. Galina, see you tomorrow evening. Lacia, apologize to your great-aunt; she wasn't planning on staying, and you shouldn't have said those things."
The blonde, blue-eyed girl pouted slightly, but still said:
"Alright then—Auntie, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Goodnight, sweet dreams."
The Duchess was very satisfied with Shad's handling of the situation:
“That’s more like it. Goodnight to you too, Lacia. See you tomorrow night, Shad.”
She kissed Shad again before opening the door and getting into the carriage where the maids were parked in front of the house.
Only after the carriage had driven far away did Shad close the door. "Dorothy" then came down the stairs, explaining apologetically:
"My aunt and I just bicker as usual; we didn't mean to fight on purpose."
“I know you are both good girls. I’ve known you for so long, and you’ve never had any conflicts at home.”
As Shad turned around, Recia hugged him from the front and whispered:
"Isn't that because of you? You don't seem very proactive, but everyone in the family knows that you're always thinking about all sorts of things. If you really get angry, everyone will be scared."
Xia De then laughed and said:
"Why do you say that? When have you ever seen me angry with you? The last time you and Dorothy used the relics to make soul contact and almost caused an accident doesn't count."
"We were wrong that time, and besides, didn't you also use your red thorn whip?"
After the cat upstairs impatiently meowed, urging them on, the two stopped lingering in the foyer and, with Lacey leading Shad by the hand, went up the stairs.
"In short, the reason this family has remained stable is because of you. Well, Dorothy and I are really not available tonight, so how about we call Galina back? I'm not kidding, she can take my place when I'm not feeling well; Galina owes me a favor."
Xia De led her by the hand as they continued upstairs. The outsider hadn't been corrupted by the mermaid, nor was he a lustful fiend; he didn't seek anything to happen every night. The girls' sincerity was enough for him to enjoy a peaceful sleep.
There are four hours left until midnight.
"She" suddenly said, and Xia De immediately agreed in his heart:
"Yes, I haven't been able to use that black key all winter. Wait a minute, are you telling me this now to imply that I'm being hypocritical?"
She smiled gently, so Xia De felt that she was mocking him.
The classes continued tonight. Lacey and Dorothy still vividly remembered last week's "Book Salon" and their encounter with the fake man, so they did not arrange any outings this week.
After they returned to the study, they first summarized the reading salon from the previous week. Then Dorothy asked Shad to comment on the different adaptations of "Snow White" by the girls in the reading salon, to find his favorite version and explain why.
Of course, the writer, whose aim was to elevate the story with "Snow White" as her theme, wasn't idle this week either. Although she didn't go back to learning the magical spells related to the fairy tale, she did buy some very interesting relics from Old John:
Look at this.
After commenting on Shad's "800-word analysis," Dorothy lifted the briefcase that was at her feet onto the table. After Shad took away Mia, who had leaned over to sniff it, a thin booklet appeared in the briefcase.
"Um"
Xia De hesitated for a moment:
"Dorothy, could this be the original text that records the fairy tale 'Snow White'?"
The writer smiled and shook her head:
"Of course not. The story of Snow White appeared at least in the early Fifth Age and quickly became a well-known fairy tale. As a result, this story was included in many fairy tale collections of the Fifth Age. The book in front of you is a fairy tale book from the Fifth Age, but of course, it is now a relic."
“The whispering element is not strong.”
"Yes, this is a poet's keepsake—'Fletcher's Bedtime Stories.' The name 'Fletcher' is written on the title page, which I speculate is the name of a child."
This book contains nine fairy tales and is a printed publication. According to the book's information, it was printed in 2380 AD (the fifth age). The nine fairy tales are all popular at the time, and the grammar and vocabulary used are relatively simple, making it a book intended for children.
"So what are the specific characteristics?"
Dorothy then took the book out of her suitcase:
"Each time you turn to a different page, one of four voices—'gentle woman,' 'innocent child,' 'strong man,' or 'aging old man'—will randomly tell one of nine fairy tales. While the story follows the same direction, the details will vary depending on the voice telling the same story."
