Chapter Fifty-Five: Reshaping Bella, The Return of Educator
The distorted trees surrounding the lush, towering tree withered and collapsed, scattering countless yellow leaves and choking dust.
“Cough…”
Eve, who had delivered the final blow, inhaled the dust and coughed violently. The others, having anticipated the collapse, had retreated to a safe distance, covering their noses and mouths.
“What a thrilling battle.” Lu Manqing remarked.
“Thrilling my ass… cough…”
Eve coughed, brushing the leaves and dust from her clothes, emerging from the decaying trees. She was the only one with any signs of battle.
“Captain Eve, you know I’m just a healer. And you weren’t injured, so I couldn’t very well attack.”
Lu Manqing walked over, punched Eve in the face, and patted her hands. “There, healed.”
Eve’s coughing subsided as she rubbed her reddened nose, then turned to Cen Xiangyun.
“You know my abilities are ice-related, Eve. But the Bodhi Ancient Tree is already dead, I can’t freeze it.” Cen Xiangyun shrugged. “And with so many trees, my ice shards wouldn’t be effective. It’s better for me to stay away, so you don’t have to protect me.”
“Sister Eve, you should also know about my abilities…” Elsa chimed in.
“Stop, stop.” Eve raised her hand, then looked at Luo Ling, who hadn’t moved from her spot. “Miss Luo Ling, you’re a Judgment path Awakened One like me, why did you stay so far away?”
“I… tried to chop down the tree with this?”
Luo Ling hesitated, holding up a short dagger.
It wasn’t “Severance,” the Sacred Tool crafted from a High-Risk Grotesquery Sacred Relic, usually wielded by Company office heads.
No one in Jiangcheng County recognized Severance, but it was different in Victoria, so Luo Ling rarely used it.
The dagger in her hand was merely a weapon imbued with special power, purchased by Elsa with all her Company points.
Even with the points from the Spirit Walker incident, it wasn’t enough for a proper Sacred Tool, but this was still a weapon imbued with a Dangerous Grotesquery’s power.
“…Never mind.”
Eve’s lips twitched. It seemed Miss Luo Ling was a speed-type Judgment path Awakened One, unsuitable for fighting such a large creature.
“Commission D213, ‘Clear Distorted Forest Incubation Barrier,’ successfully completed. Confirmed as an ‘egg’ of the Bodhi Ancient Tree of Silent Demise, Grotesquery Sequence 145. Completed by: ‘Twintails Supreme’ team.”
“Clearly, I did all the work…” Eve grumbled.
“Why is our team name so ridiculous?” Luo Ling looked shocked, but for a different reason. “No one in our team has twintails. It should be ‘Ponytails Supreme,’ right?”
Indeed, except for Elsa’s long, curly hair, the others all wore ponytails for combat, even Luo Ling.
“I chose it, I chose it!”
Lu Manqing stepped forward, hands on her hips.
“Cen Xiangyun’s suggestions, like ‘Rose Knights’ or ‘Thorned Roses,’ were all taken. I wanted to use ‘All the Good Names Are Taken by Dogs,’ but they stopped me, so I settled for this.”
“Also, Miss Luo Ling, don’t you think twintails are supreme? Ponytails are just practical, twintails are a dream!”
“Not really, but I understand.”
Luo Ling nodded, finding the explanation reasonable.
“I don’t want our team name to be this when we complete an S-rank commission and it’s announced citywide…”
Cen Xiangyun sighed. She would rather die, but with Lu Manqing around, everything went sideways. She had to choose the lesser of two evils.
The Twintails Supreme team had cleared three Incubation Barriers today, all of this level. A Dangerous Grotesquery itself would be dangerous, but its “egg” was manageable for their team.
This was different from Iris’s sapling in her twilight Kingdom. Although weak, the sapling was the Bodhi Ancient Tree itself, while this towering tree was merely an avatar.
And with the high-order Sacred Medicine from Luo Ling, Eve had advanced to high-order Awakened One, her combat strength significantly increased.
However, Luo Ling had barely participated in the battles. The Twintails Supreme team’s coordination had improved significantly after two months of working together, while Luo Ling felt slightly out of sync.
