The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c8

Chapter 8: Reunion 

It was more of a fright than a surprise.

Cen Xiangyun and Eve paled upon seeing Luo Ling open her eyes.

How was this possible?

How… was Miss Luo Ling still alive?

Although harsh, this was their immediate, instinctive reaction.

Despite clinging to a sliver of hope, deep down, they knew it was practically impossible.

Eve, having witnessed less, was less shocked. Even Elsa’s revival hadn’t fazed Cen Xiangyun much, as it was only based on bloodstains, not conclusive evidence.

But Luo Ling’s death had happened right before Cen Xiangyun’s eyes. She had seen Luo Ling torn to shreds by Cheng Jianming’s sword qi, her body not even recovered.

Therefore, seeing this impossible scene unfold before her, Cen Xiangyun’s first reaction was…

“A ghost!”

Only An Yu’s eyes lit up.

“Senior Luo Ling! Is… is it really you, Senior?”

“Of course,” Luo Ling said, sitting up in the coffin, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she saw their reactions, a smile she couldn’t suppress.

The idea for this prank had come to her when Elsa met them, and after some hesitation, she had acted on it.

She knew the cenotaph’s location, having buried it herself with Cen Xiangyun while impersonating Eve. However, she had later returned that memory to Eve, the first guest of the Kingdom hotel, making the oblivious Iron Fist Maid believe it was her and Cen Xiangyun’s shared experience.

Luo Ling had now achieved the feats of attending her own funeral, burying herself, mourning herself at her own grave, and now, emerging from her own coffin.

Such experiences, once-in-a-lifetime events for ordinary people, were commonplace for Luo Ling.

“You, you…”

Cen Xiangyun, speechless, stared at the smiling Luo Ling, her delicate face flushing crimson.

Having been repeatedly tricked by Luo Ling’s “death,” Cen Xiangyun’s emotions were complex: happiness and anger, sorrow and joy, all swirling within her.

After a moment, Cen Xiangyun rushed forward, embracing Luo Ling tightly.

Only after feeling the warmth and softness of the small body in her arms did she accept this reality, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed,

“Welcome back, you big liar…”

“Mmm… I’m sorry, I tricked you,” Luo Ling said, her smile softening apologetically as she gently hugged Cen Xiangyun back.

Cen Xiangyun had shed the most tears over her “death,” mainly because Elsa, the queen of tears, had known the truth, while Cen Xiangyun had been kept in the dark.

From the train battle in Jiangcheng County, to her accidental fall into the Realm of Nothingness, to faking her death and disappearing from Victoria… Cen Xiangyun had been the most heartbroken.

Luo Ling felt guilty towards Cen Xiangyun, having had to keep so many secrets from her.

So, even as Cen Xiangyun’s tears soaked her shoulder, Luo Ling let her vent her pent-up emotions.

After a long while, Cen Xiangyun’s eyes red and swollen from crying, having turned Luo Ling into a tear-stained mess, she finally released her.

Seeing Luo Ling’s soaked white dress strap, revealing a glimpse of her delicate collarbone and slightly underdeveloped figure, Cen Xiangyun realized her outburst and lowered her head, embarrassed.

“S-sorry…”

“It’s fine,” Luo Ling said with a smile, not minding.

She waved her hand slightly, instantly weaving a new dress with fungal threads, replacing the wet one—in fact, the previous dress was also made of fungal threads, adapting to her different forms.

Since mastering the true usage of fungal threads, Luo Ling’s clothes were always made of them.

Otherwise, the White Witch and Amethyst couldn’t possibly wear the same clothes…

The Puppet Ballad’s minor abilities were incredibly useful in daily life, true life hacks.

Of course, only Luo Ling could use them like this. Even Su Wan, the Puppet Ballad’s true wielder, hadn’t imagined such applications…

After their initial emotional outburst, Cen Xiangyun and the others quickly calmed down.

The cenotaph, of course, wouldn’t remain, as both Luo Ling and Elsa were alive.

Luo Ling thus achieved another feat:

—Personally digging up her own grave.

“Why do I feel like this will happen again…?”

Luo Ling couldn’t help but think this absurd thought as she dug.

After tidying up, they found a nearby cafe and sat down.

Their previous apartment had been vacated, otherwise, meeting there would have been more convenient.

“Has Lu Manqing appeared since then?”

