Category: The Grotesque Miss’s End Story

Chapter Twelve: The Path to Godhood

“Another ‘miracle’.”

Philosopher, his hunched body supported by a cane, looked up, directly at the sky no one else dared to face. His eyes reddened until the miracle faded, and only then did he close them.

“Such magnificent power…”

He was one of the few humans who truly wielded an Authority, yet he couldn’t manipulate it as freely as these god-like Grotesqueries.

Because, as everyone knew, regardless of the type of Awakened One, they were essentially just thieves.

They stole insignificant power from the Paths belonging to the gods. Even Philosopher, who had reached an unparalleled height, wielding a god’s Authority, was no exception.

However, this situation was about to undergo an unprecedented change.

The White Witch, the first to completely replace a Grotesquery Sequence, was a completely new Grotesquery, not a thief like him.

And before becoming a Sequence Grotesquery, she was just an Awakened One.

This proved that… the path to godhood, which the Harbingers had attempted and failed, wasn’t entirely impossible.

“The White Witch could replace the Puppet Ballad, and so can we.”

Philosopher slowly opened his eyes, his cloudy gaze burning with fervor.

“I personally killed Him, seized His Authority, ‘Traveler.’ I am but one step away from true godhood.”

Jiangcheng County, as an Incubation Barrier, allowed the White Witch to replace the Puppet Ballad. This was the missing piece in their previous failed attempts at godhood.

And now, under Philosopher’s planning and Educator’s execution, an artificial Grotesquery Incubation Barrier of unprecedented scale was about to appear in Victoria.

“That day is fast approaching.”

……

“Hmm… that should be about it.”

As Luo Ling calmly extracted fungal threads from the shredded corpses in the warehouse, carefully placing them in sample bottles, even going so far as to roughly reassemble the dismembered limbs, Eve looked as if she had seen a ghost.

“Miss Luo Ling, you’re a newbie… but not really, are you?”

Not to mention her unflinching composure in the face of such a gruesome scene, she could handle these creepy fungal threads without hesitation. Several members of the initial Company investigation team had developed a phobia of fungi because of them.

“Actually, I’m quite scared,” Luo Ling said calmly. As if afraid Eve wouldn’t believe her, she added, “Look, my hands are shaking.”

Her attempt at feigning fear only made it more unconvincing…

Not only Luo Ling, but Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing also seemed relatively unaffected, even the youngest, Elsa, appeared composed.

Eve had heard about the Jiangcheng County incident, though the Company had released limited information, seemingly concealing something.

Although a part of their memory seemed to be missing, with the current commission at hand, Eve and the others couldn’t delve deeper.

Only Luo Ling retained the memories of the Kingdom. Even Elsa could only vaguely recall her aged appearance, feeling like it was just a dream.

Through investigating the scene, Luo Ling had a rough understanding of the extent of the Harbingers’ stolen Authority.

…Completely out of control.

They couldn’t control this power at all. Among the bodies, Luo Ling found several church members, all killed by the Puppet Ballad’s power.

Raging white fungal threads had consumed their flesh, their shattered faces frozen in expressions of terror.

Ultimately, without a central consciousness to control the Puppet Ballad, after devouring everyone in the warehouse, the white fungal threads had withered, now essentially “dead.”

If any of these individuals had possessed a consciousness capable of containing the Puppet Ballad, they would have become like Li Tianming or the White Reishi Mushroom.

Unfortunately, none of them did.

“However, to say they were all innocent victims… wouldn’t be entirely accurate.”

Luo Ling surveyed the scene, a sense of familiarity washing over her.

It was similar to the Church of Light’s sermons. These people had come here to “worship.”

Beside the church members, there was a “holy son,” his body dismembered and offered as a sacrifice.

The others finished their investigations, compiling their findings and handing them over to Eve.

As Eve had said, this was just a newbie commission.

Although they didn’t know why a precious Sacred Medicine capsule had vanished, they had completed the mission.

…Why did she feel a strange sense of relief?

“By the way, Miss Eve, I’d like to explore Victoria. I’ve been here for days and haven’t had a chance to see the city properly.”

As they prepared to return, Luo Ling spoke up.

Eve, as the team leader, had no objections to Luo Ling’s request. The commission was complete, and they were still within Victoria, what could go wrong?

The others agreed. Even Lu Manqing enthusiastically expressed her desire to explore, though she lamented the loss of her camera film, preventing her from taking commemorative photos.

Elsa, sensing Luo Ling’s underlying intention, knowingly didn’t offer to accompany her, obediently returning with the team.

“I’ll just be slacking off back at the office anyway… but remember to come back for dinner. It’s not just me, everyone complains about the Company’s food, mainly because the food outside is just awful.”

As they parted ways, Eve couldn’t resist complaining about Victoria, seemingly tormented even as a local.

After separating from the others, Luo Ling found a secluded spot.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was standing in the twilight “Victoria.”

The seventy-fourth Kingdom, originating from Victoria’s seventy-fourth Boundary collapse.

Using the backdoor left by “Weave,” Luo Ling had silently returned.

However, this time, she bypassed the memory cage, truly stepping into the Kingdom.

“Still… no change?”

Looking at the grey shadow in the reflection, Luo Ling pondered.

She was currently in her “Naraku Godchosen” form, yet this so-called Kingdom still couldn’t project her image.

However, Luo Ling was certain that the master of this Kingdom, that strange young woman, couldn’t fully control this bizarre Boundary fragment.

At least now, Luo Ling had the means to evade her detection.

Luo Ling hadn’t come here to admire the scenery of Victoria ninety years in the future.

In fact, she had already realized it when the strange young woman casually mentioned Naraku and his followers.

No one in this world knew more about Grotesqueries than the Apostles.

Luo Ling hadn’t forgotten her goal: to uncover the truth behind the “Devour” Authority.

And…

Why the Puppet Ballad had made that choice back then.

After rejecting Naraku’s temptations, Luo Ling could only rely on herself to unravel her own mysteries.

Therefore, interacting with these “Godchosen” was necessary.

However, she needed to find the right opportunity.

Luo Ling looked up, sensing the several Grotesqueries incubating within the Boundary, an idea forming in her mind.

“Senior Apostles, I apologize in advance.”

And to her colleagues at the Company, it seemed they were in for another round of overtime.

However, this time… it wasn’t the White Witch.

Chapter Eleven: The Godchosen

Elsa was a Grotesquery Apostle.

Even though the Grotesquery she worshipped was unusual, a subtle connection still formed between them, allowing her to wield a portion of its power. However, Elsa herself possessed a unique constitution. She wasn’t an Awakened One, yet she had a physique closer to a Grotesquery than any Awakened One. She could contain a Grotesquery’s power without succumbing to distortion or collapse. This made it difficult to distinguish her from other Apostles.

The only certainty was that Elsa possessed all the characteristics of a typical Grotesquery Apostle.

Luo Ling hadn’t just been comforting Elsa earlier. She had also learned about Elsa’s experiences during her slumber.

In addition to the partial truth gleaned from Luo Ling’s “Weave” domain, there was another crucial clue.

“Within this Incubation Barrier, there’s more than one ‘gaze.’ Meaning, there’s more than one Grotesquery.”

“No, perhaps this isn’t just an Incubation Barrier for Grotesqueries, but a sanctuary created to nurture these Grotesqueries’ Apostles…”

The Company and the Harbingers of Calamity’s records on Grotesquery Apostles were surprisingly consistent.

…Elusive and little known.

All records indicated that Grotesquery Apostles might have a hidden sanctuary, explaining their elusiveness.

The most common speculation placed this sanctuary within the Realm of Nothingness.

No one would have imagined it could be within a moment of a Boundary’s collapse.

And here, within this hidden sanctuary, multiple Grotesquery Incubation Barriers existed, unknowingly nurturing terrifying beings.

“If this is a sanctuary, it explains the previous anomalies.”

From the moment they stumbled into this place until now, Luo Ling and the others hadn’t encountered any real danger.

The memory cage only trapped them. The ever-present threat never materialized.

Even when Cen Xiangyun and the others tricked the cage and entered the next layer of the Incubation Barrier, there was no reaction.

The tall grey figure swayed slightly, then crouched down and said,

“Elsa.”

“Hmm?”

Elsa looked up, tears still in her eyes. Despite her aged appearance, she still looked adorable.

“Do as I say.”

According to Elsa, several gazes within the barrier had focused on her before she lost consciousness. Perhaps that was when they were pulled into this strange place.

However, after they entered, these gazes fell silent. Their presence could be sensed, but they remained unresponsive.

In that case…

They probably wouldn’t mind another “Incubation Barrier,” would they?

Luo Ling turned to Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing. “Please shut down your senses. The situation might be… unexpected.”

Performing a Grotesquery Apostle ritual in front of two Company employees was audacious, to say the least. Even if she could manipulate memories, unless it was complete control, traces would remain.

A single trace could lead to complete failure.

Luo Ling was always cautious, even with Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing, whom she was willing to trust.

“Okay.”

Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing nodded and promptly shut down their senses.

Don’t ask why they were so obedient. After the previous ordeal, they had learned that following Miss Luo Ling’s instructions was the best course of action.

After all, even Eve knew to punch herself.

Elsa closed her eyes, reaching out with her faith to the ethereal presence.

An eerie aura emanated from her. A few silver strands fell from her hair, and when she opened her eyes again, they had turned grey.

Above this ninety-years-in-the-future Boundary, an eye slowly opened in the sky and descended.

Despite being midday, a crimson crescent moon suddenly rose, its blood-like color flowing down.

Using Elsa as the “egg,” Luo Ling established an Incubation Barrier, just as her sister had done to her.

However, her sister, driven by the Puppet Ballad’s instincts, had consumed a part of Luo Ling’s flesh and blood. Now, Luo Ling was merely applying her abilities to Elsa.

This was only a temporary bestowal of power. If the incubation period were longer, and the “egg” implanted deeper, Elsa would become an Agent.

Of course, that wasn’t Luo Ling’s goal. She merely wanted to attract attention.

The Puppet Ballad excelled at concealment. An Incubation Barrier could be established silently, just like in Jiangcheng County.

She did this deliberately, with another purpose in mind.

However, the resulting impact… was somewhat unexpected.

“…”

Meanwhile, outside the sanctuary, Victoria experienced another tremor. The winter sun vanished in an instant, replaced by a vast, encroaching shadow. The Awakened Ones searching for the “Agent” looked up, then quickly closed their eyes.

For in the sky was a presence that could not be gazed upon directly.

“This is a provocation! An absolute provocation!”

Company headquarters was furious. In less than half a day, the White Witch had performed two “miracles.” What else could this be but a provocation?

Recalling her actions in Jiangcheng County, it was hard not to believe that this being intended to unleash chaos in Victoria, replicating the Jiangcheng County incident.

Victoria had experienced a bizarre collapse just a few years ago, losing ninety years of time. The Company had barely recovered and couldn’t afford another Boundary collapse.

The original investigation period was immediately extended. The Awakened Ones, who could have clocked out at 9 pm, were now working overtime. Even shift changes had to maintain a 24-hour emergency state.

The other Awakened One organizations stationed in Victoria followed suit. No one wanted to witness the eruption of a High-Risk Grotesquery.

For a time, the Awakened Ones of Victoria were shrouded in the gloom of overtime.

The Harbingers of Calamity, their opposing force, weren’t having a good time either. The White Witch’s miracles didn’t affect their plans directly, but the investigations by the Order-Path Awakened One organizations inadvertently unearthed several of their hidden agents in Victoria.

These “landmines,” intended to be detonated upon the plan’s completion, causing chaos for the Awakened Ones, were now triggered prematurely.

Not only was the outside world in disarray due to this blatant display of the Incubation Barrier, but the “sanctuary” itself was also affected.

Luo Ling could sense several intense gazes. Fortunately, she had instructed Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing to shut down their senses, making them resemble the local NPCs, preventing them from being scrutinized.

Among these gazes, one was particularly intense, even furious.

“Hey, hey, hey! Who do you think you are, showing off ‘miracles’ in someone else’s territory without paying protection fees?!”

An old lady, with a speed impossible for her age, swooped down and stopped Elsa, preventing her from establishing a connection with the White Witch.

Even Luo Ling’s expression turned serious. She realized that she could no longer sense the Apostle connection with Elsa.

The old lady, seemingly just stopping Elsa’s actions, had used some method to sever Elsa’s abilities as an Apostle.

In an instant, all traces of the White Witch vanished from Elsa, including the Incubation Barrier.

“Um…”

Elsa, intimidated by the old lady’s shout, lowered her head.

“Wait, whose kid is this? So young and already a Godchosen?”

The old lady lifted Elsa up, frowning slightly.

She seemed to see through Elsa’s aged facade to her true youthful appearance.

“Wait, there seems to be another Godchosen…”

The old lady twitched her nose, then looked around, peering left and right.

Watching her, Luo Ling was reminded of some kind of animal.

Soon, the old lady noticed Luo Ling, her eyes widening in shock.

“Wait, you… what’s going on with you? The ‘Kingdom’ can’t even hold your shadow?”

The old lady put Elsa down and approached Luo Ling, scrutinizing her carefully.

Within the “Weave” domain, Luo Ling seemed to glimpse the old lady’s true form, though it was hazy and indistinct.

“Oh, I see. You’re Naraku’s Godchosen. Damn, what bad luck.” The old lady waved her hand dismissively, a look of disgust on her face. “Well, you’re bound to go crazy sooner or later. I’m outta here.”

She turned back to Elsa, warning her,

“Go back and find your guardian. No miracles without protection fees in this place!”

“I am her guardian.”

Luo Ling spoke up, reaching out to help Elsa, but her hand passed right through.

She was still trapped in the memory cage.

The old lady froze, turned back again, and circled Luo Ling, scrutinizing her.

“Huh, you can actually hear me?”

“…I’m not that old yet.”

“It’s not about being old. Tsk, tsk, interesting. I thought all Naraku’s Godchosen were lunatics, obsessed with the ‘truth of the world’ and all that, unable to listen to anyone.”

The old lady marveled, looking at Luo Ling like she was some strange creature.

“And a Naraku Godchosen hanging out with… Wait a minute, kid, whose Godchosen are you, to be so unfortunate as to be mixed up with a Naraku Godchosen?”

The old lady’s words were filled with prejudice against “Naraku’s Godchosen,” even Luo Ling couldn’t help but want to retort.

What did Naraku’s Godchosen ever do to you?

However, Luo Ling didn’t have a good impression of Naraku either. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t use this “big sister” form.

She felt like using it too much would change her…

“Um, the White Witch…”

“The one who replaced the Puppet Ballad? Holy moly, you’re following a top-tier killing god. Tsk, tsk, no wonder you’re hanging out with a Naraku Godchosen. Birds of a feather flock together.”

“…”

Luo Ling grew even more silent.

So, Grotesquery Apostles referred to Apostles as Godchosen…

“Whose Godchosen are you?” Luo Ling asked, holding back her irritation.

“I’m not a Godchosen, I’m God’s Favored.” The old lady said proudly. “You know what a God’s Favored is, right? The number one under God!”

In other words… an Agent.

However, Luo Ling’s perception of Grotesquery Apostles crumbled a little at this moment.

Were all Apostles as eccentric as this old lady?

No, that couldn’t be right…

In the Company’s files, Apostles were described as heinous criminals.

The Harbingers of Calamity hadn’t committed that many city-destroying incidents, only five or six at most.

But whenever Grotesquery Apostles appeared, at least a thousand people would die.

“Wait a minute, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two before. Did you register before entering? Or did you come to the wrong place?”

