Aryadovi?
Victoria?
Gu Xi understood in an instant.
This should have been the name of this exiled Fake City, the complete opposite of Victoria City.
It seemed just as he had guessed—Luna was this city's spirit.
When the city died, she had died as well. Drawn by Gu Xi's Undead Pact, she had become his Contract Undead.
If Gu Xi and the others had never entered Aryadovi, Luna might never have remembered her original identity for the rest of her life.
But they had come in. Under Gu Xi's guidance, Luna had even found the place where she had been born, and that had made her remember everything.
Luna opened her mouth, her voice carrying a trace of chill.
"Actually, my appearance was an accident.
"I am this city's spirit, but I do not entirely belong to this city.
"In Britain's legends, if a cloth doll or Puppet is left in a corner by the bed or beneath a table, then as time passes, a House Elf will appear. They clean rooms and tend the fire for their masters in exchange for the supplies they need to survive.
"If you no longer want the Elf, you only need to give them an item of clothing, and they will leave on their own.
"Because people knew this legend, even families with children taught them from an early age not to casually leave Cloth Dolls in bed corners or under tables.
"If you suddenly find a cloth doll in a bed corner or under a table, do not touch it carelessly. Wrap it in clothing before taking it out."
Gu Xi was in no rush as he listened to Luna recount the folktale. He listened intently.
In his eyes, Luna was explaining the origin of her existence from the very beginning.
"My case was an accident. When James I built Aryadovi City, he demanded that everything be copied exactly, without the slightest change.
"And by pure misfortune, while measurements were being taken, this cloth doll was tossed beneath the bed."
After speaking, Luna pointed to a spot beneath the bed.
At this point, Luna smiled again. "The person taking the measurements probably knew the taboo, so he put clothing on the cloth doll. But he never considered that it was merely a cloth doll that had accidentally fallen there—it had not yet become an Elf.
"Afterward, the location of this little house turned out to be rather special. Look over there."
Luna pointed at the ceiling.
Gu Xi looked up and discovered a crack there.
"This had always been part of the small building. Whenever it rained, water would leak through here. But it never rained in Aryadovi City; every night, the moon rose.
"And at midnight every day, the moonlight would shine precisely onto that mirror, then reflect from it onto the space beneath the bed—the spot where the cloth doll lay.
"Over time, I appeared.
"That is why my name is Luna. It means the moon, or the moon goddess."
Luna sighed. "If not for the accident that came later, perhaps I would have been the spirit of this little building and remained here until it was destroyed.
"But as you noticed, because of the taboo, the person who took the initial measurements gave me one extra article of clothing. And after this place was copied over, no one ever lived here, so I could temporarily leave the building and wander elsewhere.
"Usually, I just ran around the nearby streets. Whenever I encountered those Abomination shadows, I would quickly return.
"Those shadows never entered buildings anyway, so I did not need to worry about my safety.
"And because I belonged to the household Elf category, entering another house meant that house became part of my protection range.
"So the area I could influence gradually grew larger, until I took something from that apartment building on the southeast side."
"An apartment building?" Gu Xi interrupted Luna for the first time.
"Yes, that apartment building. It seemed to be Tangning Street No. 10. From the outside, it looked like an utterly ordinary Small Apartment building, but after I entered it, I seemed to be affected somehow. I slept for a very long time before waking up.
"After that, I gained a deep understanding of this city. At the same time, I realized that my appearance might have been this city's attempt to save itself."
Luna fell silent at last. "Unfortunately, the city still died in the end."
After hearing Luna's story, Gu Xi also fell silent. He had never expected her tale to be so convoluted.
But he quickly came to his senses. "What are you planning to do now?"
Luna raised her head. "I want to save this city, even if it is only a little."
Gu Xi stared into Luna's hollow eyes without the slightest hesitation. "I'll help you."
Hearing Gu Xi's words, Luna grinned.
"Thank you, my lord. However, my strength is insufficient right now. I cannot control all of Aryadovi City. I can only control about one-third of the Old City."
"How large is Aryadovi City?"
Although he knew the situation was urgent, Gu Xi still asked.
"2.9 square kilometers. Excluding the walls, there are only a few blocks."
"Can we take the whole thing?"
Gu Xi heard that it was less than three square kilometers—only the size of three or four hundred football fields. Why not simply take all of it?
Luna looked at Gu Xi helplessly. "My lord, what we need is control."
"Fine. Control. Control comes first. You handle it."
Luna nodded and said to Gu Xi, "My lord, please go outside first. I need to turn this little building into a Council Hall. The conversion will take some time, so please help hold off the enemy."
"Don't worry."
Gu Xi patted the Scimitar at his waist as he spoke seriously.
Gu Xi was extremely excited at this moment. He had never expected there to be a chance to turn things around now. He had thought the first Contract Undead he had signed was useless.
Who would have thought he had found a treasure?
Luna floated before Gu Xi and tapped his arm with a finger. A cold current surged into Gu Xi's body.
All the mana Gu Xi had expended while using Summoning at full force was restored.
Gu Xi looked at Luna in surprise. Luna nodded at him.
"My lord, this is all I can help you with."
Gu Xi waved his hand, drew his Scimitar, and headed downstairs.
As Gu Xi departed, Luna began her own actions. She placed the Round Mirror she had been holding at the center of the room, then took something from the cloth doll.
It was the pen Luna had brought out of Tangning Street No. 10, and it was precisely what had transformed her from a household Elf into a City Spirit.
Luna now used the pen to draw several strokes across the Round Mirror. The mirror melted like ice and snow, finally merging into the room.
Gu Xi had only just stepped out of the little building and had not yet seen the battle outside clearly when a ding sounded beside his ear.
Ding! Luna (Contract Undead) is reclaiming the authority that belongs to her. At her request, you have activated a Temporary Task! Temporary Task: Dead City Task Description: Tear apart, occupy, and protect this city that has already died! Task Requirements: Protect the Council Hall conversion (0/1), kill three waves of enemies (0/3) Task Reward: Necromancer special class skill—Death City. Note 1: A Dead City can also become undead. Note 2: As the Necromancer's level rises, control over the Death City will also increase.
An extra chapter at midnight. Seeking recommendations and follow-up reads for the new week!
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