The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c64

Chapter 64: Changes at the Station

“You mean… all the territories in Great Xia Imperial City… are unreachable?”

Luo Ling was slightly surprised upon hearing Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s words.

“Yes.” Xuanyuan Mu Yan nodded slightly and sighed. “It just happened. Because of this, our fleet can’t return for now.”

Luo Ling frowned slightly and continued, “What about the other origin points? If we can reach them, temporarily docking in Victoria shouldn’t be a problem.”

Currently, Fiona and the Alyssa sisters held considerable influence in Victoria, one leading the Fate Society’s alliance, the other leading the widespread Church of Light.

And the Company headquarters, after losing the Old Man and the Woman, was barely holding on under the Boy’s leadership, gradually weakening, struggling even to maintain a balance of power.

In other words, Luo Ling still had some influence in Victoria. Having the entire void battleship fleet dock there wouldn’t be a problem.

“…Not to mention, there are natural, insurmountable Boundary barriers between origin points. Even though what ‘He’ left behind is shattered, directly reaching them through the void is still very difficult.” Xuanyuan Mu Yan shook her head and said helplessly, “So we… can only continue this war for now. The territories of the two previous branch stations were too barren, insufficient for the entire void battleship fleet to dock and rest. We need to capture a sufficiently substantial branch station.”

The void battleship fleet was a single entity. The twenty void battleships, including the flagship, each had their own function, forming a terrifyingly powerful battle formation.

If they separated, their combat power would be greatly reduced. In this critical moment, weakening their own strength was no different from gambling with their lives, betting that the Doomsday Messengers were unprepared.

The previous two branch stations weren’t large enough for long-term docking, only for brief rests. Therefore, the current priority was to continue the war until they captured a branch station territory sufficient for the entire fleet to recuperate.

Due to this sudden closure, the war had to continue—of course, for the battle-hungry Xuanyuan clan, continuing the war was exactly what they wanted. It was only the higher-ups who were troubled.

In Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s opinion, the current situation wasn’t good news.

Although she carried the Xuanyuan clan’s battle-loving blood, her position was different. As a strong contender for the next Clan Leader, Xuanyuan Mu Yan had many things to consider and couldn’t just focus on a local war.

Currently, whether it was the re-sealed Great Xia Imperial City, the void battleship fleet adrift in the void, or the Doomsday Messengers whose situation was unknown, all made her feel uneasy.

The previous two victories hadn’t clouded Xuanyuan Mu Yan’s judgment. She was apprehensive about whether the next battle would be as smooth.

This wasn’t fear of battle, but because…

This void battleship fleet couldn’t afford even a single defeat.

Once defeated, the only outcome would be complete annihilation.

The pressure on Xuanyuan Mu Yan was imaginable.

But… this decision had to be made.

Void battleships couldn’t completely resist the void’s erosion, only slowing it down considerably.

If they stayed in the void for too long without rest, they would inevitably be annihilated by nothingness.

“By the way, Miss Black Kite, the next target branch station…”

Xuanyuan Mu Yan composed herself and asked hesitantly.

The Doomsday Messengers’ stations were actually quite secretive. Even with void battleships, the Xuanyuan clan rarely managed to attack a real station.

Most of the time, when the void battleships were deployed, it was for reconnaissance, not for combat.

Being able to attack the Rabbit Station and Sparrow Station consecutively was all thanks to the intelligence provided by Miss Black Kite.

“…I’ll arrange it as soon as possible.”

Luo Ling exhaled, but she also hesitated.

She couldn’t just have Mao Ke lead them to a branch station, only for it to be destroyed, right?

Mao Ke definitely wouldn’t suspect herself, so the only suspects would be the two followers she brought around.

Therefore, Luo Ling had to carefully consider her next move.

Destroying a few Doomsday branch stations was just a minor matter. It could weaken the Doomsday Messengers, but couldn’t fundamentally harm them.

The reason for destroying the previous two branch stations, besides venting anger, was to force the Doomsday Messengers to further consolidate, giving Luo Ling more room to maneuver.

“Good, Miss Black Kite, I’ll leave everything to you.” Xuanyuan Mu Yan saluted Luo Ling seriously and said in a deep voice.

“Yes,” Luo Ling nodded slightly. “I’ll make the necessary preparations.”

After explaining these important matters, Xuanyuan Mu Yan quickly bid farewell to Luo Ling and hurried off to deal with the fleet.

Losing contact with the main family was a serious incident. As the captain, Xuanyuan Mu Yan had many things to attend to at this time.

Although Luo Ling was nominally the adjutant, she basically didn’t manage these matters, and with no battles, she was actually quite free.

Luo Ling was also puzzled by the strange closure of the origin points. Many things had happened recently. What exactly went wrong?

“Could it be my sister’s doing?”

This thought popped into Luo Ling’s head, and she immediately sent a message to her sister, asking about her doubts.

