The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c11

Chapter 11: Another Grotesquery

The massive deer looked down at everyone, Its gaze emotionless, devoid of human sentiment, like the Grotesqueries Luo Ling knew, yet capable of communication.

Although Snowdrop’s behavior at the Tea Party had been strange, she had simply seemed taciturn, no one suspected she was a Grotesquery.

In other words, she was a true “human-like Grotesquery,” not a borderline case like Luo Ling.

However, even the other Tea Party members hadn’t encountered this before.

Grotesqueries that could transcend their instincts and think like humans were rare, let alone one hiding among them.

Of course, the First Seat must have known Snowdrop’s true identity, simply never revealing it.

But…

This also meant that almost everyone at the Tea Party was disguised.

Luo Ling, of course, with her multiple personas, was a special case.

Moonflower, the loli, was actually a tall, seductive fox woman; Camellia, the gentle, cunning older sister, was a blonde elf loli; and Snowdrop, the quiet one, wasn’t even human, but a Grotesquery in the form of a giant deer.

Only Miss Iris, using the First Seat’s mystical aura as a mask…

Although the aura concealed her face, her other features were too distinctive. Anyone could easily uncover Iris’s true identity, even without Luo Ling’s Omniscience.

“It’s rare for us to gather like this, and we’re all familiar with each other, so let’s skip the introductions,” Moonflower said, winking at Iris. “Or could it be… silly Sister Iris still hasn’t figured things out?”

Unlike her usual exaggerated loli voice, Moonflower’s real-world voice was seductive and alluring, even other women couldn’t help but be captivated.

Unfortunately, Iris wasn’t affected. For various reasons, she wasn’t attracted to older sister or grandmother types, only feeling a chill of disgust.

“Don’t call me Sister, you’re too old.”

Luo Ling, perched on Iris’s head, flapped her wings in agreement. Indeed, for her, at sixteen, everyone present was an old woman.

Moonflower’s smile faltered.

…Old?

When had anyone ever called her that after seeing her true form…?

Camellia couldn’t help but smile, a hint of mockery in her gaze towards Moonflower.

Compared to the young Iris, she was indeed an oblivious old woman.

“Hmph,” Moonflower snorted. “Little Iris has such a sharp tongue, I’ll have to punish you later.”

Hearing this, Luo Ling flapped her wings again, recalling some unpleasant memories.

“Alright, alright, enough playing around, let’s get down to business. We’re meeting privately, without the First Seat and her close friend ‘Amethyst,’ not for idle chatter.”

Camellia, seeing the initial awkwardness fading, the usual familiarity returning, stepped forward.

Although she looked like a loli… her demeanor was similar to her Tea Party persona.

Besides her childish appearance, she seemed even more like an older sister than Moonflower.

Camellia looked around, meeting everyone’s gazes, then continued,

“Regarding the First Seat’s proposal of the path to godhood, I believe everyone understands the reason.”

Moonflower and Snowdrop nodded slightly, while Iris looked confused.

What did she mean?

She didn’t understand.

Luo Ling vaguely understood Moonflower’s words, having had similar suspicions. It seemed she wasn’t the only one.

“The First Seat has been using us, and her motives aren’t pure… We even suspect she’s an avatar of the dormant Taboo, Naraku.”

Camellia, seeing Iris’s expression, knew that this girl was practically the only innocent one at the Tea Party. She wondered how such a naive little thing had even joined this group of old foxes.

“Naraku’s avatar!”

Iris’s eyes widened in shock. The image of the First Seat in her mind suddenly became clearer…

…transforming into…

…Amethyst.

After all, Amethyst was a Naraku Godchosen, it made sense.

Luo Ling, nestled in Iris’s hair, seeing the single-celled organism’s thoughts, pecked at her head in exasperation.

She had said it multiple times, she wasn’t a Naraku Godchosen, and she had nothing to do with Naraku, just like she currently had nothing to do with Jingwei.

“Otherwise, it’s hard to explain why the First Seat allowed Amethyst, a Naraku Godchosen, to join, and even showed such favoritism towards her,” Camellia said, her eyes narrowing, a dangerous glint within.

“And ‘Victoria at the Final Hour,’ the most important Kingdom, was given directly to Amethyst because of the First Seat’s intervention. Perhaps… Amethyst has already become a Naraku God’s Favored—a Taboo God’s Favored, practically unheard of.”

“Naraku God’s Favored!” Iris exclaimed again, as if hearing something unbelievable.

