Chapter 45

After returning to her room and freshening up, Ye Zheng lay quietly on her bed. Her glossy black hair spread neatly beneath her, like dark seaweed ready to ensnare anyone who looked too long.

In the dim light, she raised her right hand and studied her palm. Hidden there was the nation’s most precious treasure.

The dragon bone was embedded in the flesh of her palm, a fragment no larger than a fingernail. Yet its existence alone was enough to shake the entire country.

Everyone knew where dragon bones were buried. And yet now, bones that did not belong to the lower district were appearing again and again. First underground, and now within a human body.

Ye Zheng recalled the woman’s face. Parasitized by the realm’s core boss, yet still retaining her humanity. That human head attached to an insect body had looked at her with pleading eyes.

『That woman should have died inside the realm. You let her go, and even allowed her to steal the crown prince’s standard transport beast.』

『The plot is going to shift again.』

“She gave me such a big gift. Killing her would have been impolite.”

“Besides, I might not have been able to kill her.”

When Ye Zheng first saved the woman, she confirmed that she was an ordinary person. Perhaps fate was involved. Having once sensed the aura of a dragon bone, the woman had been drawn to it amid the chaos, accidentally discovering it and surviving.

If Ye Zheng had not come into contact with dragon bone in the previous realm, she might never have noticed this woman, someone originally destined to die according to the plot.

Yet her survival, her parasitization by a powerful monster, and the influence of the dragon bone seemed to have produced an extraordinary reaction together.

Ye Zheng guessed that the monster’s terrifying regenerative ability had not belonged to the insect at all, but to the woman herself. That was why, even after the insect body died, she could continue functioning as a human.

『You simply let her disappear into the crowd. Such a wasted opportunity.』

The system’s voice carried unmistakable regret.

“Hearing you say that, her existence, or the truth behind her carrying a dragon bone in the lower district, must be an extremely important plot point.”

“The Pope’s sudden appearance there was to find her, wasn’t it?”

After sensing the dragon bone aura on the woman, Ye Zheng had almost immediately understood why the Pope appeared in the manga spoilers.

That was why, while Wu Shu descended to search for the so-called weak point, Ye Zheng remained seated near the head, arranging everything in silence. That included using the crown prince’s mount to escape the Pope’s detection range as quickly as possible.

The system did not respond to her speculation. It was bound by restrictions and could only allow her to reach conclusions on her own.

『That woman escaped. With the Pope’s power, he is far more likely to find her before you do.』

“For the next few days, the lower district will experience continuous rainfall.”

Ye Zheng slowly closed her eyes, murmuring softly as she lay on the bed. The system was puzzled. Why had she suddenly started talking about the weather?

It wanted to ask, but Ye Zheng already looked exhausted. Her breathing gradually evened out.

Fine. This girl always had her own methods. There was no need for it to worry.

It had originally planned to show her the newly updated manga as a popularity surprise. Everything could wait until tomorrow.

✧✧✧✧✧

Shu Wan had a rare dream.

Since the end of her fanciful teenage years, she had seldom dreamed at all. She dreamed of her student days.

At twelve, when her S-Class talent was confirmed, the proud girl became exactly the kind of figure she had hoped to be. She was recruited by the best ability academy in the lower district and received generous annual bonuses, improving her family’s living conditions. She was admired by her classmates and praised by everyone around her.

She had even nearly participated in the nationwide ability tournament, just like her future daughter. Why hadn’t she?

In her dream, Shu Wan frowned. Ah, because she received an invitation from an upper-district academy.

Representing the lower district in the tournament meant little. Lower-district teams were usually eliminated in the second stage, existing only as foils for upper-district contestants.

Shu Wan refused to be a foil. She knew her future in the lower district had limits. To climb higher, studying in the upper district was the best path.

Her parents advised against it, but no one could stop a willful girl who had held firm opinions since childhood. Even in her cradle, she had sprawled boldly, staking out her own small territory.

In the upper district, Shu Wan saw an entirely new world. Sidewalks could be so wide, campuses so grand, and lives so dazzlingly free.

Yet within the talent-packed upper academy, she lacked qualification for tournaments. She was briefly discouraged, but soon rallied again. With her strong talent, perhaps she still had a chance.

