Su Cheng: "!"
She was almost dizzy from the successive shocks.
The Hidden Mirror Society?
Was the Commander talking about the person who disguised himself as Prince Aquila before?
Su Cheng gasped, "No wonder."
No wonder Ian said the mark on her body was useless, because the person who left the mark was dead. It turned out the Commander killed him!
And—
All the people involved were killed?
Kai slightly raised his eyebrows, "What's wrong?"
Su Cheng hesitated, "Someone from the Church helped me do some purification before."
Sasha feigned curiosity and raised his hand, "Your Lord Archbishop again?"
"No!" Su Cheng glared at him fiercely, "And he is not mine!"
After she finished speaking, she looked at the Commander again, "Someone helped me clear that mark, saying that the thing was already useless. I was still wondering why at the time!"
As always, Kai didn't ask much. He just took off the long and heavy sword box from his back and handed it over.
Su Cheng immediately became serious and took it with a solemn face.
She always felt that the weight must be considerable, and even deliberately channeled her battle aura, but found that it was slightly lighter than she imagined.
Of course, that was only relatively speaking.
The box was probably made of some kind of wood, with spiral patterns on a dark brown background, and it still felt heavy when placed on her lap.
She didn't want to attract attention, so she sat down and opened it slowly, seeing a slender black heavy sword lying quietly inside.
—Its blade was broad but not overly thick, presenting a kind of ink-black color that seemed to devour light and color, looking deep and pure.
This was obviously not a coating, but some naturally formed material, perhaps having undergone some special polishing.
The blade seemed to be shrouded in a faint glow like dark fire, with silver-white patterns meandering right down the center, like a frozen river flowing along the spine of the sword toward the tip.
They sometimes converged into magnificent patterns like frost flowers, sometimes scattered like fireworks, or intersected obliquely like solidified lightning.
The handguard of this heavy sword was also very uniquely designed. Instead of a traditional cross or circular design, it was a pair of wings stretching out to both sides.
In the backlighting, it presented a matte silver texture. The pair of wings was exquisitely carved with distinct layers, the skeletal outlines clearly visible, and the outer edges polished to be very sharp.
She tried to hold the hilt. The intertwined metal wires and leather, made of some unknown material, felt cool and comfortable to the touch, and were not slippery at all.
The handguard also perfectly covered the wrist.
Su Cheng tried it out a little and knew that she could bear this weight. Perhaps swinging it for a long time would be a bit tiring.
But her battle aura was improving quite fast, so she probably wouldn't have to worry about this for long.
"...It's perfect."
She squeezed the hilt, her purlicue fitting perfectly around it, just enough to get a full grip.
Su Cheng couldn't help but think of the Commander's sword. Although Kai always wielded his sword with one hand and it didn't look out of place, that was only for him.
Given the thickness of that hilt, she would have to use both hands to grab it.
"Thank you," Su Cheng couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth from rising. "Did you make it according to my size? How did you know?"
As she spoke, she raised her head, her eyes fixed on the black-haired man's face, brimming with joy.
"Yes."
The moment their eyes met, Kai's gaze also solidified slightly, and then he smiled at her: "I remember, when you held my wrist—"
He raised his arm slightly, drew a half-circle with his fingertips on his wrist, and then stopped at a certain spot on the brand-new leather bracer.
"...the feeling."
He said softly.
Su Cheng suddenly forgot what she wanted to say.
Her fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt, rubbing back and forth on the pommel at the end. It was a diamond-shaped pitch-black crystal, with a little light seeming to flow inside.
It was like a sealed night sky containing stars.
"...Thank you."
She could only repeat similar words like a fool.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sasha shaking his head.
Su Cheng sobered up a bit, glanced sideways, and found the vampire casting an indescribable look.
At first glance, he seemed a bit displeased, but it also seemed to carry a hint of schadenfreude.
Camus, beside them, was drinking silently.
He had even stopped paying attention to any interactions between his teammates.
"Lady Su Cheng?"