“Or perhaps… a lover,” Moonflower added with a chuckle, a playful tone in her voice.

“A lover!”

Iris’s shock intensified, her mind conjuring up all sorts of images.

Luo Ling, perched on her head, wanted to slap the girl and bring her back to reality.

In any case, it was because of these reasons that Moonflower and the others had become wary of the Witches’ Tea Party.

What was supposed to be a fair exchange had become skewed due to Amethyst’s arrival.

But since the Tea Party was practically controlled by the First Seat, fairness and equality were determined by her. Unable to understand the First Seat’s true intentions, Moonflower and the others couldn’t counter her, only trying to minimize her influence.

Hence, this offline meeting.

All of this could be summarized in one sentence:

“Hmph, we just don’t want to play with those two bitches!” Moonflower said, crossing her arms and scowling. “If not for Amethyst’s interference, and the First Seat’s favoritism, ‘Victoria at the Final Hour’ would have been mine!”

A string of insults followed, directed at both Amethyst and the First Seat, especially their ambiguous relationship.

Luo Ling, subjected to these insults, remained silent, various plans forming in her mind.

Few dared insult her to her face; Moonflower was one of the few.

Finally, Iris realized what was happening.

She nudged the teal bird on her head, her face slightly embarrassed, as if she was the one being insulted.

Offline gatherings always involved badmouthing those not present, a timeless tradition.

Especially since… the purpose of this gathering was to avoid the First Seat and Amethyst.

However… Moonflower’s words were a bit too harsh. Camellia intervened, smoothing things over.

“It’s mainly because… we don’t understand the relationship between the First Seat and Amethyst… and regardless of other speculations, at least Amethyst being a Naraku Godchosen is a fact, which is why we didn’t invite her.”

Amethyst’s infamous reputation as a Naraku Godchosen was the true reason for her exclusion.

However…

At this very moment, the uninvited “Amethyst” was nestled in Iris’s hair.

Moonflower and Camellia naturally noticed the teal bird, simply waiting for the right moment to mention it.

But before they could, Snowdrop spoke directly,

“Iris, why have you brought another being here?”

Her gaze, cold and piercing, was fixed on Luo Ling in her bird form, as if trying to see through her.

Even Luo Ling felt a tingle in her scalp under such scrutiny, but she quickly composed herself, sending a message to Iris while flapping her wings and taking flight.

Her innate ability, True Form, activated. The small teal bird instantly transformed into a giant crow, its feathers a deep teal-black, its gaze filled with hatred and resentment, even the Mountains and Seas mourned for Her.

—Jingwei’s true form.

“This, this is…”

Moonflower and the others looked up, shock on their faces.

Had Miss Iris brought her deity with her? And perched on her head?

Even Snowdrop’s usually indifferent expression held disbelief. She suddenly realized she had misjudged Iris, this was a being no weaker than herself.

Even Iris swallowed nervously, a flicker of excitement in her teal eyes.

“Is this… Miss Black Kite? But she looks just like Lord Jingwei…”

For a moment, It seemed as if Her Lord had returned.

However, Iris quickly recovered, composing herself and, following Luo Ling’s instructions, said casually,

“This isn’t Her, just a partial avatar formed by Her power granted to me.”

At the same time, Jingwei’s true form dissipated, returning to a small teal bird and settling back on Iris’s head, but with its head held slightly higher, seemingly pleased with its display.

But needless to say, their perception of Iris had changed, the previous disdain lessening.

She had been just a menu item before, but this display of her deity’s true form had added weight to her presence, at least earning her a seat at the table.

God’s Favored, known as Grotesquery Agents by the Order-side organizations in Victoria, were essentially avatars of Grotesqueries, but this didn’t mean they were the Grotesquery’s avatar.

They were like officially certified followers, although the extent of this certification depended on the deity itself.

Some deities were generous, granting their Agents free access to their power, like Luo Ling, and like Jingwei with Iris.

But in most cases, this power was limited, and the God’s Favored’s own strength was more important.

Iris’s case was the opposite. The divine power she wielded was disproportionate to her own strength, and even without Luo Ling disguising herself as Jingwei’s avatar, the fact that Iris was Jingwei’s one and only God’s Favored… was undeniable.

This alone significantly increased her value in this meeting.

“I never thought… little Iris would be hiding such power…”

Moonflower said with a faint smile, her fox eyes scrutinizing Iris.

