Chapter 116: Cosmic Country Bumpkin!
As the two talked, they entered the examination room. Xiao Yi was already tied up on the bed, where Monise, with ferocity in her eyes, was examining her.
After a series of tests, Monise reached a conclusion.
“She’s definitely not human, but she resembles humans closely. I even suspect she’s a creature that evolved alongside us on this planet.” Holding a stack of freshly printed examination reports, Monise shared the results with Luo Shuangyue and Xia Mo.
Xiao Yi had many ambiguous similarities with humans; on the surface, they seemed almost identical, but if you peeled back the skin to look inside, the differences became apparent.
This was certainly not a human but a mysterious life form with high intelligence; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her an alien.
“But why does the alien look like this?” Xia Mo asked, gazing at Xiao Yi lying on the bed with a despondent expression, her face filled with confusion.
Though she wasn’t well-versed in such matters, the fact that an alien could look almost identical to a human was inherently strange.
Xia Mo didn’t believe there was anything particularly special about humans, and thought that if intelligent life existed on other planets, it was very likely they wouldn’t look like humans at all.
Yet, the appearance of Xiao Yi challenged that notion.
An intelligent life form from another planet actually resembled humans so closely! It was simply bizarre.
“I’m not sure; perhaps there are deeper reasons that are not easy to ponder.” Monise shook her head. In the past, scientists might have debated what it represented when encountering such phenomena.
Did it mean humans were created by some other life forms? Where were those life forms?
But modern humans had no time to debate such things; survival and extermination of magical creatures were far more important.
The appearance of an alien, one they could communicate with, was simply fantastic for humanity.
Humans were no longer fighting alone—countless lives might exist in the vast, boundless starry sky, all potential allies!
“Her mental state is currently unstable; I’ll have professionals come help her calm down. For now, let her stay here for a few days,” Monise said to Xia Mo. “You can inform the Magic Department about this, but I will not release her.”
“Alright, it’s getting late. Dark Butterfly, see them out.”
After saying this, Monise waved her hand impatiently, prompting Luo Shuangyue to take Xia Mo away.
Given her attitude, it seemed she had no intention of butchering Xiao Yi to make some alien delicacy.
Blindfolding Xia Mo again, Luo Shuangyue led her out of the Polar Night base. After circling around a couple of times, she flew back to their home with Xia Mo.
“Would you like to come in for a bit?” Standing at the door, Xia Mo smiled sweetly at Luo Shuangyue, inviting her with a flirtatious expression, “Shuangxing should already be asleep; she won’t know you’re not coming home tonight.”
No need for Xia Mo to explicitly say what she meant.
Come in for a bit? If she did, Luo Shuangyue was probably looking at being tied to the bed until the sun rose.
“No, no.” Luo Shuangyue quickly waved her arms in a big X. Even after being attacked by Xia Mo several times, she still couldn’t fully adapt to this kind of life.
Sharing a bed with the girl she liked was something Luo Shuangyue needed to adjust to, so she needed a little more time to get used to it.
Seeing Luo Shuangyue refuse her invitation, Xia Mo didn’t press the issue and merely sighed regretfully as she gently closed the door.
“Ha…” Luo Shuangyue breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door to the adjacent room.
The room was quiet, with no sound at all; Luo Shuangxing seemed to have already washed up and gone to bed. With that thought, Luo Shuangyue removed her shoes and quietly slipped back into her own room.
It was late, and she didn’t want to disturb her sister by showering; she would wash in the morning instead.
As she thought this, she began changing into her pajamas. Just as she was taking off her outer clothes, a pendant fell from her pocket and landed on the floor.
Huh? Luo Shuangyue looked at the pendant on the ground and realized why she felt something was off earlier—this was the source.
She should have handed this pendant over to Monise as well, but she had forgotten when Monise was rushing her out!
What to do? Fly over again to give it to Monise?
That idea flickered in Luo Shuangyue’s mind and was quickly shot down. It was too late; she wouldn’t make a trip at this hour.
