The Money Tree's performance was of course good, but it didn't seem as dazzling as it had been in the City of Seven-Day Samsara. As expected, it still needs to be tempered among a crowd of players, right? That makes sense—after all, the players recruited by other strong individuals have also gone through many Shattered Mirror instances.
But if Mu Anqi were to be sent to train in the Shattered Mirror instances… what if she ended up in the Nether Capital region? Those monsters had already praised Mu Anqi endlessly in the last trial instance. Just thinking about those guys possibly poaching her made Ji Huaichu feel a wave of displeasure.
While waiting for the remaining evil thoughts to be dealt with, Ji Huaichu condensed a portion of Yin energy into a token and handed it to Mu Anqi. The token was pitch-black all over, with only a single, bold "Ji" character engraved on the front.
"Next time, the game will be in the Shattered Mirror Continent," Ji Huaichu said. "Take this token—you can contact me at any time."
"Ah, General, does this mean I won't be going to the Black Mirror Vortex anymore?" Mu Anqi's mood instantly shifted from shock that the general had directly acted to destroy the lingering resentment. She was now slightly panicked—did General Ji think she wasn't valuable anymore and wasn't worth cultivating…
"Play a few more games first," Ji Huaichu said. "The Black Mirror Vortex has too many negative effects on players. This was my first time leading a player—I didn't think it through."
"No, no, no, it's because I'm too weak!" Mu Anqi shook her head repeatedly. How could she possibly agree with her superior's "humble words"? She carefully put the token into her pocket and said seriously, "I'll keep working hard to get an A rating!"
Ji Huaichu chuckled softly, patted Mu Anqi on the shoulder, and dispersed the black mist that had just clung to her. In the next instant, countless dark shadows surged in from outside the door and merged into Ji Huaichu's body. She narrowed her eyes slightly and said in a gentle tone, "Let's go back to the main city—perhaps you'd like to see those paper-white residents again?"
Sure enough, the little player's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed in delight, "Really? Thank you, General!"
[Game Cleared: Death Village. Rating in progress—]
[Rating: C (The carried experience is just too good)]
[Passive triggered! Earned Clear Points: 400]
[Drawing formal player game reward item—]
[Ding! Congratulations, player has obtained: [A Bag of Honey Quail Eggs]]
[Special marker detected!]
[Beep! Please enter your next game within 7 days! (Or a game will be forced after 168 hours)]
[Return to Nirvana Space?]
No.
Mu Anqi stared speechlessly at the bag of honey-flavored quail eggs in her hand. She had no idea if other players experienced the same thing, but the items drawn were truly all over the place.
Mu Anqi had long passed the age of dreaming about getting rare items in the draw. She accepted the reality with utter calm. When the Black Mirror Vortex faded away and she found herself standing in front of a bustling modern shopping mall, she was briefly stunned but quickly accepted the new setting.
"General, how… do we return to the main city?" Mu Anqi asked, somewhat confused.
Ji Huaichu grabbed Mu Anqi and, in the blink of an eye, they were back at the familiar city gate.
"?!"
"There's a reason why powerful figures in the Shattered Mirror world divide up territory and build cities," Ji Huaichu said. "Instant return to the city is one of the conveniences."
Ji Huaichu led Mu Anqi to the door of the white-paper residents' home, then turned and left.
Mu Anqi looked at Ji Huaichu's departing figure, then at the door in front of her. She raised her hand and knocked.
"Hmm? Someone's here? Sis, don't move—I'll get the door~"
A familiar voice came from inside the house. Mu Anqi raised her eyebrows slightly and soon heard the sound of approaching footsteps—da-da-da—the door was pulled open—
She locked eyes with little Xia Fenghua, and both the human and the ghost showed surprised expressions.
Why was Xia Fenghua in the home of the white-paper resident?!
"Big sis is here~ Sister Xiaobai will definitely be happy to see you too~" Little Xia Fenghua gave a sweet smile, stepped aside to invite Mu Anqi in, and explained before Mu Anqi could even ask, "Because Sister Xiaobai just moved to the main city, she's not used to many things yet and doesn't have any familiar ghost friends… so the General asked me to drop by and check in on her from time to time."
"I see… Oh, right!" Mu Anqi suddenly remembered something. She opened her backpack, saw the folded gift bag, the little dress, and the tiny leather shoes wrapped in a plastic bag. After a moment of hesitation, she took everything out. "I bought these during my last rest period. I don't know if you'll like them. I thought you'd come with me on this instance…"
Xia Fenghua was briefly stunned, then accepted the little dress and shoes. After Mu Anqi opened the gift bag, she placed them both inside. "…Thank you, sis. I got your message, I really like them~" Xia Fenghua beamed and asked, "So how was the mission with the General this time?"
"Uh, it was okay." Thinking back to the Black Mirror Vortex, Mu Anqi still felt a bit uneasy. But she quickly shifted to another topic and said, "General Ji is really amazing. When the evil thought finally appeared, she handled it effortlessly!"