So, she mostly slacked off.
Of course, she wasn’t completely idle, observing Elsa’s combat style, thinking about how to improve her strength.
Elsa wasn’t an ordinary Awakened One. Although registered as an Oneiric path Awakened One in the Company’s files, she actually walked the Nightmare path, a Grotesquery path.
Awakened Sacred Medicines weren’t very effective for her. She relied on the Grotesqueries sealed within her for power, but she had reached a bottleneck.
Luo Ling was already preparing a high-order Sacred Tool for Elsa, and she also had a living Grotesquery she hadn’t used yet.
Luo Ling didn’t want to seal more Grotesqueries within Elsa, even with the White Witch’s suppressing aura, it was too dangerous.
If a sealed Grotesquery targeted Elsa’s consciousness, an area the Puppet Ballad couldn’t reach, it could cause irreversible damage. Therefore, Luo Ling was observing Elsa’s combat style, considering other uses for the living Grotesquery.
“However, the Company’s assessment of Elsa is quite interesting…”
Luo Ling watched her teammates banter and Elsa diligently taking notes on the day’s battles, lost in thought.
When they first arrived in Victoria, Luo Ling and the others had separated, and she hadn’t reported to Company headquarters.
The others had followed protocol, but Elsa’s situation was unique. She was the only successful subject in Scientist’s inhumane and absurd experiments.
In other words, Elsa might hold clues to the Harbingers’ plans.
But unfortunately, there was nothing.
Because Elsa wasn’t truly a success. She had merely survived.
Before the Harbingers and Scientist could complete their experiments, Elsa had escaped the lab, even leaving Victoria’s Boundary.
Therefore, to the Company, Elsa was just an ordinary Awakened One.
And the reason her unique constitution wasn’t noticed was because of Luo Ling’s intervention, concealing the fact that Elsa’s abilities came from Grotesqueries.
However, unlike Elsa, her companion who had escaped with her, the teddy bear Bella, had a different fate.
Bella, originally one of Artist’s “artworks,” had somehow developed self-awareness.
However, it was still a product of the Myriad path ability, which explained its sudden deactivation in Baiyan Village and later battles. Artist’s Myriad path ability had been suppressed by the Silent Demise Incubation Barrier, forcing Bella into dormancy.
After Artist’s death, all his “artworks” gradually lost their power, even the living clock in Philosopher’s cabin succumbed to Silent Demise, and Bella was no exception.
When Elsa reported to Company headquarters, Bella could no longer speak. The Company’s Myriad path department, interested in Artist’s creations, examined Bella, their conclusion disappointing Elsa—it was just an ordinary teddy bear.
However, a few specialists believed they could reawaken Bella, so Elsa left it with them.
But eventually, they lost interest, and Bella was returned to Elsa, placed on her bedside table, seemingly just an ordinary toy.
But Luo Ling knew the truth.
Bella’s consciousness still resided within the teddy bear, trapped and unable to speak, its physical body destroyed.
Unfortunately, Luo Ling wasn’t skilled in matters of consciousness, nor did she possess Artist’s ability to animate inanimate objects. Destroying the teddy bear might annihilate Bella’s consciousness completely, so she couldn’t help.
The Puppet Ballad’s flesh domination might be a solution, similar to Linna’s situation, but using it on Bella now would attract the attention of all three factions.
Bella wasn’t Linna, lacking her adaptability and strength.
However, reviving Bella would be a significant boost to Elsa’s power.
“Wait, perhaps…”
Luo Ling had an idea. Since she didn’t want to seal the living Grotesquery within Elsa, what if… she sealed it within Bella?
Or rather, transferred Bella’s consciousness into the living Grotesquery?
It seemed feasible.
Bella’s consciousness had originated from a flesh construct. In a way, she could be considered a Grotesquery, perhaps even listed on the Sequence.
The living Grotesquery in Luo Ling’s possession was a phenomenon-type, lacking consciousness, driven only by instinct.
Having Bella’s consciousness control it would achieve two goals: utilizing the living Grotesquery and reviving Bella.
Luo Ling decided to ask Elsa first.
Elsa readily agreed, even happy about it.
