The Belikeli family was no great house — but their timber mill, passed down through generations, kept them comfortably afloat.
With no need to worry about putting food on the table, becoming Transcendents became the aspiration that drove the Belickleys across more than a dozen generations. Unfortunately, progress came slowly; over all those years, the family had produced only a handful of low-Sequence Transcendents.
Then, half a century ago, a man named Sam Belickley returned to Loxibrook after years of wandering the world. From his travel bag, he produced a bow and arrow, black as lacquer.
Sam took the secret of how he'd obtained that plain-looking bow to his grave. But he told his blood relatives this: the bow was a key to some manner of "Legacy" — and the family's hope for greatness. One day, he said, the Belickleys would become great because of the one who awakened it.
Unfortunately, the members of the Belikeli family lacked the aptitude even to pass the Magic Academy's entrance examinations. No matter how hard they tried, they could not coax so much as a flicker of response from the bow.
After much deliberation, the Belikeli family funded the establishment of an orphanage. Every year, they took in several hundred orphans, and in the dead of night, touched the bow to each child in turn — the income from a timber mill was of course nowhere near sufficient to feed so many children, but that was hardly the point. In those years before the she-devil had yet appeared, who would spare a thought for the orphans of some orphanage, where the three-month survival rate didn't even reach ten percent?
If anyone had truly cared, there wouldn't have been so many orphans to begin with.
A few years later, the Belickleys discovered that the trade in human lives was far more profitable than any timber mill... It was that discovery, in the end, that kept the orphanage running for decades.
Then, sixteen years ago, the family gathered in the orphanage. Before their disbelieving eyes, the jet-black bow blazed to life in hues of crimson and black, illuminating the exquisite, delicate patterns etched across its surface — and there, cradled in the small space formed between the grip and the bowstring, lay an infant girl who seemed incapable of crying.
The family head at the time named her Grace.
Then the she-devil emerged from the mountains. She stacked up rolling heads to establish her rules, and the Belikeli family — too greedy to have quit while they were ahead — along with their orphanage, became nothing more than entries on a magistrate's record of accomplishments. Only a single branch line survived the reckoning.
More than a decade later, the branch family that had escaped destruction was flourishing again — the family's only son, Yarman, had modest aptitude, had been selected as an attendant by the Mettis family, had stepped onto the path of Transcendence, and held a respectable position with a generous income. And Grace, who had blossomed into a graceful and beautiful young woman, had — despite having access only to an ordinary education — independently studied the inherited Legacy on her own, grasped Introductory Chaos Magic, and claimed first place in the Magic Academy's entrance examinations.
Everything was moving in the right direction.
Given time, this once-overlooked branch family, now enjoying a turn of fortune, would soon welcome a fine daughter-in-law — one groomed from childhood for loyalty, and with a limitless future on the path of Transcendence.
A brilliant future, nearly within reach.
Then, not long ago, Yarman died under murky circumstances. His father, upon receiving the news, erupted in grief and fury and coughed up blood on the spot — and died.
The once-thriving branch family shattered under the sudden blow, marking the total extinction of the Belickley line.
Yet when Grace and her frequently abused foster mother learned of Yarman's and her foster father's deaths, neither felt much grief. The two women — mother and daughter in all but blood — even felt a faint, secret relief.
The precocious Grace had always deeply resented the clumsy, unsubtle attempts at indoctrination she'd been subjected to. But having been forced to grow up in that environment from birth, she hadn't known how to change it. Still — though she held no hatred — out of a sense of obligation for having been raised and sheltered, she had agreed to Kenneth's self-proposed plan: to take revenge on Li Fei.
The consequences of killing someone in Loxibrook were severe. If the victim had stronger backing than the killer, then murdering someone within a certain distance outside the city walls carried the same penalty as killing within them — and how far that distance extended depended on the breadth and depth of one's connections. But if the killing occurred in a dangerous Folded Space, or far enough away, one could kill Li Fei and escape legal retribution.
According to Kenneth, "that shameless bitch seems to have a habit of stealing what belongs to others." All it would take was a little performance, and Li Fei would come to her on her own. All Grace had to do was earn Li Fei's trust, learn her movements, and seize a chance to ambush and kill her — or even lure her somewhere far enough from Loxibrook and finish her there.
Kenneth, as an enemy of Li Fei, was clearly accurate in his assessment of her on certain levels. His revenge plan had initially proceeded without a hitch.
Grace had watched with her own eyes as her so-called "enemy" — who was always excessively warm toward attractive women — snapped at the carelessly cast bait, and remained completely unguarded around her from beginning to end.
But somewhere along the way, things had slipped out of control.
The short-haired girl, now privy to the "truth," watched Li Fei — all smiles, feeding treats to the little girl — and felt a tangle of emotions she couldn't begin to sort out.
"Is the cake Big Sister Li Fei made yummy?"
Li Fei pinched Little Roslyn's chubby cheeks, smiling warmly.
"Mm-mm."
Little Roslyn puffed out her cheeks and nodded eagerly, then asked in a soft, garbled baby voice: "Why isn't Big Sister Li Fei working anymore?"