It was fine to give it to Monise tomorrow.
Picking up the pendant and placing it on the bedside table, Luo Shuangyue changed into her pajamas and climbed under the covers, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
She didn’t see a faint black smoke drifting from the pendant on her bedside table after her breathing gradually steadied, slowly infiltrating her body.
……
“Sister Yi, I found you~”
When Luo Shuangyue regained consciousness, she found herself standing in the midst of ruins. Massive beasts that seemed capable of blocking the sky were spewing forth torrents of black magical energy, destroying everything on the ground.
People were screaming and fleeing around her; several blurry figures in golden uniforms stood beside her, shouting something at her.
It sounded like “Run fast!”
“You abandoned everyone, sacrificing their lives for your own meager existence… Sister, you’re really… only thinking about yourself~”
A small, indistinct figure appeared amidst the violent explosions, slowly walking up to Luo Shuangyue and gently cradling her face.
This girl resembled Xiao Yi closely; the only difference was that her body seemed to have been assimilated by magical creatures, with dark threads protruding from her ears and signs of the transformed person’s blood vessels bulging on her body.
The conflict between her body and magical power was severe.
“Um… did you mistake me for someone else? I’m not Yi, and my sister doesn’t look like you.” Luo Shuangyue raised her hand, grabbing the girl’s wrist, and reminded her with a helpless voice.
“Eh?” The girl was momentarily taken aback by Luo Shuangyue’s reaction, and her unfocused blue eyes stared at Luo Shuangyue for a while before hesitantly arriving at an answer.
It seemed… she really did mistake her!
Crack!
At that moment, the space next to her suddenly fractured, and several spiked black thorns leapt out from the dark void like snakes, binding her tightly.
A mass of black mist also squeezed into the space, and upon seeing the giant beasts in the sky, the black mist let out a cheer, happily rushing towards the sky and in the blink of an eye devoured those giants completely.
As those things disappeared, the space began to collapse rapidly. In what felt like the blink of an eye, everything before Luo Shuangyue vanished, and she found herself back in the little room deep within her familiar consciousness.
Though it wasn’t quite right to call it a little room anymore; after days of tireless electricity theft, You Ji had transformed the original little space into a sizeable manor. The group now sat in the garden of the manor, with several cups of steaming hot tea in front of them.
The elegantly dressed You Ji dragged the girl bound by thorns to her side and spoke with a blackened expression, “Who gave you the guts to run wild in my territory?”
The thorns binding the girl tightened, slicing open her skin with each press.
Instead of blood, dark mist flowed from these openings, which seemed to indicate the girl’s inhuman nature.
You Lian, sitting in her designated spot, widened her eyes and turned into black mist that darted forward, greedily consuming the black vapor flowing from the girl.
After feasting on the ‘blood,’ she kept a hawkish gaze on the girl’s body, as if wanting to consume this body as well.
This unreserved hunger finally made the girl, who had always maintained a calm demeanor, lose her composure, her expression turning grim. “What are you all?”
The aura radiating from the three of them felt peculiar, reminiscent of her kin, yet with an indefinable quality.
If the aura of magical creatures was a cup of red tea, You Ji emitted a scent of red tea but looked nothing like it.
Luo Shuangyue looked utterly unlike red tea, yet she gave the girl a sense that red tea was hidden in her essence.
As for You Lian, she had the appearance and fragrance of red tea, but still exuded a strange quality.
“Invading our territory and questioning our identity first; I see you really don’t know how to write the word ‘death!’” A fierce glint flashed in You Ji’s eyes as the black thorns directly twisted the girl’s right arm until it snapped.
“Even if you kill me here, it won’t harm me at all.” The girl replied coldly, showing no fear of You Ji’s deadly threat.
This was merely a spiritual space; she was just a wisp of consciousness, and there was no need to worry about being killed.
“I’m curious about you guys; on this seemingly ordinary planet, it appears there are many intriguing things like you.” The girl smiled, revealing numerous black tendrils that were slowly writhing in her mouth.