Luo Ling pondered. She hadn’t noticed.

Lu Manqing was one of the few who escaped the Kingdom hotel. When Alyssa and Stasha acted, Lu Manqing had displayed unprecedented escape skills, vanishing without a trace.

Luo Ling had assumed she had returned to Company headquarters, seeking refuge like other low-level Awakened Ones.

Now it seemed…

“That girl might have as many secrets as I do,” Luo Ling thought.

But it was normal. If she could hide things, why couldn’t Lu Manqing?

Luo Ling still didn’t reveal the whole truth to Cen Xiangyun and the others.

Not because she wanted to hide it, but because simply emerging from her own coffin had caused such a strong reaction from Cen Xiangyun.

If she revealed her identity as the White Witch…

Luo Ling worried Cen Xiangyun might have a heart attack, requiring her to revive her.

She would explain everything later, when the opportunity arose.

Eve and Cen Xiangyun didn’t ask about Luo Ling and Elsa’s resurrection.

Everyone had their secrets, Lu Manqing, Luo Ling, and themselves as well.

At least now, they were reunited, not separated by tragedy, and that was enough.

An Yu, not having been involved in any of this, could only sit beside Elsa, silently sipping her coffee and listening.

Perhaps still traumatized by the Jiangcheng County incident, An Yu was much quieter than the lively junior Luo Ling remembered.

Seeing the subdued An Yu, Luo Ling pondered for a moment, then said,

“An Yu, if you have time… you should return to Jiangcheng County.”

“Huh?” An Yu looked up blankly, a flicker of fear in her eyes. “What for?”

Jiangcheng County was the source of her nightmares. She often dreamt of white reishi mushrooms blooming everywhere, her family’s smiling faces distorted and corrupted.

“Perhaps… it will bring you some closure,” Luo Ling said softly.

Within Victoria’s disordered three-hundred-year cycle, ordinary people who hadn’t walked the Paths, even if they died, were preserved by Transcendence.

If the cycle wasn’t broken, they remained dead.

If the cycle was broken, they would be resurrected through Transcendence.

Just like the ordinary people in the Kingdoms.

Therefore, after the Jiangcheng County disaster, besides the unfortunate Awakened Ones, the ordinary people should have been resurrected through Transcendence, including An Yu’s grandparents.

Although living in this terrifyingly real world might be another form of despair…

…at least they were alive.

“Mmm…”

Although confused, An Yu nodded.

If Senior Luo Ling said so, there must be a reason.

Luo Ling understood An Yu’s thoughts. She didn’t want to be involved in the Awakened world or embrace Grotesquery powers. This wasn’t a wrong decision.

Because in the upcoming Doomsday disaster, even if An Yu continued on this path, without reaching the level of wielding an Authority, she would be no different from an ordinary person.

After hearing An Yu’s decision, Luo Ling secretly gave her a few strands of hair as a safeguard.

This was enough.

Cen Xiangyun and Eve’s situations were different.

Eve had decided to continue on this path. She didn’t have any strong feelings about the conflict between Grotesqueries and Awakened Ones, simply following her own convictions.

But she hadn’t yet chosen which Grotesquery to follow.

Many former Order-side organizations had become Grotesquery Apostle organizations, following the leaders wielding Authority Sacred Tools as their “deities.” Several Sin and Thorn Path organizations had already approached Eve.

Cen Xiangyun was still hesitating, unwilling to abandon her Awakened One powers, yet also reluctant to become a Grotesquery Apostle. So, for now, she remained at Company headquarters.

The current Company headquarters wasn’t completely powerless. After all, they had only lost their abilities, not their qualifications, and could still use ability-sealed Sacred Tools.

But regardless, they were severely weakened, even on paper, surpassed by several newly risen organizations.

Thanks to the reputation and past achievements of the Boy, the sole surviving director, and Fiona’s secret support, Company headquarters still maintained its top position.

But as long as the Boy didn’t demonstrate his former strength, their position remained precarious.

Luo Ling didn’t interfere with Cen Xiangyun and Eve’s decisions, only giving them fungal threads as a safeguard.

Luo Ling had considered making them her Apostles, but… they were different from Elsa and the others.

Besides being Luo Ling’s teammates, they had their own identities, lives, and responsibilities.

Moreover, Luo Ling wasn’t alone anymore; she had her family in the Kingdom.