The old lady crossed her arms, looking at Luo Ling and Elsa like they were illegal immigrants.

“This is the seventy-fourth Kingdom, with three Gods. Who are you with?”

“…Seventy-fourth?”

Luo Ling’s calm facade finally cracked.

So, there were seventy-three other similar places?

“Oh wait, why are you still trapped in the memory realm? Wait, don’t tell me… you’ve never been to a Kingdom before?” The old lady exclaimed. “My god, a Naraku Godchosen who’s never been to a Kingdom? You’re a stray!”

“…”

This old lady was really asking for a beating…

Perhaps even the old lady herself realized she had gone too far. She coughed and explained,

“Normally, you can’t access Naraku’s miracles outside the Kingdoms. Only the eighth Kingdom, established by His God’s Favored, retains a trace of His power. But Naraku’s Godchosen aren’t very popular. They tend to go crazy on the spot…”

Luo Ling thought of Scientist’s state before her death and suddenly understood, nodding thoughtfully.

“You’re… different from the Godchosen I’ve met.” Luo Ling said tentatively.

Of course, she hadn’t met any other Apostles. Elsa was an exception.

Luo Ling wanted to know if all Grotesquery Apostles were as… abstract as this old lady.

“Oh, a lot of people have said that. But everyone has their own personality. It’s perfectly normal.” The old lady scratched the back of her head. “I don’t like hanging out with weirdos either. If you couldn’t understand human speech, like the other Naraku Godchosen, I’d run the other way. Who wants to be associated with lunatics?”

“I see.”

Luo Ling nodded.

So, even among Grotesquery Apostles, not all of them were as insane and bloodthirsty as the Company files described.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Elsa hadn’t changed much after becoming her Apostle.

Her personality remained the same, soft and gentle, not becoming cold and indifferent like Luo Ling.

In fact, Luo Ling had noticed at the Company that Grotesquery Apostles, when not using their Grotesquery-related powers, were indistinguishable from ordinary Awakened Ones.

In other words, if a Grotesquery Apostle didn’t act out, it would be difficult to identify them.

The Company’s files were more like survivorship bias.

However…

Even so, Luo Ling still didn’t want to be associated with this old lady.

“In that case, can you tell us how to leave?” Luo Ling said. “I want to return to the present.”

She was interested in this so-called Kingdom, but her team was still here. She couldn’t involve them in this.

The old lady seemed friendly because she perceived Luo Ling and Elsa as fellow “Godchosen.”

If she knew that ordinary Awakened Ones had also stumbled in…

“That’s easy.”

The old lady snapped her fingers, and the surrounding scenery dimmed.

The ninety-years-in-the-future scene gradually faded. Luo Ling vaguely saw the abstract old lady transform into a young woman, though her features remained hazy.

“Whoa… so it was the entrance I accidentally left open when I was investigating the White Witch last time. Scared me for a second, I thought it was some new sneaking technique that bypassed my senses.”

“Tsk, you even brought guests. And you sealed their senses beforehand, no wonder I didn’t notice… Using this method to escape the memory cage, unexpected. As expected of a Naraku Godchosen with a functioning brain.”

“But why are you just a grey figure the whole time… so strange…”

The young woman retraced the events within the “Kingdom,” muttering to herself as she sent Luo Ling and the others out.

After a moment of disorientation, Luo Ling found herself standing in a dilapidated warehouse, next to a dazed Elsa and the sense-blocked Cen Xiangyun and the others.

They were back at their initial destination, the entrance to the “Kingdom.” A hidden memory resurfaced.

They had actually arrived at the commission location from the start, but under the influence of the memory cage, they had seamlessly retraced their steps.

Just then, Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing released their sense block, looking around in confusion.

“Huh? How did I fall asleep?”

“Was it because Miss Cen woke me up last night?”

Even Eve slowly regained consciousness, rubbing her neck and saying with a puzzled expression,

“Did I fall asleep too? Why do I feel like I’ve been beaten up…”

Luo Ling remained silent, observing for a while before realizing that they no longer had any memories of the “Kingdom.”

“Did she erase that part of our memories?”

Luo Ling’s mind conjured the image of the hazy young woman, her expression unreadable.

“Miss Eve, how many times has Victoria collapsed?” Luo Ling asked, turning to Eve.

“Seventy-four times… Whoa, why are you asking me that? Hey? Whoa, why am I okay? Wait, whoa, why am I missing a Sacred Medicine capsule…”

Eve frantically rummaged through her backpack. Lu Manqing also discovered that her camera’s film was inexplicably used up, and she couldn’t find the photos.

Cen Xiangyun sat beside them, filled with regret and frustration, reflecting on how she could have fallen asleep during a mission. Elsa squatted by a puddle, giggling at her restored face.

Luo Ling, however, fell into deep thought.

Seventy-four collapses, seventy-four Kingdoms.

These… didn’t seem entirely unrelated.

Were Grotesquery Apostles truly the prejudiced and insane individuals depicted in the Company files and the Harbingers’ memories?

Luo Ling didn’t doubt the existence of the Kingdoms, or whether what had just happened was merely a dream.

Eve’s missing Sacred Medicine and Lu Manqing’s vanished photos weren’t the evidence. The real proof was…

Within that fragment of the ninety-years-in-the-future Boundary, there remained an almost imperceptible web.

The omniscient “Weave” domain, unbeknownst to anyone, had taken root within the Kingdom.

Chapter Ten: Cage of Memories

Grotesqueries and Grotesquery Apostles.

Luo Ling certainly wouldn’t categorize herself and Elsa within this group. She felt more human than Grotesquery. A key distinction was that Grotesqueries were limited by their abilities and Paths, even if they developed their own will. Her sister was the perfect example.

Luo Ling had no such shackles. She was more like a human who had acquired Grotesquery abilities, at least for now.

In fact, whether Grotesqueries themselves could be classified in this group was questionable. After all, the essence of a Grotesquery was a conceptualized disaster, not a monster in the conventional sense. Luo Ling understood this better than anyone.

However, the heinous acts of Grotesquery Apostles were undeniable. In the Company’s archives, the calamities caused by the Harbingers of Calamity didn’t even amount to a tenth of the Apostles’, the true enemies of humanity.

Luo Ling chose not to voice her speculation, not out of any intention to deceive, but because it was just a theory. It was more important to resolve this memory predicament first.

“Memory, huh…”

Eve pondered, considering the likelihood of this theory.

While searching for the boundary, she had certainly walked along routes she’d never taken before, yet they were all passable, unobstructed by any force.

From this perspective, the theory seemed… unlikely?

But what if it was pieced together from memory fragments of other places? This was impossible to verify.

Without having walked those paths before, how could they know if there were discrepancies with reality? There was no way to compare.

Most importantly…

“If this is true, Miss Luo Ling, how do you propose we escape this predicament?” Eve said gravely. “I don’t have much time left. Once the medicine wears off, I have to fall asleep. And I only have one Sacred Medicine capsule left, best saved for when I’m truly needed, otherwise it’s a waste.”

As the team leader, Eve was the least adaptable to this environment. The consequences of cognitive dissonance were severe, leaving no room for error. In this current situation, where they were stumbling around blindly, Eve was useless even while awake. Therefore, she couldn’t afford to use her last capsule.

Luo Ling continued observing her surroundings, comparing the differences between the reflected world and the real world through reflective surfaces.

She didn’t immediately answer Eve’s question. After a moment of silence, she said,

“I still need to verify a few things.”

Even now, Luo Ling couldn’t be entirely certain that this was a world within their memories.

If it wasn’t, her escape plan would be meaningless…

“What should we do?”

Eve didn’t try to dictate or question Luo Ling’s specifics, simply nodding in agreement.

As a veteran who had experienced a Boundary collapse, although she couldn’t barbeque, she knew that in such situations, trusting her teammates’ judgment was crucial. A decisive choice, even if it led to death, was better than lingering uncertainty.

The people of Wellington either charged head-on or ran without hesitation.

“You should lose consciousness first,” Luo Ling calmly rolled up her sleeves. “It’s more troublesome if you’re awake.”

“Alright.” Eve nodded slightly. “I’ll do it myself.”

With that, Eve punched herself in the forehead and collapsed.

Their exchange was brief, ending with Eve’s sudden fall. Cen Xiangyun stared, dumbfounded.

“…Tsk.”

Miss Luo Ling, you just clicked your tongue, didn’t you! You looked disappointed! You regret not doing it yourself!

“Petty…”

Cen Xiangyun blurted out involuntarily.

“Hmm?”

Luo Ling turned to her.

“Nothing, nothing…”

Cen Xiangyun waved her hands dismissively, then hoisted the unconscious Eve onto her back. Although Eve had tempted Lu Manqing with the photography manual, as the only honest person on the team (self-proclaimed), Cen Xiangyun naturally assumed the role of the pack mule.

“I’m not doing this out of spite. It really is more troublesome if Miss Eve is awake.” Luo Ling said calmly. “She’s a local, with strong memories of Victoria. If she’s awake, her memories will overlay the surroundings, making it difficult for me to determine whether this is memory or something else.”

Luo Ling was certain that this Grotesquery couldn’t read true memories, at most only thoughts, or what could be called immediate memories.

If it could read true memories, the surrounding scene wouldn’t have such obvious discrepancies.

Luo Ling had been observing the reflected Victoria. Even ninety years later, the differences from their current location were too significant. It could only be influenced by Eve’s immediate memories.

This theory also needed verification.

“Follow me, but don’t think about anything. Empty your minds.” Luo Ling instructed Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing.

They nodded, their expressions turning serious.

After making the arrangements, Luo Ling exhaled and looked into the distance.

“It’s time to test this…”

If Eve were awake, her familiarity with Victoria would make it impossible for her to truly empty her mind. It was an instinctive reaction.

Therefore, Luo Ling chose to knock her unconscious with half an hour of the medicine’s effect remaining, absolutely not out of revenge, but because it was necessary.

No choice, absolutely no choice…

Silence descended upon the team again. Luo Ling walked ahead, carrying Elsa on her back, the other two following close behind.

Luo Ling chose to walk through narrow alleyways. Gradually, the two behind her noticed something amiss.

“Why are there small ads in Chinese here? What the heck is ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine Massage’…”

“Hey, isn’t that a flyer from our hospital? Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital, welcoming all mentally ill individuals… who came up with that slogan?”

“Sorry, I only glanced at it. I didn’t memorize the details.” Luo Ling said softly.

She stopped at the entrance of an alley.

In front of her was an ordinary, small, dilapidated house, but it was the place she had lived for over ten years.

“Useless, can’t even conjure a person.” Luo Ling murmured, “I even brought out her memories…”

“Miss Luo Ling, what’s wrong?”

Cen Xiangyun, who was picking at the small ads, noticed something slightly off about Luo Ling’s muttering, a hint of sadness in her tone.

“I’m fine.”

Luo Ling’s voice returned to its usual flatness, as if the previous moment was just an illusion.

“So… are you done verifying?”

Lu Manqing, holding the flyer, looked up and asked.

“Yes.”

Luo Ling nodded, turned around, and walked towards the two.

Just as they were wondering what Luo Ling was planning, they saw the black-haired girl calmly pull out two daggers from her bosom and plunge them into their chests.

At such close range, there was no way to dodge.

Caught completely off guard, Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing felt their hearts pierced, staring at Luo Ling in shock and disbelief.

The sharp pain in their chests confirmed that this wasn’t an illusion. Miss Luo Ling… really intended to kill them.

“Wh…”

Before they could utter a word, Luo Ling released her grip.

They stumbled back a few steps and collapsed to the ground.

The breath of death approached, even their life flashed before their eyes. The last thing they saw was the black-haired girl’s indifferent expression and the silver strands framing her face.

The next moment, their figures faded, like old photographs losing their color, eventually turning to dust.

Looking at the empty ground, Luo Ling called out,

“Can you hear me?”

“Damn it! Miss Luo Ling, you’re trying to scare us to death!”

Cen Xiangyun’s voice echoed out of thin air, filled with resentment.

“So this is what it feels like to die? Heh, it’s quite a novel experience.”

Lu Manqing, on the other hand, seemed unfazed and rather intrigued.

“Sorry, if I had warned you, it wouldn’t have fooled it.” Luo Ling apologized without a hint of remorse in her voice.

“…You’re not getting revenge, are you?”

“No.”

Luo Ling nodded.

It seemed her theory was correct.

This was indeed a labyrinth constructed from memories. They had been wandering within their own constructed memories all along.

It was undeniably a difficult puzzle to solve.

Judging by its design, this barrier was meant to counter large groups of Awakened Ones, their immediate memories interwoven to form a cage. The more memories, the more complete the cage became.

Even if they perceived the reflected world, escape was impossible. Just like Eve, they would be trapped and perish in this desolate place.

Fortunately, Luo Ling and the others were unfamiliar with Victoria. Their memories were useless. Eve’s memories alone couldn’t complete the cage, hence the obvious flaws.

However, even with these flaws, escaping was still incredibly difficult.

But, what about death?

What if…

The entity reading their immediate memories detected their demise?

What would happen then?

Luo Ling decided to find out.

Of course, she didn’t actually kill Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing. She merely used the Puppet Ballad’s ability to deceive their senses.

The daggers were just a feint. The pain and the sensation of dying were all fabricated by Luo Ling.

Their immediate memories registered death, and as their consciousness faded, the cage released its hold.

Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing successfully entered another layer of the world. Eve, also affected by Luo Ling’s deception, went with them.

“Good thing Elsa is here…”

Luo Ling glanced at Elsa on her back. In her current state, she couldn’t use the Puppet Ballad’s abilities, but Elsa could.

Elsa was Luo Ling’s Apostle, not just the White Witch’s, so Luo Ling could utilize Elsa’s power to a certain extent.

The spores on Luo Ling’s temples were Elsa’s. However, her mastery wasn’t deep enough, limiting what Luo Ling could do. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have needed such a roundabout method. She could have simply exerted a brief control.

Luo Ling’s ability to communicate with Cen Xiangyun and the others in the other layer was also due to this ability.

Just then, Elsa finally woke up. As she rubbed her eyes and looked at Luo Ling, she saw a cold dagger coming towards her.

“Huh?”

“…”

Several old ladies watched a small, elderly woman squatting on the ground, sobbing, while a grey figure beside her tried to comfort her.

“Isn’t Miss Luo Ling a bit too cruel?”

Cen Xiangyun touched her nose, then realized her current appearance was rather unsightly, sighing again.

Eighty years ahead of schedule to experience old age. Her youthful beauty seemed to be a thing of the past… though it would be nice if it returned.

Fortunately, her abilities and physique remained unchanged. Otherwise, with such a frail body, even moving would be difficult.

“I think they have quite a good relationship. When have you ever seen Miss Luo Ling speak so much?”

Lu Manqing seemed quite content with her current appearance, even adopting the dignified posture of a wealthy old lady, pulling it off surprisingly well.

Eve remained unconscious, leaning against Cen Xiangyun’s back.

“Briefly describe what you see.” The grey figure looked up and spoke.

Luo Ling, in the other layer, couldn’t see anything, at most glimpsing vague images through reflective surfaces.

“There are other ‘people’ here, but they’re definitely Grotesquery projections. We should still be within the Incubation Barrier.” Cen Xiangyun looked up at the scattered pedestrians.

These pedestrians looked lifelike, even glancing curiously at the peculiar group of old ladies huddled at the entrance of the red-light district, but they lacked the aura of living beings.

This was confirmed by Lu Manqing. As an Awakened One on the Myriad Path, she was highly sensitive to life force.

