Sitting on the balcony railing, Chu Lian brushed aside her floating hair in the wind, her eyes fixed on the brightly lit city nightscape, her mood tinged with a different hue.
"On this day last week, you entered the Punishment Space for ten days because of me. In just seven days, the things that happened, the mysteries I encountered, were more than all the ones before combined. Ayase, I miss you a little… what should I do?" Her gaze rippled faintly, and within her eyes seemed to slowly reflect the figure of someone in a fiery long dress.
"This journey really has been indescribably exciting." Her smile blossomed. "What makes me happiest is that after your temporary departure, my little sister Chu Chu returned, and afterward, another person entered my life."
"Do you know? She is a girl so exquisite she seems like a CG illustration. Just in terms of refinement, even with all my confidence, I can't say I could surpass her." She was speaking of Inori Yuzuriha. "Of course, that's not what I want to tell you. What I want to say is that she is truly an understanding girl. Although she doesn't like to talk much, often has no expression on her face, and isn't very good at expressing her emotions, she's very sensitive—she can instantly sense my emotional changes."
"She is someone from another world, just like me. But her world has already been destroyed—by the same Spacetime Traveling Merchant as the hidden profession you once let me choose. I never thought anyone could be mad enough to use an entire world as the price for a transaction. I can't help wondering… one day, will this world also be traded away by someone like a commodity?" Her voice was soft and thin, like silent flowing water. After hearing what Eve had said, she had carried this worry all along. Especially after encountering a real Spacetime Traveling Merchant, her sense of crisis had sharply intensified.
She didn't dare hope everyone would be a good person, but she desperately wished not everyone would be like that alien youth—who, in order to strengthen his alien army, treated thousands of people as sacrifices, and even schemed to use her and Inori as hosts for an Alien Queen. People like that filled her with both disgust and fear.
What she had heard, what she had encountered—all were Spacetime Traveling Merchants leaning toward evil. How many more of this profession were like that? What if she encountered them again in the future?
"How did that boy obtain the qualification of a Spacetime Traveling Merchant? Maybe that's what I should really be worried about."
"But really, what use is my worry? With my current strength, even if an invader from the Otherside had only a tenth of their power left, even with Inori's Void Greatsword, I'd still be left with nine deaths and one life. If I can't even get through that, what's the point in talking about anything else?"
"Hey, do you know about the Otherside? I keep feeling that your connection with that world runs very deep—so deep I can't even imagine. But you've always liked to keep things to yourself, never telling me, just solving them alone, or only speaking up when the time was right. I don't even know how to judge it anymore."
"And also, I've met some strange races. For example, the Nightfiend Clan with rat faces, human bodies, and beast-like hands. Such a nice-sounding name, yet their people are unexpectedly ugly. Then there are the Yasha Clan, men ugly and women beautiful, like the Asura clan in legends. Their strength isn't generally high—maybe because the price they must pay is too heavy, so very few of them can enter here."
"Finally, there was that ghost-like one, who could float in the air, looking like a single scythe could reap souls—the descendant of a Grim Reaper. The Otherside was even willing to sacrifice such a powerhouse just to gain a rift into the Bright World… their ambitions are immense."
"Oh, and yesterday, I met another Spacetime Traveling Merchant. What he developed first was legion-style combat, and just looking at those aliens was terrifying. Even more frightening was his mindset—treating human life as grass, using any means necessary to reach his goals. I feel like this world is becoming more and more dangerous. If you don't come back soon, Ayase, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on…" As she spoke, she seemed unexpectedly fragile, as though she regarded Ayase as the most reliable person of all.
"In the Spacetime Traveling Merchant's trade panel, there should be their basic information. If only I could collect goods that contain this data. That way, when I encounter them in the future, I won't be completely unprepared, but could at least choose whether to treat them as enemies or friends." Her legs swayed, a pair of crystal sandals resting on the balcony. With her chin on her knees, her eyes grew slightly dazed.
Her hand touched the pendant hanging on her chest. "I forgot to tell you, this pendant on my chest is called the Key of Seven Illusions. Its description says it can transform into seven types of weapons. Yet right now, the only one I can use is the Seven Illusions Bow, with most of its abilities sealed away."
"Even a single weapon sets such a high threshold for me. I feel so weak. I really want to finish this Main Quest. When the third Main Quest comes, I'll finally be able to unlock the skill bar and a higher-tier item exchange. But unfortunately, I'm still stuck midway. Let alone cosplay—even doing a song cover feels so hard…"
"Ah, you should already know, right? I met Qin Shi Huang. He wasn't as majestic and irritable as the legends say, but instead far more lustful! I always felt he had some strange obsession with me. If not for my quick wits, I might have become his little bride already. Honestly, people like that should just be avoided from far away." As she mentioned Qin Shi Huang, her pink lips pursed again, her tone tinged with annoyance.
