72 - Dungeon Growth Log

Thinking about her twenty-centimeter platform heels, Xia Ge knew she would rather die than bring them out in front of others. Xia Ge instinctively muttered, "I don't have shoes..." Nearby, Yan Ling Qiu, placed on the soft couch, immediately began to tremble. The Cape Person realized this and quickly spoke, "Tell the truth now!" Xia Ge only then came to her senses and promptly said, "I..." But it was too late! Before Xia Ge could finish her words, Yan Ling Qiu suddenly emitted a blinding green light! Unlike the simple tremor from when Xia Ge spoke about the 'town spirit' earlier—where the vibration was triggered by Xia Ge's partial truth withholds without a lie—this time, she had outright lied about having no shoes! Regardless of intention or magnitude, any lie heard by Yan Ling Qiu would trigger its power, turning lies into truth, and making the liar pay the price! The entire private room was enveloped in green light; Xia Ge's vision darkened. She felt a warm hand shield her eyes from the dazzling green light, which vanished after a while. The Cape Person paused, retracting her hand. With nothing obstructing her view anymore, Xia Ge's first reaction was to check her flowing silver ring. Inside it, her twenty-centimeter-high heels were indeed gone! She said she had no shoes, and now they were truly gone. Yan Ling Qiu lived up to its reputation. However, that wasn't the main issue—Xia Ge's pupils contracted slightly. The next moment, a wave of sudden excruciating pain hit her stomach! The price of the lie becoming reality! Damn, it came true! It felt as if her intestines were twisting and knotting together, a deep, sinking pain overtook her. Xia Ge clutched her stomach, squatting down with a face contorted in pain. "Hiss— it hurts!" The Cape Person swiftly waved her hand, retrieving Yan Ling Qiu into her sleeve, then lifted Xia Ge and placed her onto the soft couch. Xia Ge writhed in pain, cold sweat beading on her forehead. "So uncomfortable... uncomfortable!" "…," The Cape Person pressed the chaotic Xia Ge down, remaining silent for a long time. No matter how well she had calculated, she never expected the triggering of Yan Ling Qiu to be over something so absurdly trivial. Baffled, she asked, "… Why did you lie all of a sudden?" While speaking, she reached for some analgesic pills, intending to feed them to the writhing girl on the bed. However, Xia Ge swatted her hand away abruptly! Caught off guard, the fragrant pill arced beautifully in the air, then rolled far away as it hit the ground. Xia Ge, holding her stomach, glared at her from under her fox mask like an enraged animal. "Because I don't trust you!" "I won't take anything from a stranger!" This feeling... Xia Ge bit down on her lip hard. She had to get this person out quickly! "You liar! Get out!" Xia Ge strained with all her might, "I hate telling the truth! Do you hear?! I hate being honest! I'm a liar who loves lying!! I do whatever I want! Why should I be truthful to you!? Who the hell are you? Are you my mother or something?! I don't even know you!" Xia Ge's voice changed slightly, possibly due to the intense pain. The Cape Person remained silent. "I haven't lied to you." "Liar!" Xia Ge continued her irrational outburst, "You promised not to hurt me! You said so, yourself!" "But now I'm in pain! It's all your fault! You're a liar!!" "Go away!" The Cape Person stiffened slightly, then softly said after a while, "I'm sorry." What the hell, if an apology fixed everything, why would we need the police? "Leave! I don't want to see you!" Get out quickly! This feeling... The Cape Person didn't respond, she quietly pulled out a pair of soft cloth boots from the neatly folded clothes and placed them beside the couch. "Wear these later." Xia Ge, overcome with anxiety and pain, was almost breaking into a sweat. Her harsh exterior cracked, "I won't..." The Cape Person seemed to be watching her intently. After a long pause, she said calmly, "They're hunting for you outside—a figure in a bronze mask, about five to six feet tall." Somehow, Xia Ge found herself unable to finish her sentence. She turned her head away reluctantly, "If you leave... I'll put them on." The Cape Person said nothing more and turned to leave. The sound of the door opening and then closing signaled her departure. Xia Ge finally breathed a sigh of relief. Another wave of stomach pain hit, accompanied by a faint smell of blood. Xia Ge, attempting to move, suddenly felt a warm liquid run down her legs, freezing her in place. ...Goddammit, it's that time of the month. Xia Ge's mind swirled with frustration. So, lying to Yan Ling Qiu and making the shoes disappear resulted in stomach pain and her period arriving?! This had to be a joke!! But Xia Ge had no time to dwell on the pain because a loud voice from below caught her attention— "The first item! The legendary ancient garment capable of suppressing all souls—[Unrivaled Requiem]!" "Starting price, five top-grade spirit stones!" Even without looking, Xia Ge could hear the waves of cheers, surprise, and disbelief from the crowd below. "Impossible! It must be fake!" "An ancient garment..." "Fake or not, you'll know it as soon as I show it!" It was the voice of the auctioneer, clad in a colorful cloak. "Three— two— one— reveal!" It sounded like a piece