"Work started, work panel opened."
"Personnel: Arthur. Subject: Anomaly G-01-05. PE-BOX energy collected: 0/12."
Seeing the Oak Cabin from the entrance again, Arthur realized that many new pieces of furniture had been added to the containment cell.
An anvil, a furnace, a workbench, and… a bed.
It seemed that with each employee entering, the Oak Cabin would expand little by little.
And the Anomaly inside also appeared to have adapted to daily life in the containment cell.
The Guide sat on a chair, flipping through a book brought to him by a Lobotomy Corporation employee…
And as Arthur took his first step onto the oak floor, the Guide's familiar voice rang out.
"Hi, Arthur. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The Anomaly slowly raised his head, closed the book, and smiled at Arthur.
It was then that Arthur finally saw the book's title…
"'City Chronicles'? Guide, you're still interested in reading this kind of thing?"
Arthur walked over with a smile, pulled out another chair in front of the Guide, and sat down casually, as if meeting an old friend.
"I'm not saying anything, but the City's history is already incomplete, and basically, few things written in these books are true… Be careful not to be misled."
"Truth and falsehood, falsehood and truth; history is inherently fabricated by later generations. Even if it's false, it will still contain shadows of truth…"
The Guide didn't mind Arthur's explanation. He simply conjured a teapot and two teacups from behind him again, then asked, "Tea?"
"Yes…"
Warm water steeped the tea leaves, and nothing else happened.
Everything was calm, just as both of them had intentionally or unintentionally avoided the unpleasantness that occurred during their last meeting.
"Please," the Guide pushed the tea toward Arthur, standing beside him like a waiter.
"…"
But Arthur didn't drink it. He scrutinized the tea in front of him for a few moments, then finally sighed.
"Stop pretending. It's really unsettling."
An Anomaly was an Anomaly; it was not the Guide from Terraria, after all.
This was a truth he had understood the moment he witnessed Byrd's death.
This cup of tea… he wasn't confident enough to drink it.
"…That's really too much," hearing Arthur's refusal, the Guide smiled, but didn't get angry.
He simply returned to his seat silently and took a sip of his own tea.
"Alright then. What do you need help with?"
"It's simple."
Arthur's voice grew lower and lower. "You said last time that you didn't know how I could leave… I found it."
"Is that so?"
Hearing this, the Guide's smile didn't waver in the slightest.
"Of course…"
Arthur then told the Guide about his experiences over the past few days…
"So, I can leave," his eyes seemed to sparkle with light. "You know what, Guide? I'll be able to leave this damn place very soon…"
"Hmm…"
The Guide seemed to fall into thought because of Arthur's words. A few seconds later, he said faintly, "So you came here just to show off in front of me?"
"…"
Arthur had to admit that the Guide had hit on part of his true feelings.
"Alright. As before, you are a formidable person."
The Guide stood up, stretched his limbs, and began to walk around the Oak Cabin.
"But we were born to serve you, weren't we?"
"Oh… no way… no way…"
Muttering complaints, the Guide dragged something out from under the bed.
Before long, a box hidden beneath it was pulled into view.
Arthur didn't get up to check. After rummaging through the box for a while, the Guide returned.
"You should recognize this thing…"
On the table, the Guide pushed a mirror-like object toward him.
For the first time, something clearly not an ordinary item appeared before Arthur's eyes.
Because the moment he saw it, a system prompt appeared again.
"Item Name: Magic Mirror."
"Level: TETH."
"Effect: In the world of Terraria, using this item allows you to return to your spawn point."
"Description: Staring into the mirror will take you home."
This was a tool almost every Terraria player had used.
Arthur naturally recognized it—but he didn't understand the Guide's intention.
"Magic Mirror… What do you want me to do?"
"Isn't it obvious?" The Guide smiled gently. "Adventurers can't always hide indoors. Otherwise, who will remove the curse spreading across this land?"
"…"
Arthur was silent for a moment, then coldly spoke.
"Are you crazy, or do you think I'm crazy?"
After receiving information from the SCP Foundation, he already had hope of survival…
Why would he go adventuring in Terraria, a place even more dangerous than the City?
What's more, the Guide's second management guideline clearly stated:
"No matter what sounds you hear from outside G-01-05's containment cell during work, do not attempt to open or leave through the containment cell's security door. Otherwise, you will never be able to return to Lobotomy Corporation."
Adventure?
Undoubtedly, that meant leaving the Oak Cabin. And once he left—how would he come back?
From any perspective, this was an absolutely losing proposition.
'Refuse… I just need to refuse.'
Arthur's attitude was clear.
But the next second, he noticed the Guide—no, this Anomaly—was smiling at him.
Unlike before, there was something dangerous in that smile.
Something that pierced straight into his heart, sending a chill down his spine.
"Arthur, if I were you, I wouldn't be so obsessed with going home."
The Guide interlaced his fingers and rested his head upon them.
Almost omniscient, he already knew Arthur's thoughts and his possible outcome, yet he still offered a calm reminder.
"You know, in this damned City, staying in one place? You'll die."
'I can't use this thing.'
Arthur wanted to refuse outright, but suddenly, he found he couldn't speak.
Within the Guide's smile, self-doubt crept into his mind.
Indeed… he seemed to be too immersed in the joy of possibly being rescued.
'I can be rescued…'
'Can be rescued…'
'Can… can I?'