Camellia’s attitude, however, remained unchanged, at least outwardly.

She nodded slightly at Iris. “In that case, it’s fine.”

This meeting itself wasn’t exactly friendly towards the First Seat and Amethyst. They weren’t ready, nor powerful enough, to openly defy the First Seat, and they weren’t willing to leave the Witches’ Tea Party, so they could only meet like this, in secret.

This was also why they had chosen Qing Qiu Kingdom as their meeting place, not just because it was under Moonflower’s control, but also because of its unique nature.

Qing Qiu Kingdom existed only in the “past.”

After the ten suns disaster, it had become a desolate wasteland.

Even within the Great Xia Imperial City, few knew this place still existed.

Although even here, they couldn’t completely avoid the First Seat’s influence, it was still safer than other locations.

Snowdrop stared at the teal bird on Iris’s head, her cold, crystal-clear eyes fixed on Luo Ling, saying nothing, making Luo Ling uncomfortable, causing her to burrow deeper into Iris’s hair.

After all, Luo Ling was now practically Snowdrop’s… kin…

After a while, Snowdrop looked away, addressing Iris seriously,

“Please inform your Lord that if She is available, the Lady of Gushe Mountain wishes to meet Her.”

The Lady of Gushe Mountain?

Hearing this True Name, everyone, including Luo Ling, was shocked.

Grotesquery Sequence 15, Lady of Gushe Mountain of Calamity.

A being far more powerful than Jingwei, or even Xing Tian.

If Snowdrop was the Lady of Gushe Mountain’s true form, Her strength…

…was likely the greatest Luo Ling had ever encountered, besides her sister and the First Seat, of course. Her sister, having abandoned her power, didn’t count, and the First Seat’s true strength was unknown, having never displayed her abilities outside the grey garden, her only action extracting “Victoria at the Final Hour,” not a true display of combat power.

Of course, Snowdrop might also be just an avatar of the Lady of Gushe Mountain, but regardless, her identity was beyond everyone’s expectations.

“Oh…”

Iris nodded blankly, but her thoughts were…

Did the Lady of Gushe Mountain want to meet Lord Jingwei, or Miss Black Kite?

After these small interludes, everyone realized they had underestimated each other.

They had thought the ordinary Snowdrop was an incredibly powerful deity, and the simple-minded Iris a highly favored God’s Favored.

It seemed the First Seat’s judgment was indeed accurate. Every member she invited to the Tea Party… was a force to be reckoned with.

…Moonflower and Camellia were no exception.

“Let’s discuss the path to godhood,” Moonflower said, stepping forward.

“As you all know, I now wield the Hour of Death ability of the Taboo Authority, Fate—unfortunately, since the Other Shore and Present Paths don’t exist in Qing Qiu Kingdom, I can’t demonstrate it.”

Like Iris’s hometown, only a single Path existed in Qing Qiu Kingdom. It seemed every Boundary within the Great Xia Imperial City was limited to a single Path.

“But this ability isn’t suitable for me. I’m willing to trade it, but only for an equivalent Authority,” Moonflower said frankly, spreading her hands. “I am the God’s Favored of the Nine-Tailed Fox of Nightmare. All Nightmare Taboo Authorities are welcome.”

The Oneiric-Nightmare Path, the same Path Elsa walked.

Moonflower had initially intended to conceal her true identity.

But after Iris and Snowdrop’s revelations, she realized that hiding it might put her at a disadvantage in the upcoming transactions.

Moonflower wanted to maintain control.

She had indeed claimed the sole prize of Victoria’s demise, but the Hour of Death wasn’t very useful to her.

It was powerful, but not suitable, as she wasn’t an Other Shore-Present Path being.

Ideally, Moonflower wanted a Nightmare Path Taboo Authority.

Normally, she would propose a transaction at the Tea Party and cooperate with the other members.

But the previous incident had made Moonflower wary of the First Seat. She didn’t want to lose the “Hour of Death” she had fought so hard to obtain, especially not to the First Seat’s “lover,” Amethyst.

Therefore, Moonflower, Camellia, who wanted the Fate Authority, and Iris, desperate for ascension, had decided to bypass the Tea Party and meet privately.

As for Snowdrop, she was just muscle. She was already a Sequence Grotesquery; she couldn’t wield a Taboo Authority even if it was offered to her, unlike Luo Ling.

“Now, the little Tea Party… begins,” Moonflower said with a smile.