“Multiple barriers. It seems we’re not escaping the barrier, but going deeper.” Luo Ling pondered, then asked, “Can you see me clearly?”

“No, still just a grey figure.” Cen Xiangyun replied. “It’s not because you haven’t entered this layer, because Elsa had a physical form just now.”

“Elsa’s old, so old…”

Elsa was still squatting on the ground, drawing circles. She had just woken up to be stabbed by the person closest to her, and upon opening her eyes again, she saw an aged version of herself. This was understandably difficult for a ten-year-old girl to accept.

“It seems this place doesn’t welcome me…” Luo Ling mused, stroking her chin.

This couldn’t go on forever. Was there a way to see the other layer?

This type of rule-based phenomenon was difficult to break even with immense power, unless the entire barrier was torn down. But this barrier was clearly well-prepared. The memory-constructed cage effectively concealed its core.

Everything Luo Ling saw now resembled Jiangcheng County, with no trace of Victoria.

The Puppet Ballad’s abilities were also useless here. When she peeked through the spores planted on Cen Xiangyun, she still saw what she herself saw.

Because essentially, the two layers existed within the same space. Cen Xiangyun and the others were still standing nearby, separated only by some rule.

However, besides the Puppet Ballad…

“I don’t really want to use this.”

Recalling the conversation in her consciousness space, Luo Ling felt a bit awkward.

Moreover, “big sister” and all that…

She wasn’t even that old yet.

“Forget it, let’s try.”

Luo Ling sighed.

The next moment, long, wavy, violet hair cascaded down, revealing a tall, graceful figure. Alluring phoenix eyes held a myriad of expressions.

Luo Ling looked at herself through the spores’ vision, feeling an unfamiliar strangeness.

“Huh? Miss Luo Ling, you’ve grown taller?”

Cen Xiangyun stared in surprise at the grey figure that had suddenly become much taller, even slightly taller than her.

“Just an ability, don’t mind it.”

Luo Ling’s voice was slightly distorted, a deliberate act to avoid being recognized.

“Hey, this is kind of my thing.”

Lu Manqing put her hands behind her back, now resembling an old woman selling melons at the village entrance.

“…”

Luo Ling remained silent. She stretched out her hand, invisible webs spreading out, instantly unfolding her domain.

[Innate Ability: “Weave” – Unfold the web domain, acquire all predictable information within the domain]

[Points woven into lines, lines woven into a net, within the web… “Naraku” knows all, sees all.]

A new perspective unfolded before Luo Ling’s eyes, layer upon layer. She “saw” a part of the truth.

“This is…”

A collapsed Boundary.

Luo Ling’s breath hitched.

Before this, Luo Ling had considered their current state.

Perhaps they were endlessly wandering within a certain location in Victoria, or perhaps they had entered a special space, or perhaps they were simply unconscious, experiencing this Incubation Barrier through their minds.

But she never imagined that they had stepped into a collapsed Boundary.

Or rather, a fragment of Victoria before its last collapse.

This wasn’t simply ninety years in the future.

No wonder Eve experienced cognitive dissonance after realizing this from the photo.

“What kind of being requires a collapsed Boundary for incubation…”

This nearly impenetrable memory cage was merely a safeguard for this Incubation Barrier.

Luo Ling realized that this matter was far more complicated than they had initially assumed. They had unknowingly stumbled into a place they shouldn’t have.

Why did this happen?

Was it because of her?

No, Luo Ling was certain. Although she was often unlucky, her bad luck could be related to her, but straying into this place was definitely not her fault.

Luo Ling suddenly had a thought.

“If this is a place constructed by Apostles, or a place of Apostle influence, then surely only Apostles can enter…”

“Among us, there seems to be only one Grotesquery Apostle.”

Luo Ling lowered her gaze. Within her domain’s vision, there was a small, crying old lady.

“Elsa…”

Chapter Nine: Shadows

“This one?”

Cen Xiangyun pulled out the photograph, only to see Eve’s face drain of color. The situation seemed to be escalating.

Luo Ling and the others still couldn’t see anything particularly different about this photo compared to the previous ones, but it was clearly causing Eve excruciating pain.

“This one… is at least… ninety years in the future…”

Eve slowly raised her head, forcing out the truth with every ounce of strength. Immediately, even more intense pain washed over her.

“Quick, knock me unconscious…”

Eve could no longer bear it, pleading with Luo Ling and the others.

Finally, Luo Ling understood. Eve hadn’t encountered an Authority before, nor was she from another Boundary. Therefore, when she touched upon this piece of the truth, she suffered from the correction of a cognitive error. She was now lacking that correction, having glimpsed knowledge she shouldn’t have. This “headache” was actually another protective mechanism, preventing her from falling into endless madness.

“But…”

Before Cen Xiangyun could process this, she saw Luo Ling rolling up her sleeves and stepping forward.

“Huh?”

Miss Luo Ling, you don’t need to take revenge now, do you? They were still inside an unknown Incubation Barrier…

“I’ll make it as quick as possible.”

Luo Ling cracked her knuckles.

“Thank you…”

Eve closed her eyes, struggling against the encroaching madness.

“Miss Luo Ling!”

Cen Xiangyun panicked, worried that the Incubation Barrier was influencing Luo Ling.

“It’s fine, she’ll thank me later.”

Luo Ling reassured Cen Xiangyun while casually delivering a punch to Eve’s temple.

Like a kite with its string cut, Eve flew several meters back, landing with a thud.

“Tsk, she’s pretty tough.”

Luo Ling rubbed her fingers. Her punch could pierce steel, but for Eve, it only resulted in unconsciousness, a temporary reprieve from the torment.

“Miss Lu, please heal Miss Eve.”

Seeing Cen Xiangyun’s burning curiosity, Luo Ling calmly turned to the team’s healer.

“Oh.”

Lu Manqing also rolled up her sleeves, aimed at Eve’s head, and delivered several punches. Cen Xiangyun nearly had a heart attack.

However, before she could intervene, she heard Lu Manqing shout,

“Hiya! My Pretty Pretty Punch!”

Cen Xiangyun: “…”

She felt like her teammates were on a completely different wavelength.

However, this was indeed how Lu Manqing used her ability. Soon, Eve stirred.

Meanwhile, Luo Ling picked up the photo that had caused Eve so much pain, pondering for a moment.

“I see…”

The others were all from different Boundaries and unfamiliar with the details of Victoria’s timeline, so they couldn’t see the discrepancies. But Eve, a local, immediately noticed something amiss, triggering the cognitive error.

Eve slowly regained consciousness. The first thing she did was swallow a capsule from her pocket, then sighed in relief.

“Phew, almost had to meet the Big Guy…”

“Who’s the Big Guy?” Lu Manqing asked curiously.

“Similar to your Heavenly Lord or something.”

“Oh, I get it, like Lord Li Jing and the Daoist Patriarch.”

“Something like that.”

Cen Xiangyun had fallen silent. She couldn’t fathom how these two people, clearly talking about different things, were even having a conversation…

Seeing Eve awake, Luo Ling was about to put away the photo when Eve gestured for her to hand it over.

“It’s fine, I’ve taken my medicine. I can stay sane for at least two hours. Just knock me out again when the time comes.” Eve said, then added with a sigh, “Damn, Miss Luo Ling, you hit hard. It’s been ages since I met someone who could knock me out with one punch…”

“Just tell me if it’s okay or not.”

“It’s very okay. If you were any slower, none of you would have survived this newbie mission, because you’d have to face a completely insane me.” Eve casually mentioned a terrifying prospect.

On paper, Luo Ling and the others combined were no match for Eve. But in reality, it was hard to say.

“Hey…”

Cen Xiangyun couldn’t listen anymore.

“Back to the topic, Miss Eve, tell us what you know.”

Seeing Cen Xiangyun’s exasperation, Luo Ling steered the conversation back on track.

“Actually, there’s not much. I just know that this Incubation Barrier is supposed to be located ninety years in the future, or rather, it’s simulating an environment from ninety years in the future.”

Eve compared the photo in her hand with the later ones.

“From here on, almost everything is something that would only appear ninety years later…”

“But obviously, the photos and what we see with our eyes don’t match.”

Luo Ling looked around. Everything she saw belonged to their current era. She wasn’t sure whether they were shielded from the Incubation Barrier’s influence or completely under its spell. Given her own situation, Luo Ling leaned towards the former possibility.

The Incubation Barrier was essentially meant to protect the “egg” during its incubation. In this case, making stronger Awakened Ones ignore its existence was also a form of protection.

In the Baiyan Village incident, Performer had to resort to certain methods to find the village, even knowing it existed beforehand. Otherwise, she likely would have overlooked it entirely, never discovering the Incubation Barrier.

Now, it was the same situation.

“You’re all from other ‘Boundaries,’ right?” Eve suddenly asked.

“Yes.”

Luo Ling and the others had nothing to hide and nodded.

“No wonder you weren’t even surprised when I told you all this.”

Eve shrugged, sounding slightly disappointed. She had wanted to show off her shocking worldview to the newbies.

“…Aren’t you afraid we’ll react like you did earlier?”

Cen Xiangyun twitched her lips. Unreliable, so unreliable. Why were her teammates so unreliable?

“Not afraid. Because you’re all newbies. Do you think normal people would go crazy just hearing about an environment from ninety years in the future?” Eve glanced at Cen Xiangyun as if asking if she was stupid. “There’s a reason why I reacted this way.”

Her tone then turned serious.

“I… experienced a ‘Boundary’ collapse. I experienced it firsthand and comprehended it.”

A Boundary collapse.

This term was familiar to anyone who had come into contact with the concept of Boundaries. It was a disaster second only to annihilation within a Boundary.

Needless to say, such an event would be an unimaginable catastrophe.

Even worse, Eve had comprehended it.

It was undoubtedly a misfortune for Eve, who was considerably weaker back then. Even with her current strength, experiencing the same event again would likely not end well.

“The ‘Company’ sealed that part of my memory, waiting until I was strong enough to unlock it. Unfortunately, I ran into this today.” Eve’s usually expressionless face showed a rare hint of annoyance. “This medicine that suppresses cognitive dissonance is expensive. One dose costs me half a month’s salary…”

“That expensive?” Knowing the general salary range, Cen Xiangyun was shocked. “And it only lasts two hours?”

“Yeah, because the raw material is Sacred Relic from High-Risk Grotesqueries.” Eve nodded.

Besides Awakened One advancement, Sacred Relics could be used to create Sacred Medicines with corresponding effects based on their abilities, but this required a high level of skill from the pharmacist.

“There’s more bad news. Even if the Incubation Barrier isn’t affecting our cognition, the influence is still there.” Luo Ling said gravely.

She pointed to a small puddle left by the recent rain.

Everyone curiously peered into it, then gasped.

Reflected in the puddle were several elderly women.

“Could it be that our current appearance is fake?” Cen Xiangyun panicked. “Has the Incubation Barrier turned us into old ladies?”

“Not me.”

Luo Ling stared at the grey figures in the puddle, falling silent.

She seemed to have seen them somewhere before…

Or perhaps, was this her true nature?

“That’s not the case. I can confirm that.” Lu Manqing shook her head. “As a doctor, I’m very familiar with my own condition. There’s no sign of aging.”

“Perhaps it’s the Incubation Barrier itself distorting our perception.”

Eve stared at the puddle, her gaze not on the old ladies but on the surrounding environment reflected in the water.

She could even see figures passing by…

These figures hurried along, but some paused, seemingly curious about the old ladies staring at the puddle.

Eve straightened up. Their surroundings were empty, only a few tumbleweeds blown across the road.

Were the people reflected in the puddle trapped within the Incubation Barrier, simulated by it, or… not even human?

“Everyone, I’m afraid this isn’t a commission a newbie team can handle.” Eve said gravely. “Since we know where the edge of the Incubation Barrier is, let’s leave as soon as possible. I’ll request a formal team from the office to deal with this strange Incubation Barrier.”

The Wellington office’s operating principle was fight or flight.

Now was the time to flee.

Luo Ling felt a sense of déjà vu hearing this, but Eve was right. Even if Luo Ling wanted to investigate the Incubation Barrier, the others couldn’t handle it. Besides, it was best to keep her trump card hidden. Revealing her identity would lead to unnecessary complications.

However…

“Still not done?”

Luo Ling glanced at Elsa, who was slumped on her back, half-asleep since earlier.

Something similar had happened in Baiyan Village, but Elsa had recovered after her consciousness processed the Grotesquery’s cognition.

Now, however, she hadn’t fully awakened. Luo Ling felt a vague unease.

What kind of being was being incubated in this Incubation Barrier?

At the very least, it should be stronger than the White Reishi Mushroom…

Having decided to retreat, they didn’t waste any time.

Cen Xiangyun also checked on Elsa and was relieved to hear she was alright.

Although Eve was nominally the leader, Cen Xiangyun acted more like the captain. She was just not as powerful, but… relatively speaking, much more reliable.

Of course, her lack of power was only relative to the freaks on this team. Among Company employees of the same level, Cen Xiangyun was considered one of the best.

They walked back along the road in the photos, comparing them to their surroundings. Only then could they see the discrepancies, which were difficult for those unfamiliar with Victoria, like Luo Ling, to discern.

However…

When they reached the supposed boundary in the photo, they found that nothing had changed.

Elsa, the Incubation Barrier detector, was still unconscious, and Luo Ling still felt the disorienting sense of being in an illusion.

More importantly…

This area should be bustling, but it was eerily deserted.

Looking up, time was still frozen at dawn, the first light of day on the horizon like a painting hung high in the sky.

“Haven’t we reached the boundary yet?” Cen Xiangyun frowned, comparing their location to the photo. They should have arrived.

“Let’s go back a bit further.”

Eve’s face darkened.

So, they headed back towards their starting point, Wellington Manor.

Even upon entering the manor grounds, there were still no signs of life, and a dreadful atmosphere enveloped them.

…They still hadn’t left the Incubation Barrier.

Eve remained silent for a moment, then continued walking, her pace quickening.

Luo Ling and the others followed.

However, even after an hour, nothing changed.

Eve paused, took the camera hanging around Lu Manqing’s neck, and snapped a photo.

Moments later, the Polaroid slowly ejected the picture.

Even in black and white, they could clearly see the afternoon sun shining down, the streets teeming with elegantly dressed nobles.

In front of Luo Ling and the others was just an ordinary house, but the photo showed a lavishly decorated café, where couples could be seen sitting together.

“Bad news, everyone.” Eve’s voice trembled with the fear of being trapped. “I’m afraid this isn’t an ordinary Incubation Barrier…

“In the worst-case scenario, its owner… might be a High-Risk Grotesquery.”

Luo Ling: “…”

See? Newbie missions always had problems!

However, Luo Ling was still puzzled. Why did she always encounter these situations?

…It couldn’t be her fault, could it?

“I don’t even know any other High-Risk Grotesqueries…”

Luo Ling muttered, but the others weren’t paying attention to her. They were staring at Eve in shock.

“How can you be so brazen about taking my camera?”

“A High-Risk Grotesquery? The White Witch?”

Right, still not on the same page.

“I’m not sure.” Eve looked bewildered. “But I might not have enough Sacred Medicine. Who’s going to carry me later?”

“Is now the time to worry about that?!”

“Sorry, Miss Cen.” Eve nodded apologetically, then turned to Lu Manqing. “Miss Lu, I’ll give you a brand new photography manual and a set of film after we get back. Will you help me out?”

“Really? Okay, okay.”

“Seriously, you guys…”

A heavy sense of helplessness washed over Cen Xiangyun. She felt utterly exhausted.

