71 - Dungeon Growth Log

Xia Ge: "If I ask about your identity, will you tell me?" Cloak Person: "I'll tell you if you're willing to share yours." Xia Ge: "..." Cloak Person paused slightly, "If you're not comfortable with that, we can avoid identity questions and ask something else. Anything at all." Xia Ge: "But I really want to know who you are." Cloak Person: "You want to know who I am, yet you don't want to tell me who you are. How can there be such an unfair thing in this world?" She added, "Greedy." Xia Ge: "..." "Of course, if there's a question you don't wish to answer, you can remain silent," Cloak Person suggested. It's possible to refuse to answer? "No identity questions then?" Xia Ge pondered that an indirect approach might yield more information, so she agreed, "Fine, I'll play. Who asks first?" Cloak Person took out a coin, one side featured a sinister curved blade, the other side a beautiful ornate feathered cloak. He casually stated, "Heads, you go first. Tails, I go first." With that, he tossed the coin into the air. The coin made a graceful spin mid-air before Cloak Person caught it and slowly revealed it to Xia Ge. Outside, the light from the glass lamps shone brilliantly, reflecting off the coin's dazzling feathered cloak side in Cloak Person's bandaged hand. Tails. Xia Ge was incredulous: "Did you cheat?" Cloak Person: "Then let's say I give you the advantage, that counts as your first question." "I didn't cheat." After he said that, the speech orb placed to the side didn’t light up, indicating Cloak Person wasn’t lying. Xia Ge: "..." "It's my turn," Cloak Person said, "First question, what brings you to the underground market?" Xia Ge glanced at the speech orb: "...I heard there's an auction for an ancient garment tonight, and I wanted to check it out." The speech orb didn’t light up. Cloak Person was silent for a moment, "Is it the [Soul Calming Garment]?" Was that a rhetorical question? "That counts as a second question!" Xia Ge retorted, "Now it's my turn!" "Have you been following me since outside the Black Rock Cave?" Cloak Person remained silent for a moment, just when Xia Ge thought he wouldn’t answer, he admitted. "Yes." "Then why are you following..." Cloak Person didn't let her monopolize a second question, interrupting, "Do you like that mask?" At his words, Xia Ge instinctively touched the fox mask on her face, then awkwardly lowered her hand as she realized. "..." This sort of personal question... "That doesn’t count, you already asked if the garment was the [Soul Calming Garment]," Xia Ge argued, "I want to answer that one!" Cloak Person didn't dispute, "Alright, then answer." "I’ll answer your second question... The auction’s ancient garment is the [Soul Calming Garment]." The speech orb suddenly trembled slightly, about to light up— Xia Ge quickly added, "But it's not real!" The orb shook a few times and then calmed down. Xia Ge felt a sudden cold sweat. Even though the orb could make lies become truth, possibly turning a fake [Soul Calming Garment] into a real one, she wasn't foolish. She understood that nothing in this world was free; you always paid a price for what you wanted. Moreover, the system warning on the orb mentioned, [The price of making a lie into truth is extremely severe]. No one knew what dire price she might pay if the true [Soul Calming Garment] appeared. Besides, if the fake [Soul Calming Garment] became real, there were many eyes watching, and the demonic cult was poised to pounce. It wouldn't necessarily be a good thing for her current situation. Cloak Person nodded as if he didn’t really care whether the auctioned garment was the [Soul Calming Garment] or not. Xia Ge stabilized herself, having answered the question. Now it was her turn to ask, “So, why are you following me?” Cloak Person seemed to think for a moment, then replied after a while. “Because of you.” Xia Ge was all ears, “Hmm?” What about her? Cloak Person seemed to weigh his words, hesitating, “Perhaps because you’re cute.” “…” Xia Ge instinctively looked at the speech orb: "Hey, don't talk nonsense..." They were strangers, no need for unnecessary lies, even awkward flattery was still a form of deceit! She was planning