“I will destroy you, making you witness the arrival of annihilation; their today is your planet’s tomorrow!”
Madness spilled from the girl’s mouth as she laughed maniacally, seemingly envisioning how this planet would be destroyed under her advancing army.
That civilization, which claimed to be the spirit of all, leaving countless traces in the cosmos, was defeated by her; how could this little planet, which could not even break free from its own, withstand her onslaught?
“Is that so? Then let me send you to meet the embodiment of death.”
You Ji stood up, grabbing the thorn and spinning it like a slingshot.
The speed was so fast that it made Luo Shuangyue’s scalp tingle.
Afterward, You Ji released her grip, watching as the girl bound by thorns soared towards the giant butterfly in the sky, a nasty smile spreading across her face.
Sensing the girl’s approach, the giant butterfly slightly raised its head, meeting the girl’s gaze.
Next, the previously arrogant girl screamed in panic, “What is this, what is this thing? Don’t come near!”
But her struggles and resistance were utterly futile. The giant butterfly simply inhaled gently, completely sucking her into its belly.
A piercing scream echoed through the dark space, making Luo Shuangyue feel increasingly restless.
This giant butterfly felt eerie.
“Is it really okay to just let the giant butterfly eat her? What if something goes wrong?” Luo Shuangyue asked uncertainly.
“If You Lian had problems eating it, it wouldn’t be an issue. You’d be better off worrying about that royal friend of ours instead,” You Ji coldly replied, pulling You Lian, who was gazing longingly at the sky, close to her side.
If that girl still couldn’t confirm the true identities of You Ji and the others, then You Ji definitely knew who this visitor was.
This was a royal-class magical creature, a being that had survived for a long time and was much stronger than her previous self.
“You’ve been targeted by her, no—you humans have been targeted by her. This time, it’s not just a game,” You Ji said, stroking You Lian’s head as she spoke to Luo Shuangyue.
“The things you saw in that dream were likely not illusions; they were real events. This magical lord has an army of magical creatures capable of crossing the starry sky. Can your kind handle such enemies?”
A wicked smile appeared on You Ji’s face as she seemed eager to see Luo Shuangyue’s panicked expression.
But unfortunately, she didn’t get to see it.
In contrast to fear, Luo Shuangyue was more curious about how powerful this royal-class magical creature could be and how strong its army was.
Fear and terror? Those emotions were utterly useless apart from being a hindrance.
“You Ji, tell me, how strong could she really be? Is she stronger than Bai Ye?”
Hearing Luo Shuangyue’s question, You Ji couldn’t help but chuckle, realizing Luo Shuangyue had no correct understanding of Bai Ye’s power.
Yes, that royal-class magical creature was impressive, but there was always a limit to how strong they could be.
And Bai Ye was the one who transcended that limit.
If Luo Shuangyue hadn’t restrained herself in the beginning and had unleashed her ultimate move right away, You Ji wouldn’t have been able to last even half a minute in the terrifying power of Bai Ye; the difference between royal-class and other magical creatures was merely a matter of seconds.
Thinking that she could withstand Bai Ye’s ultimate move? Such a wishful thought.
“You can rest assured; Bai Ye is invincible.”
“Then why did she disappear? If she’s invincible, what could have stopped her?”
“Who knows? I’m just a magical creature living on this little planet. I merely caught a glimpse of her and felt her power when I was born.” You Ji shrugged.
She had never encountered Bai Ye directly; after all, Bai Ye had vanished before she was born.
But she did know where Bai Ye had been, at least a few years prior.
“I call that place hell, and we are the demons that crawled out from hell,” You Ji said with a smile.
“So, where is hell?” Luo Shuangyue’s breathing quickened; this was the first key information she had received regarding her mother’s whereabouts!
“I don’t know. I just know that place exists and that Bai Ye was there; beyond that, I have no knowledge.”
“Tsk…”
“Although I don’t know, that royal-class magical creature might know a thing or two; after all, it seems to know more than I do~”
……
“Her mind has temporarily stabilized. Do you need me to do something slight?”
