: ⚠️TRIGGER WARNING!! ⚠️ this instance consists of CSA(Child Se*ual Assault) so read it with that in mind, and yup half the chapters I was just chanting 'i wanna kill him' and that's there's only one arc of translation today because I feel worst and depressed so see ya Tommorow!
Have Happy Reading! (Though that might be tough with this arc)
After visiting the General's Mansion, Ji Huaichu sent a ghost to deliver some food to Mu Anqi. After she finished eating, Ji Huaichu took her out.
"General, can I know Xia Fenghua's level?" Although Mu Anqi had learned how the levels were divided on the Shattered Mirror Continent, she still didn't know where the fourth rank of Kaiyuan stood.
"Barrier Breaker," Ji Huaichu said. "Most beings on the Shattered Mirror Continent are stuck at the Barrier Breaker stage."
Mu Anqi nodded and obediently followed behind Ji Huaichu. Sensing that General Ji seemed to be in a good mood, she decided to take the opportunity to ask more questions. "Then, why didn't any of the instances I entered have the Nether Capital?"
"That's randomized by the Nirvana Space," Ji Huaichu continued. "Most of what appears in the Black Mirror Vortex are malicious thoughts and ghosts. The one in Samsara City is more special—it's an embodiment of illusion."
"…What does that mean?"
"Falsehood."
"Mm…" Mu Anqi thought, that did seem to be the case. As for that goddess of beauty… interpreting everything She said in reverse seemed to work perfectly. "Then what are the residents of White Paper?"
"Companions, attachments," Ji Huaichu said. "Reality within falsehood."
"I see…" Mu Anqi scratched her head. She had originally wanted to ask how the White Paper resident was doing after she left, whether the players who entered after the cycle of reincarnation encountered her. That White Paper resident… She had made a promise to her, so she probably kept it, right? But then she thought, to General Ji these were probably trivial matters, maybe the general didn't pay attention to her at all. If she asked… it might just be awkward. "How was the Black Mirror Vortex formed?"
"Do you know why this continent is called the Shattered Mirror Continent?" Ji Huaichu didn't answer directly. "A shattered mirror reflects ten thousand worlds."
"Demons, spirits—those that can reproduce naturally—are beings that originally existed on the Shattered Mirror Continent."
"Ghosts, resentments, devils… all invaded from the Black Mirror Vortex and were later merged into the Shattered Mirror Continent."
"No one knows why the Black Mirror Vortex appears, where it will appear next, if there's a time interval—there's no pattern at all. But it can't be left unchecked."
"You could think of it this way: the Black Mirror Vortex is a natural disaster of the Shattered Mirror Continent."
Mu Anqi nodded. "I understand."
She thought, maybe the Black Mirror Vortex was like the Nirvana Space—another kind of space projection? After all, the Nirvana Space could even set up instances inside the Black Mirror Vortex. But… Ji Huaichu came out of the Black Mirror Vortex, and most of the ghosts and monsters on the Shattered Mirror Continent also came from it, yet none of them knew the pattern of the vortex, nor did they sense the existence of something like Nirvana Space…
Forget it. Perhaps the Black Mirror Vortex was simply drawn by the overwhelming "emotions" of countless worlds, extracting the emotional subjects into the vortex and then randomly dragging them into the Shattered Mirror Continent. Who's to say whether other continents also had Black Mirror Vortexes?
Mu Anqi didn't overthink it. She looked at Ji Huaichu's tall figure walking in front… General Ji was a full head taller than her—definitely over 1.7 meters, though she didn't know the exact height.
General… when that word came to mind, Mu Anqi felt Ji Huaichu ought to be a solemn and serious… ghost.
At the circus, Mu Anqi didn't feel Ji Huaichu was like a general—more like a big shot inspecting the place. At the hotel, their first meeting had truly scared Mu Anqi, but the second time… it was actually stunning.
A dashing female general in a red robe—those small throwing knives danced and spun between her fingertips. What flipped and leapt wasn't just the knives, but also Mu Anqi's pure, looks-obsessed heart.
But now, after spending some time together, she seemed… not that imposing.
As Mu Anqi was thinking this, Ji Huaichu stopped in front of a house.
"Knock," Ji Huaichu said. "This is the reward I grant you for joining my command."
"The game will begin in three days. Xia Fenghua will lead you."
After saying this, Ji Huaichu turned and left.
Mu Anqi looked on in hesitation—Ji Huaichu actually just left like that?! Wait, the general didn't bring her out to walk around the city, but simply brought her here? A reward? What's in this house? A room full of gold?
Mu Anqi couldn't figure it out.
A bit of anticipation rose in her heart. She cautiously stepped forward and stood at the doorway. After adjusting her emotions, Mu Anqi raised her hand solemnly and knocked on the door.
Mu Anqi quickly stood up straight. There might also be ghosts under Ji Huaichu's command inside, and as the only player personally recruited by General Ji, she felt she absolutely couldn't disgrace the General. She tried hard to keep a straight face—never during military training in high school or university had she been this serious.
But… there didn't seem to be any movement? Didn't they hear it?
Mu Anqi was a little puzzled, though she still kept her expression composed. She solemnly raised her hand again and knocked on the door.
Every time she knocked, she knocked three times—once, twice…
Mu Anqi's hand froze in mid-air. She stood there dumbfounded, almost unable to believe her eyes!
The door opened, and the one who opened it was… a White Paper Resident.
The familiar white paper face looked at her, and Mu Anqi stared at the paper mask on the person's face. "You… you are…?"
The White Paper Resident seemed to be stunned as well. But soon, still moving with slightly stiff motions, she turned and walked back into the room.
