The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c46

Chapter 46: Quadruple Tasking

Camellia didn’t delve into Luo Ling’s baffling request, simply attributing it to the young girl’s unique quirks.

Initially, she had only been fixated on the “Hour of Death.” The reason was simple: she didn’t dare hope for more.

Now that the “Hour of Death” had fallen into her hands in such a dreamlike manner, she naturally started thinking about the remaining two abilities of the Fate Authority.

The reason Luo Ling was so generous with Camellia was partly because she didn’t really need the “Hour of Death.” Although it was a complete Authority, it ultimately came from the Norn, a Taboo.

Almost all of Luo Ling’s Authorities were replicated, or perhaps obtained through another even more inconceivable method, completely under her control, without any connection to the original owner.

Therefore, even if Luo Ling obtained the “Hour of Death,” its effect would be minimal. It was better to give it to Camellia as a favor.

…There was another crucial reason.

What was the situation with this vacant Fate Authority?

Why… hadn’t any other Taboo Authority appeared in this fragmented form?

Furthermore, until now, Luo Ling hadn’t heard of any Fate Godchosen.

Perhaps this Authority wasn’t a good thing, so Luo Ling dismissed the idea of giving it to her family.

As for directly obtaining Fate through the “Hour of Death,” unfortunately, perhaps because the ability was fragmented, the Authority wasn’t complete, and Devour could only obtain the corresponding inspirational energy. It was too wasteful.

Therefore, Luo Ling’s current plan was simple: wait for Camellia to gather all the Fate Authority abilities, making it complete, and then take a bite.

Just like with Jingwei, who had transformed into Calamity, this way, she could directly transform into the “This Life” form of the “Other Shore” path.

This was a transaction that satisfied all three parties. After the barrier dissipated, all three wore faint smiles.

“It seems the discussion went well.” The First Seat’s gaze casually fell on the three, a faint smile appearing on her lips as if she had thought of something. “Any other trades?”

Just then, the most unexpected thing happened. Iris timidly raised her hand and whispered, “I…”

“Hmm?”

Everyone’s gaze focused on Iris, and she immediately hesitated, her eyes darting around.

But soon, as if she had made up her mind, she gritted her teeth, raised her head, and said with a serious expression, “I want to trade with Miss Amethyst!”

“Oh, business is booming.” The First Seat smiled, looking at Luo Ling with amusement. “Amethyst, you’re truly popular. Everyone wants to have some kind of relationship with you.”

“…”

Luo Ling chose to ignore the First Seat’s easily misunderstood words.

She looked at Iris, who, surprisingly, bravely met her gaze, a determined expression flashing across her face, as if ready to die.

…There was no need for that, right?

She wasn’t going to eat her…

“No problem.”

Luo Ling nodded slightly. She already knew what Iris wanted to do.

Since it was a rare Tea Party, they might as well settle everything at once.

With that thought, Luo Ling unfolded a barrier.

After the previous traumatic experience, Iris actually took the initiative to ask for a private meeting with Amethyst.

Luo Ling sat before Iris, wondering if she should change forms.

But the next moment, Iris spoke, very directly, “Amethyst, you said before that you could heal Lord Jingwei, right?”

“I said I could try, since I don’t know the extent of Her injuries,” Luo Ling corrected.

Although she had many methods for treating others’ injuries and was quite experienced, she had never treated a Sequence Grotesquery before. She was a novice in this aspect.

Snowdrop wouldn’t let her practice on her, so she could only impose on Lord Jingwei.

“Well…”

Iris had anticipated Luo Ling’s hesitant words and sighed softly, a bitter expression flashing across her face.

“What happened to Her?”

Luo Ling noticed the change in Iris’s expression, and the fact that she had finally relented after refusing to ask for help before.

“No, it’s nothing. It’s the same as before.” Iris shook her head and continued, “But… it’s been worsening, and the rate of deterioration hasn’t slowed down.

If this continues, Lord Jingwei will eventually become an irreversible ‘immortal’ puppet, just like that little mouse.”

The curse of eternal life, a consciousness experiencing pain and wailing even as it decayed into dust. This was the ending Iris never wanted to see.

The last time Luo Ling used the Savior Witch, a flicker of consciousness appeared in Jingwei. Iris had an idea then, but just like before, she wanted to solve it herself through the path to godhood.

But… after this Heavenly Woman Ba incident, seeing Moonflower’s fate, it was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over Iris.

She now knew that the path to godhood wasn’t easy. Even if she succeeded… if it was like Moonflower’s case, it wouldn’t be able to heal Jingwei’s irreversible injuries.

From the very beginning, Iris wasn’t seeking power for herself. She just wanted to save her deity.

“Yes, I can treat Her,” Luo Ling nodded slightly. “But I can’t guarantee a complete cure, and of course, I won’t make it worse… probably.”

These words, instead of reassuring Iris, made her face even paler.

But in the end, she nodded with a pale face, agreeing.

If this continued, Lord Jingwei would only be waiting for her demise, an ending even more terrifying than death.

