Chapter 95: The Undying, The Unliving
Luo Ling’s consciousness, nearly extinguished, flickered back to life. She slowly raised her head, finding herself in a familiar darkness.
Was this…
The Realm of Nothingness?
No, this was…
As if guided by intuition, Luo Ling turned her head, her gaze settling on a specific point.
As expected, this was…
Her mindscape.
A black-haired girl, her beautiful face covered in grotesque blue scales, sat curled up, hugging her knees, her eyes closed, a single tear tracing a path down her cheek, giving her a fragile appearance.
Luo Ling knew this was herself.
This time, she hadn’t appeared in the corridor but directly within this void.
She looked up and saw the familiar information she had seen before in her mindscape.
But this time, there was something more.
[???: ???]
[First Authority: Devour — Consume It, Understand It, Become It]
[Second Authority: Kingdom — Wherever the Authority reaches, is its Kingdom. Whoever the Authority touches, becomes its servant.]
[???]
Most of the information was still hidden, obscured by nothingness, but besides Devour, which she had from the beginning, Luo Ling now possessed another Authority: Kingdom.
“The Puppet Ballad’s Authority…”
And also her sister’s.
Luo Ling raised her hand slightly, countless mycelia threads appearing in her palm, everything within their reach under her complete control.
This was a complete and unique Authority, the strongest known power in the world.
“But… what’s the point?”
Possessing this Authority also meant… the Puppet Ballad was dead.
Her sister was dead.
“A world without Sister…”
After returning from the Realm of Nothingness and entering Ji Ying’s incubation barrier, Luo Ling had considered countless possibilities, including her sister being a Grotesquery.
She had tried to accept this truth countless times, but when her sister actually died before her eyes…
All that acceptance and preparation had been meaningless.
Luo Ling’s gaze dimmed.
Just then, a languid, seductive voice, filled with an almost otherworldly arrogance, echoed through the void.
“Your love, is it for your elder sister, or… for the Puppet Ballad?”
Who?
Luo Ling’s eyes widened in shock as she looked up.
This was the first time she had encountered another presence in her mindscape, a place she had always considered her greatest secret, something she hadn’t even fully revealed to her sister.
Although the main reason was that she hadn’t wanted to involve her sister, whom she had believed to be an ordinary person, in these matters.
“Heh, you brought me here, yet you ask… who I am?” The languid voice chuckled. “Fine, considering your ignorance, I shall tell you.
“My True Name is unknowable, but you may call me… Naraku.”
Naraku…
Luo Ling couldn’t help but picture the purple-haired woman in the second room, her second transformed form.
After being killed by Scientist, she had somehow devoured the Naraku Sacred Relic created from a portion of Scientist’s Price.
Thinking back now, it must have been her sister’s doing.
After consuming a part of another being… would a connection be formed?
…No, that wasn’t right.
As if reading Luo Ling’s thoughts, Naraku’s voice echoed again.
“I know your doubts. Perhaps other ‘He’ cannot perceive your true nature, but I… am Omniscient.”
“I… know all, see all.”
His words, like an undeniable truth, resonated through the void.
…The Authority of Omniscience.
Luo Ling was silent for a moment, then she finally realized this voice… belonged to the true Naraku.
Perhaps just a dormant consciousness, or a lingering echo, but undoubtedly the real Taboo.
“I asked… your love, is it for your elder sister, or… for the Puppet Ballad?”
Naraku repeated the question.
But… wasn’t the answer obvious?
Who would choose the Puppet Ballad…?
“Of course… it’s for my sister,” Luo Ling whispered.
“Then why do you hesitate?” Naraku’s voice was laced with amusement. “The Puppet Ballad is indeed dead, but your sister’s memories, her emotions, her consciousness, everything about her… hasn’t it all been devoured by you?
“Isn’t this… your elder sister?”
He even knew about her unique Authority, Devour?
…This was Omniscience?
Luo Ling’s face paled slightly, but his next words made her tremble.
Could it be that her sister…
“Do you… love her?”
The gentle voice echoed, stirring Luo Ling’s emotions.
Memories, warm and cruel, flashed through her mind.
Of course she loved her.
“Are you saying… there’s still a chance for my sister… to be resurrected?” Luo Ling asked, her voice trembling.
“That which has never died, cannot be resurrected,” Naraku chuckled, his seductive voice whispering in her ear.
“Come, accept me, with the Authority of Omniscience, atone for your ignorance. Even your elder sister… can be brought back to this world.”
“No,” Luo Ling’s expression returned to its usual calm.
After thinking it through, she opened her eyes.
