Chapter 278
They finally stopped in front of a small house. Xiao Maqi opened her right hand and cast a spell on the door lock, and the door slowly creaked open. She pushed the door and looked at Yu Xunge, her tone once again tinged with nervousness: “This is my home.”
Yu Xunge had already checked for danger using her skills—Hunting Eye, Jungle Warning, and Beast Instinct. Neither the map nor her warnings indicated any threats. The latter two skills were B-rank abilities she had acquired in the tower; if there were any traps or dangers, her hair would stand on end and her heart would race.
Moreover, her Malice Detector hadn’t vibrated at all.
Feigning helplessness, she said, “What are you so nervous about?” Then, with a friendly gesture, she gently nudged Xiao Maqi into the room, following her in a second later, using the excuse of wiping her shoes.
Xiao Maqi’s home was cozy, decorated in warm yellow tones, though the space was small and most of the furniture was old. From the doorway, Yu Xunge could see Xiao Maqi’s bedroom and bed. Xiao Maqi led her to the dining table, awkwardly pouring two glasses of water for her and Tu Lan.
Yu Xunge pretended to sip a little, her curiosity about Xiao Maqi’s intentions growing. Time was precious, so she got straight to the point: “Do you need my help with something?”
Xiao Maqi sat down, her hands pressed tightly against her thighs. She looked nervously at Yu Xunge and said, “I want to make a deal with you.”
Recently, it seemed like people had been approaching her for deals often. Yu Xunge didn’t react differently just because the person making the request was Xiao Maqi from the slums. After all, she had just made a deal with Wu Ren, who was a hundred times stronger than her, offering something that would impress him. How could she look down on Xiao Maqi?
Her expression even took on a hint of anticipation: “What do you want to trade?”
“A piece of that thing you took from the Wu Ren Yue Huang,” Xiao Maqi said, her gaze fixed intently on Yu Xunge’s eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.
Yu Xunge’s heart skipped a beat. She felt a rush of excitement, but more than that, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She raised her hand in a calming gesture to Xiao Maqi, signaling that she meant no harm. Under Xiao Maqi’s watchful gaze, she activated a skill—Silent Hill.
Among the A-rank and above skills she had acquired in the tower, there were only six, and S-rank Silent Hill was one of them. However, due to the use of the Upgrade Cup, its current level was only A-rank.
Silent Hill (A-rank, upgradeable): Upon use, you can create a realm of your own, becoming its master. Everything within this realm is hidden from outsiders, and any being that enters cannot escape your perception. The size and duration of Silent Hill depend on your intelligence; each use consumes 2000 mana points, has a casting time of 5 seconds, and a cooldown of 2 hours.
With her current intelligence and the temporary downgrade of Silent Hill, Yu Xunge could only define an area of less than 3 square meters, lasting no more than 5 minutes, but that was enough for this conversation.
In an instant, white mist enveloped them. Yu Xunge and Xiao Maqi could still see each other, but from this moment on, everything happening within the mist was beyond sight and divination—it occurred in another world.
Yu Xunge said, “We can continue talking now, but don’t take it out yet.” After the downgrade, the effect was significantly reduced, so it was better to be cautious.
Xiao Maqi’s expression relaxed a bit. She said, “It’s a necromancer card, worth seventy thousand.”
No matter what kind of card it was, Yu Xunge couldn’t afford to miss it. She asked directly, “What do you want?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Maqi’s tense body finally relaxed completely.
Yu Xunge couldn’t help but chuckle. Now she understood what had been making Xiao Maqi so anxious: “Are you afraid I’ll just take it? Or sneakily steal it and then hit you with a forgetfulness potion?”
Xiao Maqi showed no signs of embarrassment; she nodded seriously: “Because you’re definitely going to be a remarkable figure. Big shots don’t sweat the small stuff. They can be despicable, disregard fairness, and use any means necessary. You all follow a different set of rules.”
Yu Xunge was amused by Xiao Maqi’s tone. The little necromancer sat on the stool, her expression serious, as if she were imparting a profound truth she had discovered. She thought she was mature and wise, having already experienced the harsh realities of life, but her eyes were filled with the innocence of a child.
**Chapter 351: Disgust is a Synonym for Longing**
Yu Xunge’s heart softened, and her voice followed suit: “What makes you so sure I’m a big shot?”
Xiao Maqi replied confidently, “Because you’ll represent your world on the battlefield. That’s how all the royals come to be; I know that.” Besides, how long had Zelan been invading Blue Star? Ravenclaw had already gained qualifications. She was certain she would become a big shot like Wu Ren Yue Huang.