to grow to 1.7 meters! What if this single comment doomed her to forever stay 1.5 meters tall? Yet, the speech orb didn’t light up, remaining still. Xia Ge stared at Cloak Person in disbelief: "..." What the heck? The orb wasn’t swapped?! He actually wasn’t using awkward flattery? He genuinely thought she was cute?! Xia Ge double-checked with her system, which confirmed the explanation. Xia Ge’s face stiffened behind the fox mask. Cloak Person was very serious: “I wasn’t talking nonsense.” Xia Ge took a deep breath: “...Please avoid saying misleading things.” “Misleading?” Cloak Person pondered for a moment, looking slightly confused, “Who would misunderstand? You? What would you misunderstand?” Xia Ge: “…” Are you pretending to be dumb? Pretending, right? You must be! There was no way she could answer that! Xia Ge: “...Let’s switch questions.” Cloak Person adapted readily: “The mask, do you like it?” Xia Ge: “…” Do you really have to stick to such personal questions? Xia Ge: “It’s... alright, so-so...” The speech orb noticeably shook. Xia Ge was exasperated: “Actually, I really like it!!” The orb calmed down. System: “Pff.” Xia Ge: “...” Why do vague answers make it shake too? Can't there be some leniency in human interactions? Telling someone you’re not very familiar with how much you like the gift they gave just feels awkward! At her words, Cloak Person's voice carried a hint of amusement, “Hmm.” ...You, don’t get so smug! Xia Ge glanced at the neatly folded clothes by her feet, feeling a surge of anger tempered by caution, “These clothes, are they yours?” Cloak Person looked at them, as if thinking, then nodded. The speech orb didn’t light up. Xia Ge’s mouth curled into a cunning smile: “These clothes are so small, you can’t be that tall!” You don’t leave her any leeway, don't blame her for exposing you! Cloak Person shook his head, “No.” His voice was faint, “They used to be mine, now they’re yours.” Xia Ge: “???” Cloak Person glanced at her again, taking the initiative, “You were hit by the paper person curse earlier. When you reverted to normal, you didn’t have any clothes on. However, it seems I was overthinking it.” Xia Ge's eyes widened: “Paper person curse?” Cloak Person explained, “A technique that turns people into paper figures.” Such a technique exists... no, that’s not the point. So, he knew from the beginning? Was this person helping her from the start? Xia Ge instinctively looked at the red ribbon she had tied to the table leg, blushing under the fox mask. If Cloak Person knew everything, then...? Cloak Person seemed to read her thoughts, still very serious: “I dressed you.” She gently flicked her hand, and the tightly tied red ribbon at the table leg, despite struggling to untie itself before, suddenly untied itself and floated back to Cloak Person’s hand, “Clothing.” Her meaning was that she had wrapped Xia Ge in red silk while she was a paper figure, which was... dressing her? The speech orb didn’t react. Xia Ge: “...” It was true. Exasperation. After finishing, Cloak Person suddenly leaned in close. Xia Ge instinctively wanted to back away but was gently pulled by the cloak. After losing her green hair ribbon, she lazily didn't apply another, and with no headgear, she casually tied her hair with a black string. He stretched on tiptoe, tidying the slightly messy hair, Pulling at her cloak, he softened his voice, “Rest assured, I have no malicious intent.” “Nor will I harm you.” “…” Xia Ge’s movement to retreat slightly stalled. If this was a lie, the speech orb would turn it into the truth. Besides, the orb hadn’t lit up. Indicating that... at least for now, he was being truthful. Cloak Person finished speaking, then reached into Xia Ge’s cloak to take her hand; Xia Ge stiffened but let him pull it out. Her slender, pale left hand was cool to the touch with a scar on the palm. Cloak Person's bandaged hand held hers, lingering on the scar. When Xia Ge felt embarrassed and tried to pull her hand back, he gently held it tighter. Xia Ge: “This…” Cloak Person silently took out the red ribbon from his hand, threading the fine silk through her fingers, concealing the scar in layers of ribbon, and finally tying an elegant bow around