"Huh?" Xia Fenghua tilted her head. Wait… last time when she brought Mu Anqi, wasn't it because the General thought her way of guiding players was ineffective, so this time she went in person? Then… why did the General personally deal with the final evil thought? "The General… really is amazing…" But wasn't that Black Mirror Vortex supposed to be not very difficult?
Xia Fenghua couldn't make sense of it.
She held the gift bag and pondered for a moment, then cheerfully gave up on figuring it out. "Since big sis is here, I won't bother you two chatting~" Xia Fenghua waved her little hand, carrying the gift bag, and happily skipped away.
Mu Anqi felt that Xia Fenghua's reaction just now seemed a bit odd, but after carefully thinking over what she'd said, she couldn't find anything wrong. Just then, Xiao baizhi* (Little White Paper) walked over, so Mu Anqi stopped thinking about it. She stepped forward and asked, "Are you getting used to life here?"
[T/N: I am thinking of using baizhi instead of white paper as that sounds more like a name]
"I am. The General is very kind," said the paper-white resident. "Lately, I've been thinking of choosing a new name, but I don't know what to pick."
A name? Mu Anqi nodded—yes, she should have a name. Being referred to as "white paper resident" all the time was too confusing with the others from Reincarnation City. Now that Xiao Baizhi had become an independent individual, she definitely needed a name of her own. But… what should it be? She didn't even know what surname to use…
"Can I take your surname?" the paper-white resident asked. [T/N: Is that a proposal? (≧▽≦)]
"Ah? Sure." Mu Anqi hadn't expected the white-paper resident to want to share her surname—especially since she hadn't really done anything. In the game, it was always the white-paper resident helping her. "If it's 'Mu'… how about the name Mu Xiaobai?" The moment she said it, Mu Anqi regretted it—her naming skills were really too plain. "No, no, let me think of another one…"
The white-paper resident lowered her head and thought for a moment. Before Mu Anqi could come up with a new name, she looked up and said, "Let's go with Mu Xiaobai. It's a good name."
"Thank you for letting me have a life of my own," the white-paper resident said seriously. Of course, she was grateful to General Ji as well, but she understood clearly—General Ji brought her out entirely because of Mu Anqi. She had always remembered that kindness and would make sure to express it.
"I should be the one thanking you," Mu Anqi said, waving her hand awkwardly. But the white-paper resident just stared at her. Even though her face was still made of plain paper, Mu Anqi could feel the sincerity and determination in her gaze. She pressed her lips together and changed the subject, "I just got back from an instance and haven't eaten yet. I'm starving… I wonder if I can have that sour soup beef noodle again from last time…"
The white-paper resident moved at once, turning toward the kitchen. "Of course."
A bowl of steaming sour soup beef noodles made Mu Anqi feel as if she'd returned to the days of the Seven-Day Reincarnation City. Even though there wasn't much to miss about that instance, the only two players she'd cooperated with ended up separated before they could add each other, becoming strangers again…
Mu Anqi slurped her noodles as she looked over at the white-paper resident—no, she should now be called Mu Xiaobai. Being able to live in the Shattered Mirror Continent, no longer needing to explore the Black Mirror Vortex, Mu Xiaobai didn't have to fall into darkness. Just living a normal, peaceful life in the Taiyin Main City, that was more than enough. She had a name now, had Xia Fenghua and General Ji looking after her, and in the future, there would surely be many new neighbors and friends. Xiaobai could have a simple and free life.
Mu Anqi wasn't stupid. She understood very well that General Ji had taken a liking to her potential. Judging by the A rating from the trial, the general was clearly satisfied with her performance in the trial instance. Of course, maybe that was in comparison to other players? Either way, after the trial ended, General Ji brought Mu Xiaobai out of the Black Mirror Vortex and into the main city. She even helped sever the connection with the Beauty Goddess and gave Mu Xiaobai the energy needed to live independently…
All of it—Mu Anqi would have to repay in the future. She seriously reflected on her performance in the two instances where she was basically carried, and with misty eyes, picked up five or six slices of fatty beef and shoved them into her mouth. She really had been a bit affected by the Black Mirror Vortex. But now, just quietly sitting with My Xiaobai, eating sour soup beef noodles, Mu Anqi felt like that indescribable heaviness on her chest had gradually melted away.
If only… cleansing the tragedies in the Black Mirror Vortex could somehow affect the real world too… that would be perfect.
She really had to work harder! In the next instance, she had to get an A!
An S-rank! Well… maybe she could even dream a little!
After finishing the bowl of noodles, Mu Anqi felt much more at ease. She looked at Mu Xiaobai and couldn't help but sigh, "Why is there so much evil in the world?"
"Because everything has two sides," Mu Xiaobai answered seriously. "There's a monster inside me too."
"..." Mu Anqi let out a sigh. That was true. Even she couldn't claim to be an entirely good person. She had her own selfish thoughts, her own desires, and she was afraid of dying too.
The Black Mirror Vortex… Thinking about it from another angle, it was exactly because of this "natural disaster" that could appear at any time and in any place, that the Shattered Mirror Continent had developed into a world where demons, ghosts, and monsters coexisted. It was likely because of this uniqueness that it was chosen by the Nirvana Space, wasn't it?