As a lower-district student, Shu Wan inevitably faced bullying and isolation. The humiliations of daily life gradually erased her hope for opportunity.

The more she came to understand the world, the more distant her dreams of elite status became. Whether within the church or imperial institutions, positions for female ability users were extremely limited. The few that existed were often reserved for noble daughters to polish their marriage prospects.

A lower-district commoner woman trying to remain in the upper district was nothing more than a delusion. Then, a handsome noble young man approached her and offered her a chance to stay. Shu Wan felt her first heartbeat, which she defined at the time as love.

Marriage followed. She believed she loved him, like Cinderella meeting her destined prince.

When persuaded to bear children, she believed sacrificing her hard-earned ability level was worthwhile. Only then could her B-Class talent husband secure the family’s standing through high-talent heirs.

After giving birth to two talented children, Ye Fanjing began cheating openly. Shu Wan often took her young daughter back to the lower district in anger. Ye Fanjing tirelessly coaxed her home. Many praised this as deep affection from an upper-district nobleman.

She sadly convinced herself that their love had simply been worn down by marriage. Until the day “Blood Flower” descended upon the lower district and took her closest family away.

Only then did Shu Wan finally awaken, realizing how naive and laughable she had been.

The no-longer-young, no-longer-beautiful woman lay alone on the vast bed. Her sleeping expression was uneasy, but her posture remained impeccably neat and elegant, deliberately practiced to become a proper noble wife. Though she regretted it now, some things had become indelible marks, fixing her permanently within that frame.

Even her daughter…

✧✧✧✧✧

One floor above, Ye Zheng lay with her hands folded neatly over her abdomen. Her sleeping expression was calm, her posture perfectly proper. But her dream was far from peaceful.

“Mommy, why don’t we bring little Di out to play too?”

The small girl was holding the hand of a stunningly beautiful woman. Passersby turned to look, marveling at such elegance appearing in this place. The girl shook her twin braids happily. Whenever people stared in awe, Mommy’s mood seemed to improve slightly.

“Little Di is… still too young. This place isn’t suitable for him.”

“But Grandma and Grandpa said they want to see little Di too! Little Di already tugs my braids to play. He’s not small at all!”

Shu Wan’s expression stiffened. A flicker of gloom passed through her eyes. At the time, young Ye Zheng could not understand it, but years later she knew exactly what emotion it was.

Her brother Ye Di could possess noble S-Class talent from childhood. As the Ye family’s madam, Shu Wan could happily play chasing games while holding her daughter, accompanied by her husband. But if she ran around with Ye Di…

That would ruin everything.

The fragile game of affection could not continue. Ye Fanjing would tear off his warm mask, revealing the cold, interest-driven face beneath.

Shu Wan subconsciously understood this truth, yet refused to face it. She flusteredly ruffled her daughter’s hair and forced her voice to remain gentle.

“Little Di is too naughty. Zhengzheng is the most obedient, so Mommy brings Zhengzheng out to play.”

The little girl, only waist-high, pouted. She was already grown up and no longer wanted to be a good baby. But if being good meant going out to play, she could reluctantly continue.

She liked Grandma and Grandpa. They never talked about talent or abilities. Mommy said they were ordinary teachers. To little Ye Zheng, ordinary teachers were far more fun than Father’s tutors.

From the age of four to eight, Ye Zheng shuttled between districts. She would always boast to Ye Di about the places she had visited. Little Ye Di, precocious and proud, would sneer and shout that Daddy said those places were not fun at all, just lowly.

Ye Zheng would puff up angrily and ignore him. In any case, she had two more relatives who loved her dearly, and Mother always liked taking her out.

One day, when Ye Zheng was eight, the Ye family madam, furious over Ye Fanjing’s mistress becoming part of the household, took her daughter back to the lower-district home for an extended stay.

Shu Wan felt deeply uncomfortable returning to the house that had witnessed her childhood and youth. She wanted to persuade her parents to move somewhere better, but swallowed her words. Gaining upper-district residency was extremely difficult. She had hinted many times for Ye Fanjing to help her parents obtain status, only to be brushed off each time.

This time, she held his mistake in her hands. To coax her back, he should show sincerity, shouldn’t he?

Yet Shu Wan lacked confidence. Her leverage over Ye Fanjing felt unbearably fragile.