The tavern owner ran over hurriedly, looking at the four people in the corner booth, his eyes falling on the face of the only woman among them.
"Sorry to bother you, but there is a letter for you here, from the residence of Duke Aulu—"
"Hmm?" Su Cheng stood up, "Delivered here?"
"No."
A waiter in a formal suit stepped out from behind the owner. He first bowed respectfully to her, and then explained the situation.
They had gone to the school to look for her earlier and learned that she had taken the teleportation array to the town, so they followed her all the way here.
Su Cheng took the letter with the family crest from his hand, and the man politely took his leave.
She opened it and took a look, finding that it was a letter of thanks from the Duke. That foundation had obtained a permit and become a proper charitable organization recognized by the Church.
This letter expressed gratitude very straightforwardly, invited her to visit again when she had time, and also tactfully implied that they were now even.
Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.
She tilted her head to look at the black-haired man beside her, "Now that bone matter is completely settled."
Kai nodded slightly, his cold golden eyes looking straight at her, "I'm the one who should really say thank you."
Sasha rolled his eyes at them, "Are you two going to keep this up until tonight?"
Su Cheng rolled her eyes back, "None of your business."
"Actually," Kai seemed to want to laugh, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, "I also want to take you to the secret room of the Hidden Mirror Society to have a look. There might be something you're interested in inside."
"Huh?" Su Cheng couldn't help widening her eyes, "Where is it?"
"Going there isn't difficult. I took their teleportation runestone. Just crush it and we can teleport directly back—"
Kai took out a dark blue crystal runestone, "It's not far from here either. Do you still have classes?"
"Not for the next two days, and besides, I never expect to be the kind of student with perfect attendance. Let's go!"
Su Cheng excitedly carried the sword box on her back, "To adventure!"
Kai smiled and rubbed her head, "Actually, the sword can be put away—"
Su Cheng's eyes lit up, "Oh, I heard that high-grade enchanted weapons can be turned into magic tattoos and hidden inside the body?"
He nodded lightly and helped her take the sword out, "You drip blood on it, then feel it carefully, and use your will to let it enter your hand—"
The blood-stained black blade gradually shrank, and then turned into a small black pattern, branded on the tip of her right index finger.
Su Cheng moved her hand, "...Strange."
Although it just looked like a pattern was drawn there, it actually felt like something was stuffed inside her finger.
"You don't necessarily have to do this, I'm just letting you know," Kai tilted his head and looked at his own sword, "This is also why I prefer to carry it on my back."
Su Cheng took the sword back out, "Then I'll carry it on my back for now too."
"Yeah," he smiled and reached out his hand, "Let's go."
Su Cheng raised her arm without hesitation.
In that moment, she suddenly remembered him saying that he remembered her size.
Related images flashed uncontrollably through her mind one after another—the countless times she had grabbed his wrist, trying to lead him somewhere.
He actually remembered?
Was it because it had happened so many times?
Or was it because he deliberately committed certain moments to memory?
Su Cheng paused for a moment. Her fingers, resting in the man's palm, curled slightly, her fingertips gently brushing against the cold, tough leather of his glove.
"...This distance is a bit far."
His voice was deep and gentle.
The next second, the black-haired man leaned in close. Keeping one hand wrapped around her slender palm, he wrapped his other arm directly around her waist.
Su Cheng fell into his embrace, pressing against his broad, strong chest.
His use of force was extremely precise. It wasn't a sudden jerk, nor would it cause her to crash into him and get bruised.
Once she was close enough, that pulling force dissipated. She ended up resting against his chest, the small of her back securely held by a single palm.
It felt like being in an indestructible nest made of bone and muscle, surrounded by a coolness slightly lower than body temperature.
Then came a wave of dizziness, as if the world were spinning.
The sensation of spatial tearing and teleportation was unpleasant, but the hand on her waist, the arm by her side, and the body in front of her all supported and anchored her firmly in place.
In the blink of an eye, they had left the town tavern and appeared hundreds of miles away.
"...How do you feel?"
"Mmm, dizzy, but it's fading quickly."
