The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c72

Chapter 72: The Path of Salvation

The flow of time within the void was always distorted and erratic. When the guidance from the ring on her wrist reached its end, Luo Ling only felt a brief trance, unable to perceive how much time had actually passed.

The surrounding void seemed no different from other locations, even when Luo Ling, perceiving the essence of the void, saw the traces of the past outlined in her vision, she still couldn’t discern any difference.

Yet the ring’s guidance stopped here, not continuing.

“Could it be that the Gypsy Girl is playing a trick on me?”

Just as this thought appeared in Luo Ling’s mind, she saw a change in the lines of the vanished past around her.

Numerous lines surged and spread, gradually outlining a special plant.

“This is…”

Luo Ling looked closely, a sense of familiarity.

Just then, countless eyes opened, and a familiar voice echoed in Luo Ling’s mind.

“Miss Luo Ling, I am Auspicious Timing. Eternal Sky welcomes your arrival. Please take a few steps forward and enter the plant before you—I believe you will see.”

“…Okay.”

Luo Ling’s expression turned serious.

It seemed that Auspicious Timing was much more powerful than she had imagined, capable of manipulating existences within the void.

No matter the method, it wasn’t something that could be easily achieved.

Moreover…

Luo Ling recognized this special plant, almost completely merged with the traces of the ancient ruins.

If things were as she suspected, this meant…

Auspicious Timing had already existed in ancient times, so her traces could remain in these ancient ruins.

Even if that wasn’t the case, Auspicious Timing possessed the power to infiltrate ancient ruins.

Simply disappearing into nothingness couldn’t leave behind traces like these ancient ruins.

In either case, Auspicious Timing shouldn’t be underestimated.

Luo Ling tightened the hyphae backpack on her back and glanced behind her nervously.

She wondered if Auspicious Timing could see through it…

If so, she could only apologize. Hopefully, the Harbingers were in a good mood.

With this thought, Luo Ling composed herself, took a step forward, and entered the area where the special plant spread.

Instantly, Luo Ling felt a familiar warmth, a gentle force slowly enveloping and entwining her.

But this entwining wasn’t unpleasant, as gentle as a protective embrace.

“This is… the power of Transcendence.”

Luo Ling’s pupils constricted, and she quickly recognized it as the Transcendence ability of creating the “past.”

It could even be said… to be an Authority.

If it wasn’t an Authority, it couldn’t affect the void so profoundly.

The reason the Fairy, now called Delusion, could use the power of Transcendence was likely because of the being she was attached to, the Harbinger of Auspicious Location.

Auspicious Location had always been mysterious, with very few records about her anywhere, practically non-existent. And Auspicious Timing usually only appeared as plant avatars. No one had ever seen her main body.

Being able to use this Authority, their origins and relationship were probably not simple.

Temporarily suppressing these doubts, Luo Ling continued deeper.

The gentle embrace intensified, and the power of the void was gradually being extracted.

At the same time, the traces of the ancient ruins became clearer, no longer simple and messy lines.

Luo Ling even felt like she was stepping into the unknown ancient past, step by step.

Of course, this was just an illusion.

But after the last trace of the void’s power was extracted, Luo Ling stood on solid ground again after a long absence.

As far as the eye could see, everything was green.

Among the supposed ruins and desolation of the ancient ruins, green grass and flowers grew, butterflies fluttering busily among the blossoms.

A few even flew towards her, circling a few times before landing on her outstretched fingertip.

Such a beautiful, picturesque scene, appearing in the void where everything was supposed to be annihilated, was simply inconceivable.

The butterfly on her fingertip flapped its wings again, guiding Luo Ling forward, its pace neither fast nor slow, allowing Luo Ling to casually stroll and keep up.

Luo Ling looked up. In the distance, a towering tree faintly appeared, hidden amidst a ethereal mist, like a celestial wonderland.

“This… is the so-called Eternal Sky?” Luo Ling couldn’t help but murmur.