“Medical expenses… I know what you want,” Iris whispered, her eyes downcast. “You want me, right?”

“What are you saying…”

Luo Ling’s mouth twitched. Why did everyone at the Tea Party seem to be influenced by the First Seat?

“I’m indeed stupid, but stupid people can still think.” Iris puffed out her cheeks and continued, “You brought me home, introduced me to your sister and Elsa, isn’t it because you want me to join you?

Moreover, after all these events, even I can guess… you must have taken a fancy to my ability to cultivate flowers and forests!”

Luo Ling’s disastrous performance using Mountains and Seas at the Xuanyuan residence not long ago had shocked Iris greatly.

“Ahem…”

Luo Ling coughed repeatedly.

Although this was indeed her intention, being directly exposed by the person involved made Luo Ling somewhat embarrassed. She wasn’t that thick-skinned.

“However, how did you know I valued your ability to cultivate flowers and forests?” Luo Ling asked curiously.

Hearing this, Iris’s expression changed several times. She hung her head and said, “I’m not pretty, nor am I powerful. I’m also very stupid and can’t do anything right, not even save Lord Jingwei. The only thing I can do is grow things… That’s my only value.”

“…That’s not entirely true.” Luo Ling said, unconvincingly, glancing nervously at the First Seat outside the barrier.

This was a lie, right? Would the First Seat notice?

There seemed to be no reaction.

“Anyway, as long as you can heal Lord Jingwei, I’ll do anything, I’ll agree to anything you ask!” Iris raised her head and said firmly.

She wasn’t someone who dwelled on uncertainties. Since she had made up her mind, she wouldn’t waver.

“Deal.”

A smile appeared on Luo Ling’s lips. No matter what, Starry Victoria finally had a “gardener.”

Iris alone had managed to build Twilight Victoria into a decent shape, let alone Starry Victoria with other helpers.

After this transaction was concluded, the barrier dissipated.

The First Seat looked at Luo Ling with a smile and asked, “Is that… all?”

Everyone remained silent.

“In that case,” the First Seat waved her hand and continued, “The Tea Party… is adjourned.”

Billowing black fog surged, engulfing everyone.

Luo Ling’s departure was slightly delayed. When all the other black fog dispersed, the fog enveloping her had just appeared.

The First Seat stood up and slowly walked towards Luo Ling, who was looking at her warily.

But at this moment, the First Seat’s expression was unusually serious, her tone devoid of its usual frivolity.

“Be careful from now on.”

“…Absolutely, absolutely do not follow in Her footsteps.”

After these words, as Luo Ling watched in slight surprise, the First Seat’s eyes seemed to dim slightly.

But the First Seat didn’t give Luo Ling a chance to observe closely. The next moment, the black fog surged, completely engulfing Luo Ling’s vision.

……..

Black Kite in the room was still asleep. Luo Ling, in her Amethyst form, slowly materialized, the First Seat’s final gaze lingering in her mind.

“……”

This woman.

“Still treating me as Transcendence?”

Luo Ling rubbed her temples, but her expression quickly turned serious.

The First Seat’s attitude was a minor issue. More importantly… even she was so serious in telling her to be careful, she must know something.

Luo Ling touched the petal on her forehead, not visible but clearly perceptible. She could sense the power contained within this petal, not astonishing, yet unfathomably mysterious.

Even with Luo Ling’s high rank, she still couldn’t comprehend the power contained within this petal.

It seemed to surpass the level of “Authority.”

“Will it be useful in critical moments?” Luo Ling pondered for a moment, then gave up on further investigation.

She vaguely sensed that the value of this power far exceeded seventeen petals, and the First Seat must have proposed this number knowing that the Tea Party members were well aware of this.

It was a seemingly open and honest transaction, but in reality, there was only one target: Luo Ling.

Previously, in Starry Victoria, the First Seat still maintained a pretense of fair competition, but now she was completely undisguised, seemingly no longer caring about the other members’ opinions.

—Perhaps, to the First Seat, they no longer held enough value.

The enigmatic First Seat. Even now, Luo Ling couldn’t understand anything about her true nature, not even her guesses could be confirmed.

“Let’s focus on my own matters first.” Luo Ling put the First Seat’s gaze behind her, but then became troubled.

She currently had four things to do.

First, investigate the Doomsday Messengers with Linna.

Second, track the Fairy and the Heavenly Woman Ba with Elsa.

Third, stay at the Xuanyuan residence with Xuanyuan Linglong to deceive the various factions of Great Xia Imperial City, using the identity of “Black Kite” to avoid the chaos.

Finally, go to Iris’s Divine Kingdom, Twilight Victoria, to treat Jingwei.

“How did I get myself into so much trouble?” Luo Ling twitched the corner of her mouth, feeling helpless. Every single matter was important to her and couldn’t be entrusted to others.

This time, she truly couldn’t be in multiple places at once. Splitting her focus into a few parts was fine, but splitting it into so many… was a bit too much to handle.

