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I felt more than a little panicky for a few seconds, and I had to give myself a quick pep talk to calm myself down.
LOTUS.
I had to remember I was LOTUS, and therefore I had little to be scared about.
So start thinking about getting your ass out of trouble, Saoirse!
I took another look around, but this time it wasn't merely my eyes doing the work. This time, I tried getting a feel of my surroundings the way Hadrian taught me, and all I could sense was...something familiar...and yet different.
The bustling marketplace and temple gates from earlier were all gone. In its place were buildings left and right, and the more I walked, the more I realized what this place reminded me of.
I had been able to visit Hong Kong a few times in my late twenties because of work, and this place definitely gave Hong Kong vibes.
Or to be specific... Paranormal Hong Kong, thanks to the unusual-looking shadows that had started lurking in the corner of my eye.
They were grayish in color and shapeless. But mobile. Like smog on the move. And where I went, so did they, and it was only after a few minutes of being stalked did comprehension finally dawn.
While lost, mindless souls in my world eventually turned into orbs of light, in this world they apparently turned into that: shadows.
Hadrian's last words suddenly played back in my mind, and I went absolutely still. He had mentioned something about a portal to another realm, and since the In-Between was a portal that connected the world above ground to Hell...
Could the pop-up Chinatown from earlier have the same function as the In-Between?
I felt my fingers uncurl at the thought, and I realized belatedly that I still had the blasted silver coin in my hand...and...
Little Iron!
I quickly dug into my dress's right pocket, and I trembled in relief when my fingers curved around something cold and solid.
Oh, thank God!
Little Iron was a magical partridge that came to life when fed with my blood. It was one of the rare few inventions of Perdix that existed to this day, and while most might only see it as an instrument for wielding power, to me Little Iron was so much more.
"Wakey-wakey, sweetie..."
I pressed my finger against the sharp tip of its beak, and Little Iron's metallic body turned warm against my flesh as it slowly came into life. After taking a nip of my blood, Little Iron spread its wings wide open and glanced up at me inquiringly.
"Can you take me to the owner of this coin?"
I brought the coin closer to my pet, and after taking a little sniff, Little Iron started hopping on my hand.
"Pretty please?"
I gave it another drop of my blood, but all Little Iron did was hop on my palm like it was training for a one-legged sack race.
"Do you need more blood?" I asked uncertainly. "Is that it?"
Little Iron shook its head.
"Come on, pet..."
Little Iron shook its wings, and it was almost like having a child of mine give me attitude.
"Seriously?"
The darn bird shook its wings again, and I wondered if perhaps even magical partridges also had to go through puberty, and that was why Little Iron was acting surprisingly uncooperative.
"Okay then..." I gave it the evil eye, just in case there was a possibility for magical creatures made of iron to feel fear. Or shame. The way things were now, I wouldn't be above shaming Little Iron into helping me out.
"How about we change the question?"
Little Iron nodded its metallic head right away, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Not sure if this was a technical glitch or confirmation that Little Iron's rebellious phase had begun, but at least we were getting somewhere.
I glanced back at Little Iron. Maybe my question was a little too specific earlier, and it had caused to Little Iron to feel pressured? I mean, Little Iron was just as trapped as I was, so maybe I should take it easy. Start with something a bit more general like...
"Is there any other scent you can detect from this coin?"
Little Iron quickly bobbed its head, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Does the scent belong to someone or something that can help us go back to our world?"
Another nod.
"Then...take me there?"
A MAHJONG PLACE.
I had seen one like it when I watched Crazy Rich Asians, but other than being a place where Asian Americans could execute power moves over, well, crazy rich Asians...I hadn't a clue about how this places worked, and I certainly had no idea either why Little Iron believed this was our ticket out.
But since Little Iron could never be wrong (or so it said according to Perdix's manual)—-
In we go then.
The mahjong place was a two-story building, with lots of doors and windows to let the evening breeze blow in for added ventilation. The place was also crawling with ghosts. Or maybe the correct term was flying, with everyone zipping this way and that as they cheered from one table to another. It was fascinating really, and I was already floating halfway towards a table labeled For Beginners when Little Iron suddenly squawking at my face brought me back to my senses.