"That means you've made a lot of progress—"
Kai raised his hand and rubbed her temples, pressing with a gentle yet precise pressure.
"The crafting technique for these runestones is quite ancient," he said helplessly. "It seems they don't have much innovative spirit either."
The battle aura of the same origin took effect at this moment.
Su Cheng recovered swiftly.
The dizziness lasted for only a few seconds before fading.
She opened her eyes to see a mess scattered across the floor.
They were standing in a long, narrow corridor. The entire passageway was twisted, resembling countless interlocking, differently sized 'S' shapes spliced together.
The four walls of this corridor were not made of stone or wood, but pieced together from countless mirrors of various shapes and sizes.
Even more bizarrely, the mirrors were completely empty. The places where their reflections should have been were entirely blank.
And—
The floor was littered with corpses lying in a chaotic mess.
There were people of different races and ages, men and women, young and old, in all sorts of attire. None of them looked intact anymore. Some had their heads crushed, others had their chests and abdomens pierced, and some were split cleanly in half. Dried blood filled the crevices between the mirrors, converging into a vibrant river that continuously stretched forward like a scarlet carpet.
Su Cheng: "There are quite a lot of people. Are you hurt? Wait, isn't this—"
"You're not underestimating me," the man behind her chuckled softly. "It's out of care, I know. I'm not hurt, thank you."
Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.
She stepped around the corpses on the ground and walked forward. Suddenly, she noticed the reflection in a bloodstained mirror shift, revealing her true appearance.
True appearance.
Her footsteps abruptly halted.
—That face looked a bit more mature than her current one. The facial features and contours were extremely similar, but she had dark circles under her eyes.
Su Cheng: "..."
That was her before she transmigrated.
She turned her head to look at another mirror, which reflected a face full of childish innocence and plump with collagen.
A five- or six-year-old child glared at her angrily, or perhaps glared at some non-existent figure.
From this moment on, it was as if an invisible force radiated outward, causing various faces to continuously surface on the surrounding mirrors.
They were all herself.
From a wailing infant to a senile old woman, as well as many in a state of youthful beauty, yet sporting different outfits and expressions.
"This seems to be a test, meant for new members..."
Kai looked up. "But its mechanism has been damaged. Otherwise, you might have already fallen into some illusion."
Su Cheng turned her head to look at him. "Are the things we see different?"
"Yes," he said, hesitating for a moment. "Everyone might see something different. Some are drawn by what they desire, some are ignited with fury by an existence they hate, and others fall into doubts about life and the future. The Mirror Cult tries to use these to make them abandon their sense of self. Those people believe that once you become someone else, you can easily make decisions in many situations without being hindered by emotions. However, this corridor might not be in a normal state right now, so there's no guarantee what you'll see—"
Su Cheng's gaze drifted past him and suddenly froze.
By the side of the black-haired man, in a triangular mirror, sat a young girl with a slender silhouette seen from behind.
Beside the girl seemed to be a dark, towering mountain range. The rugged, powerful contours of the peaks undulated smoothly, instantly making her appear incredibly petite by contrast.
Su Cheng blinked, feeling like she couldn't see it very clearly because the mirror was too small and the reflection inside was still blurry.
She tried to crane her neck for a better look, but Kai happened to take a step forward, his broad shoulders and arms blocking her line of sight.
"...There are still many things inside."
He said softly, "Or do you want to stay a little longer?"
"Oh," Su Cheng didn't overthink it. "Let's go then."
Since the commander said this place was broken, some weird and bizarre images were bound to appear.
As they walked deeper into the corridor, the image in the triangular mirror from before shifted once again.
A thick, long black shadow slowly meandered, sliding out from the gloom of the dark mountain ridge, resembling a black river churning with thick fog.
With a gentle yet stubborn posture, it coiled loop by loop around the girl's body, without oppressing her or even touching her much.
It merely enclosed her loosely in the center, like a monster guarding its treasure.
And the young girl did not struggle; she even leaned back relaxedly, as if resting into a trusted embrace.