Bella was a dear friend to Elsa, despite her teasing and occasional insults… at least before meeting the White Witch, Bella had been her only companion.
As for the method…
“I used ‘Ensnare’ in Iris’s twilight Kingdom without any problems. This means that within a limited scale, ‘rewrite reality’ is reliable.”
That evening, Elsa, the household chef, prepared a feast, celebrating Eve’s move into the apartment, officially becoming the captain of the “Twintails Supreme” team.
Although they had been calling Eve “Captain,” she had been volunteering until today, her official promotion finally recorded in the Company’s files.
Luo Ling, worried that Elsa would be tired from cooking, had offered to help, only to be met with resolute refusals, even Elsa forbidding her from entering the kitchen.
Elsa had even said something that hurt Luo Ling deeply.
“Miss Luo Ling would only make things worse.”
After enjoying the meal, which Lu Manqing described as having “a mother’s touch,” Luo Ling and Elsa returned to their room, quickly finishing their nightly routine before Elsa’s biological clock signaled bedtime, ready to try and revive Bella.
Luo Ling took out the crystal bottle, transformed into her Naraku form, and walked to Elsa’s bedside table, looking at the now silent Bella, sensing its fading consciousness, a wave of melancholy washing over her.
The Jiangcheng County incident had only been a few months ago, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.
“I wonder how An Yu and the others at Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital are doing.”
But it was just wishful thinking. They were still in their original Boundary. Unless under special circumstances, Awakened Ones who hadn’t encountered an Authority couldn’t perceive the existence of Boundaries, unable to follow Luo Ling and the others to Victoria.
Luo Ling composed herself, placing Bella on the floor.
Elsa squatted beside her, anxiously watching Luo Ling’s every move.
She had a bad feeling about this…
The living Grotesquery within the crystal bottle was still instinctively terrified of Luo Ling, previously because of the White Witch, now because of Naraku. Both forms exuded an aura that suppressed the Dangerous Grotesquery larva.
Luo Ling’s web domain unfolded, her dark eyes coldly observing everything within, like a predator patiently waiting for its prey.
“First ability, ‘Ensnare,’ rewrite reality, consciousness transfer.”
Like an omnipotent wish-granting ability, “rewrite reality” always fulfilled the user’s desire, though with slight deviations.
The teddy bear trembled violently, then the last vestiges of life within it vanished.
Elsa’s expression turned worried, but she didn’t dare to interrupt Luo Ling, simply watching anxiously.
The living Grotesquery was released from the bottle, attempting to escape, but was caught in the predator’s web. At the same time, a consciousness slowly merged with it.
Under Naraku’s power, Bella’s consciousness and the living Grotesquery began to fuse, the core and its surrounding aura shifting and changing.
Finally, the living Grotesquery stabilized, no longer trying to escape, yet still silent.
“Did it work?”
Elsa asked cautiously, her fingers twisting her dress, her palms sweating.
But the living Grotesquery remained motionless, seemingly lifeless.
Luo Ling retracted her domain and transformed into her White Witch form, sensing carefully before sighing.
“Speak, Bella. Don’t scare Elsa.”
“Holy shit, you saw through that! You’re truly amazing, White Witch!”
The fawning, profanity-laced voice, although clearer and more pleasant than when it came from the teddy bear, was undoubtedly Bella’s.
The aura surrounding the core shifted, forming the image of a little girl.
A combination of Elsa and Luo Ling’s White Witch form, but even younger.
“Bella!”
Elsa wanted to hug her, but the formless phenomenon was intangible.
Bella, however, floated towards the window.
“Murderous Demon King, I hear you! Where are you?”
“…”
Luo Ling watched Bella float past her, seemingly not noticing her, then fell silent.
Had something gone wrong?
“What the hell, why is everything so blurry? White Witch, did you eat my eyes?” Bella asked, frowning.
“Don’t worry, I don’t like those.” Luo Ling paused, then said, “I think I know why.”
It wasn’t blindness, but unfamiliarity with this new form of vision.
Luo Ling understood. The spores’ vision was different from a living being’s. Using it directly could cause mental instability, a common ailment among the patients at Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital.
Unless processed like the fungal threads she gave away, converting it into a normal vision, it was dangerous.