Su Wan quickly replied. She did act, but the closure of the origin points wasn’t her doing. She just activated some of her planted agents within the Doomsday Messengers, causing them some minor trouble.

Su Wan wasn’t interested in the schemes of other factions and didn’t intend to participate, except for matters concerning her sister. The only faction she paid attention to was the Doomsday Messengers.

Furthermore, Luo Ling learned through Su Wan that the origin points weren’t completely sealed, but rather, like Victoria during its three-hundred-year cycle, protected by the power of Transcendence.

Clearly, after Transcendence’s demise, there was no longer any being who could almost limitlessly sustain this level of “protection.” This meant that the closure would last for a certain period, but the exact duration was unknown.

As for why this mysterious being went to such lengths… Luo Ling was still clueless.

Currently, there was also some chaos within the origin points due to this incident. However, unlike the crisis faced by the void battleship fleet, most factions didn’t have access to the power of the void, so the scale of the chaos wasn’t large.

The main family of the Xuanyuan clan remained calm. After all, as a war machine disguised as a family, this incident wasn’t enough to significantly affect them.

Moreover, every deployment of the void battleship fleet was made with the understanding that they might be completely annihilated.

The void filled the gaps between territories, like scars on the world. Although far less dangerous than the edge of the world, enveloped by the Doomsday storm and endless distortion, it was still a forbidden zone for living beings.

A slight misstep, and one would be forever lost within… countless examples already existed. Even the Xuanyuan clan, throughout their long history, had lost many void battleships in the void.

The current situation was becoming increasingly complex. All factions, large or small, knew that they were in an unprecedented era of change, becoming even more cautious.

“Now, there are fires everywhere…”

Luo Ling shook her head, then her expression turned serious.

Because her Luo Ling puppet, along with Mao Ke and Linna, had entered Chou Ke’s branch station, the “Hai Station”—due to Hai Ke’s sudden death, this station was temporarily under the control of Chou Ke, one of the three original Messengers.

……..

Unlike the cold and sterile style of the previous two stations, the scene that unfolded before them when Mao Ke brought Luo Ling and Linna into the Hai Station completely exceeded Luo Ling’s expectations.

Distant, cloud-shrouded mountains, nearby farmhouses and clear streams. As far as the eye could see, farmers worked in the fields. Sensing carefully, they were all ordinary people.

The air was filled with the fragrance of earth and the faint scent of flowers. Everything before them was like a paradise, completely different from her impression of a Doomsday station.

…It didn’t look like a war fortress.

“Eh, Elder Chou only took over a few months ago, right? He renovated it so quickly?” Mao Ke said with some surprise.

“Hmm?”

Luo Ling immediately perked up. As expected, Mao Ke quickly explained, “All the stations under Elder Chou’s control are like this. These ordinary people you see… are actually Elder Chou’s avatars. This is his way of practicing the Doomsday path, although I don’t understand what’s so doomsday about it…”

Saying this, she walked towards an old farmer who was working, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Elder Chou, I’m here.”

The old farmer stiffened, then his back visibly hunched, as if his appearance had changed in an instant.

Moreover, Luo Ling felt a powerful aura descend at this moment.

“Yo, it’s Little Rabbit,” the old farmer, now called Elder Chou, said indifferently. “You’re a bit late.”

“…Am I? I don’t think I’m late.”

Mao Ke immediately became nervous. She knew that although Elder Chou seemed kind and amiable, he was actually very strict, even more difficult to deal with than Master Zi Ke.

At least Master Zi Ke occasionally reincarnated into a cute little sister, while Elder Chou always had this old-fashioned demeanor.

“You’re not late, but you still came a bit too late.” Elder Chou said calmly. “This ‘Hai Station’… is empty now.”

“Huh?”

Not just Mao Ke, even Luo Ling and Linna couldn’t help but look surprised.

Elder Chou put down his farming tools, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked towards a certain direction, saying, “Little Rabbit, come with me for now. And the two little girls behind you as well… Don’t worry, with me here, you won’t die.”

His tone was calm, yet undeniably certain.

Luo Ling believed him.

Elder Chou’s power wasn’t on the same level as Mao Ke’s. Just a casually summoned avatar had an aura comparable to Mao Ke’s.

“So, the three original Messengers’ strength is far above the others…”

Luo Ling’s gaze deepened. She had somewhat underestimated the Messengers due to the Doomsday Messengers’ recent string of defeats.

But standing before Chou Ke, she quickly realized that their foundation might be far beyond her previous imagination.

Elder Chou led them through some weathered, dilapidated huts, walking within a seemingly simple and unassuming village.

The villagers passing by, men and women, old and young, all had almost identical expressions of serenity and gentleness, greeting each other when they met, but ignoring Luo Ling and the others.