her wrist. Then he let go of her hand, returning it to its original place. The ribbon, abnormally obedient under its owner’s control, suddenly wriggled excitedly at Xia Ge's wrist when released, like it was rewarded with something special. The ticklish sensation made Xia Ge want to scratch it, but she restrained herself, wincing, “I don’t want it.” Cloak Person’s voice remained calm, “It will protect you.” The speech orb stayed dark, meaning Cloak Person was indeed telling the truth. Xia Ge retorted, “I don’t need its protection. I’m already skilled.” Cloak Person didn’t say anything, but Xia Ge could feel his silent, intrinsic skepticism radiating towards her. "Wear it," Cloak Person said, "Wear it, and I'll let you go." Oh right, she almost forgot she was still at his mercy. Xia Ge: "I..." Cloak Person suddenly interjected, "It’s starting." The outside lights became even more dazzling, accompanied by a high-pitched scream, "Welcome, everyone, to the underground auction! I hereby announce that tonight’s festivities officially begin now!" "Wow, it's starting?" Cheers erupted from below. Xia Ge, suddenly forgetting the wriggling bow on her hand, pushed Cloak Person aside and ran barefoot off the soft couch, leaning against the glazed window, tiptoeing to look down. "The underground black market typically opens with something enticing to pique the guests' interest, followed by less important items..." Cloak Person didn’t mind being pushed aside. He slowly walked over to Xia Ge’s side, his voice calm as he explained, "So the best items are either at the very beginning or saved for the finale." "Is that so..." Xia Ge's eyes widened. On the stage below, a person wearing a colorful mask and an ostentatiously decorated cloak stood, their movements exaggerated and comical, "So, what will our first item be—" Xia Ge craned her neck to continue watching but was suddenly hoisted up from behind. “Hey—” Xia Ge kicked her legs, her feet flailing, “Why are you lifting me up?!” Cloak Person: "Put on your shoes." Xia Ge: "..." Author’s Note: Ah, finally on holiday! Spent the whole night packing, getting home tomorrow evening, and the day after, I'll give everyone an extra update! = = - Junluoyouzhu tossed a landmine at 2018-07-05 01:06:30 - British Shorthair tossed a landmine at 2018-07-05 08:11:24 - Sui Sui tossed a landmine at 2018-07-05 11:42:31 - You Say Magic Clay tossed a landmine at 2018-07-05 17:00:53 - Thin Eleven tossed a landmine Thank you all for the landmines! Love you all!! = = Reader “Aishiteru” irrigated with 5 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 22:14:03 Reader “Casual” irrigated with 20 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 21:02:15 Reader “Worship” irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 19:14:53 Reader “.” irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 18:49:03 Reader “Moshang Shuize” irrigated with 20 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 18:14:58 Reader “23687590 Pang Si” irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 17:08:08 Reader “Liu Nian” irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 16:57:19 Reader “Bingyang Tingxuan” irrigated with 2 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 15:04:33 Reader “Chenluo Shang Can” irrigated with 2 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 14:25:20 Reader “Not Broken” irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 14:18:21 Reader “Junior’s the Bestﾟ(ノД`)ﾟ” irrigated with 1 nutrient solution on 2018-07-05 13:54:45 Reader “Nae” irrigated with 9 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 10:20:02 Reader “Nae” irrigated with 1 nutrient solution on 2018-07-05 10:19:31 Reader “No Compromise” irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 09:54:52 Reader “Biu~Biu~” irrigated with 1 nutrient solution on 2018-07-05 09:50:31 Reader “Little Black Belly” irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 08:28:14 Reader “Two-thirds Sandwich” irrigated with 20 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-05 08:11:02 Reader “Dog Racing Wildly” irrigated with 20 nutrient solutions on 2018-07-04 23:44:15 Thank you all for the nutrient solutions!! Love you all!!