Fortunately, Luo Ling salvaged the situation. She looked at the photo and said softly,

“Perhaps our situation isn’t so dire…”

“Don’t jinx it, sis. That kind of talk usually leads to worse things happening.” Cen Xiangyun said with a weary sigh.

What was wrong? Where did things go wrong? Why was she on this team?

“Miss Eve, you think this is a High-Risk Grotesquery’s Incubation Barrier because it covers the entire Victoria, right?” Luo Ling asked.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” Eve nodded. “Even if it’s not the entire area, even just a tenth would be the scale of a High-Risk Grotesquery.

“However… that’s the worst-case scenario. It’s probably a dangerous Grotesquery, or the avatar of a High-Risk Grotesquery.”

Victoria wasn’t a city but a region, encompassing eighteen districts, vast wilderness, and towns, not to mention other locations within the current Boundary.

In other words, a tenth of Victoria was already larger than Jiangcheng County.

From just now until now, Luo Ling and the others had traversed most of the district and still hadn’t found the boundary.

“Maybe we’re thinking about this the wrong way.” Luo Ling said. “My theory might be wrong, but hear me out.

“The place we’re in isn’t actually an Incubation Barrier, nor is it Victoria. It’s just… in our memories?”

The frozen dawn, the unchanging skyline, the deserted streets.

As a wielder of an Authority that could manipulate memories, Luo Ling was sensitive to these things imprinted in her mind.

Layers of memories were the most deceptive. Even if they searched the entire Victoria, they might still be trapped in this cage of memories.

But…

“If that’s the case, this Grotesquery shouldn’t be very strong. Otherwise… it wouldn’t just be trapping us.” Luo Ling said.

She had another guess.

This might not be a Grotesquery’s Incubation Barrier at all, because she could clearly sense the difference between their current location and the reflected world. They couldn’t possibly originate from the same Grotesquery.

“…This is the Apostle’s domain, isn’t it…” Luo Ling murmured to herself.

As the most significant and chaotic force on the Grotesque side, the Apostles were humanity’s common enemy, including the Harbingers of Calamity.

Because the so-called Apostles were, in fact… traitors to humanity.

Chapter 8: The Beginning of the Game

Due to the Company’s thorough preliminary investigation, the so-called “White Witch” incidents had been downgraded to newbie level, assigned to the team from Jiangcheng County. Firstly, the Company didn’t have the resources to spare on such minor incidents, the victims mostly ordinary people, and the numbers small, less than a hundred. Secondly, they hoped that Luo Ling and her team, having experienced the Jiangcheng County disaster, might uncover something new.

This was typical of the Company: cold, impersonal efficiency, focused on cost-benefit analysis.

Luo Ling had met several Company personnel: Li Shaoheng, Cen Xiangyun… and now Eve, all veteran employees. They had distinct personalities, but within the vast machine of the Company, individual preferences were irrelevant. Even Lu Fangling, a P8, was just a cog in this machine.

Compared to the main force mobilizing to hunt down the “White Witch’s agent,” Luo Ling’s team was inconspicuous.

Eve saw no need for special preparations, pulling Cen Xiangyun, who had wanted to hold a pre-mission meeting, along as she led the team straight to the site of the most recent incident.

Luo Ling suddenly remembered something and asked Cen Xiangyun,

“Miss Cen, were you previously with the Hillman branch?”

“How did you know?” Cen Xiangyun was surprised. As an intern, she hadn’t even reached the Company’s core headquarters yet.

“…I heard,” Luo Ling recalled Eve’s words from their first meeting and couldn’t help but twitch her lips. “The meeting rooms here are used to discuss dinner plans, not mission briefings…”

“Huh?” Cen Xiangyun’s eyes widened.

“Of course, only those cowards at Hillman like to waste time with preparations. We at Wellington just charge in!” Eve interjected, glancing at Cen Xiangyun. “If we can win, we fight. If we can’t, we run. All those fancy plans boil down to just those two sentences.

“Besides, I hate meetings. All those higher-ups talk about is ‘the key is to find the key’ or some other nonsense, or jargon like ‘synergistic reaction’ and ‘marginal effect’ that I don’t even understand.”

“And also…”

Eve, once started, couldn’t seem to stop talking, but her expression remained impassive.

Cen Xiangyun, her forehead beaded with sweat, tugged on Luo Ling’s clothes and whispered,

“Does she always talk this much?”

“…Don’t ask me.”

Luo Ling turned away, tuning out Eve’s rambling, and moved further away with Elsa, leaving Cen Xiangyun as a captive audience.

Lu Manqing, however, was fascinated by the surroundings, taking photos with a small, strangely shaped camera.

It was a camera made with current Boundary technology, its functions similar to modern ones, just with an unusual design.

When not speaking, Lu Manqing was quite beautiful, with a quiet, gentle demeanor, but her words were often… surprising.

As they walked along the dirt road towards the outskirts, they saw figures hurrying through the crowds, Company employees.

“It seems… agents are more important than I thought…”

Luo Ling was slightly surprised. This was different from their attitude towards apostles.

But it made sense. Agents received “blessings” directly from Grotesqueries, granting them access to Authorities, making them incredibly powerful.

Compared to that, Luo Ling’s team, investigating apostle incidents, seemed insignificant.

Of course, Eve wasn’t completely unprepared for this mission; she just didn’t want to waste time with meetings.

Along the way, the newly formed team shared information about their abilities.

Eve, Iron Fist, Judgment path, possessed powerful destructive abilities.

Cen Xiangyun, Ice, Elemental path, focused on control and defense, her offensive abilities average.

Elsa, Scarlet Witch, Oneiric (Nightmare) path, specialized in soul-based attacks, even capable of threatening High-Order Awakened Ones, but helpless against beings without souls.

Lu Manqing, unexpectedly, was on the Myriad path, codenamed Healer, her main ability, as her name suggested, healing.

When Lu Manqing revealed her path and ability, she noticed Eve’s gaze sharpen slightly.

As for Luo Ling…

“Just consider me a Judgment path Awakened One. I’m very strong, and that’s… basically all I can do for now,” Luo Ling said, touching her nose.

Even without her demonic transformation, her strength was comparable to an ordinary Judgment path Awakened One.

Of course, her demonic transformation… was best avoided, even though Luo Ling knew that the Company’s interest, the so-called Seventh Path, was likely related to it.

But the price of this trump card… she didn’t even know what it consumed, besides her lifespan.

Every time she used it, grotesque features would linger for a while, and a strange feeling would settle in her mind.

Eve didn’t mind Luo Ling’s evasiveness; she was also hiding some things. As long as it didn’t jeopardize the mission or endanger her teammates, it was fine.

“We’re here.”

Eve stopped, comparing the file in her hand to the surroundings.

“This is…”

Luo Ling looked up. They were on the outskirts of Wellington, near the edge of the Realm of Nothingness.

And the so-called incubation barrier ruins were here, a cluster of old warehouses.

“A ‘factory,’ or rather, a small workshop,” Eve explained. “The incident occurred five nights ago, the first of the ‘White Witch’ incidents.

“The owner, William, was a small business owner, ran a few textile factories, all in this area. About seventy workers died, so they’re all shut down now.

“He tried to cover it up, but the people he hired to dispose of the bodies were consumed by the remaining mycelia, so he went to a paranormal detective agency, which is how the Company learned about it.”

Even Eve, with her usual bluntness, couldn’t help but look grim.

“This is the first time the Company failed to detect a Grotesquery apostle’s actions. The White Witch’s ability is too stealthy; we still don’t know how many of her traces remain in Victoria.”

Luo Ling wanted to cough. Being called out like this was a bit embarrassing.

However, she was interested in this matter.

She wanted to see how the Harbingers of Calamity were using her power.

But there was still one question.

“Miss Eve, you said these incubation barriers… are fake?” Luo Ling asked.

Eve nodded. “Yes, after several investigations, we’ve confirmed that all the incubation barrier signs are fabricated. Even after removing all traces of the Grotesquery, the barrier itself doesn’t dissipate.

“This is a common tactic used by apostles, creating fake barriers to mislead us, to conceal their crimes.”

Incubation barriers were protective barriers created by Grotesqueries while accumulating power.

Creating a similar barrier without a Grotesquery, it would be indistinguishable from a real one, just without the “egg” and its power.

But in that case, it wasn’t an “incubation barrier,” just a diversion.

“No,” Luo Ling shook her head. “This incubation barrier is real.”

She could sense a familiar aura, a hint of danger in her intuition.

And another crucial factor.

Elsa…

Elsa, beside her, was drowsy.

She wasn’t a true Awakened One, but a vessel for Grotesqueries.

Even after becoming Luo Ling’s apostle, this hadn’t changed.

So, Elsa was still susceptible to Grotesquery influences.

At some point, Elsa had become semi-conscious, just like during the Baiyan Village incident.

Two similar situations could only mean one thing.

“Impossible? Wait, I’ll take you inside and you’ll see.”

Eve reached for Luo Ling’s hand, but Luo Ling’s serious gaze stopped her.

“No, Miss Eve, we’re… already inside the incubation barrier.”

The caw of a crow echoed from nowhere, the first light of dawn seemingly frozen in time, the silence around them unnerving.

Perhaps due to some cognitive influence, everyone had overlooked these details. Luo Ling, lost in thought and trying to avoid Eve’s rambling, hadn’t noticed when they entered the barrier’s range.

But…

“This is more like it,” Luo Ling thought, a strange sense of relief washing over her.

A newbie mission without any problems… that would be the real problem.

“Ah!”

A scream echoed, and they turned to see Lu Manqing clutching a handful of photos, her face pale with terror.

“What’s wrong?”

Cen Xiangyun rushed over, then, seeing the photos, she also screamed.

“Ah!”

“What’s going on?”

Eve also rushed over, glanced at the photos, and screamed.

“Ah!”

“…”

Even Luo Ling, who had been focusing on the differences between this incubation barrier and the Puppet Ballad’s, couldn’t help but be curious.

She walked over and immediately understood their reaction.

The photos Lu Manqing had taken were candid shots of the team, perhaps as souvenirs, or for some other reason, certainly not to sell.

But these photos… were different.

“They’re all… old women.”

Luo Ling looked up, comparing the photos to the people present.

Despite their aged appearances, they were clearly recognizable, even Elsa, who looked like a small, elderly woman.

Except…

…for Luo Ling.

The photo where she should have been… was just a gray blur.

“My camera is broken…”

Lu Manqing wailed.

“This is clearly not the camera’s problem!” Cen Xiangyun said, gritting her teeth. “Besides, I wouldn’t be this ugly even when I’m old!”

The elderly women in the photos were wrinkled, covered in age spots, their teeth mostly gone, their lips thin and sagging.

Even Elsa.

But it was still… unsettling.

“I’d actually like to see what I’ll look like when I’m old,” Luo Ling said, touching her chin.

“Don’t you dare say that just because you’re not in the photos!” Cen Xiangyun glared at her.

“Miss Lu, your photography skills are lacking, your sense of composition isn’t very good… I can give you some pointers,” Eve commented on Lu Manqing’s technique.

“Shouldn’t we be more concerned about why this is happening?!”

Cen Xiangyun felt that her team was completely unreliable, focusing on the strangest things at a time like this.

“Calm down, Grandma Cen, didn’t I say? We’re inside an incubation barrier, this must be the effect of its rules,” Luo Ling said, her choice of words perhaps not the most appropriate.

“Yeah, Old Lady Cen, what’s the big deal?” Lu Manqing said, putting an arm around Cen Xiangyun. “You scared me, I thought my camera was broken, but it’s just because we’re inside the incubation barrier.”

Cen Xiangyun almost choked on her own blood.

“You…”

As a former celebrity, Cen Xiangyun was the most image-conscious of the group, and these nicknames were a direct attack on her insecurities.

“Is the White Witch’s ability to make people look old in photos? Hiss, good thing I didn’t bring my film…”

Eve checked her pockets, relieved.

Their reactions varied, but Cen Xiangyun felt something wasn’t right.

“This isn’t the White Witch’s doing, it’s another Grotesquery’s barrier,” Luo Ling said.

“Huh? I don’t think so,” Eve shook her head. “Grotesquery apostles never clash with each other, even if they serve different Grotesqueries.

“If there’s an incubation barrier, even a fake one, another apostle wouldn’t choose this location to serve their master.”

“What if it’s not a White Witch apostle?” Luo Ling asked softly. “When it comes to the White Witch, I’m… somewhat confident in my understanding.”

After all, she was the White Witch.

“That’s… unprecedented,” Eve said, not dismissing Luo Ling’s theory, but still skeptical. “Although there have been cases of non-apostles using Grotesquery abilities, those were the Harbingers of Calamity. They wouldn’t cut their own flesh to kill a few ordinary people, would they?”

It seemed the Company didn’t know about the Harbingers using Churches to steal Grotesquery Authorities…

Luo Ling’s eyes flickered. It was understandable. These Churches were all located in slums, and with the Company’s style, they wouldn’t pay attention to such places.

The Company cared about the progress of the era, and the driving force of progress wouldn’t be found among those struggling to survive.

The Harbingers had exploited this blind spot to establish their foothold.

However, Luo Ling didn’t plan to tell the Company. Even if she did, the Company would only target the Harbingers, and tragedies like Alyssa and Stasha’s would continue.

Besides… she finally had a lead on the Harbingers, her greatest enemies, she wouldn’t let it go.

At this very moment, the Church of Light was reorganizing around Alyssa, expanding into other slums, gradually absorbing other Churches.

…Trust wasn’t an issue for the Puppet Ballad.

Everyone was just a lost lamb, a controlled puppet under its influence.

But for now, Luo Ling had to deal with this unknown incubation barrier.

Despite their earlier jokes, they weren’t careless.

Eve even took out her weapons… a pair of gauntlets.

A gentle Victorian maid uniform paired with massive steel gauntlets, it was quite a sight.

Cen Xiangyun also took out her staff, her long hair tied back with a beautiful ice crystal hairpin—her hard-earned year-end bonus.

“Miss Lu, how many photos did you take today?” Luo Ling asked.

“About twenty, why?”

Lu Manqing took out the Polaroid photos from her pocket.

“Perhaps… we can find… where we entered this dangerous place.”

Luo Ling took the photos and spread them out.

They were mostly landscapes and portraits, the black and white adding a vintage feel, Lu Manqing’s record of the local customs.

But… nothing seemed unusual.

Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing examined them but couldn’t find anything wrong.

But then, Eve groaned, clutching her head and crouching down, her face contorted in pain.

“No… this isn’t right…”

She looked at one of the photos, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“From this one… it’s… wrong…”

Chapter 7: Operation Begins

“Miss Luo Ling! Miss Luo Ling! The sun’s already up!”

Luo Ling opened her eyes to find Elsa nestled in her arms, blinking her emerald green eyes.

The sudden shift from Alyssa’s limited senses to her own always took a moment to adjust to. Although she could use the Puppet Ballad’s abilities to make Alyssa function almost like a normal person, she was still essentially disabled, just like Elsa had been.

The difference was that Elsa’s disabilities were caused by the Grotesqueries within her, while Alyssa’s were the permanent Price of her sacrifices.

Luo Ling gently stroked Elsa’s hair, then lifted her and placed her aside.

After three days on the train, Luo Ling was used to Elsa appearing in her arms.

“I’ve been awake for a while, just resting my eyes,” Luo Ling said, sitting up. She had been focusing on other matters, so it was true.

“Sure you were,” a voice said sarcastically, and Luo Ling turned to see Lu Manqing, along with a disgruntled Cen Xiangyun.

Why were they in her and Elsa’s apartment?

“I win, pay up,” Lu Manqing said, extending her hand towards Cen Xiangyun.

