Testing

“The Stone of the Lost…”

Although she had heard long ago that many “Relics” originating from past eras possessed incredible power—some even completely exceeding modern human understanding with effects that could only be called magical—this was Su Mian’s first time truly coming into contact with such an extraordinary object.

She had previously appreciated some ancient artifacts through a friend, but those were truly just antiques. Clearly, not all “Relics” possessed special abilities.

Come to think of it, how exactly are the special abilities of these miraculous items produced?

Su Mian held the Stone of the Lost in front of her and observed it carefully for a while. Having learned her lesson, she immediately pulled it away the moment she felt a slight dizziness, waiting a while before continuing her research.

But after a long time, she couldn’t figure out anything substantial.

Although the exterior of the Stone of the Lost looked unusual, the whole thing was seamless; it was impossible to see anything from the outside. As for taking it apart to look? Setting aside the fact that she likely wouldn’t understand the operating principles even if she opened it, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to put it back together!

So, Su Mian didn’t obsess over it. If she couldn’t understand it, she wouldn’t try. Instead, she began to study how to use it.

The usage of the Stone of the Lost was actually very simple—it didn’t even require her other self to teach her. She figured it out basically after playing with it in her hand for a while.

In fact, it was indeed straightforward: she only needed to be in contact with it, then focus her attention on imagining the shape of the Stone of the Lost in her mind. She found that a part of her consciousness would be drawn into it, and then she naturally understood how to use it.

It was a feeling that was difficult to describe. If she had to characterize it, it was like an ordinary person controlling their own limbs. You don’t need to know why your limbs can move or what processes occur in between; your brain sends a signal, your body processes it instinctively, and finally, you naturally perform the desired action.

Using the Stone of the Lost felt much the same. Su Mian didn’t need to know why it could create hallucinations, nor did she need to worry about the internal process. She only needed to inject her consciousness into it, and she could naturally use it to accomplish such things.

It could be called truly miraculous and interesting.

However, after playing with it for a long time, she would feel a slight dizziness. Furthermore, the hallucinations created had a very poor effect on herself—the kind where the flaws could be seen at a single glance.

At first, Su Mian worried if this disguise was a bit too fake, but she was soon told by her other self that it was only her own perspective. In the words of the Succubus girl:

“Illusion can never deceive the illusionist themselves. If you ever find that even you cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood, that is when you should be careful.”

She felt that made a lot of sense, even if she didn’t fully understand it.

In short, the usage of the Stone of the Lost didn’t waste much of Su Mian’s time. What actually caused the girl some distress was how to carry it on her person.

Carrying it directly in her pocket was impossible. As for making it into a bracelet or necklace as her other self suggested, she truly didn’t have the craftsmanship; after all, this stone was perfectly round without a place to thread a chain, and it was impossible to drill a hole in it right now. Putting it in a small pouch or sachet wouldn’t work either, because it had to be in contact with the skin during use.

Finally, Su Mian had no choice but to take apart the necklace her sister had given her for her birthday last year. she removed the crystal pendant and replaced it with the Stone of the Lost. Even during this, her other self helped, because the crystal was completely integrated with the necklace and couldn’t be removed by ordinary means.

All in all, compared to how to use it, how to wear it actually wasted Su Mian’s entire morning.

Fortunately, she had no classes today, so she had time to spend on this. It was just that after tossing and turning all morning, her stomach was incredibly hungry. After hanging the Stone of the Lost around her neck and tucking it into her clothes to hide it, Su Mian couldn’t wait to change clothes and head out.

Besides wanting to find a place to fill her stomach, she also prepared to test the effectiveness of this thing. As for the experimental subject? Naturally, her best friend.

If the effect of the Stone of the Lost could easily deceive even Qi Chuan, then deceiving others would naturally be the simplest thing in the world.

To be honest, Su Mian was truly afraid that Qi Chuan would notice something wrong. After all, they were childhood friends and were simply too familiar with each other. But after hesitating for a while, she eventually sent him a message.

Qi Chuan replied very quickly. By chance, he had no classes today and was reading in the library; he had just wanted to go out for lunch when he received Su Mian’s message. So they hit it off immediately, and the two agreed to meet at a restaurant near the school.

In front of the restaurant, having learned via text that Qi Chuan had already arrived and finished ordering, Su Mian stood at the door feeling quite nervous.

She was afraid the effect of the Stone of the Lost wouldn’t deceive her friend, or that some accident would occur, making it impossible to explain. After all, although she was wearing her usual clothes, her body was still in a female state; the contrast was quite obvious, and a normal person should be able to see the difference from before.

Although she had used passers-by on the road to slightly test the effect and the feedback was decent, passers-by were just passers-by; they clearly couldn’t compare to a friend she spent time with day and night.

So what if he really sees the problem… Run directly and say I have the wrong person? Or choose to be honest and tell Qi Chuan that she is actually a demon who cannot control her gender? Or… turn him into someone like her?

“Cough, that thought is way too evil.”

Feeling her thoughts wander, Su Mian hurriedly shook her head to clear her mind. Then, with a heart prepared for the worst, she walked into the restaurant.

It was just after twelve o’clock, right at lunchtime, so there were quite a few people in the shop. However, the space in this restaurant wasn’t small, so there were plenty of empty tables. Su Mian immediately saw her friend sitting at a table against the wall, playing with his phone.

Qi Chuan’s attention was entirely on his phone, clearly not noticing that a new guest had entered until the sound of footsteps approached. He instinctively looked up.

Seeing Su Mian standing there with a wooden expression without speaking, the youth of ambiguous gender couldn’t help but reveal a puzzled look. He blinked and said: “What’s up? Sit down. Your gaze is so strange—I haven’t offended you lately, have I?”

“It’s nothing.”

Seeing that her friend clearly hadn’t noticed any problem, Su Mian—whose body had been tense and ready to make an excuse to leave at any moment—breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Then, she naturally pulled out a chair and sat opposite him.

Just as her seat was barely warm, the young man opposite suddenly looked up again with a suspicious look in his eyes. He said strangely: “Wait, your voice…”

“!?”

“Do you have a cold?”

“…A little.”