The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c16

Chapter 16: Dream Lover

Luo Ling had a dream.

Perhaps due to the constant stress from the Victoria crisis, Luo Ling rarely relaxed, not getting enough rest. Having used two Taboo-level Authorities in succession today, her inspiration depleted, she finally felt tired. Since all preparations were complete, she decided to take a short nap.

This nap, however, was unexpected.

She found herself in a desolate, greyish wasteland, vaguely resembling the Burial Ground, but even more terrifying. This dreamlike state, between consciousness and illusion, was familiar to Luo Ling.

“I… can’t wake up…?”

Luo Ling pondered for a moment, then began to wander aimlessly.

She wasn’t worried about the outside world, as her aura, through the use of the two Authorities, was now completely intertwined with Iris’s.

If Iris encountered any danger, Luo Ling would automatically take over, their identities instantly switching. Luo Ling, the bird, would become a girl, and Iris, the girl, would become a bird, nesting on Luo Ling’s head.

Due to the previous rewriting of reality, even Moonflower and Camellia, if present, wouldn’t notice this switch.

They could likely handle a single Taboo Authority; after all, they were planning to seize one themselves.

But using two or more Taboo Authorities to create the connection between Luo Ling and Iris… currently, only Luo Ling could achieve this, a significant safeguard.

Luo Ling continued walking through the grey wasteland.

Unexpectedly, she saw a figure by a withered, dried-up riverbed.

“Hmm?”

Luo Ling, who had been waiting to wake up, quickened her pace, intrigued by the figure.

She hadn’t expected to find anything in this strange place; she knew the nature of her dreams.

In her previous dream, she had seen the Doomsday-corrupted Transcendence weeping before its own grave, mourning the world’s inevitable demise.

This time, Luo Ling knew, without even thinking, it must be another remnant of the world before the Origin Points were separated.

Luo Ling also knew that although her true origins were still a mystery, and the First Seat, who likely knew something, was being cryptic, Luo Ling was undeniably connected to Transcendence.

As Luo Ling approached, she saw a woman in a light, gauzy, teal dress, sitting by the riverbed, her face buried in her hands, weeping.

Her ethereal, gauzy dress spread around her on the ground, swaying gently like a blooming flower.

As if sensing someone’s approach, the woman’s sobs quieted slightly, and she looked up, revealing half of her beautiful face.

Luo Ling could honestly say she had never seen such a beautiful woman. In terms of appearance alone, this woman surpassed everyone she had ever met.

Honestly, Luo Ling didn’t consider herself beautiful, Elsa was too young, her sister’s appearance was relatively ordinary, as were the Alyssa sisters.

Aunt Fiona and Linna were top-tier, as was Iris, although in different styles. As for Eve, Cen Xiangyun, Lu Manqing, and the others… they were all slightly less striking.

Thinking about it, among the people Luo Ling knew, only Moonflower, that old fox, could be considered devastatingly beautiful, her presence dimming even the brightest jewels, but her personality was… unpleasant.

But none could compare to this woman in teal. Even Luo Ling, with her… unusual… taste in aesthetics, felt a flicker of attraction.

And at this moment, the woman’s sobs ceased as she saw Luo Ling.

Reclining on her arm, half of her beautiful face revealed, an unreadable emotion in her elegant yet gentle eyes as she stared intently at Luo Ling.

Luo Ling felt a strange sense of unease, a disturbingly familiar feeling.

“You… finally came…”

The woman’s voice was melodious and gentle, like a celestial song, yet filled with deep sorrow, her tone trembling slightly with emotion.

“I’ve waited for you… for so long…”

“Until the sun and moon reversed, the Yellow River overturned, and the Wei River dried up… I couldn’t see you…”

She slowly stood up—or rather, floated—moving towards Luo Ling.

Her long, flowing teal hair veiled her face slightly, but her charm remained undiminished, a hazy, ethereal beauty, unparalleled in this world.

But despite the picturesque scene, Luo Ling’s unease intensified.

She was certain she had never met this woman before—such a beautiful woman would be unforgettable.

But this feeling was like an instinct, deeply ingrained, uncontrollable.

Luo Ling reminded herself that this was just a dream, her main body safely nestled in Miss Iris’s hair.

It was just a dream, a manifestation of her consciousness, so there was nothing to worry about.

At least, in terms of consciousness, Luo Ling had never encountered anything that could harm her.

This thought calmed her slightly.

Composing herself, Luo Ling looked up at the woman and asked softly,

“Who are you?”

Hearing this seemingly ordinary question, the woman froze, her expression, visible through her flowing hair, one of shock.

“You… don’t recognize me?” the woman asked, pointing at herself, her voice filled with disbelief. “No, no… why… even you…”

She took a few steps back, her bare feet on the sand, yet untouched by dust, even her distraught appearance endearing, a perfect picture of vulnerability and fragility.

“I…”

Luo Ling didn’t know what to say.

She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction to a simple question.

She even began to wonder if she had truly forgotten something.

But before Luo Ling could explain, the woman looked up, her voice a sorrowful murmur.

“Have even you… betrayed me? Our vows, our past… are they all… just dust to you?”

“My millennia of waiting, countless years of longing… is this all I get…?”

At the same time, the woman’s body began to decay, a grotesque, withered corpse faintly visible, radiating a terrifying aura.

When she appeared before Luo Ling again, only half of her beautiful face remained, the other half a decaying skull, its flesh covered in sores and oozing pus.

“Even if you’ve broken your vows, it’s alright, I… have always been waiting for you,” the woman’s voice, still clear and melodious, was filled with sorrow. “As long as you return… no matter what… I will always, always, love you.”