Cen Xiangyun reluctantly handed over a few Victorian coins.

Luo Ling was still confused, and Elsa explained, “They were betting on whether you had overslept. Sister Lu said yes, Sister Xiangyun said no.”

…How childish.

And if that were the case, shouldn’t Cen Xiangyun have won?

No, no…

Luo Ling shook her head. She was being influenced by these weirdos.

But it wasn’t exactly late yet…

Luo Ling glanced at the clock; it was only seven.

The Company specialists were always lazy, even scheduling their operations for the afternoon, because most of them were still half-asleep in the mornings…

“It’s a Company order,” Cen Xiangyun said, rubbing her eyes. Despite the concealer, dark circles were still visible.

The other three had slept well, even Luo Ling, who had snuck out during the night, had slept soundly before dealing with the Church of Light.

Only Cen Xiangyun had tossed and turned, worried.

“Last night’s incident made the Company change their schedule. The main force is investigating the White Witch’s appearance, so…”

Cen Xiangyun’s expression darkened.

“So, we’re going too?” Luo Ling asked curiously.

“So, they decided no one should be idle, and moved our operation up. We have to assemble at eight,” Cen Xiangyun said, her face grim. She had finally fallen asleep at dawn, only to be woken up by a call from the Company, which had also woken Lu Manqing.

“Such ruthlessness… reminds me of my past,” Lu Manqing said, taking a sip of tea with a satisfied expression.

Victorians rarely drank tea in the morning, usually coffee, but she preferred tea, a habit from her past.

“I’ve heard of working late, but never working early,” Lu Manqing shrugged.

She didn’t mind; her sleep schedule was similar to Elsa’s.

And Luo Ling’s as well. The only one suffering was Cen Xiangyun.

Cen Xiangyun’s face darkened even further.

She was the only one with direct ties to the Company, yet she was treated worse than the outsourced…

Luo Ling’s situation was unique. Lu Manqing, although joining the Company partly because of her mother, had made her own decision, not relying on her mother’s connections.

Elsa was even more special. Luo Ling still didn’t know how she had joined the Company, not even Elsa herself seemed to know, just tagging along.

As long as she could stay with Luo Ling, Elsa didn’t mind.

Only Cen Xiangyun was a true Company employee, yet she had the most resentment towards the Company…

“By the way, Mother told me you chose your P6 team leader without hesitation. Did you know her before?” Lu Manqing asked.

“…Heh,” Luo Ling just sneered. “I just want to settle a score.”

Since she didn’t know anyone on the list, she might as well choose someone she had a grudge against.

Trying to find this maid within the Company would be difficult, but as her team leader… she couldn’t escape.

Selling her photos, huh? She wouldn’t get away with it.

Luo Ling didn’t care why or to whom the maid had sold the photos. She wasn’t a beauty; what could a few photos do?

In terms of looks, she was no match for the three women present, unless she was in her White Witch form.

But her White Witch form was clearly inhuman, instantly recognizable as a Grotesquery.

In Jiangcheng County, she had been able to blend in by simply tying up her hair, but not anymore.

“…”

The others remained silent, not wanting to know how this maid had offended Luo Ling.

After spending some time together, they had learned a bit about Luo Ling’s personality.

She was… a bit petty.

Of course, they wouldn’t say this to her face. Telling a petty person that they were petty would only make them more petty.

“Go wash up. I brought you breakfast. No soy milk and youtiao here, you’ll have to make do,” Cen Xiangyun said, pointing at the milk, buttered bread, and a fried egg on the table.

It was a simple breakfast, but after witnessing life in the slum, Luo Ling realized that in this era, in this place, even such ordinary things were more precious than life to some.

Ordinary and mundane, yet requiring everything as a price.

“Mm, I understand.”

…

After breakfast, Luo Ling and the others headed to Wellington Manor.

Along the way, Cen Xiangyun explained the Company’s structure in Victoria.

Although called “headquarters,” besides the core decision-making level, the rest of the Company was divided into branches across Victoria’s eighteen districts.

Each branch was like a sub-sect, with a P9 in charge, but they rarely appeared, the highest-ranking person usually seen being a P8.

Lu Manqing’s mother, Lu Fangling, was the head of the Wellington branch. Her previous mission to establish a branch in Jiangcheng County’s Boundary had been for her ex-husband and daughter.

Now that Jiangcheng County was gone, and her daughter had come to Victoria, she had no reason to stay at the branch and had returned to headquarters.

Li Shaoheng’s situation was special. He was directly under the command of the decision-making level, his unique ability making him a valuable asset against unknown Grotesqueries, even making some P9s wary.

He could fight anyone to a standstill, even someone like Philosopher, and still have a chance of escaping.

…As long as his ability wasn’t sealed.

Because Luo Ling and her group were all related to the Jiangcheng County incident, they were assigned to the Wellington branch, under Lu Fangling’s command.

When they arrived at the manor, it looked the same as usual from the outside, servants bustling about, the guards dozing off.

But inside…

Dozens of Company employees in black suits stood in formation, a passionate leader giving a rousing speech.

“Brothers and sisters of Wellington branch! This is an unprecedented emergency! I know we say that every time, but this time, it’s really urgent!”

“A demon who just slaughtered four hundred thousand innocent people has reached out to Victoria, attempting to inflict her disaster upon us, to annihilate us all!”

“We cannot allow this! For the Company, for everyone, we must give it our all! We cannot let the other branches steal our thunder!”

The leader’s passionate speech was met with the employees’ listless stares.

Who could be energetic after being woken up so early, especially for such a pointless speech? They had to endure this every time.

But after the leader’s last sentence, the crowd erupted.

“If our performance in this incident is outstanding, I will personally request headquarters to change our fixed dinner menu to an eighteen-course buffet!”

“Yes! For din… for the Company! Fight! Fight!”

“That White Witch, even if she appears herself, for din… for the Company, we will capture her and bring her to justice!”

“…”

The crowd was now energized.

Luo Ling’s lips twitched.

She had merely shown her face, done nothing, yet she had become such a villain…

She wasn’t some evil demon, and were the people in the Wellington branch always this… eccentric?

Besides the speaker, several leaders sat nearby, including Old Madam Lu.

Luo Ling and the others’ arrival went unnoticed, except for a few who simply glanced at them.

Only one person’s eyes lit up, and she quickly approached. It was the maid from before.

“Miss Luo Ling, you’re here,” the maid said, her expression still impassive, but with a strange enthusiasm.

She was one of the few who wasn’t a leader or participating in the rally.

“This is…?” Cen Xiangyun asked, leaning closer.

“Call me Eve,” the maid said, handing out business cards expertly, even to Elsa. “I’ll be leading your team for this commission.”

Luo Ling took the card. It was simple, just her contact information, codename, and path.

Judgment path, codenamed Iron Fist, with the description “Specializes in uppercuts, especially against Myriad minions.”

“Oh, you’re the one who was… shortchanged… I mean, our team leader?”

Lu Manqing examined the maid, trying to figure out how she had offended Luo Ling.

“Leader is a bit much, but I will be leading you for this mission,” Eve said quickly. “But don’t be nervous, I’m just a colleague. Actually, I should thank you, especially Miss Luo Ling.”

“Hmm?”

Luo Ling looked up, almost asking, “Did you sell a lot of photos?”

Having grown up poor, Luo Ling was sensitive about money. She wouldn’t let someone profit from her without getting a cut.

“If it weren’t for Miss Luo Ling choosing me as the team leader, I would have to join the main force investigating the White Witch’s appearance last night. Dangerous and troublesome, not as easy as a newbie mission,” Eve said, looking at Luo Ling with gratitude.

Not only had she earned some extra cash yesterday, but she had also avoided a dangerous mission. Miss Luo Ling was truly her lucky star.

“Newbie mission…”

Luo Ling recalled her less-than-pleasant experience with her last “newbie mission” and felt a twinge of PTSD.

“Aren’t they all White Witch incidents? What’s the difference between dangerous and not dangerous?” Lu Manqing asked.

“No, no, it’s completely different,” Eve said, shaking her finger. “Last night, the higher-ups held an emergency meeting and concluded that last night’s incident was caused by the White Witch herself, and she likely appointed an ‘agent.’”

They even knew that?

Luo Ling was surprised, but it made sense.

The Company had resolved several High-Risk Grotesquery incidents and countless Dangerous Grotesquery incidents. They were definitely experts, even more knowledgeable than her.

Deducing the truth from the clues wasn’t impossible.

Seeing their lack of reaction, Eve realized they probably didn’t understand the implications of an agent and sneered.

“Usually, an agent of a High-Risk Grotesquery is at least comparable to a Ninth-Order Awakened One. It takes a P8 specialist or above to handle them. A P7 going alone is practically a suicide mission, and even with a P8 leading the team, the casualty rate is extremely high.”

“Is… is that so…?”

Luo Ling felt a twinge of guilt. The agent she had appointed was only Sixth-Order…

But considering that the agent had been an ordinary person before, becoming a Sixth-Order Awakened One overnight was still quite impressive.

Of course, the impressive part wasn’t the strength itself, but an ordinary person being able to withstand the power of a High-Risk Grotesquery…

The reason agents were usually Ninth-Order or above was because, without that level of strength, they couldn’t even withstand the Grotesquery’s gaze.

This was due to the unique nature of the Puppet Ballad’s power, highly specialized in stealth and propagation, but lacking in direct combat power.

“But we probably won’t encounter one, hopefully,” Eve said, looking around and lowering her voice. “I don’t know about the others, but I don’t want to die. Thanks to Miss Luo Ling, I’m just babysitting newbies.”

At this moment, Eve was truly grateful to Luo Ling.

But only Luo Ling knew there was no real danger. Not only was Alyssa’s strength comparable to Eve’s, but even if she was stronger, there was no danger.

Not just because Luo Ling didn’t want to harm the Company, but also… it would be impossible to find her.

Unless she revealed herself, finding the Puppet Ballad in a sea of people was practically impossible. Ji Ying had searched for over a decade, even sacrificing her own consciousness, and still hadn’t found its true form.

Ji Ying’s true strength was comparable to a P9 specialist, after all, her team had managed to kill the Puppet Ballad in another Boundary… although the details were complicated.

Actually, Luo Ling thought the newbie mission was more likely to be dangerous.

She couldn’t rely on luck.

But seeing Eve’s grateful expression, Luo Ling kept quiet and just asked,

“When are we leaving?”

“Now, it seems the others are about to depart.”

Eve glanced at the assembled teams, whistling at a few of them, seemingly showing off her easy newbie mission, not the dangerous one potentially involving an agent.

Her colleagues glared at her enviously.

“Do we need to prepare anything?” Cen Xiangyun asked.

“No, just a routine investigation,” Eve waved her hand dismissively. “We’ve investigated these so-called incubation barriers before. They’re all fake, just a diversion.

“Actually, the other branches have almost finished their investigations. It seems to be the White Witch’s apostles carrying out revenge killings. We’ve found motives and suspects for most of the victims, and the suspects have all disappeared.

“This White Witch is truly a terrifying demon, killing so many herself, and even inciting her followers to use such brutal methods for revenge… Even among High-Risk Grotesqueries, she’s exceptionally violent.”

Luo Ling’s expression remained unchanged, knowing the truth.

It wasn’t apostles, but the Harbingers of Calamity, using the power they had stolen from her.

However, this shed some light on their motives.

“Are they trying to involve the apostles? But what are the apostles… are they independent, or do they have some kind of organization…?”

Elsa looked around nervously, then quickly lowered her head.

Chapter 6: A Game of Shadows

A crescent moon hung high in the sky.

For many, this night was destined to be sleepless.

Beneath the seemingly calm surface of Victoria, the fleeting glimpse of something in the heavens had stirred unseen currents.

Especially for those at the center of the storm… the Harbingers of Calamity.

Within a modest church in the city, a priest stood solemnly at the pulpit, his gaze fixed on the image of the Holy Lord in the mural above.

Around him, monks and nuns prayed with their eyes closed, offering their devout faith to their Lord.

A muffled groan echoed through the silent church, startling the praying figures. They looked up and saw blood trickling from the priest’s orifices, their faces filling with alarm.

“Father, are you…?”

“It is nothing,” the priest said calmly, his gaze filled with its usual benevolence. “Merely a test of my faith from the Lord. Continue your prayers.”

He took a handkerchief from his sleeve and slowly wiped away the blood.

Seeing that the priest seemed fine, the others relaxed, closing their eyes and resuming their prayers.

“Such a nuisance,” the priest muttered, placing the bloodstained handkerchief on the pulpit.

“Has she discovered me? An awakened ‘He’ is indeed not something we can trifle with.”

This priest was the Hierophant. He had no personal faith, considering himself merely a scholar of religion.

Using religious organizations, his own abilities, and his understanding of religion, the Hierophant had created a method of “theft” that could be used even by ordinary people.

The faith of ordinary people was also a form of soul power, though usually too weak to be utilized.

However, by focusing this faith on a specific vessel, this scattered power could be gathered. This was the essence of faith.

More importantly, a connection would be formed between this power and the vessel. This was the key.

The Hierophant, exploiting this characteristic of faith, chose Grotesqueries possessing Authorities as vessels, establishing a connection with them, the first step in stealing their power.

Stealing a Grotesquery’s Authority had previously required a corresponding Grotesque-side Awakened One to act as a conduit. Otherwise, there was no connection, no way to steal.

Next, a “Price” was required.

After establishing the connection, the connector had to pay the Price, either directly or indirectly.

But with faith as the connection, paying the Price was much simpler, even more deceptive.

Just a few ordinary people with an affinity for Grotesqueries were enough.

After developing this method, the Hierophant had conducted several experiments.

After several failures, resulting in the deaths of about twenty thousand people, he had finally succeeded in stealing a portion of a Grotesquery’s Authority.

However, it wasn’t much.

In short, it was impractical.

Although it only required ordinary people, the process was time-consuming, the conditions strict, and the resulting Authority too weak.

It wasn’t until the Harbingers began their operations in Victoria that this method became useful… The stolen Authority, although weak to the Harbingers, was incredibly powerful to their pawns.

Through these means, the Harbingers had infiltrated Victoria, establishing numerous small religious organizations, including the Church of Light, preparing for their plans.

In fact, besides the “White Witch” incidents, similar Grotesquery-related incidents had been occurring in Victoria in recent years, but the Company had struggled to determine whether they were the work of apostles, the Harbingers of Calamity, or both.

However, having a connection to a Grotesquery severed by the Grotesquery itself… this was a first.

“I almost got caught in her memory, heh, that was close.”

The Hierophant was relieved.

Since the White Witch had acted, he would give her face.

Quietly, he sent out orders to all Church leaders, halting all religious activities targeting the White Witch.

However, there was still one question.

“Whose memory did the White Witch use to find me?”

The Hierophant knew it was likely some kind of soul-searching ability, and the target was probably dead.

If he knew the location, he might be able to find some clues, a glimpse into the mysterious White Witch.

After all, the White Witch was the first Grotesquery to replace an existing Sequence, a High-Risk Grotesquery possessing an Authority. The entire Awakened world wanted to know how she had done it.

So, after issuing his orders, the Hierophant instructed his subordinates to investigate which Church had lost contact.

He glanced towards the distance, towards the sky.

“What a beautiful crescent moon, tinged with blood…”

If he had the chance, he would like to meet this White Witch, said to be a silver-haired girl in her teens.

The next moment, the Hierophant’s expression froze.

“How could this be…?”

His subordinates quickly reported back.

All Churches had responded; none had lost contact.

This meant… the White Witch hadn’t killed the memory’s owner.