of fabric being unrolled. The next moment, violent spiritual energy waves, laced with killing intent, swept through the place! "Such strong spiritual energy waves!" "Goodness... it must be real!" "I've seen a semi-divine garment, but none had such powerful waves!" No... real ancient garments wouldn't emit such blatant and aggressive spiritual energy! True ancient garments contained divine souls, bearing an innate nobility that wouldn't scatter spiritual energy like a nouveau riche! You've all been duped! Ignoring the pain, Xia Ge scrambled to her feet, bare feet hitting the cold floor as she ran towards the glass window. However, every step on the freezing floor was a sharp reminder of her pain. Suddenly remembering something, she turned back instinctively. The soft cloth boots still lay quietly beside the couch. Below, the crowd's voices were a cacophony of competitive bids, climbing higher and higher as people eagerly vied for [Unrivaled Requiem], believing it would grant them unmatched power. Despite the frenzy, Xia Ge's focus was solely on the quiet pair of boots under the couch, untouched by the dazzling, kaleidoscopic light of the venue. They seemed almost... lonely, forgotten. Xia Ge thought she must be losing it. Even though the pain in her stomach was like a storm inside her, even though it had taken all her strength to crawl to the window, she found herself staggering back to retrieve the boots. Inside them, there was even a pair of white socks. Without a word, Xia Ge put on the boots, then silently purchased some sanitary pads from the points' shop, exchanged her bloodstained underwear, and dressed in the clothes left by the stranger. The clothes fit perfectly, as if custom-made, their silk smooth against her skin, a stark contrast to her usual rough garb. The pain in her abdomen persisted, but Xia Ge, leaning back against the couch, felt marginally better as she gazed at the discarded pill that had rolled far away. Below, the bidding continued to soar, invoking a sense of surreal disconnection. “…” A red silk ribbon, wrapped around her palm, gently brushed her wrist. Since Xia Ge’s outburst at the Cape Person, the ribbon had been motionless but now cautiously rubbed against her, as if trying to comfort her. Lifting her mask, Xia Ge looked at the ribbon coiled around her left hand. After a moment of silence, she murmured, “...Sorry.” Closing her eyes, she continued softly, “I had no choice back there.” A period arriving after so many years and especially in such a bizarre context would make anyone lose their composure, stranger or not. Having said that, again Xia Ge found herself amused. What good was it to apologize to this garment spirit? The person wouldn’t hear it anyway. Her stomach still ached dully. The red ribbon continued to nudge her gently, and Xia Ge sighed, glancing at it with a peculiar sense of confusion. After all these years, despite the stranger’s mysterious identity... She was the first person treating her so well in such a genuine manner. It was almost deceitful. Wait… that didn’t seem quite right. A fragmented memory flickered through Xia Ge’s mind. — Blood-stained pastries, a young girl's vacant eyes, a soft, gentle murmur. — "It’s different; you are my belief." “Hiss…” The fleeting fragments brought a sudden headache. Just as Xia Ge tried to recall more, the system’s voice interjected, “The auction seems to be ending.” This sudden voice interrupted her thoughts. Xia Ge exclaimed "Ah!" as she realized that the bidding had escalated from the initial five top-grade spirit stones to a staggering eight million top-grade spirit stones. No one was continuing to bid, which meant this fake Requiem Garment was about to find its unfortunate owner! She hurried to the glass window, clutching her stomach, to see which unlucky soul had won. On stage, a man in an ostentatious colorful cloak stood, holding an exquisitely clear little crystal hammer. With exaggerated movements, he struck the hammer against the small hammering base beside him, continuing to call out, "Eight million top-grade spirit stones, going once!" Next to him, a garment draped with a semi-transparent black veil was set on a crucifix, standing firmly on the stage without a single movement. Xia Ge glanced at the semi-transparent black veil, a green light flickering in her eyes. [Black Cloak: A cage specifically designed to imprison fierce garmented spirits, often used for training them.] Ah, that explained it. Though it wasn't a genuine Requiem, it had managed to pass off as an ancient garmented spirit and deceive people into throwing out an astronomical eight million top-grade spirit stones. It might be a fake, but it was an impressively convincing fake. Now the question was, who had bid eight million? "No one else wants to bid?!" The colorful cloaked auctioneer's voice was high-pitched and tempting, "This is an ancient garmented spirit! If you can tame it, you will be invincible, above and below the heavens!" "Even if you can't tame it, keeping it at home will serve as a supreme guardian! Let me ask, how many ancient garmented spirits exist in this world?! Surely, you don’t need me to tell you—this is glory! It is a symbol! It is greatness! It is…” "Ten million top-grade spirit stones." Author’s Note: Spent an entire day on the road feeling utterly drained. TAT