"I just didn't expect his real ending to be like this—after a seven-year-long war, draining the strength of the whole nation, with nearly a million dead, and fighting until his troops were nearly gone, he finally won. Yet the result was a shattered empire, with all kinds of forces across the land stirring restlessly. In disappointment, he chose to remain with his surviving army to suppress the Otherside's gate. From that alone, he really does deserve the title of Eternal Sovereign."
"Now I'm curious. How many legendary figures actually appeared—or ended differently than recorded? Are myths and legends truly just legends, or are they another form of ancient Chinese history? I really want to find these answers. I believe many longed-for pasts must be hidden there." This wasn't just idle talk. It was something she truly thought—after finishing all these trivial matters, once her strength soared and she grew, she was determined to search.
"Hey, in just two days I've already experienced so much. I've already faintly guessed the purpose of you sending me here—it's all for my sake. Knowing that makes me happy, really happy." She hadn't spoken of the events at Mount Li, perhaps from subconscious resistance, perhaps simply not wanting Ayase to know. She herself didn't know why—she just didn't want to.
"Mm, that's pretty much everything. I hope you can hear what I said. These past few days have been so busy, I haven't talked to you. So today I told you everything all at once. Aren't you glad I came to keep you company? Too bad I have other things to do, or else I'd really have a long chat with you." It was already 7:30 p.m. now. In two hours, they had to set out for the airport to catch the private flight to Tai'an, and then spend several more hours on the plane. Ugh.
"Big Sis, Big Sis? The wind is strong outside, come in quickly~" A gust of wind blew in with a chill, scattering her hair. Chu Lian shook her head without fixing it, answered Chu Chu's call, and jumped down from the balcony, heading back inside the hall.
The girls had already taken turns washing up and were now sitting on the sofa eating. After running around the mountains all day, they had come back utterly starved. So aside from resting, eating was all they could do.
Although Li Xiu'er's potential was limitless, for now her body was still that of an ordinary human. After only eating a little at lunch to stave off her hunger, she had been walking around all afternoon and was now starving.
As for Inori and Chu Chu, their physical attributes were much stronger than ordinary people, but at the same time, their energy consumption was greater. With their current strength, they couldn't yet reach the level of going without food. So they, too, were hungry.
Chu Lian went without saying—she was a super foodie by nature. Not eating after a whole day of busyness was the greatest punishment for her. If not for today's matters being so important, she never would have endured it.
So the situation became that the four girls, upon just returning, had already ordered a whole bunch of food. Yes, they simply ordered whatever looked tasty on the menu. Aside from a few dishes they personally liked, the rest were things they had never eaten before—but unexpectedly, they all tasted wonderful.
This delighted them to no end. From the moment they returned to the hotel and had the waiter serve the dishes, they had been eating nonstop. One could easily imagine just how hungry they must have been.
Of course, that wasn't the only thing they did—they also went to bathe one by one. This was the result of Chu Lian's "dictatorship." Since the girls had all ganged up on her the previous night, now, to make sure she wouldn't be bullied again, she had already decided never to bathe with them together anymore. Using the authority of her "big sister" status, she forced the other girls to bathe separately.
Even Inori wasn't exempt. Not because she feared Inori would do something to her, but rather because she worried that, just like earlier in the day, she might lose control and end up doing some shameless things with Inori. That would be far too terrible.
"Hey, Big Sis, here's the pastry you wanted~" Chu Chu's mouth was covered in cream. When she spotted Chu Lian coming in, she happily raised the cake in her hand, smiling brightly at her.
"It may be delicious, but you don't have to eat like this, do you? Look at you~" Chu Lian held her forehead. What a headache of a little sister—did she really have to look so indecent while eating cream cake? With her face covered in cream, it was as though she were smeared with some kind of suspicious white substance.
"Well, this was something Big Sis especially ordered, so Chu Chu ate a little more. But Xiu'er and I still saved half for you. As for Inori, she didn't say she wanted to save it for you, so she didn't eat it herself. Honestly." Chu Chu pointed at the remaining half of the strawberry cake on the table as she spoke.
"You don't need to be so concerned about me. As long as it's not something I dislike, I'll eat anything. But you—if there's something you like, yet you don't eat it because of me, then that's not good." Chu Lian pinched Inori's small hand, gazing into her wine-red eyes as she said this.
"I only like the ginger-braised duck that Lian eats. Everything else just doesn't taste the same." Inori gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke softly.
"Mm…" Chu Lian felt touched, thinking, Inori is really the best—unlike Xiu'er and Chu Chu, sigh.
"All right, I'm going to shower. After you finish eating, remember to clean up." Chu Lian stood up, speaking as she headed toward the bathroom.
"Relax, there's no way we'll finish it all. There's still so much left~" Chu Chu's voice came from behind her, making her stumble slightly, nearly tripping and falling flat on her face.
She steadied herself, rubbed her forehead, and decided not to think about it anymore.
Sitting on her bed, she pulled out one set of clean clothes after another from the system space. Hugging them to her chest, she walked into the bathroom…