“You… you’re not Naraku’s true form, just a lingering echo.”
This temptation… was familiar.
…Just like Scientist before her death.
Revealing a portion of Omniscience, tempting her to fall into the abyss of knowledge.
Having witnessed a similar mistake so recently, Luo Ling wouldn’t fall for it.
Even with her beliefs crumbling, even with the bait being the source of her pain.
“So what? My words… are true.”
The being calling itself Naraku seemed unconcerned, its languid voice continuing,
“Have you ever wondered why the Puppet Ballad adopted you, why it nurtured you with its emotions and memories, why it ultimately made a choice that betrayed its original intentions? Do you truly believe it was out of ‘ignorance,’ just like you? Don’t you want to know the truth behind all this?
“Your sister sacrificed so much for you, don’t you want her to return?”
“Of course I do, but I will never ask for your help, the help of a Grotesquery… Naraku,” Luo Ling said calmly, tilting her head up slightly. “I know your words are true, but half-truths… are often more dangerous than lies.”
A lie needed countless other lies to support it, to fill in the gaps.
But the price and consequences of a half-truth… were often disproportionate.
Indeed, Luo Ling had many questions about her own origins, her sister’s past, and who the Puppet Ballad had been deceiving, questions she hadn’t found answers to even in her sister’s memories.
Because the moment “Su Wan” was born, the Puppet Ballad had vanished.
Naraku had merely raised these questions, not intending to answer them, only tempting her to seek Omniscience, to use a Taboo Authority to satisfy her desires.
Like… resurrecting her sister.
But what was the price?
Naraku hadn’t said, but Luo Ling knew.
Deals with Grotesqueries always came with a twisted outcome.
“No matter what… I will find the answers myself.”
Luo Ling thought silently, her gaze hardening as she felt her sister’s memories and emotions within her.
At least now she knew that there was still hope of truly embracing her sister again.
Ignoring Naraku’s temptation, Luo Ling’s consciousness returned to her body, her gray shadow leaving the mindscape.
And in the void, half of a beautiful, seductive face slowly materialized. If Luo Ling were here, she would recognize it.
It was her own face, her Naraku form.
“Heh… this is enough.”
“As long as you seek the answers, whether you accept me or not… it doesn’t matter.”
…
When Luo Ling woke up, she found herself in a warm, soft embrace.
She looked up and saw the tired, red-haired girl sleeping soundly, soft snores escaping her nose. She had been watching over her for who knew how long.
“Elsa…”
Luo Ling remembered vaguely seeing Elsa come to her after she had broken down, after releasing the people of Jiangcheng County.
She had thought it was just a hallucination, but unexpectedly… it was real.
“Jiangcheng County is so dangerous, yet they let her wander around,” Luo Ling sighed. “What are those people in the exchange group thinking…?”
But thankfully, Elsa had been there.
She had helped Luo Ling release her pent-up emotions, preventing her from losing control.
Otherwise, it would have been dangerous.
Luo Ling knew that she was now a Grotesquery, likely a High-Risk one.
If she lost control, the consequences would be unimaginable.
…This wasn’t what her sister had sacrificed herself for.
However, even though she understood this, looking at the blood-red flowers blooming throughout Jiangcheng County, Luo Ling couldn’t suppress her grief.
Even though she knew these seemingly living people were merely corpses controlled by the Puppet Ballad’s mycelia, their consciousness trapped within, witnessing the death of an entire city… was a heavy blow.
And…
Luo Ling looked at the seemingly ordinary hundred-yuan bill in her hand, gently tracing the bloodstains, then carefully putting it away.
Just like her sister had.
This wasn’t despair.
As Naraku had said, her sister’s emotions, memories, everything… had been devoured by her.
Luo Ling just didn’t know how to release them yet.
But no matter what, one day… she would.
“Omniscience…?” Luo Ling whispered. “As if it’s something so special…”
She also possessed Naraku’s abilities. As long as she reached her full potential, even if she couldn’t master the complete and unique Authority of Omniscience, she could still use a portion of its power.
Even against the Puppet Ballad, before completely consuming her sister, Luo Ling had already reached the level of Complete Control, just unable to control an entire area like with the Authority of Kingdom, or suppress other abilities.
The gray haze around her dissipated, the colors of the world returning, as Luo Ling deactivated the Kingdom, the domain the Puppet Ballad had painstakingly created, enveloping Jiangcheng County.
Putting away her sister’s final gift, Luo Ling sealed this power, along with her sister’s emotions and memories.
“Mm…”
Just then, Elsa stirred awake.
She rubbed her eyes, then looked at Luo Ling, still drowsy.