“No, this is just a part of Eternal Sky.” A gentle voice echoed beside Luo Ling’s ear, as if whispering. “Miss Luo Ling, please continue forward. Unfortunately… I’m not very mobile, so I have to trouble you to come to me.”

“Not very mobile?”

Luo Ling paused, suddenly recalling the Half-Body Miss in her hyphae backpack.

Could it be… that Auspicious Timing was in a similar situation?

Luo Ling’s expression turned strange. Why was everyone she met today disabled?

It wasn’t disrespect towards disabled people, it just felt… strange.

“Yes, I understand.”

Luo Ling nodded, suppressing her strange thoughts, and followed the guiding butterflies.

After conversing with Luo Ling, Auspicious Timing breathed a sigh of relief, her expression relaxing, and said, “No problem. It seems our guest isn’t as willful as I imagined. Honestly, if I didn’t know her true identity, I would have been fooled by her innocent college student appearance…”

Luo Ling’s attire was always simple and plain. Aunt Fiona, who usually picked her clothes, wasn’t in Starry Victoria, so she was naturally wearing her usual plain dress.

Coupled with her simply styled black hair, adorned with a butterfly hairpin, and the strange white backpack on her back, she looked exactly like a college student on a trip.

However, Auspicious Timing knew this being’s past achievements very well. Her seemingly easygoing demeanor didn’t dispel Auspicious Timing’s wariness, instead making her even more vigilant.

Truly worthy of being the White Witch, the Puppet Ballad user who disguised herself as anything. Such a flawless act was terrifying!

“…I still think she’s not pretending.”

Lu Manqing said with a faint smile. She had seen Luo Ling’s appearance after entering Eternal Sky, and everything was the same as the Miss Luo Ling she knew.

Even after experiencing so much, Miss Luo Ling was still the same as before…

A hint of envy appeared in Lu Manqing’s eyes.

People changed.

Whether by their own will, or due to others’ expectations…

But remaining unchanged was also something to be envious of.

Miss Luo Ling was like that.

“Tsk tsk, you’re still too young, Lu Manqing.” The Gypsy Girl shook her head and said, “She’s currently using the personality from Jiangcheng County. Fortunately, this personality is indeed less stressful to communicate with.”

Just then, Auspicious Timing frowned and said, “However, what’s strange is… I don’t see Yin Ke with her…”

No matter how she sensed, she couldn’t find a second presence besides Luo Ling.

Impossible…

The sensing methods in the void and in Eternal Sky were different. The former utilized the characteristics of the void to a certain extent, the latter directly sensed life force.

Auspicious Timing clearly sensed Yin Ke’s presence in the void, traveling with Luo Ling.

But now, in Eternal Sky, she only saw Luo Ling alone.

“Could it be…”

The Gypsy Girl suddenly thought of a possibility and whispered, “Yin Ke has already been killed by her?”

“Killed? In such a short time?”

Even Auspicious Timing was shocked.

She and Yin Ke had some past grievances and had fought many times. They could be considered old rivals.

Therefore, Auspicious Timing had a clear understanding of Yin Ke’s strength.

She was the most troublesome being among the Doomsday Messengers.

Yin Ke rarely revealed her true form. She was like an assassin in the shadows, every action bringing countless deaths and destruction.

And judging from her recent actions, her strength had been constantly increasing, seemingly without limit.

Limits, to her, didn’t seem to exist.

Auspicious Timing didn’t doubt that if Yin Ke faced Zi Ke, the latter would be killed countless times.

If it weren’t for Yin Ke’s innate arrogance and her infrequent actions, the Xuanyuan clan wouldn’t even be able to deploy void battleships to attack the Doomsday stations, and would have been suppressed long ago.

And such a being, within such a short time after meeting Luo Ling… was killed?

Judging from the time they interacted and traveled together, it was practically just a brief encounter…

Miss Luo Ling was indeed strong, a consensus among the Harbingers, but there was no reason for her to be this strong, right?