But how was that possible?

The Hierophant had experienced it firsthand, that angry gaze, it should have shattered the memory owner’s consciousness.

Even he had paid a Price to escape.

No, there was another possibility.

He recalled the Jiangcheng County incident.

Both the information released by the Company and the Harbingers’ own investigations had revealed some of the Puppet Ballad and White Witch’s abilities.

“The ability to control others…”

Fortunately, judging from the description of the “Baiyan Village incident,” this control could be confirmed by checking their flesh and blood for signs of replacement.

But… there was no guarantee.

Who knew the true nature of an Authority?

Perhaps even the white mycelia that replaced flesh and blood were just another disguise, a deception.

And the four hundred thousand civilians who had died gruesomely, was it truly just the White Witch venting her anger?

The Hierophant’s eyes flickered. He abandoned the idea of checking all Church members, firstly because there were too many, and secondly… it was pointless.

“White Witch… are you trying to play a game with us? An invitation from a High-Risk Grotesquery… how terrifying.”

But it didn’t matter.

Whether a High-Risk Grotesquery, or even a Taboo…

Once the Harbingers’ plan was in motion, both the board and the pieces would be overturned.

Besides, when dealing with High-Risk Grotesqueries, the Harbingers weren’t alone.

There were also Order-side organizations like the Company, whose hostility towards Grotesqueries was even greater than their hostility towards the Harbingers.

“Fortunately, these Churches only know fragmented details. Even if the White Witch read them all, she wouldn’t see the whole picture.”

The Hierophant breathed a sigh of relief. Although this was a thorn in his side, it was a relatively good outcome.

From now on, he just had to be careful and avoid contact with these low-level Churches. The initial setup was complete, and these Churches could operate independently.

All he needed to do now was wait.

…

After a long-awaited sleep, Luo Ling, in Alyssa’s body, slowly opened her eyes.

Stasha slept soundly beside her, and Luo Ling looked up at the sky, the blood-red hue on the crescent moon fading, the first light of dawn appearing on the horizon.

Becoming an “agent” was also a form of incubation, just a more unique one.

Now, the “incubation” was over, and the incubation barrier had dissipated.

She briefly reviewed last night’s events, a cold smile appearing on her lips.

“As expected… I knew he would come back to check…”

To avoid attracting attention, Luo Ling couldn’t let the Hierophant notice her.

So, after killing the Church members, she had taken control of them, using Complete Control. They looked and acted exactly as before.

Even memory searching or Retrospect wouldn’t reveal anything amiss.

But they were dead, their current state merely a puppet show orchestrated by the Puppet Ballad, just like the residents of Jiangcheng County, lost Lambs.

This was the terrifying power of Complete Control, the Authority of Kingdom.

However, they were luckier than the residents of Jiangcheng County.

These robed figures had been killed before being controlled, so their consciousness wasn’t trapped within their souls, spared the horror of watching their bodies act against their will, unable to even scream in terror.

And in their memories, there was no record of being killed and controlled, only the successful completion of the ritual and then returning home to sleep.

And, to make things easier, Luo Ling had added a little something extra.

“Harbingers of Calamity…”

Luo Ling’s eyes flickered.

Although she had killed Performer and Artist, they were high-ranking members of the Harbingers, their vigilance strong.

Even Performer had destroyed most of her memories before dying.

This meant Luo Ling still didn’t know much about the Harbingers, not even their members.

Especially about Victoria.

Their memories of Victoria were almost completely blank, meaning the Harbingers definitely had secrets here.

Luo Ling had chosen to control these robed figures, not only to avoid alerting them, but also to infiltrate the Harbingers.

This was a game of shadows.

But there was more than one player.

The Company, representing Order, the Harbingers of Calamity, representing Grotesqueries, and Luo Ling herself.

Perhaps there were other players as well, lurking in the shadows.

Just as Luo Ling was pondering, a commotion erupted outside.

“Hmm?”

Luo Ling, about to use her Spores to see what was happening, saw Stasha stir beside her.

Stasha had woken up but kept her eyes closed.

She glanced at her sleeping sister with concern, pulled the blanket higher, covering her ears, then carefully got out of bed, tiptoeing towards the door.

“So that’s it…”

Before Stasha even reached the door, Luo Ling, using her Spores, understood everything, her eyes narrowing.

“Hahaha, the little Saint hasn’t run away yet, not afraid of dying, huh?”

The thugs who were demolishing the house saw Stasha and started laughing mockingly.

Because Alyssa had been the Saint, Stasha had been called the little Saint, perhaps not a term of respect, but a sarcastic jab.

And now, it was pure mockery.

These young thugs, emboldened by their youth and strength, had ransacked the house after learning of the Saint’s death.

Now, still unsatisfied, they wanted to demolish the entire house, salvaging anything of value.

“My sister… isn’t dead,” Stasha said stubbornly, standing before them, her head held high. “Even if Sister…”

“Not dead? Still not dead? She’s been chopped into a thousand pieces! Old Holm said he saw it himself, our Saint is dead!”

The thugs laughed, several of them surrounding Stasha, their gazes predatory.

“Looking closely, our little Saint is quite pretty, just a bit… thin, but…”

“What… what do you want?!”

Stasha’s face paled with fear, realizing the danger.

She tried to retreat into the house, but a tall thug blocked the doorway.

“Little Saint, don’t be afraid, it will be quick…”

“Quick what?”

Before they could touch her, a cane lashed out.

“Sister?”

Stasha turned and saw her sister leaning against the doorframe, holding the cane she had used after losing her legs.

The tall thug was on the ground, convulsing.

“The… Saint?”

“She’s alive? But Old Holm said…”

The thugs panicked at the sight of the familiar figure.

They weren’t afraid of the Saint, but of the Church of Light.

The Church of Light held considerable power in the slum, more than just a religious organization.

Even their gang leader treated the robed figures with respect, because they possessed true power.

With the Saint dead, the little Saint was nothing, at their mercy.

But if the Saint wasn’t dead, the Church wouldn’t tolerate their actions…

“Saint.”

Just then, their worst fears came true.

Several robed figures appeared, bowing to Luo Ling, then silently attacking the thugs.

Arms were broken, legs were snapped, and they were thrown out, left to die.

In the slum, with such injuries, whether they lived or died… they would suffer.

“Just in time,” Luo Ling thought. This was, of course, all under her control.

She didn’t enjoy acting, but to deceive Stasha, she had brought these people here.

Stasha was stunned, even as the robed figures began repairing the house, her mind reeling.

“Why are they… different…?”

She knew these Church people, knew what her sister’s position as the Saint entailed. How could they be treated like this?

“Something happened last night, so things are different now,” Luo Ling said, ruffling Stasha’s hair, seeing through her thoughts.

The truth was too cruel; it was better to lie for now.

Stasha was skeptical, sensing something was amiss, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Finally, she left for school, still confused.

After repairing the house, the robed figures left, then, following Luo Ling’s instructions, spread a new story.

Explaining last night’s events through their religious understanding, after all, Alyssa, who had been cut into pieces, suddenly reappearing alive… was too unbelievable.

The robed figures’ memories were fragmented, only revealing their method of stealing her Authority, which was meaningless.

As long as she knew their method, whatever it was, she could turn it against them.

However, the Harbingers of Calamity’s reaction was strange.

“Knowing of my existence, they’re still continuing?”

Luo Ling tapped the table, recalling the message the Harbingers had sent to the Church.

Even now, the Church was still receiving messages and orders from the Harbingers, meaning they had ignored last night’s incident, not even trying to find the “nail” she had hammered into their organization.

This game of shadows continued.

“Perhaps they think a single nail doesn’t matter,” Luo Ling smiled faintly. “But… what about many nails?”

A single Church could only provide fragmented information, but two, three… or even more?

As the wielder of the Puppet Ballad’s abilities, Luo Ling knew that her combat strength wasn’t particularly strong compared to other High-Risk Grotesqueries. The Puppet Ballad’s true terror lay in its secrecy.

“Give me some time, and I can replace them, step by step, then…”

“Checkmate.”

Chapter 5: Nightly “Agent,” Gaze from the Heavens

Alyssa and Stasha’s home, even by slum standards, was dilapidated, drafty, and patched together. But it was shelter.

However, when Stasha carried Luo Ling back, the house was in ruins, ransacked by thugs, their meager possessions gone.

Alyssa’s memories revealed they had acquired this house because of her role as the “Saint.” Even the daily bread, a luxury in the slum, which Stasha enjoyed, came from Alyssa’s position.

But not everyone could be the Saint.

Alyssa’s memories were incomplete, but the robed men’s were clear.

Only those with the “Forbidden Doll” aptitude could be the Saint.

“Forbidden Dolls” were ordinary people with an affinity for Grotesqueries. If they awakened, they would become Grotesque-side Awakened Ones.

A rare occurrence.

Besides a slightly better life, the Saint’s duty was to offer a part of herself as a sacrifice during the “Church of Light’s” rituals, led by the robed men, in exchange for the Grotesquery’s power, which was then given to the Church.

Outside of rituals, the Saint wasn’t allowed to work, confined to the dilapidated church, lest anything damage her “Forbidden Doll” aptitude.

Alyssa was allowed to go home only once a month, a concession she had won after threatening suicide. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even know if her sister was safe.

This imprisonment and sacrifice were unknown to outsiders.

And the price… was merely enough bread to survive and a barely habitable house…

But to others, the Saint lived a life of leisure, provided for, even her family benefiting, Stasha even able to attend school.

Although envious, they kept their resentment hidden.

Until the news of the Saint’s death.

While Stasha waited anxiously for her sister, thugs arrived, mocking her, ransacking their home, stealing everything.

The house was stripped bare, even their makeshift desk taken.

Stasha had only survived because the meager possessions were more valuable than a skinny, starving girl.

Terrified, she had gone to the church, searching for her sister.

Seeing the ruined house, Stasha panicked, afraid of upsetting her sister, then remembered Alyssa was blind.

“Sis… Sister… wait inside, I left our blanket out to dry, I haven’t brought it back yet.”

Impossible.

Alyssa couldn’t see, but Luo Ling could.

This devastation wasn’t something that could be hidden.

Even though Stasha hadn’t explained, Luo Ling understood.

The same people who had watched Alyssa being sacrificed without a word could now, without hesitation, ransack the home of their once revered Saint.

Those worthy of pity often had a hateful side, and those worthy of hatred often had a pitiful story. Luo Ling understood, but she couldn’t accept it.

“Never mind, it’s late. We’ll deal with it tomorrow,” Luo Ling said, pretending to be blind, feeling her way around the room and sitting on the only bed.

“Come and rest, Stasha.”

It was indeed uncomfortable not using the Puppet Ballad’s power to see and move.

“But…”

Stasha hesitated.

It was almost December, and although it wasn’t below freezing in Victoria, it was still only a few degrees above.

She could endure it, but her sister, always frail and sickly, would catch a cold…

And in this slum, with her sister’s weak constitution, a cold was practically a death sentence.

Stasha had planned to leave her sister inside and find something to cover them with, even a few newspapers would do.

“The Church gave us some spare blankets. They’re in the storage room, go and look,” Luo Ling said with a gentle smile.

“Huh?”

Stasha wanted to say that the thugs had ransacked everything, there couldn’t possibly be any blankets left.

But she didn’t want to worry her sister, so she nodded, planning to make an excuse later.

But to her surprise, when she entered the storage room, she saw a stack of neatly folded white blankets. They felt soft and warm to the touch.

“How…?”

Stasha was stunned, then heard her sister’s voice from outside.

“Didn’t you find them?”

“I… I found them…”

Stasha suppressed her shock, running her hand over the blankets again.

They felt like the luxurious blankets used by nobles, probably made of… silk or something.

But how could those stingy Church people give them something like this?

Although the Church had promised to take care of her because of her sister’s position as the Saint, it had only been the bare minimum.

They ate hard, black bread mixed with sawdust every day, hard enough to cut their lips, and everything else was either dilapidated or worn out, even the blankets they had received reeked, as if pulled from a ditch.

Stasha’s schooling wasn’t funded by the Church either. She worked in a factory and relied on the kindness of a few nobles to afford a basic literacy class.

“Then bring them out.”

Seeing Stasha’s shocked expression through her Spores, Luo Ling smiled slightly.

Of course, these blankets weren’t from the Church of Light, but woven from her mycelia.

Mycelia could take any form, whether clothing or bedding, and the quality was exceptional.

Forget silk, Luo Ling’s mycelia could be used as a material for crafting Sacred Tools, after all, it came from a High-Risk Grotesquery, incredibly valuable.

Besides the mycelia blankets, the walls, damaged by the thugs, had also been repaired by Luo Ling’s invisible mycelia, still looking dilapidated, but now incredibly sturdy.

These were… practical applications of the Puppet Ballad’s abilities…

Luo Ling felt that even the most terrifying abilities could be used for mundane purposes.

Since she didn’t suffer any side effects from using Grotesquery abilities, the applications she developed were becoming increasingly… everyday.

Watching Stasha carefully spread out the blankets, Luo Ling’s heart sank.

“It seems… I can’t leave just yet. If I do… Stasha will likely suffer.”

A vulnerable girl, alone and resented in the lawless slum… the consequences were predictable.

Today it was just their belongings, tomorrow… it could be much worse.

“All done, Sister. You can rest now. I want to read for a bit longer,” Stasha said, holding up a stack of tattered papers, her “books,” pieced together from old newspapers and handwritten notes.

“Okay.”

Luo Ling nodded and, with Stasha’s help, climbed into bed.

After settling her sister, Stasha sat by the window, carefully reading her “books” under the moonlight.

Luo Ling watched silently, invisible mycelia threads gathering at the window, amplifying the faint moonlight.

Stasha looked up, smiling at the moon, seemingly grateful for the clear night, or perhaps happy about her sister’s return.

No trace of sadness about their ransacked home.

Perhaps, to her, as long as her sister was here, this was home.

Luo Ling sighed inwardly.

“Such a heavy burden…”

She could only do so much, caring for this poor girl as Alyssa.

However, she couldn’t keep her consciousness here forever. Luo Ling thought for a moment, recalling some information about apostles and agents from Artist’s memories.

Artist was practically her encyclopedia of knowledge. Although he had destroyed most of his consciousness before dying, leaving Luo Ling with less than a tenth of his memories, there was still much useful information.

“Perhaps… I can try appointing an ‘agent’…”

Not Stasha, of course. Being an “agent” wasn’t a gift, whether for an ordinary person or an Awakened One, it wasn’t a good thing.

Unless they willingly wanted to be a Grotesquery’s minion.

However, Alyssa was dead, and her body, modified by Luo Ling’s Puppet Ballad abilities, and with her innate Grotesquery affinity, could possibly withstand the power of an agent.

But she wasn’t sure.

“It’s worth a try,” Luo Ling closed her eyes.

At the same time, ten kilometers away, the silver-haired girl opened her eyes, an indescribable pressure radiating outwards.

Even within the Kingdom, even with the Authority’s concealment, it couldn’t hide the terrifying will of the Sequence Forty-Nine Grotesquery.

Almost all High-Order Awakened Ones in Victoria looked towards the sky, a pair of pale gray eyes slowly opening, as if announcing its blessing to the world.

Alarms blared in the headquarters of countless organizations, signaling the arrival of a High-Risk Grotesquery incident.

However, the Kingdom wasn’t deactivated. No one could identify the true nature of this phenomenon, but some managed to narrow down the source.

The recently infamous High-Risk Grotesquery, the White Witch.

Few Grotesqueries could cause such a commotion, but none possessed the ability to conceal their presence like this, except for the White Witch, whose abilities were still unknown.