Seeing her daughter’s worried expression, the elderly couple took the child out to cheer her up.

“Your mommy loved pastries from the east district when she was young. Grandma will take you to buy some.”

“Will Mommy be happy if she eats them?”

“If Mommy knows her daughter wants her to be happy, then Mommy will definitely be happy.”

The gray-haired woman hugged the slightly heavy child, murmuring words the girl could not yet understand.

“So I’m already very happy. She doesn’t need to do anything more.”

Eight-year-old Ye Zheng did not enjoy overthinking. Her worries were quickly chased away by new curiosities.

“Look! That big red dome is so pretty!”

The elderly couple followed her excited gaze. The smiles on their faces drained instantly.

It was Ye Zheng’s first encounter with an aberrant realm. And it would forever remain the cruelest one of her life.

As the crimson space began to rise nearby, people screamed and fled in panic. But a group of figures in ornate uniforms blocked their path.

“Father, must we really do this?”

A tall man in uniform asked, his voice reluctant.

The young priest beside him, with ordinary features yet an extraordinarily gentle expression, smiled faintly.

“Noble knight, can you bear the consequences if those princes, dukes, and ministers die inside?”

The knight shuddered and silently carried out the priest’s suggestion. The forcibly herded crowd erupted into screams and cries.

“Then her? She’s so small…”

The priest lowered his gaze to the little girl cradled in the elderly woman’s arms and extended his hand.

“Give her to me. The numbers are close enough anyway.”

Having taught students for a lifetime, the old woman was accustomed to letting children go. She had cried when her first batch of students graduated, but never again for children. Not even when her own daughter had chosen that uncontrollable path.

Yet this time, tears filled her crow’s-feet-lined eyes. Together with her husband, she lifted the child toward the priest who was condemning them to death.

The little girl stared blankly. She did not understand what was about to happen. She only knew that the young man’s awkward way of holding her made her uncomfortable.

She struggled free and ran after the departing crowd. The priest followed quietly behind her.

The sobbing mass was driven into the realm. The elderly figures were swallowed by the sea of people and vanished behind the red curtain.

“Are you going in too?”

“But my family all went in. Why did they have to go in?”

The priest crouched down, lowering himself until his eyes met the little girl’s at the same height.

“…Why? That is a very good question.”

“Your family are all remarkable people. They went inside to save the most valuable individuals in this country.”

“But they didn’t want to!”

“Their wishes are not something I need to take into consideration.”

The young man spoke calmly, without a trace of emotion.

“If you care so much, you can go in and ask them whether they truly wanted to or not.”

The little girl did not step forward. Instead, she turned her head back. The gentle-looking man smiled at her.

“What is it? You don’t want to go in?”

The girl, only waist-high, puffed out her cheeks. Gathering all her courage, she rushed forward in one breath toward the ominous aberrant realm glowing red.

In that instant, she seemed to glimpse twisted black shadows trampling over one another. Screams echoed without end. In her short eight years of life, she had never been so close to death, nor so close to hell.

Then her steps faltered.

“Hahahahaha!”

The young priest clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.

“Look at that. Even someone as small as you understands how to weigh benefits and losses.”

“You value yourself more than your family, don’t you?”

“Little chubby, you should thank me. I taught you the most important lesson in life.”

The young man introduced himself with evident amusement.

“My name is Wen Jian. Remember it. Though perhaps there is no need to try. This name is destined to resound throughout the entire empire.”

The young priest was not wrong.

After the Blood Flower Incident, he rose steadily from an obscure, fallen noble of the upper district to become the Pope, a figure known to everyone in the empire.

At dawn, with faint light seeping in, the girl lying on the large bed suddenly woke up. As if sensing something, she reached for the phone beside her.

There was a message from Wende.

It contained information on the upper-district contestants who had been swallowed by the lower-district aberrant realm during this incident.

Ye Zheng flipped through the files without any expression, the corner of her lips curving into a smile devoid of warmth.

How interesting.

Among the missing contestants, three were descendants of nobles who had been saved during the Blood Flower Incident. Ye Zheng turned over and stared quietly out the window.

So there were ghosts as persistent as hers, silently lurking all along.

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Authors Note

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A bit late today. Apologies to all patrons.