It had to be said — the little girl was quite adorable. Back when Li Fei was earning only a dozen or so silver coins a month, she'd even entertained the passing thought of "if all else fails, I'll just wait for her to grow up and marry in," taking over from Mrs. Roslyn as the establishment's proprietress.
But alas — the fallen courtesan had since displayed unparalleled brilliance, and her life was going from strength to strength. Little Roslyn had been knocked out of contention before she ever had a chance to play.
"Big Sister has to go to school now, she's very busy… Slow down, don't choke."
Li Fei passed her the milk and patted her gently on the back. "Did Little Roslyn miss me?"
"Mm-mm."
The little one nodded vigorously, scattering cake crumbs all over Li Fei's lap.
You liar — I just saw you being all cozy with Susie next door. Big Sister is very sad.
Li Fei teased the little girl a moment longer, then reached into a paper bag, pulled out a slice of cake, and held it out toward Grace.
"Here."
Grace blinked, staring at the gentle and luminous beauty before her. It took her a good moment to come back to herself. She declined politely: "I'm full… mmph."
Li Fei had softly pressed the cake into her mouth, and said with a touch of playful insistence: "I made it myself, you know. No wasting allowed."
Grace silently took hold of the cake and chewed slowly, but her gaze couldn't move from Li Fei for even a moment — those cyan irises reflected the sweet, warm smile radiating with nothing but warmth and goodwill.
How radiant.
How wonderful.
Aside from being a bit too enthusiastic toward girls — nearly perfect.
No, wait — that wasn't even a flaw. She was simply like the morning sun, scattering gentle, golden light. Such a warm girl, one who had willingly offered her own life to draw the attention of powerful pursuers so that others might live — what ill intentions could someone like that possibly harbor?
That the thugs who had wanted to harm her died in the righteous counter-strike… wasn't that simply how it should be?
The conviction to take revenge guttered like a candle flame in the wind — while a sense of relief welled up unbidden, tinged with a thread of guilt, as though she had betrayed the trust of someone who had believed in her.
Though Grace hid her inner turmoil behind an impassive expression, Li Fei caught something in her gaze all the same — and her smile grew brighter.
Her purpose here was accomplished. Li Fei rose to her feet, brushing the cake crumbs from her mage robe. Under Little Roslyn's reluctant, clinging gaze, she made to settle the bill and leave.
"Mrs. Roslyn, the check, please~"
"This one's on me — go get to class, don't be late."
Mrs. Roslyn waved her off.
"That won't do — I'm a paying customer."
Li Fei smiled. "If you don't take my money, how could I ever have the face to come back next time?"
"Then don't come back."
Mrs. Roslyn feigned annoyance, putting on a stern face. "I'm going to attend to my other guests. Do as you like."
"All right, all right."
Li Fei fished out one of the spoils she'd looted from the Wolf Den, and without waiting for a word, slipped it onto Mrs. Roslyn's wrist. "Consider this my tab."
[Fairy Bracelet]
Equipment Rating: Glow
Attribute: Charisma +1
True to Li Fei's habit, most of the useless loot she gathered was liquidated for cash, while the nicer-looking pieces were kept specifically as gifts.
With the bracelet on, the pleasantly plump Mrs. Roslyn did somehow look a touch more refined.
Before the proprietress could react, Li Fei darted over to Grace, whispered "Let's go," then wrapped an arm around her slender waist. With a surge of magical energy, both their figures vanished beyond the courtyard wall atop a soaring broomstick.
"That child…"
Mrs. Roslyn examined the elegant bracelet with a bemused shake of her head, then let out a long sigh. "As long as she's all right…"
"Whoa."
Following close behind Nicole, Li Fei craned her neck left and right to take in the rows of portal gates standing side by side, clicking her tongue in admiration.
The portal frames came in every fantastical shape imaginable — some resembling dragon heads, others like the wide-gaping maws of sea monsters — while the magical light flickering within their thresholds shimmered in all manner of colors.
Each portal led to a different Folded Space, exuding an air of mystery and kindling an irresistible urge to explore.
"Here we are."
Nicole halted before a portal that glowed a verdant green, and turned to face them. "I trust you're both familiar with the situation. Folded Space D-07 poses little danger to either of you."
"The return transit channel has been established near the Knowledge Tree. Once you locate the Knowledge Tree, you can come back."
"If you haven't returned within three days, I'll send someone in to find you — so if anything goes wrong, find cover, and just hold out for three days."
"Why build two one-way portals instead of a single two-way transit channel?"
Li Fei raised her hand, tilting her head with mild curiosity.
"Because of cost."
Nicole sighed, reaching up to toss her grey braid behind her shoulder. "The construction and maintenance costs of a single two-way transit path far exceed those of two one-way portals. This topic is covered in the third-year curriculum."
"Safe travels, then, ladies."