Everyone was speculating about her intentions, but no one realized that the White Witch’s actions were simply… to give a sister’s embrace, even if it was a fake one, to the girl she had come to care for.

Alyssa’s body also opened its eyes, its empty gaze turning a pale gray, her flaxen hair turning silver, then settling on a few highlighted streaks.

She had become the White Witch’s agent.

However, due to the host body’s weakness, the power Luo Ling could bestow was only equivalent to a Sixth-Order Awakened One, but it was still considerable.

Although there had been many High-Order Awakened Ones involved in the Jiangcheng County incident, that had been almost all the elites of that Boundary.

High-Order Awakened Ones, in any organization, even the massive Company, were high-ranking members, their salaries several times higher than Mid-Order Awakened Ones.

Because only High-Order Awakened Ones had the foundation to access Authorities, the main force against Grotesqueries… and other factions.

All the changes and commotion lasted for less than five seconds, then subsided.

However, the consequences… were far-reaching.

Countless workers were called in for overtime due to this sudden incident.

“Done.”

Luo Ling tested it. Even if she returned to her original form, it wouldn’t affect Alyssa.

And her consciousness could freely switch between the two bodies. Even if she didn’t want to be distracted by matters here, she could use Alyssa’s memories and emotions to imitate her actions.

“I didn’t expect that the ability that turned Jiangcheng County into a wasteland… could be used for good like this…”

Luo Ling couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony.

Did she have a talent for using any ability in strange ways?

Never mind, it wasn’t a bad thing.

“Sister?”

Stasha, by the window, seemed to sense something and turned to look at Luo Ling.

Seeing that her sister was still awake, a worried expression appeared on her face.

Had something happened at the Church that was keeping her sister awake…?

“I’m going to sleep now, you should rest too,” Luo Ling said, closing her eyes.

“Mm.”

Stasha hesitated, then closed her book.

It was rare for her sister to be home, it was okay to skip a day of reading…

She climbed into bed, the soft blanket unusually warm, making her drowsy.

In her hazy state, she felt as if her sister was watching her.

Strange, wasn’t her sister blind…?

Never mind, time to sleep.

Soon, soft snores escaped her lips.

Luo Ling withdrew her Spores’ vision, and the next moment, Stasha snuggled closer, burrowing into her arms.

“Sister, you smell so nice, nicer than before…”

Stasha nuzzled closer, her nose twitching slightly.

She seemed to be sleep-talking…

Luo Ling chuckled, but her heart felt heavy.

This was the first time anyone had called her “Sister”… although she knew Stasha’s real sister wasn’t her.

Just then, Luo Ling sensed something, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was back in her room with Elsa.

A rapid knocking echoed from the door, pulling her consciousness back.

She glanced at Elsa, still fast asleep, a pang of envy at the girl’s ability to sleep through anything, then got up to open the door.

“Coming.”

Cen Xiangyun, her face filled with anxiety, practically bursting with panic, stood at the door, along with a sleepy Lu Manqing in her pajamas and nightcap, clutching a pillow.

Cen Xiangyun was about to exclaim, but Luo Ling pointed at the sleeping Elsa, and she quickly lowered her voice, her excitement still evident.

“Miss Luo Ling, something happened, something big!”

“What is it?”

Luo Ling frowned slightly.

“A High-Risk Grotesquery has appeared, right here in Victoria!” Cen Xiangyun whispered, looking around nervously. “Uncle Shaoheng sent word, all P7 and above personnel have to go back for a meeting!”

Before Luo Ling could reply, Lu Manqing, still half-asleep, rolled her eyes and mumbled,

“What’s the big deal, Xiangyun? You woke everyone up for this?”

“This… this isn’t a big deal?” Cen Xiangyun’s eyes widened. “This is a High-Risk Grotesquery, the same level as the Jiangcheng County incident!”

Luo Ling’s lips twitched. She knew what this was about.

It was probably the commotion from her appointing an agent.

Well, it was her fault.

So there was nothing to worry about…

“High-Risk Grotesqueries are terrifying, yes, but… what does it have to do with us?” Lu Manqing shrugged indifferently. “Are they asking you to fight it, or me to stop it? Even the Company said only P7 and above need to go back for a meeting. Let the higher-ups handle it. We might as well go back to sleep.”

Cen Xiangyun paused. Lu Manqing… had a point.

Why was she so panicked?

“She’s right, Miss Cen, you’re overreacting,” Luo Ling added.

Since she knew it was her fault, she also knew it wouldn’t amount to anything.

“Eh… really?”

Cen Xiangyun scratched her head, confused.

Was she being strange?

Even Elsa was sleeping soundly. She seemed to be the only one panicking.

“We still have a mission tomorrow, right? Let’s get some sleep, Miss Cen,” Luo Ling said.

“Beauty sleep, beauty sleep…”

Lu Manqing yawned again.

The late-night commotion ended with Cen Xiangyun’s confusion and self-doubt.

A silent night.

Chapter 4: The One to be Sacrificed, Sister and Sister

The small but tidy apartment room was dimly lit by flickering candlelight.

Luo Ling sat at her desk, reading newspapers, trying to understand this era.

Elsa slept soundly in the bed behind her, soft snores escaping her lips.

Although it was only a little past nine, it was already dark outside, like the middle of the night.

“I’m not used to this…” Luo Ling murmured, glancing at the quiet night outside.

Elsa, back at the hospital, had always been an early sleeper, but Luo Ling, a former high school senior, nine o’clock… evening self-study hadn’t even ended yet.

Lu Manqing’s “widow” strategy had ultimately failed, much to her dramatic despair, claiming she had lost both her beloved daughters.

This wasn’t because Luo Ling and Elsa had refused. Luo Ling hadn’t minded, and Elsa had been even more enthusiastic.

Although Cen Xiangyun had complained about the ridiculousness of the setup, it wasn’t her place to interfere.

It was the Company who had gently dissuaded Lu Manqing, mainly because such a setup would be too conspicuous, especially for foreigners like them who had essentially “immigrated illegally.”

In the end, Lu Manqing and Cen Xiangyun were paired together, and Luo Ling and Elsa were paired together, renting adjacent apartments, leaving the specifics of their identities to the Company.

Incidentally, Elsa’s combat strength had been assessed as P6 level, but considering her age and performance, she had been assigned as a P5 specialist.

Cen Xiangyun was also P5, while Luo Ling and Lu Manqing were both P4.

“Judging from these newspapers, this truly is a chaotic era…”

Luo Ling put down the newspaper, still slightly dazed.

Although she hadn’t learned much world history in high school, she knew the basic timelines of major events.

Victoria, although currently in 1838, had many things that shouldn’t have appeared until the early 20th century. Steam trains and other forms of transportation were already quite advanced, and even telephones existed, though only among the wealthy.

This was undoubtedly the result of Boundary collapses.

Just how many collapses had it taken for the timeline to be stuck so far in the past…?

“Now, it’s time to see… who’s using my name to cause trouble.”

Luo Ling’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t going to let someone else take the blame, even if the White Witch was the most wanted criminal.

At this time, the Golden District, where Luo Ling was staying, was mostly asleep, except for the patrolling Lamplighters.

Even in the most prosperous areas of Victoria, the nobles were likely indulging in their nightly revelries.

The silver-haired girl appeared in the mirror, and a few Spores drifted out.

Elsa, asleep in the next room, stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open, then closing again under the weight of her eyelids.

Using the Spores’ vision, Luo Ling surveyed the surrounding area, focusing on several locations, the sites of the recent incidents detailed in the meeting’s presentation.

“Indeed, it’s the Puppet Ballad’s power…”

Luo Ling’s heart sank. She clearly sensed that the lingering Grotesquery energy at these locations originated from her.

Not a similar or imitated power, but her own.

The Company wouldn’t make baseless accusations. They had classified these incidents as “White Witch” incidents after careful investigation and comparison with the Jiangcheng County disaster.

Just then, Luo Ling felt a strange sensation, as if someone was worshipping her.

Her power increased slightly, though only a fraction, not even one percent of the mysterious gaze she had devoured earlier.

If she hadn’t been fully focused, she would have missed it.

“Who’s there?!”

Luo Ling’s eyes narrowed, and she quickly dispatched her Spores towards the source of the sensation.

About ten kilometers away was a slum of wooden shacks and dilapidated houses, where starving refugees scavenged through the city’s garbage, searching for anything edible.

Even scraps of oily paper were devoured.

The source of that power… was in this slum.

Luo Ling shifted her gaze away from the pitiful refugees and continued deeper.

Finally, she found something in a half-collapsed building, which seemed to have once been a magnificent church, but some powerful force had torn away half its roof, leaving the rest in ruins.

A low chanting echoed from within.

“Walk in His footsteps, enter the land of suffering, save the people from fire and water…”

“All evil deeds will be punished, all good deeds rewarded…”

“…”

Religion?

“It seems like some kind of ritual…”

Luo Ling frowned, sending a Spore inside.

Several figures in black robes stood on a platform within the church, nearly a hundred people prostrating themselves before them, their faces filled with fear.

The robed figures seemed to sense something and exchanged glances. One of them stepped forward and said,

“The Lord has spoken. He has received the Saint’s devout sacrifice. His glory will soon grace this world. This service is over. Please leave in an orderly fashion. There will be holy communion at the door.”

The people stood up but kept their heads lowered, their faces still etched with fear, slowly retreating, leaving only the robed figures in the church.

The Saint…

Luo Ling’s Spore approached, sensing a surge of life force, faintly connected to her.

Looking closer, Luo Ling’s blood ran cold.

The so-called “Saint” lay in an ornate coffin beside the platform, her body… unrecognizable.

Luo Ling could tell she was an ordinary person.

Her head was placed on top of the coffin, the rest of her body meticulously dissected and arranged within.

This was the Saint’s devout sacrifice.

A sacrifice of flesh and blood…

Judging from the precise cuts, it had just happened.

No wonder the people leaving the church were so terrified.

Yet, for the promise of holy communion, they remained silent.

Luo Ling, having witnessed the suffering outside the slum, understood their desperation, but she couldn’t empathize.

“This is a cult…”

More importantly, Luo Ling clearly sensed that the target of this sacrifice… was her.

These robed figures’ “Lord”… was the White Witch.

This method of sacrifice was familiar. She had encountered it in Jiangcheng County and knew it from the cultists’ memories.

To Grotesqueries, this method… was “theft.”

“Harbingers of Calamity…”

Exchanging “Prices” for Authorities. Luo Ling hadn’t expected this to happen to her.

And she was the target of their theft.

Since the sacrifice was an ordinary person, even a special one, the stolen Authority, and the power Luo Ling gained from it, was negligible, barely noticeable.

Similar sacrifices must have occurred several times in the past few days. This was the “White Witch” incident.

But since Luo Ling had been in the Realm of Nothingness, she hadn’t noticed.

A Spore landed on the “Saint’s” head, and Luo Ling silently mourned for this poor woman.

No matter what, she was the culprit.

Just then, Luo Ling noticed a faint, lingering consciousness within the “Saint,” about to dissipate.

She hesitated, then implanted a Spore into the consciousness.

“Lord, is that you?”

A gray meadow appeared in the consciousness, a gentle woman kneeling, praying devoutly.

Even the most beautiful scenery in this consciousness was tinged with gray, a heavy sadness.

Luo Ling didn’t speak, her silver shadow gently stroking the woman’s hair.

She knew the woman wasn’t devout, didn’t truly believe, her prayers merely for more bread tomorrow.

Even now.

“I’m sorry,” Luo Ling whispered.

It wasn’t her fault, but she felt she had to apologize.

The woman looked surprised, not expecting these words from her “Lord.”

Then, she smiled faintly.

“It’s okay.”

The next moment, the consciousness dissipated, and memories flooded Luo Ling’s mind.

“Alyssa.”

That was her name.

And now… her rebirth.

“This Forbidden Doll technique doesn’t seem very effective,” one of the robed figures said, sounding disappointed. “The Hierophant sent word, the feedback is almost nonexistent.”

“Well, we’ve used her for several sacrifices already. This is just what’s left. Even if we chopped her into pieces, it wouldn’t yield much,” another robed figure replied. “But it’s enough to complete the mission. Finding someone with the ‘Forbidden Doll’ aptitude isn’t easy these days.”

They spoke as if they hadn’t just sacrificed a life, as if she were just an insignificant object.

The so-called “Forbidden Doll” was their method of sacrificing to Grotesqueries, exchanging Prices for Authorities.

But what they didn’t see was a thin hand reaching out from behind them, gripping the edge of the coffin.

When they finally noticed the movement and turned around, they were terrified.

A body, barely held together by white mycelia threads, was picking up the severed head from the coffin and trying to reattach it.

“A ghost!”

This was Luo Ling’s first attempt at controlling another person. White mycelia filled the body, replacing its flesh and blood, weaving a translucent veil of clothing. It stood up.

But… it stumbled.

With a thud, Luo Ling fell back into the coffin.

This wasn’t because of clumsiness, but another reason.

“She had already been sacrificed twice before this…”

Luo Ling sensed the body’s condition, then accessed its memories, a chill running down her spine, her hatred for these robed figures intensifying.

Before this sacrifice to the White Witch, Alyssa had been used for two other sacrifices, the first taking her eyes, the second her legs.

And in return, she had received only two extra pieces of bread.

This wasn’t simply removing her eyes and legs, but taking them away conceptually.

Like Artist sacrificing his finger in his first battle with Luo Ling, that finger was gone forever, impossible to regenerate.

Unless the sacrifice was returned by the Grotesquery.

Luo Ling had restored Alyssa’s flesh and blood, but her eyes and legs weren’t hers to return.

Even with the Puppet Ballad’s power, she couldn’t regenerate them.

So now, Luo Ling, unable to see with Alyssa’s eyes, had to rely on her Spores’ vision.

And she couldn’t walk with Alyssa’s legs, only move with the support of the proliferating white mycelia.

So, when the robed figures finally recovered from their shock, they witnessed an even more terrifying scene.

White mycelia, spilling from the coffin, supported the blind Saint as she slowly approached them.

Although these robed figures were Awakened Ones, they weren’t even Mid-Order. Even though Luo Ling’s abilities were limited in this body, she still easily subdued them.

White mycelia threads solidified, piercing their hearts, then Read activated, extracting their memories.

Following their memories, Luo Ling found the “Hierophant” they had mentioned.

However, the Hierophant had clearly taken precautions. Before Luo Ling could act, he severed the connection to these memories with a Price.

“As expected, it’s the Harbingers of Calamity…”

Luo Ling finally understood why apostles were hostile towards the Grotesque-side Harbingers of Calamity. They were truly a despicable bunch.

Just as she was pondering, one of the robed figures she had just killed suddenly came back to life, seemingly due to some ability.

Without hesitation, he ran out of the church, shouting, trying to alert his comrades.

But before he could get far, Luo Ling, in Alyssa’s body, appeared behind him.

Another mycelial thread pierced through him, this time leaving no chance for escape, tearing his body apart.

“Trying to run?”

Before an avatar of a High-Risk Grotesquery, there was no escape.

The image of Alyssa’s last smile flashed through Luo Ling’s mind, and she said softly,

“Just a small revenge for you, for now. Next… it will be the entire Harbingers of Calamity.”

After this, Luo Ling was about to dispel her power, letting Alyssa finally rest in peace.

But just then, a timid, terrified voice echoed,

“Sis… Sister?”

Luo Ling paused, her Spores’ vision focusing on the source.

A young girl with short, flaxen hair and freckles peeked out from behind a corner, her body trembling.

