Chapter 279
If there was something she absolutely had to have, what would she do if the price set by Xiao Maqi was unacceptable? For instance, if it involved betraying Lanxing, how would she handle Xiao Maqi then?
Could she steal it ten times over? Did she have enough of the memory-erasing fruit combination?
The clever Xiao Maqi deliberately led her through half of the dim city back home. Not only did so many neighbors see her, but Hufflepuff would surely know that Xiao Maqi was looking for her. Could she really keep this a secret? How would she deal with them when the time came...
It wasn't until Xiao Maqi mentioned the Tomb of the World that she finally relaxed.
The item was indeed precious, but thankfully, it was just a Tomb of the World—not something that would completely change her identity.
At that moment, another, warmer thought took precedence: this wasn’t a battlefield, and they weren’t strangers. She couldn’t treat Xiao Maqi, who had helped her multiple times, as merely a pawn for a prop. Besides, she was still a student of Hufflepuff.
Yet the cruel thoughts that flashed through her mind were not unfounded.
Just like when she sensed that Tu Lan realized she could steal gold coins, but Tu Lan chose to play dumb, she was willing to play along.
But this was only possible after her talent had evolved into the "One-Person Party," which limited her thieving skills and thus reduced the fear it instilled in others. That was why she allowed Tu Lan to sense this secret and was willing to play along.
She allied with Ding Hai simply because Ding Hai was the most orthodox; it represented the mainstream. No matter how selfish she was in private, with the Legion Order and the Little Bear Cookies, she had already established her standing among ordinary players. She spent money to buy reputation; no one could say she didn’t love her hometown.
All her warmth had its conditions... and she had no intention of changing that.
After a long pause, Yu Xunge softly said, “...I’m not as good as you think.”
She wasn’t wicked enough, nor was she pure enough. She chased power and profit, and deep down, there was always an abacus clicking away. She only occasionally paused for those around her.
**Chapter 352: The Fire of the Soul & "Seventy Thousand"**
She raised her gaze to Xiao Maqi, whose eyes still glistened with tears, but the pain and sadness had melted away significantly. For some reason, she looked more relaxed.
Xiao Maqi said earnestly, “Ravenclaw, your emotions are as precious and inexhaustible as the waters of the Fountain of Immortality. Your fire of the soul may change from time to time, but it has always been beautiful, just like Hufflepuff and the Moonblade Empress…”
Yu Xunge looked at Xiao Maqi’s divine talent—**Soul Watercolor** A-grade.
One of the skills was called **Soul Observation** (Passive): The soul is the best pigment, never fading. You can see the fire of the soul of every target, and for 10% of your mana, you can manifest the fire of the soul.
She asked Xiao Maqi, “What does my fire of the soul look like?”
Xiao Maqi slowly raised her pale, tiny hand. With Yu Xunge’s permission, she gently tapped her brow. As her hand retreated, a comet-like flame appeared between them, trailing a long tail like a shooting star across the sky.
The main body of the flame was a white fire, occupying almost 19% of the soul fire. Xiao Maqi pointed at the white flame and said, “This is your unwavering persistence and pursuit.”
The tail of the white flame trailed behind, with tiny fire strands of varying lengths and colors. Xiao Maqi pointed them out one by one, explaining, “These are the emotions you find hard to shake off—love, hate, joy, regret, sadness, sympathy, compassion, expectation, greed…”
She then pointed to several intertwined flames that were too complex to untangle, “These are your most complicated emotions, which cannot be simply defined. This is greed and restraint… this is unwillingness, grievance, and release… this is yearning, vigilance, and resistance… this is respect, gratitude, wariness, and guilt…”
Suddenly, Xiao Maqi exclaimed, “Ah! And these two flame tails! I almost missed them! I almost overlooked the compassion hidden within these two tails of hatred!”
Tu Lan asked, “Wow, really? But why are these two flame strands flickering back and forth?”
“Because their owner is trying to deny them. She wants to rid herself of them, thinking they are wrong, but emotions and persistence never concern themselves with right or wrong… It’s truly amazing, Ravenclaw, you seem to have never regretted anything. You don’t harbor feelings of regret or anger.”
Tu Lan followed Xiao Maqi’s finger, gasping in awe. She even pulled out her phone to take a few pictures.
Before Yu Xunge could say anything, Tu Lan chimed in, “She never acts impulsively; she always thinks things through multiple times. I bet she’ll never regret anything in her life. As for anger, she either doesn’t hold grudges or takes care of them privately. There’s really nothing to be angry about.”
“Is that so?”
