Client after client came for massages, until it was Qiqi's turn.
She sat on the bed.
"Master."
"Mm?"
"The key you gave me — it's fully charged now."
"Oh?"
Qiqi took out a small key and handed it to Xia Zhi.
Her face didn't change much, but in her eyes there was a clear glimmer, like a child wanting praise for doing a good job.
Xia Zhi took the key from her, confirming it was now in Ready to Use status.
He smiled and placed the key back into Qiqi's hands, then reached out to gently ruffle her hair.
"Very good."
A deep warmth spread from the top of her head.
Qiqi couldn't help but close her eyes, a soft joy bubbling in her chest.
"Master, should I use it now?"
"Mm, give it a try. I haven't seen what happens when it's used either. If anything goes wrong, I'll be right here to help."
"Okay."
Qiqi sat on the bed, holding the little key before her, lowered her head, and closed her eyes, just like she did when praying every day.
The key seemed to connect straight to her heart. An incredible sensation welled up from deep inside her.
Transform.
As soon as Qiqi had the thought, a pure, powerful light burst out from the key, enveloping her entire body in a huge white sphere of radiance.
Xia Zhi saw that this white glow wasn't normal elemental light, but divine light.
It felt strangely familiar to him — almost like his own power.
Which made sense.
After all, the [Key of Light] was his creation, bearing the traits of [Divine Blessing] and [Transformation].
That [Divine Blessing] was tied directly to him.
The Key of Light would charge itself by absorbing faith, and once fully charged, the wielder could transform into a blessed form.
And that faith it drew upon…was precisely Qiqi's faith in him.
At the same time, Xia Zhi felt an inexplicable wave of intimacy in his heart.
Then a system notification echoed in his mind.
"Detected a prayer from a fanatic devotee."
"Would you like to respond?"
…Wait a second.
Xia Zhi stood there, a bit startled.
Qiqi was his follower, sure.
Every night when she held the key and whispered his name, if he wanted to, he could listen to her prayers.
But…when did she become a fanatic follower?
He was silent for a moment before replying to the system.
"Yes."
A panel unfolded before him.
A brand-new interface appeared, resembling a character panel — only it wasn't showing him, but Qiqi.
And it wasn't blurry or vague, but so clear that Xia Zhi could make out every single strand of her hair.
Not that it mattered — what mattered was that Qiqi on the panel wasn't wearing a single scrap of clothing, just her original self.
Xia Zhi quickly shifted his gaze from her on the panel to the top left corner of the screen.
There was a clear number displayed:
He tapped the number lightly.
The system spoke in his mind again.
"These points can be used to grant the believer's divine form."
Xia Zhi thought for a moment.
A pure white dress appeared on Qiqi's body, perfectly fitted to her frame.
At the same time, the number in the corner changed.
So dressing her in this took 5 points.
It really did feel a bit like a dress-up game.
Xia Zhi couldn't help but recall all those magical girl anime from his previous world.
Every time a magical girl transformed, there'd always be an elaborate, slightly seductive transformation sequence, stripping away whatever she'd been wearing before and then conjuring up a brand-new magical outfit.
This transformation was quite similar — except those anime costumes were always the same, while Qiqi's outfit could be changed at will, anytime he liked.
He shook off that line of thought and added a few more items.
A pure white necklace.
A pure white hair ribbon.
A pure white leg band.
The remaining points, he put into her weapon.
A pure white one-handed sword appeared in Qiqi's hand.
Perfect.
Xia Zhi closed the panel.
At the same moment, the ball of white light around Qiqi dispersed, revealing the girl inside.
For Xia Zhi, the process of dressing her step by step had felt long, taking one or two minutes.
But to Qiqi, it had only been a split second.
She'd held the key, closed her eyes, triggered the transformation in her heart, felt a warm white light wrap around her — a brief blur — and then opened her eyes to find herself completely changed.
Her entire outfit was different.
Her old clothes were nowhere to be seen, except for the Cryo Vision still pinned to her.
Now she was wearing a white dress, white knee-high socks with little leather shoes, a white leg band around her left thigh, slightly digging into her skin, a white necklace around her neck with the tiny key dangling from it, and her hair tied neatly in a ponytail with a white ribbon.
Qiqi looked down at the white one-handed sword in her grip, staring blankly.
"Master?"
"Mm?"
"Did…it work?"
"Yeah, the transformation was a success. How do you feel?"
"Feel?…Other than my Cryo power, it seems like I can also control light-element power…"
"Oh? Try it out."
Qiqi stretched out her hand, a gentle white glow blooming in her palm.
It was the most basic [Healing] spell of the light element.
Since Qiqi was his devotee, it was natural for her to master light magic automatically.
Xia Zhi nodded.
"Anything else?"
"Yes."
Qiqi tried casting a few other light-element spells.
Xia Zhi checked them and noted that the highest was fourth-tier.
That was probably the Key of Light's limit, since it was only a platinum-tier artifact, unless upgraded further.
And casting fourth-tier spells seemed to take a big toll on Qiqi.
After finishing, she was panting a bit, looking tired.
"Qiqi, is that a bit too much for you?"
"A little…but…"
"But what?"
Qiqi touched the white necklace resting on her chest.
"Master, I think this necklace is helping me recover my strength."
Well, he'd spent 10 points on manifesting that necklace, so it had better do something useful.
"What about the leg band?"
"The leg band doesn't seem to help me recover, but…I think it lets me jump really high and far…"
Qiqi did a light hop, easily tapping the ceiling with her fingertips.
"I see…so that's a stamina boost."
"Mm."
"And the hair ribbon?"
"The hair ribbon feels like it makes my mind clearer."
All auxiliary effects, just as designed.
As for the one-handed sword in her grip — that was pure offense.
She'd barely brushed the edge of the blade against the side of the bed, and it sliced the wood clean through.
Qiqi looked up at him, a little guilty, eyes wide and pleading. "Master…"
Xia Zhi laughed, giving her a reassuring pat on the head. "Don't worry."
He waved a hand toward the damage.
Time rewind.
The bed was instantly restored, good as new.
Qiqi's eyes widened in surprise, which then shifted into sparkling admiration.
"Master, you're amazing."
"Right?"
Xia Zhi watched her from his god's eye, seeing those bright, worshipful eyes.
This kid…such a devoted little fanatic…
"All right, transform back now — I still have more clients waiting."
"Okay."
Qiqi focused again.
Another wave of white light enveloped her.
Moments later, her clothes returned to normal, and the little key rested quietly in her hand once more.
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