“Anyway, Sister Linglong is very busy recently. I’ll just use the ‘Black Kite’ avatar to fool her for now.”

Luo Ling pondered for a moment and quickly made a decision. “Miss Iris’s matter can wait a bit. Although I feel bad for her, for now, Jingwei’s situation can be delayed. I’ll just give Her a perfunctory check-up first.”

Thinking of this, Luo Ling suddenly felt like a scumbag who tricked someone into a relationship.

She had clearly promised Iris something more important than her life, even signing a contract to sell herself to Luo Ling, yet Luo Ling was thinking, It’s fine, it’s fine, this matter can wait.

But that was the reality, and Luo Ling couldn’t help it.

Her avatar definitely couldn’t heal Jingwei, but the other two locations required her to adapt to the situation and appear in person at any moment. After all, it concerned Elsa and Linna’s safety, and Luo Ling couldn’t afford to prioritize one over the other.

Besides, treating Jingwei probably wasn’t something that could be done quickly.

Just as Luo Ling was about to go to Twilight Victoria, using the excuse of treating Jingwei to first deal with Linna and Elsa’s matters, she suddenly received a message from Linna.

“Miss Luo Ling, if you’ve finished your business, come back quickly.”

“…I’ve encountered ‘Mao Ke’.”

“‘Mao Ke’?!” Seeing this message, Luo Ling was startled. “One of the twelve Messengers of the Doomsday Messengers?”

The Twelve Messengers—now only nine remained (the news of the three deaths hadn’t been made public yet)—were equivalent to the minor leaders of the Doomsday Messengers. Each of them could use the complete Doomsday Authority. Their power was so terrifying that even Xuanyuan Linglong was wary of them.

Luo Ling wasn’t even ready to contact the Doomsday Messengers, and now Linna had encountered a mini-boss?

“…Fine, let’s deal with Linna’s matter first.”

Luo Ling rubbed her forehead, but she still had to deal with Iris at the same time.

…High-intensity dual-tasking was already her limit. She would have to wrong Elsa and ask her to wait.

With that thought, Luo Ling closed her eyes, her figure dissipating from the present world, heading towards Twilight Victoria.

……

“Are you… sure she’s still alive?”

The veiled, tall woman blinked curiously, reaching out to poke the black-haired girl’s face, but the blonde with wavy hair stopped her.

“I’m sure.”

Linna said coldly.

She looked at the veiled woman warily, sensing the almost unconcealed aura of Doomsday emanating from her. Just standing there, the surroundings faintly flickered as if about to disappear.

After Luo Ling panicked and passed the buck to Linna, Linna still had serious business to attend to, besides doing certain things.

But since Luo Ling hadn’t returned, Linna didn’t dare act rashly, just lingering around Penglai Sacred Land.

Her aura was usually well-hidden. After all, she could also use Puppet Ballad. Although she couldn’t reach Luo Ling’s level of mastery, concealing herself from some prying eyes wasn’t a problem.

But then…

This veiled woman appeared.

Along with her came pursuers from the Xuanyuan clan.

Then Linna, in a daze, followed this veiled woman, being chased by the Xuanyuan clan. After finally finding a chance to escape Penglai Sacred Land and arriving at an unknown territory, she finally shook off her pursuers.

Then the veiled woman introduced herself, saying she was “Mao Ke,” one of the leaders of the Doomsday Messengers.

The reason she found Linna was because of the Doomsday aura on her, mistaking her for one of her followers who hadn’t escaped, and came to her rescue.

But her appearance directly attracted the attention of the Xuanyuan clan, leading to the relentless pursuit.

—Linna’s disguise could fool the ordinary eyes of the Xuanyuan clan, but not Mao Ke’s.

In other words, if Mao Ke hadn’t intervened, Linna wouldn’t have been chased at all.

After learning the truth, Linna naturally wasn’t happy, and Mao Ke also realized she had saved the wrong person, resulting in this stalemate.

Mao Ke seemed quite lively. Even after saving the wrong person, she was very interested in everything about Linna, constantly asking her questions, seemingly planning something.

Especially the unconscious girl Linna was carrying. Mao Ke could sense the strong Doomsday aura on her, so powerful that no human could withstand such terrifying Doomsday power.

Even the Messengers of the Doomsday Messengers only exhibited such a level of aura when they went all out.

In other words, this black-haired girl, although seemingly alive, had probably fallen into eternal Silent Demise due to Doomsday.

Therefore, Mao Ke felt that Linna was just refusing to accept reality, stubbornly carrying her around.

“I might as well go along with this Miss Linna,” Mao Ke thought. “It’s rare to encounter such a good seedling. I can’t miss this opportunity.”

Being able to withstand the Doomsday aura she deliberately released, this blonde, wavy-haired woman was definitely a natural Doomsday Messenger. It would be a waste not to recruit her!

Recruitment for the Doomsday Messengers had been difficult recently…

Just as Mao Ke made up her mind to change her approach, she was horrified to find that the black-haired girl on Linna’s back’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

“A ghost!”