Coupled with Elder Chou’s words about the station being empty…

It gave off a creepy feeling.

Of course, these villagers were also Elder Chou’s avatars. He seemed to be using this method to practice his path and deepen his understanding of Doomsday.

Elder Chou walked to the ancestral hall in the center of the village and pushed open the door with a creak, revealing everything inside.

Everyone gasped.

Dozens of corpses were neatly arranged inside, crammed together. Their attire varied, men and women, old and young, their expressions ranging from fear, anger, and sorrow… The only similarity was the fatal wound piercing their hearts.

“Nine Relay Horses, sixty-seven Carrier Pigeons. I killed them all.”

Elder Chou slowly turned around, looked directly at Mao Ke, his tone still calm.

Mao Ke’s scalp tingled.

The two branch stations annihilated by the Xuanyuan clan combined didn’t have this many casualties, yet Elder Chou described it so casually.

“…Why?”

Mao Ke swallowed and asked.

“It seems you’re indeed unaffected.” Elder Chou seemed to be observing Mao Ke’s reaction, or sensing something. Only after Mao Ke spoke did he seem to be certain, breathing a sigh of relief. “Among them… were individuals controlled by some kind of power. This branch station’s coordinates were almost exposed.

With my meager power, I couldn’t identify them, so I could only kill them all.

Moreover, the situation in other Doomsday stations is equally dire. Only a few stations with Messengers stationed there managed to contain the situation. The rest… basically suffered casualties, over seventy percent of our comrades perished. We suspect… it’s Her doing.”

Elder Chou’s words were vague, but Mao Ke quickly understood. The “Her” he referred to was the White Witch.

Mao Ke almost blurted it out, but Elder Chou stopped her with a deep gaze.

Then, Elder Chou looked at Luo Ling and Linna, whose faces were slightly pale, his tone softening slightly.

“However, you two don’t need to worry. Since I’ve taken action personally, your safety is somewhat guaranteed.”

Elder Chou didn’t suspect the newcomers brought by Mao Ke for now.

And who would have thought that the White Witch, whom they were so wary of, would actually come to them openly, even directly contacting a Messenger?

What could Luo Ling say after hearing Elder Chou’s words? She could only force a smile, a strange unease in her heart.

Seventy percent!

Didn’t her sister say she just caused a little trouble?

How could so many people die in the blink of an eye…

The Xuanyuan clan, after countless years of war, expending countless resources and manpower, couldn’t achieve results as impressive as her sister’s two actions.

Speaking of something her sister didn’t like to mention… she was truly worthy of being the one who single-handedly destroyed Columbia…

Of course, even Luo Ling didn’t dare mention this before Su Wan, because it was an eternal pain in her heart.

Su Wan’s personality as Puppet Ballad was born from the final call before Columbia’s complete destruction. Although she rarely spoke about it, she always carried a sense of guilt.

This was also part of the reason why she targeted the Doomsday Messengers.

“You can stay at this branch station for now. We’ll talk about the future later.” Elder Chou continued. “There are other matters… in a few days, we’ll have a meeting at that place.”

He emphasized the words “that place,” but didn’t elaborate.

Mainly because Luo Ling and Linna were here. Saying this much was already considered letting his guard down, thanks to Luo Ling and Linna’s seemingly weak strength.

However, Luo Ling guessed it was probably about the sudden closure of the origin points and the fluctuations in Doomsday signs.

After explaining everything, Elder Chou’s figure began to dissipate.

Soon, his hunched posture vanished, returning to the form of an old but sturdy farmer.

He didn’t seem to notice the numerous corpses in the ancestral hall, nor the fact that he had suddenly moved from the fields to the ancestral hall. After a brief moment of disorientation, he walked back on his own.

“…Damn, that scared me.”

Only after confirming Elder Chou’s departure did Mao Ke pat her chest, clearly relieved.

It wasn’t the pile of corpses in the ancestral hall that scared her, but Elder Chou’s calm demeanor.

In this situation, she couldn’t tell if Elder Chou suspected her. If he really wanted to act against her, she wouldn’t be able to save herself.

“Master Mao Ke…”

Linna spoke, but before she could say anything, Mao Ke immediately shushed her and whispered, “Walls have ears. If you want to curse Elder Chou, do it in your mind.”

……

Linna was silent for a moment. She didn’t really want to curse Elder Chou, but she did want to say a few words about the unreliable Mao Ke.

This time, it wasn’t really her and Luo Ling’s fault, although they weren’t completely unrelated.

“I wanted to ask about the matter of directly facing Doomsday,” Linna said helplessly. “Since my lady has awakened…”

“Oh, that?” Mao Ke’s voice immediately rose, and she patted her chest. “No problem, I’ll arrange it immediately, no worries!”

Hearing Mao Ke’s confident assurance, Luo Ling and Linna inexplicably felt that she was even more unreliable…