"See you tonight — or maybe tomorrow~"
With a parting wave, Li Fei placed her hand gently on Grace's slender back and guided her into the portal first. Then, with one leg already crossing the threshold, she glanced back over her shoulder with a coquettish smile — shaped her lips into a flying kiss, made a soft little "mwah" sound, and stepped through. The dewy curve of her lips, still touched by lip balm, was impossibly alluring.
"Good girl."
Nicole lightly pressed the tip of her index finger to her own lips, then extended her tongue for the briefest taste. Her gaze was deep and dreamy, as though savoring the flavor of some cherished, filial gift.
The moment they crossed through the portal, the temperature climbed several degrees at once.
Underfoot was waterlogged, spongy mud — even without pressing down, the soles of their boots sank two or three centimeters with every step.
Lush wild grass carpeted the moisture-rich soil; not far off, a river wound through the landscape, its surface thick with shrubs and vivid green aquatic plants.
The sky of Folded Space D-07 seemed to hang low — much like the Witch Coven Folded Space — as though a broomstick ride straight up would let one brush fingertips against it. The difference was that the sky here was brilliantly bright, yet no matter how long Li Fei craned her neck upward searching for a light source, she found none. The light that fell here seemed simply to have conjured itself from nothing.
"Ugh, this stinks."
The air was thick with a foul, rotting odor. Li Fei pinched her nose and complained.
"You'll get used to it."
Grace answered flatly, her breathing steady, making herself adapt to the smell as quickly as she could.
Li Fei puffed out her cheeks, then wrapped her arms around Grace from the side, pressing her nose into the hair by her ear and drawing a long, exaggerated breath — inhaling and exhaling in theatrical "hss-haah, hss-haah" fashion — before finally releasing her with a thoroughly satisfied expression.
"Soft, sweet Grace — I feel human again."
Grace's eyelashes fluttered. She pulled out the map and assumed a composed tone:
"If we follow this river to its end, we'll find the Knowledge Tree. If we move quickly enough, we should reach our destination within a few hours."
"No rush."
Li Fei shook her head, and said with perfect seriousness: "Low-quality Knowledge Fruit is rare and valuable, sure, but it's the kind of thing you can still buy with enough money — it's hardly a priceless treasure. I don't think we should limit our attention to the Knowledge Tree."
"Miss Grace, you seem to have a technique for drawing on your fortune in advance — something you may well need again in the future. So I think you need to practice fighting under conditions of 'poor luck.'
"And I have lingering aftereffects from my soul damage, which means I also need to work on producing stable combat performance in this condition."
"Which brings me to the question — is there any better sparring target than cavemen and beastmen?"
"And let's not forget — those do-nothing bureaucrats down at city hall are the ones who let all the Moonlight Wolves in the Wolf Den go extinct!"
Li Fei cheerfully deflected the blame onto city hall officials while sweeping her gaze across the marshland, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.
We came all this way — how could we not have a warm and friendly exchange with the charming locals? Experience points are always welcome, the more the better.
"You make a fair point."
Grace considered for a moment, then agreed with Li Fei's proposal.
In truth, Loxibrook was one of the Nature faction's most important strongholds, and Transcendents of the Nature school made up the largest proportion of its practitioners. The Magic Academy alone was home to no shortage of formidable mages, and the handful of high-Sequence individuals at the very top could summon mythical creatures the likes of phoenixes and demons — calling forth a few low-Sequence Moonlight Wolves would be child's play.
But experience had proven that summoned units — fearless and absolutely obedient to their mage's commands — while reliable and immune to morale failures on the battlefield, were simply not ideal sparring partners for real combat training.
Only by killing creatures that feel fear, feel rage, make mistakes, but also erupt with hidden potential when the moment demands — creatures that bleed and wail when wounded, that fight tooth and nail for survival when on the brink of death, that can still thrash forward trailing their own innards even after being cut in half — only that kind of living, struggling enemy could forge a young Transcendent's rapid growth. Summoned units that vanished without a sound in a burst of light when killed could never compare to real life in that respect.
"Besides — there are only the two of us here. Don't you think it's terribly romantic, exploring an unknown world side by side, just the two of us?"
Li Fei's eyes sparkled with girlish longing. "It's a little like a couple in an adventure novel."
Even though Grace knew full well that Li Fei had Qin Zhihua — the practically perfect girlfriend — and regarded her as nothing more than a "friend," the poker-faced girl's heart still skipped half a beat.
"Oh — sorry, sorry. I think I said something that's very easy to misread."
Li Fei suddenly covered her mouth, then tilted her head and gave her own temple a light tap with her knuckle, stuck out her tongue, and said in a playful, girlish lilt:
"Grace is so pretty, and such a good person — she must have a girlfriend by now, right?"
"Oh no — you came here alone with me. Her girlfriend isn't going to get jealous, is she?"
Grace kept her face carefully blank, but instinctively let a little more weight into her voice:
"I don't have one."
"Oh…"
Li Fei let out a small breath of relief — then immediately shifted to an expression of faint, helpless disappointment. It was precisely the expression she'd wanted the poker-faced girl to read — and so Grace's heart, entirely against her will, began to thump.
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