Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 13 – Still Growing
After clearing up the misunderstanding, Anna breathed a sigh of relief.
Being caught between two people she cared about would have been very difficult for her.
Meanwhile, with Hua Qingling’s guard lowered, Luo Yan’s initial blurry impression of her returned.
Hua Qiling’s sister, Hua Qingling, did indeed fit Luo Yan’s image of a “gentle older sister.”
Except for her height not being quite ideal, everything else matched.
Patient, gentle, making eye contact and answering questions in a soft, soothing voice.
However…
“When Hua Qiling told me about you, I thought you were just a very skilled tailor. I didn’t expect you to know so much…”
Luo Yan said, a slight blush coloring her pale cheeks.
A question mark slowly appeared above Hua Qingling’s head.
She looked at Hua Qiling and asked, “Qiling, what exactly did you tell Miss Luo Yan?”
“Nothing much…” Hua Qiling mumbled. “Just about how you used to make clothes for me, and about the flower shop…”
“Nothing else?”
Hua Qingling’s eyelid twitched.
“No, nothing else.”
Hua Qiling replied honestly.
“It seems… this is a complete misunderstanding…”
Even someone as composed as Hua Qingling couldn’t help but sigh and rub her forehead.
Miss Luo Yan had no idea about her other identity…
No wonder their conversation had been so disjointed from the beginning. They had been talking about completely different things.
“So everything Hua Qiling told me was false?” Luo Yan asked.
Hua Qingling chuckled wryly.
“No, what she said was true, it’s just… a long, long time ago…”
She looked around the shop, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. “That was back when I was still here… Ah, let’s not talk about the past.”
“Aren’t you here to buy clothes?” Hua Qingling stood up, a faint smile on her lips, and looked Luo Yan over. “Mm, your figure is about the same as Qiling’s when she was younger… well, about the same as now, too.”
…About the same?
Luo Yan looked at Hua Qiling, puzzled. Hua Qiling was much taller than her.
Hua Qiling glanced down at something unseen, her face suddenly flushing red.
She snuck a glance at Luo Yan, then at Hua Qingling, noticing a certain fullness, and looked away, muttering,
“Hmph, I’m just like you… I can still grow!”
“Heh.”
Hua Qingling chuckled noncommittally.
Anna, after comparing them for a moment, also nodded thoughtfully, a knowing smile on her face.
Only Luo Yan was completely lost. Were these two sisters speaking in riddles? And why was Miss Anna laughing?
“Since I have the opportunity today, Miss Luo Yan, allow me to design an outfit for you personally. What kind of clothes do you like?”
Hua Qingling asked, taking Luo Yan’s measurements with her fingers.
“A maid outfit is fine,” Luo Yan replied. “I used to be a maid.”
“Used to? Oh… in the town, right?”
Observing Luo Yan up close, Hua Qingling realized that the girl was even more frail than she had imagined.
She sighed inwardly but didn’t show it, continuing the conversation.
“However, maid outfits now are different from those in the town, which is stuck in the ‘Old Era’.”
“Hua Qiling mentioned that, but she said she didn’t really understand,” Luo Yan said.
“That’s normal. Tailoring is just a hobby of mine, something I do in my spare time. Qiling isn’t interested in these things, so naturally, she wouldn’t understand.”
As Hua Qingling spoke, her hands didn’t stop moving.
After taking Luo Yan’s measurements, she picked up a pen and paper and began sketching.
Anna watched Hua Qingling with admiration, Luo Yan stared intently at the design taking shape on the paper, and Hua Qiling idly counted the clothes on the racks.
After a while, Hua Qingling finished the sketch and handed it to Anna.
“Go and make this for Miss Luo Yan. Put it on my tab.”
“Okay!”
Anna took the sketch and hurried back to the workroom, excitedly starting the machines to create Luo Yan’s maid outfit.
After Anna left, Hua Qingling’s expression turned serious.