“Not for now; I’d be quite troubled if I damaged her brain.”
“Eh? Are you doubting me?”
“Have you ever treated a non-human before, confident that there won’t be any issues?”
The next morning, when Luo Shuangyue hurried to the Polar Night headquarters, she was surprised to find Monise arguing with a very familiar girl.
Soul Guide? When did this senior come over? Luo Shuangyue wondered.
Could it be that Monise called her specifically to help Xiao Yi with her psychological issues?
Forget it; regardless, she should first tell Monise about the events from last night.
Luo Shuangyue gathered her thoughts and quickly approached Monise, telling her everything she had dreamed about the night before.
After listening, Monise raised an eyebrow and was about to question whether Luo Shuangyue had too vivid an imagination when the nearby Soul Guide answered for her.
“I wondered why that girl’s mental state was so chaotic; it turns out it’s because of this…” The Soul Guide slapped her palm.
She had been puzzled about what had caused Xiao Yi to become that way, but with Luo Shuangyue’s explanation, everything clicked into place.
“Hand over that pendant; the problem most likely lies there.”
When the pendant was with Xiao Yi, she had gone mentally unstable, and after it reached Luo Shuangyue, she began having strange nightmares at night.
Moreover, the dreams seemed to center around Xiao Yi, indicating that this dream realm targeted Xiao Yi while Luo Shuangyue was merely an innocent bystander swept up in it.
Luo Shuangyue took out the pendant and handed it to the Soul Guide. The latter examined it and instantly reached a conclusion. “Indeed, there are mental fluctuations emanating from it; it’s completely sufficient to deal with ordinary people.”
As for how this thing caused nightmares… the Soul Guide’s fingertip ignited a wisp of flame and directed it towards the center of the pendant.
The soul fire smoothly penetrated the pendant’s transparent shell, drawn in by the enchanting starry whirlpool.
Immediately, a faint purple thread of fire emitted from the pendant, shooting outward toward the distance.
“Found it! It’s very close… Dark Butterfly, go take a trip and bring the mastermind over!”
“Eh? But that’s a royal-class magical creature! Do I go alone?” Luo Shuangyue exclaimed, pointing at herself with a look of confusion.
Didn’t I just mention that magical creature is royal-class and boasts a formidable army? I’m just a fledgling and definitely won’t be its opponent, right?
Then, she felt a light knock on her head from Monise.
“Here, it definitely won’t be its main body. If it were, it would be simple.”
Such a powerful life form as a royal-class magical creature is hard to escape the monitoring of the Magic Department. You Ji and You Lian, this ‘mother-daughter’ pair, had found a great loophole, but the outside royal-class creature Luo Shuangyue encountered had no escaping awareness.
Moreover, based on Luo Shuangyue’s previous descriptions of the magical lord’s personality, she undoubtedly wouldn’t be trying to hide her identity while wreaking havoc in Xinghai City.
If her main body were here, she would have already let her army run amok.
But she hadn’t done so; she only tormented Xiao Yi in the background, seemingly enjoying it like a game.
Thus, Monise could determine that no powerful enemy awaited in the direction indicated by the pendant; at most, it would be a royal-class one.
Having Luo Shuangyue handle the situation was very safe.
After Monise’s explanation, Luo Shuangyue felt a bit unsure but acknowledged that there was some logic in her words.
At worst, it would just be a royal-class; if she really encountered a royal-class, she would just transform into Bai Ye and slap the opponent to death, leaving her with no drawbacks.
“Alright, I’ll go take a look… By the way, do you want the target alive or dead?”
“If you can manage to bring them back alive, then do so.”
“Understood!”
……
Following the guidance of the Soul Guide’s soul fire, Luo Shuangyue found her target in a very short time.
The other party didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding; she stood boldly in a dilapidated factory, her right hand wrapped around a pendant almost identical to the one in Luo Shuangyue’s hand.
She resembled the girl Luo Shuangyue had seen in her dream last night but looked more… lively.