Bella’s consciousness had originated from a living being, accustomed to its vision and senses. Suddenly inhabiting a phenomenon-type Grotesquery, this problem was understandable.
Luo Ling communicated with Bella, understanding her current situation, but could only offer a helpless shrug.
Unless she could place Bella’s consciousness within a suitable physical body, she would have to remain in this formless state, adapting as best she could.
Bella couldn’t see clearly, and even sounds were distorted, but her perception of energy fluctuations was incredibly acute.
“But this sensitivity is agonizing…”
Bella’s face contorted in pain, the sensations becoming increasingly distorted, until she was rolling on the floor, clutching her head.
“What should we do, White Witch? Bella seems to be in pain…”
Elsa looked at Luo Ling, her eyes filled with tears.
“…Let’s put her back in the bottle.”
Luo Ling sighed, retrieving Bella.
Back within the crystal bottle, surrounded by darkness, Bella relaxed, sighing in relief. “Oh my god, I would have gone crazy…”
Inside the bottle, Bella, delicate like a little fairy, sat cross-legged, leaning against the glass, a picture of resignation.
“But at least this living Grotesquery has some combat strength. Bella just can’t stay out for too long. This shouldn’t be considered a failure, right?”
Luo Ling pondered, considering this another successful application of “Ensnare,” further confirming her theory: as long as the scale was limited, there wouldn’t be any problems.
Elsa was overjoyed to be reunited with Bella, whispering to her until her biological clock signaled bedtime, yawning repeatedly.
Placing the crystal bottle on her bedside table, Elsa climbed into Luo Ling’s bed, her beautiful green eyes shining with anticipation, hoping Luo Ling would join her.
Unable to resist Elsa’s expectant gaze, Luo Ling sighed and got into bed.
There was nothing else to do anyway. She might as well rest.
“Hehe…”
Elsa smiled contentedly, then glanced at Bella.
Bella seemed to sense Elsa’s gaze and winked in response.
The two little ones seemed to have been plotting something.
Luo Ling saw everything, but she wasn’t concerned. Elsa wouldn’t harm her.
The candlelight flickered and died, soft snores echoing in the room.
A silent night.
……..
In the following days, Luo Ling accompanied the Twintails Supreme team on missions, clearing out Grotesquery Incubation Barriers, while also analyzing Elsa’s combat style, searching for a way to eliminate the hidden dangers of the sealed Grotesqueries within her.
Meanwhile, the tea party remained quiet. The Leader hadn’t convened another meeting, nor summoned Luo Ling privately. The other members, having received the information on the path to godhood, were likely pursuing their own plans.
Unlike Luo Ling, they weren’t interested in the specific Sequence Philosopher was targeting, merely using his hard-earned method for their own ascension, so they wouldn’t interfere with his plans.
A Grotesquery Sequence position wasn’t something to be chosen lightly. It had to be the most suitable, otherwise, the consequences could be fatal.
Therefore, Luo Ling had eliminated a group of potentially powerful competitors.
Iris seemed to have uncovered some clues about the Harbingers’ plan, though nothing concrete yet.
However, her temper had been short recently, her words laced with resentment, like a frustrated housewife. Luo Ling suspected she was going through menopause.
The most unsettling news, however, concerned the various factions in Victoria.
Under the surveillance of her intelligence network, the Company’s higher-ups remained quiet. Although the Incubation Barrier clearing operations continued, their scale and frequency decreased, as if the tide of Grotesquery activity was receding.
The Harbingers had vanished completely. The twenty or thirty members hadn’t appeared within her network’s surveillance, indicating complete inactivity.
Victoria was experiencing an eerie calm, like the quiet before a storm, the brewing tempest unsettling to those who could perceive it.
But this calm didn’t last long. As Luo Ling slept with Elsa, a memory transmission from Alyssa suddenly arrived.
This was the first emergency alert from the final review mechanism.
Luo Ling quickly closed her eyes, accessing the memory.
The owner of the memory was bowing subserviently before a tall, middle-aged man in church robes, his expression a mixture of shock and disbelief.
“Wait, is this… really my Church of Light?”
Educator had emerged from seclusion.
Ten days early.
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