Seeing this, Hua Qiling immediately straightened up, knowing that her sister had something important to say.
“I was planning to check on Anna first, then find you on Flower Street and take Qiling back,” Hua Qingling looked at Hua Qiling and said seriously. “There’s something I need you to handle.”
“Is there another problem with the Disaster Response Department?” Hua Qiling frowned.
“Something like that. A mercenary was killed at the ‘Ghost Town’ ruins, and the killer left behind traces of the ‘Witch of Envy’,” Hua Qingling said directly, not beating around the bush.
“You’re the only one who has been to ‘Ghost Town.’ Although I’m reluctant to let you get involved in this again… it seems you’re the most suitable candidate.”
Hearing about “Ghost Town,” a shadow of sadness crossed Luo Yan’s face.
For some reason, she recalled the mocking words of the “Witch of Envy” when her will descended.
“A laughable failure…?”
Luo Yan repeated softly, her voice barely audible.
“And Miss Luo Yan, regarding this matter… you, possessing a portion of the ‘Witch of Envy’s’ power, might be able to help. We might need to impose on you,” Hua Qingling looked at Luo Yan and nodded. “This isn’t a personal request, but on behalf of Yan City.
“Therefore, if you resolve this matter for Yan City, you can make a request within our capabilities.”
A request…
Luo Yan’s expression turned serious.
She hadn’t forgotten that the reason she had chosen to stay in Yan City, besides trusting Hua Qiling, was because of the “Ice Coffin Weapon” that had called her “Sister Luo Yan.”
This was currently her only clue to uncovering the secrets of her past.
“I want to see some information regarding Yan City’s ‘Ice Coffin Weapon’,” Luo Yan said directly. “Just its origins, I’m… curious about her.”
Of course, Luo Yan couldn’t reveal her true purpose.
“Curious?”
Hua Qingling narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Luo Yan once more.
Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 14 – Witches and Sovereigns
However, this scrutiny didn’t last long. Hua Qingling quickly nodded and replied readily,
“No problem. As long as you can guarantee not to disclose it to any third party, you can access those files.”
She didn’t need to seek approval from the council. As a “Peril” level expert, Hua Qingling had this authority.
However, even privileges couldn’t be abused. Luo Yan had to do something to give Hua Qingling a legitimate reason to grant her access.
Moreover… there was another reason why Hua Qingling agreed so readily.
Besides the two recorded instances of Luo Yan in “Ghost Town,” there was a third, not recorded in any archives, but relayed to her by Hua Qiling.
—Luo Yan had survived the attack of the “Hyperspace Severance patient” unscathed.
Only Hua Qiling and Luo Yan knew about this. With Luo Yan’s indifferent attitude towards the matter, Hua Qiling had told Hua Qingling.
Therefore, Luo Yan’s request to access the “Ice Coffin Weapon” files wasn’t surprising to Hua Qingling.
In fact, she was also curious about Luo Yan’s connection to “F-03—the Hyperspace Severance patient” acquired from the Free Federation, and how she had survived.
However, almost all “Ice Coffin Weapons” were over three hundred years old, many even older.
If there was a connection… could she be an ancestor?
Of course, since Luo Yan didn’t elaborate, Hua Qingling didn’t press further, respecting her privacy.
As long as Luo Yan didn’t endanger Yan City or harm Hua Qiling, Hua Qingling wouldn’t interfere with her actions.
“By the way, Sister, there are some things I’d like to know, if you don’t mind…”
Luo Yan hesitated, then decided to voice her doubts.
“Ask away,” Hua Qingling’s gaze softened. “As long as it doesn’t involve classified information, I’ll answer truthfully.”
“I want to know more about ‘Primordial Demons’ and the ‘Witch of Envy’…”
Luo Yan said. She hadn’t mentioned this to Hua Qiling before, knowing her own status was sensitive.
Asking such questions might put Hua Qiling in a difficult position.