Yu Xunge didn’t dwell on the question further. She smiled and asked, “So what do you want?”
Xiao Maqi grew tense again. She looked into Yu Xunge’s eyes, her gaze flickering as if she didn’t dare to look directly at her but didn’t want to miss her reaction. Yu Xunge patiently waited, and after a long moment, she heard Xiao Maqi whisper, “I want to become a noble. When you become the ruler of your world, I want you to make me a noble in your world.”
Yu Xunge’s expression didn’t change at all. There was no disdain, no mockery in her eyes, not even surprise. Xiao Maqi even saw a hint of compassion and acceptance reflected back at her.
Yu Xunge wasn’t surprised by Xiao Maqi’s wish; she wouldn’t look down on her for it.
Back when Xiao Maqi had “tipped her off” and sold her information, Yu Xunge had sensed Xiao Maqi’s disdain for the necromancer aristocracy. But sometimes, disdain is just another form of longing.
Xiao Maqi seemed encouraged, her eyes growing brighter, her previously trembling voice becoming more resolute.
—“I want to become a high and mighty noble, even if I do nothing, even if I’m useless, I can still possess all the beautiful things.”
—“I don’t want to buy a house in the slums! But I’m too afraid to go to a better place; I don’t deserve it.”
—“Hufflepuff always says I’m wrong, that every necromancer deserves to enjoy all the good things. She comforts me by saying she was once a slave, but now even the necromancer lords don’t dare to look down on her. But she doesn’t know… many big shots who come to the shop to buy things secretly laugh at her when she’s not around, saying Hufflepuff has forgotten her roots, that she’s become a master alchemist and still takes in female slaves as apprentices.”
—“I’m a stain! I’m Hufflepuff’s stain.”
—“I want to become a noble, no matter what kind of noble, I want to be Lord Maqi. I don’t care what race you are; as long as you promise me, I’ll give you the World’s Tomb.”
By the end, the facade of maturity and composure she had tried to maintain finally crumbled. She burst into tears like a real child, sobbing as tears dripped onto the old wooden table, her nose running messily.
Yu Xunge didn’t try to console Xiao Maqi; it wouldn’t help. Tu Lan, squatting by the table, looked confused, clearly not understanding what was so important about this.
Hufflepuff viewed her time as a “slave” as just a phase in her life. She looked back at her former self as if she were examining unprocessed potion ingredients, believing that processing potions was an interesting endeavor. Similarly, she took pride in her journey from a slave to a master alchemist, a legendary life that others couldn’t replicate.
But Xiao Maqi was different; she saw it as a stain. She believed that being born a slave was a blemish, and thus she thought of herself as Hufflepuff’s stain.
From Yu Xunge’s initial understanding of Hufflepuff, she probably thought this was a commonality between her and Xiao Maqi, a kind of fate.
If the story of how Hufflepuff and Xiao Maqi first met had been more exciting or special, perhaps Hufflepuff would have seen it as a miraculous destiny.
But Hufflepuff should have known that Xiao Maqi had a mental block about this; otherwise, she wouldn’t have omitted the story of their meeting in her autobiographies.
Yu Xunge took out tissues to wipe Xiao Maqi’s tears, one after another, piling them into a small mountain that looked like it could fill at least two bowls of wontons. Only then did Xiao Maqi finally finish crying, releasing the pent-up grievances and anger she had held for so long.
At that moment, Yu Xunge softly said:
“I really want to tell you that I can, but Xiao Maqi, you know that’s impossible, just like I can never become a necromancer noble.
“I will go to the world battlefield; I will become very strong, but I might not be able to become the kind of ruler you imagine, like an emperor or a monarch. I’m not rational or cold-blooded enough, nor am I kind or magnanimous. I don’t like being followed, and I have no interest in ruling anyone…”
Xiao Maqi sniffled, staring at Yu Xunge for a long time, her voice still choked: “I thought you would deceive me, or… or find another way to take that thing from me. You’re really wonderful, Ravenclaw.”
If she could steal the World’s Tomb from Wu Ren, how could she not handle Xiao Maqi?
Yu Xunge looked at Xiao Maqi, wanting to tell her that she wasn’t wonderful at all.
From the moment she heard Xiao Maqi wanted to make a deal with her, a flurry of plans had raced through her mind.
What to trade? Why so mysterious? Was it an SSS-rank item, crucial intelligence, or information about a divine gift evolution?
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