Women's stories are usually heartwarming and perfect as bedtime stories; children's stories are full of childlike fun, fairy tales from a child's perspective; men's stories are realistic and rich in detail, making fairy tales seem like serious literature; and the stories told by the elderly are always the most different from the originals, but they always offer some lessons.
Dorothy carefully placed the book on the table, but did not open it immediately:
"Listening to these stories gives you a chance to acquire magical abilities related to them, so this relic is extremely valuable. I only borrowed it from Old John. It is said that this book belongs to the Apuna Library."
As for the negative effects, there's an extremely low probability of a fifth voice appearing: a 'hoarse murmur.' This voice tells so-called dark fairy tales. Once it starts, it can't be interrupted and has a very strong mental pollution effect on those who hear it. Ordinary people will likely go insane after listening. Even if they don't go insane immediately, they'll dream about the dark fairy tale every night for several days, eventually falling into madness.
"So, we're going to hear those four different versions of the story and learn about the different understandings of the story among people in the mid-Fifth Age, right?"
But Dorothy shook her head:
"There are five versions. With your mental resistance, this level of mental pollution from poet-level relics is no problem at all. The stories we've known before are all positive and uplifting. Today, let's hear what the dark version of Snow White is about."
"Dark fairy tales" are also an important topic among the ring sorcerers who study the elements of enlightenment. The characteristic of these fairy tales is "darkness and cruelty". Sometimes, the development of the story will even abandon some logic in order to achieve cruelty and darkness.
However, these kinds of stories can also aptly reflect the problems of the era in which they appeared, as well as the author's own twisted and perverse personality.
While the study of "dark fairy tales" is not mainstream, most ring sorcerers who seek inspiration from these stories will dabble in them to some extent.
Dorothy and Lacey are the kind of girls who really hate "dark fairy tales." They believe that fairy tales are inherently beautiful, and deliberately distorting the beautiful and kind plots and characters to find so-called "truth" in darkness and cruelty is a mental illness. They should go to Dr. Schneider for hypnosis and drug treatment.
Therefore, he viewed their willingness to let Shad access "dark fairy tales" as a sacrifice made by the girls to help him. So he listened very attentively to the various voices telling the story of Snow White after Dorothy opened the book.
To bring forth the fifth voice—that is, to make the book slightly out of control—Dorothy deliberately mixed prepared blood with the precious alchemical ingredient "liquid pain" and poured it onto the book. The latter is a special substance that only spirits can produce, and in this era where the soul is strictly forbidden as an alchemical ingredient, it is the material closest to the soul. Even so, it took a full half hour before the low, hoarse murmur finally appeared, telling a version of the story that Shad had never heard before.
"Meow~"
The strange noise naturally caught Xiaomia's attention. The cat immediately tried to pounce on the book on the desk, but was caught by Shad and placed on his lap.
The "dark" version of Snow White's story also begins with Snow White's birth. However, from the very start, a low, hoarse voice, in an eerie tone, describes in great detail a twisted and bizarre dark kingdom. The ensuing mental pollution doesn't significantly affect Shad and Dorothy, but the content itself makes them frown.
The story largely continues the dark and bizarre style that Shad had envisioned, and before the story officially begins, the deep, hoarse voice also spends some time introducing the current state of the entire kingdom.
In a typical story, this would likely be established through background information to set the tone for sadness, joy, or sorrow. However, after hearing numerous details that Shad was unwilling to recall, Shad and Dorothy believed that the kingdom in the dark version of the story probably existed in the so-called demon's hell.
After finally finishing the background introduction and officially starting the story, with the general plot remaining the same—that is, continuing the magic mirror quiz, the princess entering the forest, the dwarves' help, the queen's schemes, the poisoned apple, and the prince—Shad discovers that everyone in this story is a bad person, or rather, not a normal person in the conventional sense.
The king, queen, and dwarves all have their own different purposes, and even the princess and prince have their own problems.