The girl was about Luo Ling’s age, her appearance similar to Alyssa’s, with the same hair and eye color.

Luo Ling accessed Alyssa’s memories and fell silent.

The girl was Alyssa’s younger sister, Stasha. The roasted meat from the sacrifices, and the bread Alyssa received as the “Saint,” had mostly gone to her sister.

“Sister?”

Stasha called out again, but her frail body recoiled slightly.

In the dim light, she couldn’t see her sister’s face clearly, but there was a sense of familiarity, so she had dared to call out.

Stasha didn’t see the corpses around Luo Ling. Although the stench of blood was strong, it wasn’t unusual in the slum.

Looking at the girl, Luo Ling was reminded of herself, and of her sister.

Her relationship with her sister… was very similar to Stasha and Alyssa’s…

Luo Ling knew how devastating her sister’s death had been for her.

So, Alyssa’s death must be equally devastating for Stasha.

“So be it.”

She would be a sister, just this once.

Luo Ling withdrew her power, the mycelia receding, and her legs gave way, forcing her to lean against the wall for support.

Stasha saw the figure stumble, the familiar feeling returning, and rushed over to support her, not even caring if it was truly her sister.

“I’m… fine,” Luo Ling said, trying to imitate Alyssa’s voice.

Perhaps due to the Puppet Ballad’s characteristics, she was surprisingly good at mimicry, her voice indistinguishable from Alyssa’s.

Hearing the familiar voice, Stasha immediately hugged Luo Ling, sobbing softly.

“Wuwuwu, Sister… that’s great, you’re still alive… they said you were dead, I didn’t believe them, they even threw rocks at our house…”

Because she hadn’t believed her sister was dead, Stasha had risked coming to the church to look for her.

Even in Victoria’s city center, it was dangerous for a young girl to be out alone at night, let alone in the chaotic slum.

Stasha wiped away her tears, looking up at Luo Ling, a bit of snot still clinging to her nose.

Luo Ling’s heart ached.

Stasha didn’t know that her sister was truly dead, and in the most gruesome way.

From Alyssa’s memories, Luo Ling knew that she had been dissected alive.

Only after her life force was extinguished had they finally removed her head and placed it on the coffin.

Because the sacrifice was “flesh and blood,” not a corpse.

The pain, the helpless struggle in the darkness, Luo Ling felt it as if it were her own.

“Sister is fine,” Luo Ling said softly, stroking Stasha’s hair. “Let’s go home.”

For some reason, she felt like her sister now.

Had her sister felt this way when she realized she was the Puppet Ballad?

“Mm-hmm, okay!”

Stasha nodded vigorously, then bent down and, as usual, carried her sister on her back, carefully supporting herself against the wall, her small body carrying her sister home.

However…

Stasha felt something was different.

The burden on her back seemed much lighter than usual.

“Sister, you seem… lighter?”

“Really? Heh.”

This was a practical application of the Puppet Ballad’s abilities.

Chapter 3: The “White Witch” Incident, A Vengeful Little Girl

“What, do you lack confidence in yourself?” Old Madam Lu asked with a smile, while Fiona and Cheng Jianming seemed to be holding back laughter.

You should hear yourself…

Luo Ling’s lips twitched, but she still replied, “I’m afraid… I’m not qualified for this.”

Putting aside the fact that she was the White Witch, asking a newbie to handle a High-Risk Grotesquery… was this how the Company treated its employees?

“Heh, it seems Miss Luo has a good temperament. Your first reaction wasn’t fear, but… a feeling of inadequacy,” Old Madam Lu said, her gaze piercing, trying to see through Luo Ling.

Luo Ling had also experienced the Jiangcheng County incident, even facing Artist and Scientist, though she had luckily avoided the final, devastating battle.

But… was it truly just luck?

Luo Ling’s expression remained unchanged.

“Of course, we’re not asking you to deal with the High-Risk Grotesquery White Witch directly. The Company wouldn’t send a newbie on such a dangerous mission,” Old Madam Lu’s expression softened, as if her earlier scrutiny had been an illusion. “However, the commission is real. We need you to deal with… the White Witch incident—specifically, the ‘eggs’ spawned by the White Witch.”

“Huh?”

Luo Ling was genuinely surprised now.

When… had she spawned any “eggs”?

“‘Eggs’ are the general term for unmanifested Grotesqueries. We call the nascent Grotesqueries ‘eggs,’ and the place where they are born ‘incubation barriers,’” Old Madam Lu explained. “Grotesqueries above the Dangerous level usually spawn ‘eggs’ containing a portion of their power, both to accumulate power for the main body and to protect it from being disturbed during its dormancy.”

Luo Ling knew all this, of course, from her time as the White Witch, so she nodded, waiting for more information.

“A week after the Jiangcheng County disaster, around the time you left, apostles of the White Witch appeared in Victoria, carrying the ‘eggs’ she spawned, creating numerous incubation barriers.”

“Apostles are Awakened Ones who worship Grotesqueries, offering their bodies and souls in exchange for their power.”

Old Madam Lu pressed a button on the remote, and the projector displayed case files and photos of recent White Witch incidents in Victoria.

Mangled bodies, rotting flesh, and the familiar white mycelia threads.

Luo Ling’s expression turned serious.

These… were indeed the Puppet Ballad’s abilities.

She recognized the gruesomely killed civilians, turned into Meat Puppets.

But… she hadn’t done this!

And neither had Elsa, her known apostle… They had been on the train for the past three days, the Realm of Nothingness isolating them, unable to use their abilities across Boundaries.

Could it be her sister?

No…

The Puppet Ballad was dead, its Sequence inherited by the White Witch.

Luo Ling pondered.

She could sense that Old Madam Lu had an ulterior motive, perhaps testing her, or perhaps suspicious.

Old Madam Lu, observing Luo Ling’s reaction, exchanged glances with the other two, as if confirming something.

They all shook their heads.

As Luo Ling had sensed, they… or rather, the factions they represented, were suspicious of Luo Ling and anyone from Jiangcheng County.

Not that they suspected them of being the White Witch, but of being connected to her.

Like… an apostle.

Clearly, Luo Ling’s current behavior didn’t fit their suspicions.

Who would have thought that she was the White Witch?

And… these incidents caused by the so-called White Witch apostles had nothing to do with her.

“These incidents… they all happened in Jiangcheng County before, right?” Luo Ling asked, looking up.

“Yes,” Old Madam Lu nodded. “So, having you, someone from Jiangcheng County, handle this… is quite logical, isn’t it? Of course, not alone, just assisting.”

“…No problem,” Luo Ling agreed after a moment of thought.

She had been wondering what the Company was investigating, why send a newbie on such a mission.

But if it was just assisting… it made sense.

A newbie mission, just like the Baiyan Village incident.

…As long as nothing went wrong like in Baiyan Village.

Old Madam Lu smiled. “Shaoheng said that although you’re a newbie in terms of strength, you’re a remarkable Awakened One. I was skeptical at first, but young lady, I have to admit I underestimated you.

“At least, seeing these photos and still accepting the commission… you’ve already surpassed most of your peers.”

“Because… I’ve seen worse,” Luo Ling whispered.

The others fell silent.

They had all been to Jiangcheng County, witnessed the horrific, empty city.

Countless Awakened Ones had broken down during the investigation, even these seasoned veterans had been shaken by the sight.

“You… don’t have to worry too much. The White Witch… isn’t that dangerous, just a low-ranking High-Risk Grotesquery.”

Old Madam Lu tried to reassure Luo Ling.

“Even I’ve participated in battles against Sequence Thirty-something Grotesqueries. This is the Company headquarters. Even if the White Witch herself appeared, a mere Sequence Forty-Nine, besides her brutality, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Luo Ling, the White Witch: “…”

Should she agree?

Although she knew Old Madam Lu was trying to reassure her, showcasing the Company’s strength, it felt… strange.

“So, this mission is to evaluate me, right?” Luo Ling asked, composing herself.

“It’s more of a test,” Old Madam Lu smiled. “Even if you’re not on the mysterious Seventh Path, with your qualities, both the Company and other Awakened organizations… would welcome you.”

The unspoken implication was that if she wasn’t on the Seventh Path, her value was just that of a talented Awakened One.

In that case, special treatment would be unlikely.

However, Luo Ling was also curious about her own path, about the nature of her Devour Authority.

Since it was related to seeing her sister again, she paid close attention to Old Madam Lu’s words.

“Besides you, the other members from Jiangcheng County will also participate in this commission,” Old Madam Lu continued. “And you can choose a P6 specialist from the Wellington branch as your team leader. I was going to assign one, but I think… it might be better for the team members to choose their own leader.”

The projector displayed a list of suitable P6 specialists from the Wellington branch.

Luo Ling’s gaze settled on one person.

“I didn’t expect her to be…”

It was the maid who had led her to the third floor.

Or rather, the specialist disguised as a maid.

A P6 specialist, meaning her combat strength was equivalent to a Sixth-Order Awakened One. Luo Ling remembered Elsa and Cen Xiangyun were Fifth-Order, and Lu Manqing, due to her ten-year slumber, was Fourth-Order.

Luo Ling herself had no Order; her strength was difficult to gauge.

In other words, the maid was quite powerful.

“Her,” Luo Ling pointed at the maid, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Selling photos, huh…?

“Alright,” Old Madam Lu closed the list, not asking any questions.

Although she had also been part of the Wellington branch, she was a P8 leader and didn’t know most P6 specialists… after all, they were subordinates of her subordinates.

“Besides that, the three of us have agreed to sign an ‘outsourced’ contract with you first. You can think of it as a retainer, consultant, or temporary employee,” Old Madam Lu continued, explaining the arrangements. “After we get to know each other better, you can choose which organization to officially join.”

This was a reasonable arrangement. Luo Ling hadn’t interacted with the other two organizations and wasn’t very familiar with the Company either.

These large organizations were indeed different from the small, informal Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital Patient Exchange Group.

“After signing the contract, you’ll receive the salaries from all three parties, but on one condition: you cannot reveal any information or abilities related to the ‘Seventh Path’ or the ‘Realm of Nothingness’ to other organizations.”

Old Madam Lu handed Luo Ling a prepared contract.

Luo Ling quickly skimmed through it. The terms were similar to the one she had received from Cen Xiangyun, but now there were three parties involved.

…Although she would receive three salaries, she would also have to deal with three employers.

Luo Ling signed her name, then returned the contract.

Old Madam Lu solemnly received the contract and said in a serious tone,

“Under the witness of Order, this equal and just contract is now established.”

She stamped the contract with her seal, and the other two representatives did the same.

Just then, a strange sensation washed over Luo Ling, a feeling of being watched.

She looked up, following her intuition, a sense of an unseen gaze upon her.

“Who?”

Luo Ling frowned slightly, but the gaze lingered only for a moment, then vanished.

And at that moment, Luo Ling felt a strange sense of fullness, a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Not the fullness after a meal, but the fullness after using Devour.

She always felt this mental satiety after consuming a Grotesquery.

“Wait, did I just… eat that gaze?” Luo Ling asked, holding the pen, her voice filled with disbelief.

“What’s wrong?” Old Madam Lu asked, seeing Luo Ling’s stunned expression, thinking she was dissatisfied with the contract’s terms.

As long as both parties agreed, the contract could be voided.

“…Nothing,” Luo Ling exhaled. She felt… full.

Just from a single gaze… how absurd.

“If you have any questions or need to modify the contract, please let us know as soon as possible, so we can proceed accordingly. The Company… has its procedures, which can be time-consuming,” Old Madam Lu said, handing Luo Ling a wristwatch. “This is a Company insignia. You can input your ‘inspiration’ and engrave your codename on it.”

Luo Ling took the insignia, and her expression changed slightly.

This…

“Are you really not worried about the infringement?”

Luo Ling held up the watch, a helpless expression on her face.

The watch face was clearly a certain… unspeakable cartoon character, a mouse from a warehouse.

And it was pink.

“If you have any problems with the insignia, please contact the head of the Wellington branch,” Old Madam Lu said, her expression deadpan, extending her hand to show her own insignia… a cartoon sheep.

The designs of these watches reflected the questionable taste of the branch heads, but they were made using current Boundary technology, posing no risk of information leakage.

But their appearance was…

…indescribable.

Since even Old Madam Lu couldn’t change it, Luo Ling could only wear it, hiding it under her sleeve.

It was a bit embarrassing.

The insignias of the Fate Society and the Torchbearers looked much more normal, a hourglass pendant filled with shimmering blue sand, and a simple iron ring, respectively.

“The first Awakened One to receive insignias from all three organizations, Miss Luo, you’re truly one of a kind,” Old Madam Lu chuckled. “It’s rare, if it weren’t for this incident… you’re quite lucky.”

Of course, for this to happen, the three organizations must have negotiated extensively.

This was also a sign of the impending storm after the White Witch usurped the Puppet Ballad’s Sequence. These usually independent Awakened organizations were now actively seeking cooperation.

Luo Ling’s appearance was an opportunity for such cooperation.

“If there are no other questions, Miss Luo, you can leave now. We have other matters to attend to,” Old Madam Lu said politely. The other two representatives remained silent; the matters they had to discuss were related to them.

The cooperation started with Luo Ling, but it wasn’t limited to her.

Luo Ling straightened up. “Actually, I have one more question.”

“Hmm? Ask away.”

Seeing Luo Ling’s serious expression, Old Madam Lu’s smile faded slightly.

Luo Ling hesitated, her face a mixture of confusion and struggle, then finally asked,

“Where’s your restroom?”

“…Out the door and to the right,” Old Madam Lu’s eye twitched.

“Thank you.”

Watching Luo Ling leave, Old Madam Lu rubbed her temples.

Had she just been… subtly mocked?

This little girl was quite vengeful…

However, this meant that the task entrusted to her by Cen Xiangyun had been completed, her year-end bonus secured.

Now, more important matters awaited.

“You two,” Lu Fangling turned to Fiona and Cheng Jianming, the earlier warmth in her eyes replaced by a sharp glint, her slightly hunched posture not diminishing her imposing aura as a top-tier High-Order Awakened One. “Let’s discuss…

“The Martyr.”

…

Luo Ling had subtly mocked Old Madam Lu, but she wasn’t being vengeful, not because she had been scared by the “White Witch” incident, and not because Old Madam Lu had expressed disdain for the White Witch in front of her.

She just needed a more private place.

Unfamiliar with Victoria, Luo Ling was being cautious, not using her Puppet Ballad abilities outside for now.

It would be troublesome if she was detected.

The Company office was a good cover, protected by a barrier, and more importantly… even if traces of her Authority were detected, it would be difficult to trace back to her within the Company.

Her silver hair cascaded down, and the Kingdom enveloped the area.

Within Victoria, the hunted White Witch appeared silently within the Company’s territory, unnoticed, because within the Kingdom… it was her domain.

As one of the strongest powers in the world, only another Authority could counter an Authority.

“Mm… I only have Elsa as my apostle,” Luo Ling sensed her power, the only connection being Elsa.

And she hadn’t appointed any agents.

Agents were Awakened Ones who acted as a Grotesquery’s representative in the world, different from apostles in that they were practically avatars of the Grotesquery, wielding its power with their own will.

So, what was the deal with these so-called White Witch apostles?

If the Company’s information wasn’t fabricated, those photos were indeed the result of the Puppet Ballad’s abilities.

“I’ll have to wait until the mission to see what’s going on…”

Luo Ling frowned, sending out a few Spores, scattering them throughout the Wellington branch, lying dormant.

It was a good habit to plant Spores everywhere, just in case.

When she stepped out of the restroom, she was once again the black-haired girl in the trench coat.