Auspicious Timing’s first reaction was disbelief, but after thinking carefully, a chill ran down her spine.

…Because there was no other plausible explanation.

“Wait, look at Miss Luo Ling’s backpack… isn’t it a bit big?” Lu Manqing suddenly said.

The Harbingers immediately looked over, their expressions turning serious.

Indeed, it was a bit too big.

Like a professional hiking backpack.

Usually, even if girls carried bags, they were small handbags. Even a simple female student would only carry an ordinary backpack.

Moreover, Miss Luo Ling wasn’t the athletic type, so there was no reason for her to carry such a large hiking backpack.

Unless…

“If you killed someone, dismembered them, wouldn’t they fit perfectly in this backpack?” The Gypsy Girl said faintly.

If Yin Ke’s body was a bit smaller, it would… fit perfectly.

“But I don’t sense any life force from this backpack,” Auspicious Timing said in a deep voice.

“Would a dead person have any life force?” Lu Manqing’s eyes flickered.

Silence fell.

“…Let’s just pretend we don’t know anything.”

Auspicious Timing made almost the same decision as before without much hesitation.

Go with the flow, adapt to the situation.

Simply put, do nothing.

“I second that,” the Gypsy Girl immediately said.

“I still think… forget it, I second it too.”

Lu Manqing wanted to say something, but changed her mind.

After realizing this, the atmosphere between the Harbingers became stifling.

This suffocating feeling only dissipated when a girl with a white backpack entered.

…….

Luo Ling looked up and saw a surprising scene.

She recognized Lu Manqing and the Gypsy Girl, who were sitting on tree roots, but the tall woman standing between them, her skin completely emerald green, was a stranger.

And this woman didn’t exist in Luo Ling’s perception.

However, when Luo Ling looked at the towering tree in the distance, seemingly occupying the entire territory, and recalled Auspicious Timing’s vague words, she instantly understood.

So, “not very mobile” meant this…

No one had expected that the leader of the Speakers, the renowned Auspicious Timing, would actually be a tree.

But honestly, calling her a tree was an understatement. With a brief sense, Luo Ling could tell that the tree’s life force permeated the entire territory.

This “part of Eternal Sky”… was all Auspicious Timing.

“It seems, Miss Luo Ling, I don’t need to explain anything to you.” Auspicious Timing, seeing the change in Luo Ling’s eyes, knew that she had understood her true nature at first glance, and said with a smile, “Nice to meet you. I am Auspicious Timing.”

“Old friends, no need for introductions, right?” The Gypsy Girl also smiled, but her smile seemed forced.

“Hi, long time no see, Miss Luo Ling.”

Lu Manqing, as usual, winked at Luo Ling.

Although she was invited here, perhaps because of the other uninvited guest on her back, Luo Ling felt a little guilty and just nodded at them before walking over.

She wasn’t shy or socially awkward, just didn’t know what to say for a moment.

The Harbingers exchanged glances, seemingly communicating silently. Luo Ling’s indifferent demeanor was interpreted in countless ways in their eyes.

“Speaking of which, Miss Luo Ling, you should be the first guest to visit Eternal Sky.”

Auspicious Timing waved her hand, and a tree root emerged from the ground, serving as a seat for Luo Ling.

“Is that so?” Luo Ling was slightly surprised, but her expression remained calm.

Judging from the current situation, Eternal Sky, to the Speakers, wasn’t just a hiding place, right?

She sat down and said, “Actually, I just want to know what you’re planning.”

Saying this, Luo Ling looked at the Gypsy Girl.

“Don’t look at me, Miss Luo Ling. I don’t know anything.” The Gypsy Girl shrugged, her face innocent. “This is all Boss Auspicious Timing’s arrangement. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you.”

Honestly, she had never seen such a straightforward method of intelligence gathering, like a complete novice.

