“Who are you, and what is this place?”
Bai Xia had no desire to dwell on the topic of her chest. She took a deep breath, then focused her attention on the woman seated on the throne, hoping to glean some useful information.
However…
[???]: ???
Question marks. All the information she received was nothing but question marks!
This indicated that her opponent either possessed an item capable of blocking her detection abilities, or their level far surpassed hers, placing them beyond the scope of her probing.
Bai Xia believed the latter scenario was far more probable. The woman before her clearly appeared to be a high-level NPC, even exuding the aura of a final boss.
Thus, her level could not possibly be low.
As Bai Xia cast her detection spell, the woman on the throne paused slightly, evidently noticing her subtle attempt. Yet, she merely offered an indifferent smile.
Shifting her posture on the throne, the woman crossed her full legs and gazed down at Bai Xia.
The silence stretched for a considerable moment, until Bai Xia’s scalp began to prickle under her scrutiny. Finally, the woman’s voice resonated.
“This is the Mirage Palace, and I am its mistress. You may call me Qingcheng.”
Qingcheng? Bai Xia wondered if it was her real name, but it was the latter part of the statement that truly captured her attention.
“Mirage Palace?”
“Precisely.” The peculiar woman, who called herself Qingcheng, nodded. Her voice then adopted an inexplicably hollow tone.
“Like a mirage, it is an ethereal and illusory play of light and shadow.”
Ethereal and illusory? Bai Xia blinked, signaling her complete incomprehension.
Qingcheng, however, showed no inclination to elaborate. After speaking, she abruptly posed another question.
“Little one, do you know why I brought you here?”
“…I don’t know.”
Bai Xia genuinely didn’t know. She hadn’t even fully grasped how she herself had entered, let alone why she was allowed in while Tian Zheng seemed to remain trapped outside.
Even in a dungeon, she had never heard of a situation where one person was permitted entry but another was not.
As Bai Xia pondered, the woman on the throne suddenly waved a hand. The next instant, Bai Xia felt her breath catch.
A wave of intense heat washed over her, and in the blink of an eye, the surrounding palace transformed into a scorched, crimson land riddled with lava fissures!
What was this?
Bai Xia was utterly bewildered. The woman, still perched on the unchanging throne, stared at her and spoke slowly.
“Because I have something to give you.”
“Huh? Something for me?”
Bai Xia froze, utterly dumbfounded.
She was playing a game, encountering a woman who resembled a final boss, and now this woman was suddenly offering her a gift.
What could it be? Despair? Or perhaps a free teleport back to town?
A myriad of thoughts flashed through Bai Xia’s mind, but the situation before her was undeniably bizarre, leaving her with a strong sense of unease.
Fortunately, Qingcheng evidently had no intention of instantly obliterating her. The woman simply raised her hand and gestured lightly, and a purplish-black orb of light materialized in her palm.
Qingcheng gazed at the glowing orb in her hand, a complex expression flitting across her face.
“The full story dates back fifteen hundred years. Before her death, a dear friend entrusted all her belongings to me, hoping I could return them to her kin, either for burial or for inheritance.
“However, when I arrived at her clan’s territory, I discovered it had already been annihilated by war…”
Before her words fully faded, Qingcheng’s gaze sharpened, focusing once more on Bai Xia.
“After that, I searched for a very, very long time, yet found nothing. So much time passed that I was on the verge of giving up… and then, unexpectedly, I encountered you.”
“Me?”
Bai Xia blinked, still unable to grasp the connection between these events, yet she couldn’t shake the subtle feeling of ‘the organization has decided you are to save the world.’
“Yes, you.”
Qingcheng nodded, and a strange light suddenly flickered within her dark eyes.
“For over a thousand years, since the destruction of the Dark Elf clan, you are the only one I have encountered who possesses a pure Dark Elf bloodline. That is why I sought you out, and why I have decided to entrust my friend’s possessions to you!”
Dark Elf?
Bai Xia rubbed her temples, then, after a brief silence, spoke softly.
“Let me just clarify… First, your friend was also a Dark Elf, correct? And before her death, she asked you to return her belongings to her clan.
“But the Dark Elves had already been annihilated by then, so you searched for over a thousand years and only found me, is that right?”
How to put it? She couldn’t help but feel like some chosen one!
Even though Bai Xia knew that the “fifteen hundred years ago” mentioned was likely just a game setting, she still felt a pang of sorrow for the two figures in the story.
She couldn’t decide whether to pity the Dark Elf who entrusted everything only to have her clan wiped out, or the mysterious, large-chested woman before her who had silently searched for so many years.
From Qingcheng’s words, it seemed she intended to hand over her friend’s belongings to Bai Xia… Wait, was such a good thing actually happening?!
“Precisely as you’ve surmised.”
Indeed, good things do happen. However, sometimes even a pie falling from the sky can crush you.
Thus, after nodding, Qingcheng’s tone abruptly shifted.
“However… I will only place the items before you. Whether you can ultimately claim them is entirely your own endeavor.”
“What do you mean?” As expected, things weren’t that simple. Bai Xia wasn’t particularly disappointed, but her internal unease intensified.
“It means I acknowledge your lineage, and therefore, I will grant you an opportunity.”
With a wave of her hand, the woman on the throne’s voice instantly turned frigid.
“I cannot tolerate my friend’s legacy falling into the hands of a mere waste! Therefore, even if you are the only worthy individual I’ve encountered in millennia, you must still pass my trial!
“Satisfy me, and you may take all that I hold. But if you cannot even endure the trial… then you may as well perish!”
The woman’s voice grew incredibly stern, as if her previous gentleness had been a deceptive illusion. Her gaze was icy, fixed on Bai Xia as if she were merely an object.
Bai Xia furrowed her delicate brows, remaining silent for a moment before finally asking, “Then, what kind of trial is it?”
While she had no idea what the reward truly was, the woman exuded an aura of strangeness and immense power, suggesting that her friend’s possessions wouldn’t be anything meager.
Now that the treasure was laid before her, even if it meant facing a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, she had to brave it.
Qingcheng offered no reply, merely snapping her fingers lightly.
“ROAR!!!”
As the snap echoed, the entire ground began to tremble violently. Countless streams of lava erupted from the earth.
Then, from a nearby pool of magma, a monster wreathed in flames slowly rose.
Molten rock constantly flowed down its body, which appeared to be forged from crimson stone. Its nearly five-meter-tall frame was entirely enveloped in raging fire.
It bore no weapons, yet its arms, as thick as two stone pillars, constituted its most terrifying armament.
Once it stood, the burning monster made no further moves. However, from its equally stone-like head, a pair of eyes, alight with flowing flames, locked onto Bai Xia.
“Defeat it, and you shall receive all that belonged to my friend.”