Mu Anqi stood at the doorway and rubbed her face hard: What was going on? How could a White Paper Resident from Samsara City appear here? Was this… a reward? Did General Ji make a White Paper Resident for her too? But weren't White Paper Residents companions of the embodiment of illusion?
A string of questions surfaced in her mind. Mu Anqi looked at the door, hesitating to step inside. Until that same White Paper Resident came to the door again—this time holding an apple and a handful of candy.
General Ji—she, she snatched the White Paper Resident back from the embodiment of illusion?!
"Did that illu… the Goddess of Beauty allow you to leave?" Mu Anqi had originally wanted to hug the White Paper Resident, but her arms were full. So she restrained her emotions and asked, "You—you were willing to leave Samsara City? Your… faith… that…" She wanted to ask if the White Paper Resident had abandoned her faith and seen through the true face of the Goddess of Beauty, but feared she'd say the wrong thing and touch a sore spot.
"Goddess of Beauty severed her connection with me," the White Paper Resident said. "General Ji gave me sufficient energy—now I am an independent individual."
"After the connection was cut, I also realized that Goddess of Beauty is in fact the embodiment of illusion."
"Ah, I see… So, are you used to living here? Why haven't you finished the candy I gave you? Will you also be going to clear out the Black Mirror Vortex in the future?"
"General Ji treats me very well. The candy is sweet—I like it a lot, but I'd rather treasure it," the White Paper Resident said. "General Ji hasn't given that order. She just told me to stay here."
After all, in her White Paper Resident form, her attack power wasn't significant, and she didn't possess any special abilities.
They didn't continue standing foolishly at the door. The White Paper Resident turned and invited Mu Anqi inside, and Mu Anqi followed her in. The furnishings inside were just as simple as those in Samsara City. Mu Anqi thought maybe the White Paper Resident liked this minimalist style. She sat down on the sofa and asked the White Paper Resident for a large pot. Taking out her candy cane, she produced a large batch of three types of candy for her again. Then she asked for an empty jar and filled it with hot, spicy syrup.
The White Paper Resident probably wouldn't get cavities, right? After all, she wasn't human.
After sitting in the White Paper Resident's home for about two hours, Mu Anqi received a teleportation invitation to return to Nirvana Space. She said her goodbyes and confirmed the teleportation, returning to the Nirvana Space to continue her vacation.
…Wuwu, General Ji really is a good person—cold on the outside, warm on the inside! Mu Anqi was deeply moved and genuinely happy that the White Paper Resident could leave Samsara City and live safely on the Shattered Mirror Continent.
She secretly made up her mind: for the Black Mirror Vortex in three days, she would definitely work hard and repay General Ji with all her effort!
Once she was back in Nirvana Space, Mu Anqi noticed it was already afternoon. The second day of her break was mostly over. Not wasting any time, she slung on her backpack and went to the training ground, buying five hours of beginner-level staff training. That evening, after grabbing a meal at the food shop, she returned to her room and started stretching exercises.
Spending points on physical training classes… the results were good, but it was just too expensive. Mu Anqi figured she could train on her own in her room—planks, push-ups, squats, and the like. As long as she kept at it, it'd be effective too.
By the time the three days were up, Mu Anqi was fully prepared to face the Black Mirror Vortex again!
Player: Mu Anqi
Age at Death: 20
Ability: I Have Plenty of Money
Points: 509
Transaction Serial Number: 64805368
Alright, let's go—game start!
[Drawing game scenario…]
[ Ding! Special marker detected! Scanning for invitation… ]
[ Ding! Special invitation detected! Entering Black Mirror Vortex… ]
[ Beep! Instance activated: Silent Serenade! ]
[ Entering… please wait… ]
Complete darkness.
[ Beep! Passive skill Heaven's Chosen Girl activated! ]
[ Congratulations, player has received 1058 + 500 Guan coins ]
Mu Anqi stood still and silent. After quite a while, she gradually adapted to the darkness. It seemed like… she was inside a room? Using the faint moonlight, Mu Anqi groped around the room, and after several minutes finally felt a switch on the wall. Without hesitation, she pressed it with a "click," and the entire room lit up instantly.
The glaring white light made Mu Anqi squint. After adjusting to it, she began to survey her surroundings… This seemed like a perfectly normal room? A few pieces of clothing were tossed carelessly on the bed. Judging by the style, the room's owner was probably a woman.
The entire room was full of signs of daily life, with nothing eerie or supernatural about it. Not even a trace of blood. It looked just like an ordinary one-bedroom apartment.
Mu Anqi didn't rush to explore further. This was the Black Mirror Vortex, after all… wasn't Xia Fenghua supposed to come and guide her?
Where was that cute little thigh of a girl?!
With her precious "thigh" nowhere in sight, Mu Anqi had no choice but to calm down and start looking around the room for clues. What was this instance called again? Silent Serenade? Was there really such a serenade in the world?
Mu Anqi carefully opened and returned every drawer to its place. She leaned over the edge of the bed, meticulously checking the cracks beneath it for any clues. But forget instruments—she didn't even find a single sheet of music.
…Though honestly, even if she did, it wouldn't be much help. Mu Anqi could only recognise a five line score in music.. If the sheet music happened to hide some assassination code or death melody…
Mu Anqi figured she probably wouldn't be able to decipher it anyway.
Author's note:
The next two instances will be short and not dangerous—just a little transition.
The powerful beings of the Shattered Mirror Continent value the players' unique abilities and potential for growth. Right now, getting 1,000 Guan Si each time might not seem like much, but skills can level up. Not to mention, Mu Anqi isn't lacking in money at all.