Didn’t know something? No problem, just ask the person involved directly!

It was as absurd as going to the enemy’s headquarters during wartime and asking their general about their deployment plans. This was so illogical that it made people speechless. Although Luo Ling and the Speakers weren’t enemies, they weren’t exactly friends either, at least not yet.

Lu Manqing’s relationship with Luo Ling was just a private connection.

“Exactly.” Auspicious Timing nodded. “I haven’t told them the details of the plan.”

Hearing this answer, Luo Ling fell silent, sighing inwardly.

Truly worthy of being practitioners of the This Life path of Other Shore, even when dealing with their own people, they liked to speak in riddles.

“Actually, I don’t mind revealing a bit to you.”

Auspicious Timing pondered for a moment, glancing at the backpack behind Luo Ling, a hint of apprehension in her eyes.

The tree roots were essentially her limbs. In other words, Auspicious Timing was currently in direct contact with Luo Ling, very close to that strange backpack.

Auspicious Timing could sense that this strange backpack was woven from Puppet Ballad’s hyphae and was active, seemingly containing something.

Their previous guess was probably close to the truth.

This backpack… most likely contained Yin Ke’s body.

The reason for sealing her in a hyphae backpack was also easy to deduce. Puppet Ballad was a Grotesquery of Silent Demise.

Having interacted with the Doomsday Messengers, although Auspicious Timing didn’t know the truth about Columbia as well as the Doomsday Messengers’ higher-ups, she at least knew that Puppet Ballad wasn’t an ordinary High-Risk Grotesquery.

Yin Ke might not die even if killed, but if sealed within Puppet Ballad’s power, even her body and soul would be controlled. Even if her consciousness didn’t disappear, it would be no different from being annihilated by nothingness, perhaps even more painful.

Too cruel…

Auspicious Timing looked at this Miss Luo Ling, whose face, upon closer inspection, was actually quite cute, then, recalling her cruel and terrifying methods, a chill ran down her spine, her apprehension intensifying.

—This was a butcher with a smiling face.

Of course, Auspicious Timing didn’t show any of this on the surface, maintaining her friendly and approachable demeanor.

“Hmm?” Luo Ling blinked in disbelief. “You’re just telling me directly? Don’t even the Gypsy Girl and Manqing know?”

Hearing that even the other two didn’t know the details, she had lost some hope.

Luo Ling wasn’t really concerned about the Speakers’ specific goals. She was more interested in when this Transcendence protection would end, and whether it would threaten her family.

As long as she knew these things, she didn’t care about the rest.

But judging from Auspicious Timing’s current attitude, it seemed there was more she could learn…

“Since I personally invited Miss Luo Ling to Eternal Sky, of course I’m prepared to answer all your questions.”

Actually, Auspicious Timing had this intention from the beginning.

However, after meeting Luo Ling in person and witnessing her terrifying methods, she made some adjustments to her original plan.

…There was no helping it.

After all, people changed, whether willingly or by force…

“However, telling you directly… might lack some context, making it difficult to understand.” Auspicious Timing pondered for a moment and continued, “Miss Luo Ling, do you know the ultimate goal of the Twelve Hours of Doomsday?”

Saying this, Auspicious Timing couldn’t help but glance at Luo Ling’s backpack again. This time, her action was too obvious, even Luo Ling noticed it.

Luo Ling protectively covered her backpack, but then thought, Since she didn’t directly mention it, I’ll just pretend I don’t know anything, and continued the conversation shamelessly.

“I’ve made some guesses. They probably want to survive after Doomsday arrives, becoming the guardians of this graveyard.”

“It seems you do know quite a bit.” Auspicious Timing said calmly. “But that’s… both right and wrong.

Actually, we’re not that different from the Doomsday Messengers, because we’re both trying to save this world on the brink of destruction, in our own ways.

Or to be more precise, Zi Ke, Chou Ke… and Yin Ke all believe that everything they do is to save the world.”