Volume Two: Life-or-Death Speed in the North Realm - Plant Specimen

With the addition of hundreds of teams, the market in Arkham Town became very lively. Although the tournament organizers distributed supplies, many participants still chose to browse the market.

"A Ye, sometimes you really give me the creeps."

As we walked toward the market, Givinia suddenly said to me.

"Really? Although I might be a bit heartless..."

"It's not that simple..." Givinia looked at me closely, her gaze piercing through the wide-brimmed hat on my head and staring directly into my eyes, making me a little uncomfortable.

"I have quite a bit of knowledge about psychology, and I've met all sorts of people in the past, but this is the first time I've met someone like you... At first, I didn't think there was anything unusual about you, but as time went on, I always felt there was something... off about you."

"Something feels off? Is something wrong?" For some reason, I felt a little anxious.

"Your personality is incredibly contradictory, to the point of self-doubt. At first, I thought you were just outwardly warm but inwardly cold, but now I realize that your 'warmth' and 'coldness' have no real connection. You always seem to be looking into the distance, but in reality, nothing is reflected in your eyes. You seem aloof, yet your presence is so strong. You express emotions for the sake of expressing emotions, and everything about you is actually under your own control... Ah, I almost got caught up in it. The more you analyze someone like this, the deeper you get."

"... I'm totally confused, okay? You're just making this up, aren't you?"

"I'd like to ask you, from childhood to adulthood, have you ever truly 'lived even a single day earnestly'?"

"--!!"

The gentle smile that usually graced her face vanished, replaced by an indescribable indifference.

There is no outward display of emotion, yet it directly expresses an emotion that is described as "emotionless."

It reveals nothing, yet contains everything.

It's contradictory, yet not contradictory.

"... Oh."

At that moment, I realized it.

What... So Givinia, you, me, and Haoyue are all one--

"Two beautiful young ladies, would you like to take a look?"

A sound from the roadside interrupted my thoughts. It turned out to be a somewhat shabby-looking vendor setting up his stall on the street. We realized we had unknowingly arrived at the market area.

"Okay, come on, A Ye, let's buy some local specialties too."

As if the conversation had never happened, Givinia took my hand and led me to the stall.

Wow, what a variety of things!

On a canvas measuring only two square meters, there were no fewer than a hundred small items, ranging from hair clips and bracelets that little girls liked to strange car parts, from rough handicrafts to exquisite jewelry of all kinds, a truly dazzling array.

"A Ye, what do you think of this?"

Givinia picked up a rather beautiful hair clip. The clip had a unique design; an unknown white material with a crystalline texture was molded into the shape of Lycoris radiata. Although it was covered in dust, its overall appearance and details were top-notch.

"Ah, sir, you have excellent taste! To be honest, these hair clips are a red and white pair, carved from the finest crystal. They were family heirlooms, worth at least—"

"Stop, that's enough lying. Fifty Tong Coin, will you sell?" Givinia suddenly interrupted him.

"What did you say?! This hair clip is—"

"Your family heirloom? Why is something so important so dirty?"

"It was just an accident--"

"Take a closer look. The soil stuck to it is a sticky red clay. You can see this in the race car that just arrived in Arkham. This kind of red clay is only found around Arkham on this black sand plain full of black soil—meaning you picked this up from around town!"

"Don't talk nonsense, you—"

"I'm not talking nonsense. I'm asking you, how do you usually take care of your 'family heirloom'?"

"Of course I keep it close to my body, very carefully!"

"Then you must have kept the hair clip very warm, right?"

"Yeah... wait!?" The vendor realized his slip of the tongue, but it was too late.

"That's strange—this hair clip feels very cold to the touch, even much colder than the current temperature, and with the dirt stuck to it, it's almost like it was just dug out of the ground."

"You you you you you--"

Five minutes later--

"How is it, A Ye? Does it look good?"

"Hmm, it suits you very well..."

Finally, after Givinia's persuasive skills, the vendor tearfully accepted 100 Tong Coin and sold us the two hair clips, one red and one white.

Givinia seemed to really like this thing, and the white Lycoris radiata did indeed suit her very well, perfectly showcasing her elegant and pure temperament, a truly exquisite touch.

"And here, this is for you."

Before I could react, she suddenly moved close to me, her captivating beauty right in front of me, her pleasant fragrance filling my nostrils. At a distance where we could almost kiss, a pair of slender hands wrapped around my neck and placed something in my hair.

"Give me the white one, and you can have the red one; they're a pair."

"Givinia ..."

"Haha, this makes it feel a bit like a couple."

"Hello..."

If Haoyue finds out, she'll be furious.

"That vendor is such an idiot, he can't believe his eyes! These hair clips are worth far more than 100 Tong Coin, even hundreds of millions would be a bargain."

"What!?"

"There's no mistake, the material of this Lycoris radiata should be Gaisha Crystal, the world's top-grade crystal. And judging from the craftsmanship, it must be the work of a master. Finally, there's the age—judging from the condition, it's at least several hundred years old. It would be strange if it weren't valuable."

"You're so knowledgeable... Oh well, as long as I got a good deal, that's good enough."

If I ever become destitute, I can sell it for money.

"--Huh!?"

Suddenly, a strange feeling invaded my mind, and I couldn't help but shudder, immediately looking in the direction from which the strange feeling came.

"What's wrong A Ye?"

"Shh!"

I closed my eyes tightly and carefully followed the faint, wispy sensation, searching meticulously... Finally, I pinpointed my target to an inconspicuous little stall.

The stall owner was an old man with a pointed face and a pair of shrewd, beady eyes. The items on his stall were much simpler than the previous one, and at first glance, they didn't seem special. But it felt as if an unseen hand was pushing me, making me stand firm in front of the stall.

"Oh, sir, what would you like to order?"

Ignoring his words, I started searching the stall. Necklace... no, wood carving... no, sunglasses... no, wooden box... hmm?

This is it!

I swallowed hard and opened the wooden box, my hands trembling slightly. What was inside that could be so alluring?

The box was opened, and what came into view was--

"... Plant specimens? Or just ordinary dried flowers?" Givinia seemed a little puzzled.

But my breathing became more and more rapid.

It feels like it happened just yesterday, that night, when Huang Huo struck me—

"At her peak, Blood Fiend could do more than just crystallize blood. She once told me about something she devoured to become so powerful! When you go to the North Realm Continent, be sure to look for a rare and precious treasure—a Lycoris radiata that burns like flames. Find it, devour it! That will give your power a qualitative leap!"

Like flames, the Lycoris radiata burn...

Inside the box was a specimen of a Lycoris radiata. The edges of its withered petals were shaped like flames, and not only the flowers, but even the stems and leaves attached to them were red. Although it looked quite old, it was not hard to imagine its splendor when it was alive.

"Hey, how much is this?"

"Hmm... I'd say it'll cost at least a thousand Tong Coin..."

"Hey, hey, you can't do this to me—" Givinia couldn't sit still any longer. She's usually such a dignified and beautiful young lady, but when it comes to bargaining, she immediately transforms into a sharp-tongued housewife. This is bad for your ladylike image.

"One thousand, right? Deal!"

I took a wad of bills directly from my already somewhat depleted wallet, threw it heavily on the stall, and then walked away without looking back, clutching the dried flowers.

Hurry, hurry, hurry--

This dried flower has lost its vitality and has no value for absorption.

But this is a clue, the most important clue to making myself stronger!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I spent most of the day browsing CD15 and returned home with a full load of purchases, but my food budget for this month is going to be cut again...