Yu Xunge didn’t deny Tu Lan’s words but frowned and asked, “Is there something wrong with the fire of the soul lacking anger and regret?”
“Nothing wrong at all.” Xiao Maqi looked at Yu Xunge with bright eyes, “Your fire of the soul is like a gem, like a star, like a painting. I could gaze at it all day without feeling bored.”
Tu Lan worriedly said, “But is it a good thing that her fire of the soul is so complex?”
Xiao Maqi neither nodded nor shook her head but provided this answer: “Emotions are more important than luck. Every living being possesses a fire of the soul. Although most beings cannot see it, your perception will guide you toward those whose fire can warm your soul.
“The brilliant and beautiful fire of the soul can attract rare beasts and special wonders. If a being’s emotions are exhausted, monotonous, and dull, their soul may even fade away on its own.
“For instance, the crucial step for a beast to gain intelligence and become a magical creature is to ignite its soul fire with strong emotions. But without more complex emotions to support it, they will eventually degenerate and lose their divine talent.
“However, if there isn’t enough persistence, then emotions become a heavy burden.”
Tu Lan nodded repeatedly, “No wonder I like Xiao Yu so much… What about me, Xiao Maqi? Can I see my fire of the soul?”
But Xiao Maqi didn’t agree: “Hufflepuff said I can’t look at the souls of dragons; I would be seriously injured.”
Tu Lan sat down in disappointment, mumbling to herself as she set Yu Xunge’s fire of the soul as her phone wallpaper, happily admiring it and quickly returning to her cheerful self.
Yu Xunge gazed at her fire of the soul, speechless for a long time, before finally coming to her senses. She said to Xiao Maqi, “Thank you.”
Xiao Maqi didn’t understand why Yu Xunge was thanking her, but she said, “Can I change the condition?”
“What condition?”
“If one day you become a powerful figure like the Moonblade Empress, the Withered Ruler, or the Ruler of Rhetoric, and the whole Zelan hears your name, you must tell all the holy clans that Xiao Maqi from the Dark City is your most important and esteemed friend.”
“Even if it’s a bad reputation? Aren’t you afraid my enemies will come after you?”
“Of course! I’m not afraid! Hufflepuff will protect me.”
Yu Xunge silently mourned for Hufflepuff for a few seconds in her heart. She extended her pinky to Xiao Maqi: “Alright, I’ll follow Xiao Maqi’s wishes.”
Xiao Maqi looked at Yu Xunge’s pinky in confusion. The latter took Xiao Maqi’s right pinky, hooked them together, and shook them. Yu Xunge explained to Xiao Maqi, “This is a ritual from our side. After we hook our pinkies, we must keep our promise. Do you believe it?”
“I believe!”
Xiao Maqi obediently hooked her pinky with hers and asked, “Should I give it to you now?”
Yu Xunge extended her hand: “Yes, quickly.”
Xiao Maqi swiftly took the Tomb of the World out of her bag and handed it to Yu Xunge. Then she pulled out a bottle of Forgetting Potion, holding it up to Yu Xunge, “You won’t forget, right?”
Yu Xunge was examining what she had received from the Tomb of the World.
Hearing Xiao Maqi’s words, she pressed down on the bottle of potion: “No need to drink it; I won’t forget.”
Xiao Maqi’s outing must have been known to Hufflepuff, and so many people had seen her return home with Xiao Maqi. She suspected that the clever Xiao Maqi had done this intentionally to leave herself a safeguard. Even if the deal fell through, she could at least protect her own life.
But in any case, making Xiao Maqi forget had lost all meaning.
Once Xiao Maqi discovered that her Tomb of the World was missing, she would definitely investigate. Not only could she quickly find out that she had returned home with her that day, but the more she investigated, the more complications would arise.
Before the deal, Xiao Maqi had hidden the **Seventy Thousand** well, and with Hufflepuff’s protection, there was no need for her to take unnecessary risks.
Once the transaction was completely finished, Tu Lan jumped onto Yu Xunge’s head and asked, “What is it? What is it?”
Yu Xunge replied, “Seventy Thousand.”
Although it couldn’t combine with the **Thirty Thousand** and **Fifty Thousand** in her hands to form a new skill, it still allowed her to bring an extra item into battle. Moreover, her honor points had increased by another ten thousand, reaching a total of 51,050.
Xiao Maqi reminded her, “This thing won’t stay in one place for long. If you don’t use it within 150 days, it will leave on its own. I once had one, and it suddenly disappeared.”
**Chapter 353: The Role of Moon Sand!**
She remembered that she had received her first Tomb of the World at the end of August. Only 150 days?
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