Chapter 133 - 130: Welcome to the Group
The Statue of Comir that had come to life before them didn’t have "Red Demoness" written on its face, but Doudou and Qin Xiaoxia recognized her true form at a glance. It was her familiar expression, that familiar feeling, coupled with the uncanny resemblance she had borne to the Red Demoness ever since the Image of Order had begun to take shape.
It wasn’t just Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou who were stunned; Su Su and Mumu also realized what was happening when they heard them cry out "Red Demoness."
’But wasn’t the Shadow of the Red Demoness already shattered?’
Mumu, as if waking from a dream, muttered to itself.
"No wonder, no wonder I didn’t notice. No wonder she appeared so bizarrely."
Qin Xiaoxia carefully observed her face and body. It wasn’t that he was so perverted as to be thinking about copping a feel at a time like this; it was just that a statue shouldn’t have finely sculpted internal details. Yet, from what was faintly visible, even the details under her clothes were perfect on this beautiful figure. ’I wonder if she has internal organs too?’
Don’t ask how he knew about the details under a woman’s clothes; he was, after all, a homebody who had spent over twenty years cultivating his knowledge by observing countless women through a screen.
But the sight of that face, a combination of the aura of order and a bewitching beauty, along with that perfectly proportioned body, still made his metabolism shamefully quicken.
’Still, what should I do now?’
’The previous Shadow of the Secret Realm was like my own shadow, something I could control at will. But now, the Red Demoness has not only fused with the Statue of Comir, she seems to have truly come to life.’
’As for her connection to the Secret Realm, it seems to be gone on the surface. I’ll have to test it.’
The scene fell silent for a moment. Qin Xiaoxia found he couldn’t bring himself to crack the whip in his hand.
"Mentor, she... she isn’t wearing anything underneath..."
Su Su reminded her Mentor of this, a little embarrassed and cautious, afraid he might get the wrong idea.
Her Mentor, whose gaze was fixed, was probably racking his brain for a solution, but as a woman, Su Su’s thoughts were a bit more delicate.
Because she saw that the "Red Demoness" was trying to stand up, and the stiff "coat" barely clinging to her didn’t seem like it could withstand the contortion of her movement.
Fortunately, the "Red Demoness" also seemed to care about her "clothes." She moved very carefully, also paying close attention to the small flower and fruit in her hand.
So she ended up holding the mold-like shell of her clothes with one hand and raising the fruit with the other, all while being careful not to break the shell open.
The action looked a bit comical.
"Su Su, go find a robe or something that can cover her."
"Yes, Mentor!"
Su Su responded and immediately turned to leave, running up to her room by way of the vines that were everywhere.
"Doudou, what are you standing there for? Initiate the inspiration sharing!"
Regardless of how the Red Demoness had been resurrected in this way, neither Qin Xiaoxia nor Doudou wanted to do anything to harm her. Not to mention, the Image of Order was an important asset, and they could at least still sense the power within this new being.
Besides, aside from the aspect of order’s rules, the rest of this power—from her physical composition to her Magic Power—all originated from Qin Xiaoxia. It was easy to sense whether she was friendly or malicious.
For once, Doudou showed no hesitation or fear. He could be scared of almost anything, but the Red Demoness, who had always protected him in the Secret Realm, was different.
His short little legs carried him to the Red Demoness’s side in a few scampering steps, a speed that belied their size.
Qin Xiaoxia followed, closing the distance in a dozen or so steps.
The face before him, stunning by any aesthetic standard, still held a familiar stiffness.
After all this time, Doudou naturally understood Qin Xiaoxia’s meaning.
A Wishing Gold Coin was flicked out, hovering between Qin Xiaoxia and the Red Demoness. Under the influence of Magic Power, it began to unleash its own power.
"Imodo fasaluluman~"
As the words of the Magic Language faded, the magical coin instantly vanished.
A temporary connection formed between Qin Xiaoxia and the Red Demoness. A vibration, seeming to originate from the depths of his soul, started in his heart and spread throughout his body.
Time seemed to slow several-fold. In that moment, Qin Xiaoxia could clearly perceive the process of countless pieces of information being exchanged.
BA-DUM.
Qin Xiaoxia heard the Red Demoness’s heartbeat.
This sound also broke the state of "inspiration sharing," causing everything around them to return to normal.
Mumu didn’t dare get too close, peering out from the corridor at the edge of the empty hall, but like Doudou, it was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
A lot of miscellaneous things now filled Qin Xiaoxia’s mind, and he also understood some key points that had previously puzzled him.
After the inspiration sharing, the Red Demoness seemed to have become a little more animated.
She first looked toward Qin Xiaoxia and opened her mouth as if to say something, but he saw her hesitate, forming words with her lips several times without making a sound.
’Don’t tell me she can’t speak. Is she mute?’
As if giving up, she turned to Doudou, extending a delicate, porcelain-white arm to reveal the small red fruit she had been carefully protecting in her hand.
Although her face was still a bit stiff, she managed to force a smile.
"Dou...dou..."
Her soft, pleasant tone still carried the characteristics of a Sea Siren.
’Holy shit, she’s not mute!’ Qin Xiaoxia cursed inwardly.