The girl from last night had seemed like a corpse being forcefully propped up, full of death energy, but the girl she saw today looked like a living person.
Of course, this was assuming one disregarded the black threads extending from the girl’s ears to her back.
“Did you cause my wisp of consciousness to vanish?” The girl lifted her eyes to look at Luo Shuangyue, her tone cold, filled with an eerie feeling different from ordinary people.
“Sort of; your crafted nightmare was quite realistic, but it was of no use to me.”
“You saw such a scene and felt no fear? How strange.” The girl turned her gaze to the abandoned factory behind her, her voice laced with a hint of mockery. “Ahh~ I understand now; for lifeforms still confined to the surface, you can’t possibly comprehend what my arrival signifies.”
Her tone was like a city dweller looking down on a country bumpkin.
But in a sense, she wasn’t wrong; compared to her, an entity capable of traveling the starry sky, humans living confined to this planet indeed seemed like a bunch of bumpkins.
“Did you know those ‘elves’ once confidently believed they could defeat me easily? Yet, it only took me a few years in your calendar to completely destroy their civilization, turning a culture capable of walking among the stars into mere pages of history.”
“Their resistance was so weak that I didn’t even need to lift a finger; my army could easily slaughter them. Even their home planet couldn’t withstand a day of assault.”
“And you… ha.”
Luo Shuangyue silently watched this magical creature dressed in human skin, remaining speechless.
She understood this was the creature bragging about its military power, hoping to witness her fear, yet she didn’t find it particularly terrifying.
She actually hoped this creature would divulge more, providing her with additional information.
“Why can you speak our language? Does the whole starry sky speak the same tongue?” Luo Shuangyue asked a rather foolish question.
As expected, hearing this, the magical creature burst into laughter. “Hahaha, what an arrogant lifeform! I merely devoured a few of your kin and learned your language.”
Then, she spoke a complicated and peculiar set of phrases. Luo Shuangyue tried hard to remember the intonations but completely couldn’t grasp their meanings.
“This is the ‘elf’ language, and it means a frog at the bottom of a well is indeed pitiful.”
This damn sense of superiority—how can a magical creature be so infuriating?!
If I had devoured two elves, I could speak just as fluently, as if anyone couldn’t eat!
Frustrated, but she had to hold back. Luo Shuangyue took a deep breath; she needed to follow this magical creature’s words, hoping it would reveal more secrets in turn.
This method of coaxing the opponent to unveil their secrets was far more effective than knocking them down and using a big memory restoration technique. After all, this was merely a wisp of consciousness of the magical creature; if it didn’t want to serve, it could easily dismiss this wisp, leaving Luo Shuangyue with nothing to show for her efforts.
“You…” Luo Shuangyue’s face turned red, feeling suffocated by the magical creature’s taunts yet unable to formulate a retort.
Seeing this scene, the magical being once again erupted in laughter, laden with mockery.
“Hahaha, you lifeforms living on a tiny planet actually think you can go against a being like me belonging to the boundless cosmos; truly, ignorance breeds fearlessness.”
“The ‘elf’ fleet can traverse the star sea, instantly turning planets like yours into seas of fire, yet facing me, they were as powerless as you are against them.”
The magical creature continued to boast, detailing how powerful she was and how she obliterated the elves’ resisting power.
Luo Shuangyue’s expression grew increasingly pale and more terrified.
This only pleased the magical creature further; she relished seeing the fear displayed on these lifeforms’ faces—it was an exquisite feast for her.
“That girl abandoned her companions to escape in an escape pod when the refugee fleet was about to be destroyed, leaving her loved ones behind in that doomed fleet.”
The magical creature caressed her face, emitting a laugh that was utterly malevolent.
“I found her and bestowed upon her a brand new life, bringing her back to seek out the sister who abandoned her. Do you think what I did was right or wrong~?”
Bestowed a brand new life? How can you call that a new life… Luo Shuangyue felt too many criticisms bubbling within her.
Right now, this girl was essentially a marionette, with her body manipulated by you!