But Hua Qingling was clearly an influential figure. Whether she could answer or not, she wouldn’t be put in a difficult position like Hua Qiling.
“That depends on what you want to know,” Hua Qingling said, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Luo Yan thought for a moment, then asked,
“Well… besides the ‘Witch of Envy,’ are there other ‘Primordial Demons’? What forms do they take? Questions like that…”
Hua Qingling raised an eyebrow. “Just that? It’s not classified information. You can find it in the public library archives. Although there isn’t much, you can still find some if you look carefully.”
“If you can answer, I’d like to know more,” Luo Yan said.
Hua Qingling pondered for a moment, then said, “In that case, I’ll tell you everything that’s publicly known about ‘Primordial Demons.’ Actually, it would be difficult for you to carry out the next mission without understanding these things.”
She looked at Hua Qiling. “Qiling, you should listen too. There might be some things you don’t know.”
Hua Qiling nodded, listening attentively along with Luo Yan.
…
After the “Calamity Tide,” which brought about the end of the Old Era and the beginning of the New Era, the world was in ruins.
The few survivors gathered together, forming settlements, similar to the current refugee settlements.
With the remnants of the Old Era’s technology and humanity’s indomitable will, civilization was gradually rebuilt, and things were looking up.
But… a nightmare emerged. The ten Primordial Demons appeared one after another, each bringing a “Cataclysm” level disaster, destroying countless settlements.
“Almost ninety percent of humanity died in the disasters caused by the ‘Primordial Demons’ before the first mega-city, ‘Noah,’ was established.”
Hua Qingling’s expression was grave as she spoke of this history.
“The hundreds of billions of people from the Old Era, barely ten million survived the ‘Calamity Tide,’ and after the ‘Primordial Demons’ rampaged, only about a million remained, on the brink of extinction.”
“It wasn’t until ‘Noah’ was established that humanity successfully weathered a ‘Cataclysm’ level disaster for the first time, gaining a foothold in the New Era.”
Even without experiencing that tumultuous period firsthand, one could still sense the desolation and tragedy from Hua Qingling’s brief account.
The “Ghost Town” incident was just a small speck of dust in this history, but for Mrs. Natalie and the others, it was an irreversible tragedy.
“Where the ‘Primordial Demons’ came from, whether they are remnants of the ‘Calamity Tide’ or new disasters born in the New Era, is still unknown.”
Hua Qingling continued, “But one thing is certain: they don’t have physical forms, but they possess will and memories. To be precise, they are more like… concepts.”
“The ten ‘Primordial Demons’ are the ‘Witch of End,’ the ‘Witch of Envy,’ the ‘Demoness of Terror,’ the ‘Witch of Absolute Death,’ the ‘Witch of Sorrow,’ the ‘Sovereign of Madness,’ the ‘Sovereign of Rage,’ the ‘Sovereign of Greed,’ the ‘Sovereign of Defilement,’ and the ‘Sovereign of Fear’.”
“Of course, these are names given by humans based on their powers. The distinction between ‘Witch’ and ‘Sovereign’ isn’t based on gender, but on the gender of the apostles they choose.”
“A ‘Witch’ will only choose female Devil’s Apostles, and a ‘Sovereign’ will only choose male Devil’s Apostles.”
“Currently, the last recorded activity of a ‘Primordial Demon’ was the ‘Witch of Absolute Death,’ appearing in an incident three hundred years ago—of course, she was successfully suppressed by the Free Federation.”
Hua Qingling looked at Luo Yan.
“The ability you can use now should come from the ‘Witch of Envy.’ Her power is called ‘Envy,’ and its ultimate form can completely rewrite souls and consciousness. The physical mutations are merely distortions caused by the twisting of the soul and consciousness.”
“However, you haven’t reached that level yet. At most, you can only slightly glimpse into others’ souls and consciousness. But even so, the power of ‘Envy’ can still cause severe mental damage to those you observe.”
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