For some reason, Mumu suddenly felt touched. The Big Thorn trembled a few times and also moved closer to the empty hall, wanting to see how the Red Demoness would react to it.
Doudou looked at the small fruit, then at the Red Demoness, then back at the fruit, and finally turned to Qin Xiaoxia.
"Hehe, I’m more amazing than you!"
Doudou, contentedly accepting the gift, reached out to support the Red Demoness as she tried to stand.
"Ahem."
Qin Xiaoxia felt that he must be radiating the aura of a perfect gentleman, because he subconsciously stuck out his foot to stop the outer shell of the statue’s "clothes" from sliding off completely.
Just then, Su Su finally ran back and quickly draped a black robe, the same style she had worn before, over the Red Demoness.
"Su...Su..."
The soft whisper made Sister Su’s hand freeze, and she looked over at Qin Xiaoxia.
"Mentor, she spoke."
’She knows who I am. Is she really the Red Demoness?’
"Yes, I heard."
Seeing how the robe was bulging out unnaturally because of the statue’s shell underneath, Qin Xiaoxia reached out and flicked it with his index finger.
CRACKLE.
The "clothes" the Red Demoness had been clutching cracked all over, falling from under the black robe in countless fragments of various sizes.
Just as before, when South Wind and the others were carving, the fragments vanished on their own before they even touched the ground.
"What’s left should be pure flesh, right?"
The Red Demoness reached up, lifted the collar of the black robe to peek inside, seemingly a beat late in wondering where her "clothes" had gone, and also appearing puzzled by her current state.
"Su Su, take her to your room and get her changed into some proper clothes. She seems a bit stiff right now, but I believe she’ll become more animated soon. Once she’s changed, bring her outside."
After speaking, Qin Xiaoxia headed outside, grabbing Doudou, who had wanted to follow Su Su upstairs, and taking him along.
"Yes, Mentor!"
Since this was a job she couldn’t pass on to anyone else, Su Su readily agreed. Filled with a strange excitement, she took the Red Demoness’s hand and led her upstairs to her room.
She had to admit, the skin felt incredibly smooth, making Su Su sigh in admiration that it was even better than her own.
Coupled with that face—possessing a transcendent, natural aura infused with the unearthly charm of a Sea Siren—Su Su felt that the only thing about her that might be superior to the Red Demoness was her chest.
There was no real reason for it; it was just a girl’s instinct to make such comparisons over and over in her head.
...
Outside, Qin Xiaoxia gazed toward the edge of the Secret Realm and the distant Crystal Ore, lost in thought.
The shattering of the Shadow of the Secret Realm had instead become the catalyst that helped the Red Demoness resurrect.
How long had the Red Demoness been fallen? How ancient was the history of the "Fall of the Red Demoness" Secret Realm Technique? How many long years of obsession did this represent?
This longing and unwillingness had transcended the rules of the Secret Realm Technique itself. This might be one of the hidden reasons why this particular Secret Realm Technique was held in such high regard.
Perhaps there was truly help from the world’s feedback, or perhaps this mutated Shadow of the Secret Realm was special.
The Shadow of the Red Demoness, which should have dissipated directly, had instead, at the final moment, transferred the memories and faint emotions born in this world over a long time to the Statue of Comir, which had such a special connection to her.
It was an instinct rooted in deep obsession.
Perhaps this was the real reason the Secret Realm hadn’t collapsed after the Shadow of the Secret Realm shattered.
Humans are emotional creatures. Without the sympathy of the three big kids—South Wind, Gu Hao, and Zhang Ruliang—the Statue of Comir would not have undergone such a change.
Without my own peculiar Magic Power and Doudou’s miraculous Wish Magic Power, the Moldable Energy polymer that formed the statue would not have responded to the craftsmen’s emotions.
Without the environment of Earth World, so lacking in order, the materialization of the Image of Order would not have drawn such a torrent of the Power of Order. Likewise, the Secret Realm would not have been strengthened, and it would have been impossible to trigger the subtle, subsequent changes in the Shadow of the Secret Realm and the Image of Order.
There were many things Qin Xiaoxia only came to understand at the moment of the inspiration sharing.
The Red Demoness, who should have been a blank slate, had shown him a few names during the exchange: Doudou, Su Su, South Wind’s group, and himself.
No matter how infinitesimally close to zero the probability seemed, once it happened, it became 1.
"Sigh. I guess our world truly is a magical land. Everything is in a state of rebirth."
Its master’s words seemed to strike a chord with Mumu. It looked toward the sunset on the horizon; its beautiful evening glow did not appear today.
The sound of footsteps behind him made Qin Xiaoxia turn around.
’Perhaps within every "Fall of the Red Demoness," there exists a Red Demoness who yearns for resurrection. I just wonder if, now that our Red Demoness has been revived, the other "Fall of the Red Demoness" Techniques will change.’
In Qin Xiaoxia’s view, the person next to Su Su was wearing a light blue dress. Her brilliant red hair cascaded past her waist to her hips, and her clear eyes were like water, the curiosity and joy within them like ripples on its surface.
"Welcome to the team, Red Demoness~!"