“I don’t think that reflects her true thoughts.” Luo Shuangyue replied with a stern face.
“Oh? But before she was given her new life, she constantly mumbled ‘Sister, don’t go!’ ‘Sister, help me!’ And now, I’ve brought her to find her sister~.”
Oh come on, this being is exceedingly malicious!
Of all the royal-class magical creatures Luo Shuangyue had seen, this one was truly the worst.
Controlling Xiao Yi’s body, shattering her mind, turning her into a nearly brainless fool in fear.
If Black Dragonfly and Jiuye hadn’t picked up Xiao Yi in time, that girl would have surely been tortured beyond belief.
“Is she still there?” Luo Shuangyue couldn’t help but ask.
“I am her; she has become a part of me~”
Alright, it seemed Xiao Yi couldn’t be saved anymore.
The magical creature wouldn’t show mercy; she had already devoured the consciousness of that poor girl when seizing Xiao Yi’s body.
“Alright, we’ve talked enough. It’s time to put an end to this boring meeting.” The magical girl’s mouth curled into a grin, and dark magical energy slowly seeped out from her body.
An exceptionally strong royal-class aura surfaced in Luo Shuangyue’s senses—she was dealing with a formidable enemy.
In terms of aura alone, this being was even stronger than the super royal-class she had slain. However, Luo Shuangyue believed the battle wouldn’t be too difficult.
The reason that royal-class was hard to handle was its tough shell, but this opponent was human-shaped, making it much simpler to manage.
“Is that so? Then it’s time for you cosmic bumpkins to witness the power of a magical girl.” Luo Shuangyue extended her hand, dark purple magical energy coalescing into a gigantic scythe.
You Lian leaped out from within Luo Shuangyue, staring at the magical girl for three seconds before exclaiming, “Delicious!”
Swish!
“What?!”
The magical girl watched as Luo Shuangyue suddenly appeared before her, her pupils dilating sharply.
What in the world?
Was this how the script was supposed to go? Wasn’t she supposed to take out some weapon to deal with her and then be easily countered?
Why was the situation turning out this way? Why did this girl dare to rush right up to her?
Even when Luo Shuangyue pierced the scythe into her abdomen, the magical girl had yet to recover from her shock and bewilderment.
The dark magical energy erupted like thorns from within her, completely controlling her movements; You Lian wanted to launch a follow-up attack, but Luo Shuangyue hurriedly called for her to stop.
Capture alive! They needed her alive!
Moreover, she didn’t quite understand; why was this magical creature so weak?
The aura surrounding her felt strong! Shouldn’t our battle be earth-shattering, both sides fiercely clashing until one is vanquished and the other emerged victorious?
Why wasn’t she dodging at all? Instead, she was easily taken down by me?!
This was way too strange!
“I say, aren’t you going to resist a bit?” Luo Shuangyue poked the magical girl’s face with her finger, voice laced with confusion.
Earlier, she acted so incredibly arrogant; how come now, during a fight, she seemed much weaker than her underlings?
A single strike and she was down? She wasn’t deliberately playing me to catch me off guard, was she?
“What are you?” The magical girl was also dazed, puzzled as to how it was possible for Luo Shuangyue to possess such power…
In her previous battles with Xiao Yi and her kin, she pushed through with strength; wherever her army went, they swept everything clean, facing no significant resistance.
The elf fleet couldn’t stir any waves before the magical creature’s army; even the most powerful battleship couldn’t leave a mark on her elite guard.
Yet, in this seemingly simple form, she was utterly defeated by a girl who appeared unexceptional?!
She was even taken down in a one-on-one!
What kind of situation was this?!
“Are you truly a cosmic bumpkin? Did you not know about magical girls?” Luo Shuangyue scratched her head, suddenly finding this royal-class magical creature wasn’t so intimidating after all.
Without magical girls, magical creatures would indeed exert a terrifying suppression over technological civilizations, for close proximity rendered all technological creations inoperative—fighting back would be utterly hopeless.