“This time… stay with me…”

As her voice fell, a sweet fragrance and the stench of decay assaulted Luo Ling’s senses, sending a chill down her spine.

Not because of the overpowering smell, but because of the weight of the woman’s emotions, a burden she couldn’t bear.

“……..”

The teal bird suddenly opened its eyes, its breath slightly ragged.

“Miss Black Kite, you’re awake?”

Sensing the movement on her head, Iris greeted her cheerfully, chirping,

“Did you know? Lord Jingwei just stirred again! Is it because of that powerful Authority you used in Twilight Victoria?”

Luo Ling, still immersed in her dream, didn’t hear Iris, not responding.

“Miss Black Kite?” Iris, sensing something was wrong, called out again. “Miss Luo Ling? Am-… White Witch?”

“…I’m fine,” Luo Ling finally said, coming to her senses.

Her dream had been too real, too terrifying, the details still vivid, making her question whether it was truly a dream or something else.

Perhaps her consciousness had wandered somewhere else…

But regardless… the thought of that woman in teal sent chills down her spine.

“But she never said who she was…” Luo Ling sighed inwardly, feeling exhausted, her nap having only brought more worries, not rest.

“Glad you’re alright. Bad dream? Don’t worry, dreams are always the opposite, that’s what Lord Jingwei told me,” Iris said, nodding.

“The opposite…”

Luo Ling’s expression turned strange.

Did that mean… she was the one pursuing the woman with such intense emotions?

Luo Ling shuddered. That was even more terrifying.

Iris repeated her previous question. Having seen the changes in Twilight Victoria and Lord Jingwei, she now believed Luo Ling could truly heal her Lord. If not for the upcoming Zhuolu’s Battlefield operation, she would have asked Miss Black Kite to heal Jingwei immediately.

Of course, provided Amethyst didn’t appear. Her other forms were fine.

Despite having spent time with Luo Ling, Iris was still instinctively wary of Amethyst.

“Perhaps, I’m not sure,” Luo Ling said after a moment of thought. “More accurately, I didn’t use any ability that would affect Jingwei. Perhaps She sensed something, hence Her stirring.”

Savior Witch, an Authority of the Transcendence Path, was fundamentally different from other Paths.

In this world, only Doomsday and Transcendence were true divine powers; the other Paths were borrowed, inherently weaker.

Of course, if they weren’t using the powers borrowed by Transcendence, but the Paths derived directly from the deities themselves, it would be a different story.

Clearly, Jingwei wasn’t one of them.

But… She was still connected to Transcendence, perhaps even knew It.

If so, Luo Ling truly wanted to save Jingwei, not just to have Iris as Starry Victoria’s gardener.

Luo Ling then realized Iris had brought her to a bustling ancient city, filled with people in ancient clothing, seemingly from a bygone era.

“Where is this…?”

Luo Ling looked around and asked hesitantly.

She wasn’t familiar with the Great Xia Imperial City’s geography, as it was vastly different from the “world” she knew.

Besides Columbia, from her sister’s memories, and Victoria, which she had personally experienced, she only had a rudimentary understanding of the other two Origin Points.

Among the four Origin Points, only Columbia and Victoria had the concept of “Earth.” Valhalla consisted of the Nine Worlds connected by the World Tree, and the Great Xia Imperial City was a flat world, each location a separate, small world.

In Luo Ling’s understanding, these worlds were… strange.

“This is Kunlun’s Ruins, also known as the Great Xia Imperial City,” Iris said. “Essentially, the foundation of the Great Xia Origin Point is here, equivalent to Victoria within the Victoria Origin Point.”

“‘Within the realm, Kunlun’s Ruins stand in the northwest, the capital beneath the Emperor. Kunlun’s Ruins, eight hundred li in radius, ten thousand ren high.’—This is Kunlun’s Ruins.”

A capital city atop a towering mountain, the legendary place where humans communicated with deities.

Needless to say, all the humans in Kunlun’s Ruins were pilgrims seeking divine favor.

Legend had it that some pilgrims, after a long and arduous journey, kneeling and prostrating themselves all the way to Kunlun’s Ruins, finally received the deities’ attention, becoming their representatives in the mortal world.

“Since Zhuolu’s Battlefield has been completely destroyed, to enter its Kingdom, we have to come to Kunlun’s Ruins first… those were Sister Moonflower’s words,” Iris said, waving her phone.

No matter how many times she saw it, these seemingly ancient beings using modern communication tools still felt strange to Luo Ling.

However, the phones used by Iris and the others weren’t ordinary phones, but modified using their abilities and Authorities.

Even An Yu, when she was still relatively weak, could alter the information on a SIM card using her Order ability. These powerful beings, of course, were even more capable, communicating across Origin Points wasn’t a problem.

If Scientist had such a modified phone back in Jiangcheng County, she wouldn’t have needed to sacrifice a random passerby for every long-distance call to Victoria. A simple phone call would have been much more efficient.

However, Luo Ling was more interested in another aspect of Iris’s words.

“Zhuolu’s Battlefield… has been destroyed?” Luo Ling raised an eyebrow.

A Kingdom fragment of a destroyed location, containing a Nightmare Taboo Authority, its creation method… intriguing.

Could it be… “Zhuolu’s Battlefield at the Final Hour”?

Luo Ling suddenly thought of her recent nightmare, the sorrow and grief in the teal-dressed woman’s beautiful eyes still vivid, a subtle pain in her heart.

“It seems… I’m still affected…”

Luo Ling quickly buried this memory, afraid of that slightly mad and sorrowful woman.

“I think I smell Moonflower,” Iris said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “They should be here already.”