“Slam!”
The car door opened, and I stepped out.
After walking for a while in the direction Si had indicated, I stopped.
“Is this the Dark Realm?”
I glanced around, seeing only bare rocks. Before me stood a colossal cave entrance, sealed by an immense steel gate.
“No.”
This time, the voice didn’t echo in my mind. Instead, faint wisps of black energy slowly gathered and intertwined directly before me, gradually coalescing into a humanoid form.
A petite loli, somewhat resembling me but noticeably shorter, materialized from thin air.
“You’re Si?”
I looked at her, a hint of confusion in my voice, asking for confirmation.
She rolled her eyes, her tone remarkably seasoned. “Who else would I be? The magic here is a bit too sparse to fully manifest my original form.”
“What did you look like originally?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“One hundred and eighty centimeters tall, a chic and handsome older sister,” she declared confidently, tilting her head back.
‘Why does it feel like replacing “older sister” with “older brother” would make that description identical to my own past introductions?’ I thought, casting a suspicious gaze upon her.
“Don’t, don’t disbelieve me!” She seemed flustered. “Of course, this isn’t the Dark Realm yet. There’s still a long journey ahead. But going to the Dark Realm like this would surely cause trouble. This place offers a way to disguise ourselves.”
“Why would going to the Dark Realm like this cause trouble?” I asked, puzzled. Was there something special about the Dark Realm?
Si gave me a dismissive look. “It seems your common sense is exceptionally lacking.”
“I already know that! You don’t need to keep repeating it!”
“How should I describe the Dark Realm?” Si mused, resting a hand on her chin. “It’s essentially your equivalent of hell. It’s populated entirely by demonkind, and theoretically, divine beings are forbidden entry.”
“Forbidden? Then I can’t go?” I was perplexed, wondering why she would lead me there if that were the case.
“I just said, ‘theoretically.’ Of course, there are ways to enter if you truly wish to,” Si retorted, looking at me as if I were an unyielding piece of iron.
“Erm, so there’s a way to hide our identities here?” After a moment of thought, I began to grasp the situation.
She nodded. “Precisely. Here, as long as you pay, they can disguise you as one of the Dark Realm’s races.”
With that, Si, in her magic-coalesced form, walked towards the massive gate, tracing the intricate patterns on its surface for a moment. “Come over here and help me push.”
“Oh.” I responded, jogging over to join her in pushing the door.
The gate, towering some six or seven meters high, slowly yielded to our combined effort.
What greeted us was a small room bathed in an orange glow. Inside, a gaunt man was dozing at a wooden desk that served as a reception counter.
After scanning the surroundings, Si strode directly to the man and rapped sharply on the table. “Wake up.”
“Huh?” The gaunt man lifted his head, gazing around in a daze. His eyes then fell upon Si standing before him, and his expression instantly turned awkward.
“Can you explain why the receptionist is sleeping during work hours?” Si stared at the man with her pure black eyes.
“Because, because this, this door hasn’t had a visitor in so long. I, I thought this door had, had been abandoned…” The gaunt man explained, his face a picture of misery.
“I can’t be bothered arguing with you. Lead the way. We need to go to the Divine Realm, and I need you to change her form,” Si said, waving her hand dismissively.
The gaunt man looked as though he had been granted a great pardon, quickly smiling and proclaiming, “Of course, of course! You’ll receive the best service and templates!” His face, it was like, like a blooming chrysanthemum.
After navigating several corridors, we arrived before a colossal black sphere.
“Now, this esteemed divine lady can place her hand upon this sphere, and we will automatically find a suitable racial template for you,” the gaunt man said, bowing deeply.
Curious, I gazed at the dark, enormous sphere. Hearing the gaunt man’s words, I stepped forward and placed my hand upon it.
The moment my hand touched the surface, something within seemed to vibrate, though it quickly settled. At the very bottom, a single purple droplet hung from the sphere.
The gaunt man quickly caught it with a jade plate adorned with intricate patterns.
“To think it’s the highest compatibility level! I almost doubt if you’re a pure-blooded demon,” the gaunt man exclaimed, observing it for a long while before speaking in disbelief.
He then slowly placed the jade plate into a black box nearby and closed it. “The compatibility results will be ready shortly.”
Understanding nothing, I could only stand there blankly. As for compatibility levels or anything of the sort, I was utterly clueless.
Approximately fifteen minutes later, a wisp of purple mist rose from the black box. “Alright, the results are in. Let me see,” the gaunt man said, stepping towards the box.
“There are three rare compatibility results,” the gaunt man stated, stroking his chin. He then adopted a somewhat lewd smile. “But, they’re all very cute races…”
‘?!’ For some reason, I had a bad feeling.
“The first is… the Cat Demon race, the second is… a Succubus, and the third… a Fox Demon. All excellent races, choose one,” the gaunt man said, his face beaming with a smile.
“Uh… huh?!” Finally, I seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation, but… how could I possibly choose?!
Cat-eared girls, succubi, fox-eared girls—they were all so cute… No, wait… they were all so embarrassing! How could I possibly choose?
****