“Morning, Big Sister Bai…”
“Mm.”
Luo Ling nodded, observing Elsa closely. She felt that Elsa had changed somehow.
After yawning, Elsa finally remembered what had happened and hugged Luo Ling, awkwardly patting her head.
“It’s okay, Big Sister Bai, it’s all over now, it’s okay…”
“…I’m fine now.”
Luo Ling gently disentangled herself from Elsa’s embrace. Although they seemed to be around the same age, Luo Ling knew…
Elsa was a true loli, while she was a high school student. Being comforted like this by a much younger girl felt… awkward.
“Oh, Big Sister Bai, you’re really awake!” Elsa’s face lit up, then tears welled up in her eyes. “That’s great…”
“There’s no need for that…”
Luo Ling said, slightly embarrassed.
After a brief conversation, Luo Ling learned that three days had passed since the incident in Jiangcheng County.
During these three days, she had drifted in and out of consciousness, murmuring things Elsa couldn’t understand.
And Elsa had stayed by her side the entire time, barely sleeping.
“Honestly…” Luo Ling patted Elsa’s head. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Hee hee, it’s fine.”
Elsa didn’t understand the complex look in Bai’s eyes, but she knew it was probably praise.
Just then, Luo Ling finally noticed what was different about Elsa.
She had… opened her eyes.
And they were normal eyes.
Beautiful, bright green eyes, filled with hope.
Elsa didn’t seem to notice. She just tilted her head, puzzled.
“What’s wrong, Big Sister Bai?”
“You now…”
Luo Ling took Elsa’s hand, and after a moment, her face paled slightly, then she took a deep breath and asked seriously,
“Elsa, try to imitate this feeling.”
Luo Ling implanted a portion of her Puppet Ballad memories into Elsa’s consciousness. Elsa nodded, confused, then tried to use it.
“Eh, why can I see two images in my eyes?” Elsa asked in surprise.
One of her eyes had turned pale gray, and a faint red thread floated in the air.
The ability, Puppet Ballad.
Elsa… could now use the Puppet Ballad’s power.
Although it was only a portion of its abilities.
Luo Ling was silent for a moment, checking again.
There was no trace of the Puppet Ballad’s control within Elsa’s body, she could tell that much.
But… a connection had been formed between their consciousnesses.
The Puppet Ballad’s power Elsa was using came from Luo Ling.
But Elsa wasn’t an “egg.”
Luo Ling thought of a possibility, something she had gleaned from Artist’s memories.
“Elsa, did you… become my apostle?” Luo Ling blinked, a strange expression on her face. “What did you do while I was asleep…?”
“Ah?” Elsa’s face flushed, and she waved her hands frantically. “No, no, I didn’t do anything… really, nothing at all, I swear! You have to believe me, Big Sister Bai…”
Despite her words, Elsa kept her head lowered.
She peeked at Luo Ling, seeing her unchanged expression, and lowered her head again, her voice barely a whisper.
“Just… touched you a little…”
“…”
Luo Ling rubbed her temples, silent for a moment.
It wasn’t that she was unwilling to share her power, but she didn’t know if becoming an apostle of a Grotesquery had any negative consequences.
Even if she was the Grotesquery, Elsa’s “master.”
If Elsa suffered because of this…
Luo Ling would feel guilty for the rest of her life.
But it seemed there were some benefits to becoming an apostle.
Besides giving Elsa another ability for self-preservation, the price she had been paying for the Grotesqueries within her had been almost completely neutralized.
As an apostle of a High-Risk Grotesquery, the minor Grotesqueries within Elsa were completely suppressed.
Even if Scientist were still alive, if she tried to seal Elsa’s consciousness, it would be the Grotesqueries within her who would be terrified.
“Big Sister Bai, you don’t… hate me, do you?”
Elsa asked nervously, seeing Luo Ling’s silence.
“Of course not,” Luo Ling said, stroking Elsa’s hair. “I just think… never mind, we’ll talk about it later.”
She would look for information about apostles after this matter was settled.
If it was dangerous, she would find a way to sever this connection.
“By the way, there’s one more thing I need to tell you, Elsa,” Luo Ling thought for a moment. Since they had this connection now, it wouldn’t hurt to tell her.
“What is it?”
Elsa blinked her bright green eyes.
“My name… isn’t Bai.”
Luo Ling stood up, her long silver hair receding, her small form growing slightly taller.
A girl Elsa had seen before, but hadn’t interacted much with, appeared before her.
“Let’s get to know each other again. My name is Luo Ling.”
“Eh? Eh? Eh?”
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