Making these decisions for them would be irresponsible.

Perhaps… they would meet again someday.

But for now, the Twintails team had to part ways.

After their brief reunion, Luo Ling and Elsa bid farewell to Cen Xiangyun and the others.

At least now, having found some closure, they could finally move on.

Returning to Starry Victoria with Elsa, after a final dinner with the Kingdom family in the banquet hall, Luo Ling sat before the vanity mirror in the staff quarters.

She hung the clock, now displaying the correct date, on the wall, then closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, the reflection showed a teal-haired, green-eyed girl.

The tips of her hair were tinged with a gradient of crimson, her delicate, cute face now holding a lively, mischievous glint.

Luo Ling was quite pleased with this appearance, so similar to Miss Iris.

Black Kite was perhaps her most satisfactory form, only lacking in one aspect, a minor, inherent flaw, the only noticeable difference from Miss Iris.

…Well, it wasn’t a big deal, some padding or thicker clothes could easily conceal it.

Luo Ling, looking away from the mirror, composed herself and began to organize the information she had gathered during her return to Victoria.

Besides her encounter with Cen Xiangyun and the others, the most important thing was Victoria’s transformation.

The current Victoria was in a state of Transcendence’s demise and Doomsday’s dormancy, the arrival of a Doomsday disaster imminent.

Now that she thought about it, the reason why Iris, Moonflower, and the others in their chat logs only mentioned Grotesquery Apostles, never Awakened Ones, was likely due to this.

At least, it meant that the other Origin Points weren’t much better off than Victoria, perhaps not completely annihilated like Columbia, but still…

“Regardless, let’s visit Miss Iris in Twilight Victoria first.”

Luo Ling stood up, the scenery around her shifting, the bizarre Victoria flashing past, only the small, teal-haired girl remaining unchanged.

Moments later, Luo Ling found herself amidst the twilight and the setting sun.

This time, surprisingly, Miss Iris was late.

Luo Ling even watched a passerby trip and fall three times before Iris finally arrived.

“Oh, Black Kite… you’re here,” Iris said, tugging at her bird’s nest-like hair, her gaze towards Luo Ling a mix of avoidance and anticipation.

Strange.

However, Luo Ling had seen even stranger versions of Miss Iris, so this seemed relatively normal.

Suppressing her amusement, Luo Ling nodded slightly.

“Mmm, any news from Moonflower and Camellia?”

“Yes…”

Iris hesitated for a moment, then handed her phone to Luo Ling, letting her read the chat logs directly.

This was a much more agreeable attitude than before, so much so that Luo Ling felt a bit… uncomfortable.

Was this still the same wary and overthinking Miss Iris? Why was she suddenly so docile?

This unusual behavior made even the not-so-suspicious Luo Ling wonder if there was some hidden scheme.

But then again, Miss Iris’s walnut-sized brain likely couldn’t concoct any complex plots.

Unless it was Moonflower and Camellia’s scheme… but that was unlikely. It was more plausible that Luo Ling’s charm had conquered Iris.

Regardless, Miss Iris’s cooperation was a good thing. The alliance wasn’t completely useless after all.

Luo Ling took the phone and carefully read the messages, Iris waiting anxiously beside her.

This scene… strangely resembled a partner checking their lover’s messages…

Finally, after finishing the logs, Luo Ling relaxed.

It seemed that although they suspected a connection to Amethyst, the Naraku Godchosen, Moonflower and Camellia still didn’t want to lose Iris as an ally, having finalized the meeting time and location.

Of course, their words still held a hint of probing, testing Iris’s attitude.

However, Iris’s complaints about Amethyst in the group chat were far more numerous than anyone expected, a barrage of accusations silencing the other three (including Snowdrop). Even Luo Ling, reading the logs, blushed slightly in embarrassment.

She had indeed been a bit… excessive towards Miss Iris…

These messages were from after Luo Ling and Iris formed their alliance, meaning Iris still held considerable resentment towards Amethyst.

But what was going on now?

Luo Ling looked up at Iris, noticing her staring.

Their teal eyes met.

Iris’s face instantly flushed crimson, but she didn’t avert her gaze.

Seeing this, Luo Ling seemed to realize something. After a moment of thought, she transformed into her Amethyst form.

Instantly, Iris’s expression turned sour, and she looked away.

“……”

Luo Ling remained silent.