Chapter 68: Kindred Spirits
The heavy, oppressive atmosphere of the laboratory, constructed from Elsa’s memories, was suffocating, suggesting that her life here… hadn’t been pleasant.
But Elsa should be here somewhere, right?
Luo Ling searched for a while, but the entire laboratory, besides the sealed containers, was empty, even the exit was blank.
“Could Elsa be inside one of the containers?”
With this thought, Luo Ling began checking them one by one.
Almost all the containers were empty, perhaps because the memory’s owner hadn’t seen their contents. Finally, in a smaller container tucked away in a corner, she found a figure.
…Was it Elsa?
A small infant floated in some kind of nutrient solution, countless tubes connected to its body, a bloodstained, sinister-looking blade also connected to it.
A label on the container caught Luo Ling’s eye, and a chill ran down her spine.
“Grotesquery Sequence Number 262, Nightmare: Soul Torture…”
The blade was a Grotesquery…
Luo Ling had never seen an object-type Grotesquery before. She hadn’t expected to see one in Elsa’s memories.
According to Ji Shinian, Sequence 262 was about the limit of what a Mid-Order Awakened One could handle. Anything higher required a High-Order Awakened One.
Unless, like Performer, they possessed the power of a Grotesquery.
In Performer’s memories, the Meat Puppets in Baiyan Village were equivalent to Grotesqueries below Sequence 300, far weaker than this blade.
Yet, even so, Luo Ling and An Yu couldn’t handle even one of them normally.
And such a Grotesquery had been implanted into a small infant.
Even more terrifying, in the memories Luo Ling could see, this was the weakest and most controllable Grotesquery within Elsa…
She couldn’t imagine how terrifying the other Grotesqueries merged with her were, the unimaginable price that would be paid if they awakened.
“Harbingers of Calamity…”
Using Grotesquery merging as a means, aiming to walk the paths of Grotesqueries, seeking the path to godhood… a group of mad seekers.
There were at least a hundred similar containers in this laboratory, meaning there were about a hundred infants and children like Elsa undergoing Grotesquery merging experiments.
And there were likely more labs like this, because judging from the layout, this was just a storage room for the containers.
And out of all these infants and children, only Elsa had survived.
The other poor children had probably died on the “path to godhood”…
Compared to Scientist’s atrocities, Performer, who had only refined her own child into a Grotesquery, seemed almost… kind. Of course, both were horrific acts.
The cruelty of the Harbingers of Calamity far exceeded Luo Ling’s imagination.
“But where is Elsa’s consciousness now?”
This was just a frozen memory fragment. Luo Ling’s consciousness continued deeper.
Following the threads of memory, delving into Elsa’s secrets, Luo Ling grew increasingly silent.
Such suffering and terror at such a young age…
No wonder she had been able to fight so effectively in the subterranean cavern. If it weren’t for Scientist’s sudden appearance, Performer would have been defeated by Elsa before being consumed by the white reishi.
Finally, Luo Ling sensed Elsa’s faint call and her consciousness descended into a terrifying darkness.
She quickly realized where she was.
“The place where the Grotesqueries are imprisoned…?”
Luo Ling immediately saw the bloodstained blade, along with several other shadowy figures, likely other dormant Grotesqueries.
The most distinct shadow vaguely resembled a street.
A phenomenon-type Grotesquery?
…The Harbingers of Calamity were truly daring, merging all kinds of Grotesqueries into Elsa.
Surrounded by these Grotesqueries, Elsa huddled on the ground, trembling, her eyes filled with terror.
Grotesquery auras constantly assaulted her consciousness, tormenting her soul.
But a faint barrier enveloped Elsa, protecting her from the auras.
This must be Gypsy Girl’s doing, because there were several lipstick kisses on the barrier…
“No wonder Scientist said Elsa would only last for half an hour before losing control. If her consciousness collapsed in this environment, she would probably be temporarily possessed by the Grotesqueries, and the bloodstained blade and the street would manifest…”
Luo Ling shuddered. In her state at the time, she wouldn’t have survived a confrontation with these two Grotesqueries.
But she also felt a pang of sympathy. To prevent her own eruption, Elsa had endured this terrifying environment until Gypsy Girl erected the barrier in her mindscape, giving her a moment of respite.
Gypsy Girl had indeed helped, but she couldn’t free Elsa from this prison she shared with the Grotesqueries.
…Or perhaps, she could.
“I wonder if that charlatan predicted that I could save her… I doubt she couldn’t save Elsa’s consciousness herself,” Luo Ling’s lips twitched. She didn’t have a good impression of Awakened Ones on the Other Shore path. “Never mind, I’ll save Elsa first.”
Luo Ling extended her consciousness, and the surrounding Grotesqueries, sensing her presence, all closed in.
Just as Luo Ling braced herself for a difficult fight, the Grotesqueries retreated, almost as if… avoiding her?
Never mind, saving Elsa was more important. She had used Implant to enter Elsa’s mindscape, and if she stayed too long, there might be other problems.
As Luo Ling’s consciousness approached the small Elsa, she noticed Elsa trembling even more violently.
“Stay away from me… stay away…”
The barrier’s light intensified, then, sensing Luo Ling’s aura, it dimmed, offering no resistance.
“It’s me, Elsa.”
“Who… who is it…?”
“It’s me, Bai.”
“…Bai?”
Elsa stopped trembling and looked up, her face filled with terror when she saw Luo Ling.
“Sister Scientist, I’ve reached my limit! I don’t want to merge with any more Grotesqueries! I’ll do anything, I can be the Great Demon King of Slaughter, please…”
Luo Ling was silent for a moment, realizing Elsa had mistaken her for a new Grotesquery.
She sighed, reached out, and gently cupped Elsa’s tear-stained, terrified face.
“You are not the Great Demon King of Slaughter, you are the Scarlet Witch.
“And I am the White Witch. We… are partners, the best of partners.”
Elsa paused, repeating the words,
“Scarlet Witch, and White Witch…”
Finally, as if remembering something, a flicker of joy appeared on her face.
“Big Sister Bai! That’s great!
“So you’re just like me, we’re the same…”
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