Dodo’s Adventure: The Hourglass Abyss

What began as an ordinary trip to a lakeside city beyond the Great Wall planted an extraordinary seed in the hearts of the DODO Adventure Team. After they returned home, mysterious “antique” keepsakes that perfectly matched their roles in a dream began appearing quietly at everyone’s doorstep: a bronze token, a brush made from mouse whiskers, obsidian counting rods, a stone military command token, and even a new collar for Charlie. They seemed like spirits that wouldn’t leave, and the cryptic words on the notes hinted at an unfinished mission.

But reality shattered their peaceful school life. During physics class, Duoduo’s distraction and the bronze seal he dropped drew the teacher’s merciless scorn: “Your mind isn’t on anything worthwhile! Give up that detective dream of yours!” Before the frustration had even faded, an even more unsettling figure knocked at the door: Yin Ling, the “Ghost Princess.” With inhuman eyes that seemed to see through everything, she coldly revealed that every “gift” was a masterfully crafted fake. The flaws she pointed out, including perfect mechanical cuts, cinnabar mixed with bone phosphate, and marks left by power tools, along with the dark blue velvet cord at her waist, the same color as the lining of every keepsake, plunged the mystery into an even deeper whirlpool.