Chapter 218

She spoke succinctly, without elaborating on the venomous properties that were considered a "curse," nor mentioning the loneliness that caused her companions to distance themselves from her because of these properties.

But this simple sentence was enough for Xiao Huasheng to understand her situation.

Xiao Huasheng is a very sensitive person to other people's emotions. Although she seems carefree on the surface, she can actually sense the emotions of many people.

Looking at the somewhat thin and lonely profile outlined by the moonlight, Xiao Huasheng immediately understood.

Within this eternal community of life, there are indeed such solitary individuals.

"Is it because of the mercury?" Xiao Huasheng asked.

"Mercury?" Cinnabar repeated the unfamiliar word, her red eyes filled with confusion.

To her, it was merely a kind of "venom" produced by her body that would contaminate other gems and cause trouble, and it never had a specific name.

"Yes, it's these shiny things around you." She subconsciously took a step closer to Cinnabar and reached out her hand, as if to touch the slowly dripping silver droplets.

To Cinnabar, this action was utterly insane!

"Don't come any closer!" Cinnabar's expression changed drastically, her voice filled with unprecedented panic and sternness.

Almost instinctively, she leaped backward a great distance, her movements as swift as a startled deer.

Silver venom splattered from her movement, landing on the grass with a soft hissing sound. The surrounding blades of grass instantly lost their luster, becoming dull and fragile.

Upon witnessing this scene, Cinnabar was overcome with grief; everything in her path would be corroded.

Both the jewels and the plants will die because of her.

Then she roared.

"Are you crazy?!"

"If you come into contact with it, you will be contaminated! Your body will become weak and unable to absorb sunlight anymore!"

Her words came to an abrupt end.

Under her terrified gaze, Xiao Huasheng did not back down despite her warning. Instead, he took advantage of the moment the venom splattered to lightly dab a small drop of the silvery liquid with his fingertip.

Chapter Six: It's so good to be able to help you [4 updates]

The mercury, shaped like water droplets, swayed gently in Xiao Huasheng's hand, its silvery luster incredibly beautiful under the moonlight.

Cinnabar held her breath, already anticipating that Xiao Huasheng's fingers would darken and crack in the next second.

However, nothing happened.

Xiao Huasheng rubbed the drop of mercury between her fingertips. The silvery droplet rolled on her cement-colored fingertips without showing any signs of corrosion.

She even took it up close for a closer look, then looked up at Cinnabar, who was staring in shock and confusion, and gave him a powerful smile.

"See, it's alright." Xiao Huasheng's tone was relaxed. "Not everyone is afraid of this thing. At least, I'm not."

Under the moonlight, the two looked at each other in silence.

Because of this venom, Cinnabar sealed herself away for a very, very long time—long enough for several generations to grow old and die—but now, people have appeared who are immune to her venom.

For Cinnabar, this was perhaps the first time in her long life that someone had come into contact with the "poison" she considered a calamity so easily and without any harm.

This shock even temporarily overwhelmed her long-standing loneliness and self-isolation.

"Are you really alright?"

Cinnabar hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question.

"Do I look like something's wrong to you?" Xiao Huasheng asked back, she really enjoyed seeing others startled by her.

"Um..."

Seeing that Xiao Huasheng was unharmed, Cinnabar remained silent for a moment, as if making some important decision.

She lowered her head slightly, her crimson hair falling down and obscuring part of her expression, but Xiao Huasheng could sense her nervousness.

Finally, she raised her head, her red eyes looking directly at Xiao Huasheng, filled with a plea.

"...Then..." Cinnabar's voice was very soft, almost melting into the night breeze, "Could you... hug me?"

This request completely surprised Xiao Huasheng, and she was stunned for a moment.

Cinnabar seemed afraid that she would refuse, or that she thought the request was strange, so she quickly added, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible urgency.

"Just like... just like the other gems do to each other, if you're really okay... or if you feel something's wrong, you can refuse."

She had seen it: in the sunlight, Jade would pat the heads of Phosphophyllite, and Bort Diamond would gently rest against each other... Those simple, natural physical contacts were, to her, unattainable taboos.

She had never experienced it before, because her touch meant harm.

Xiao Huasheng looked at her; her red eyes held a longing born of years of isolation.

She was about to ask, "Why?"

Cinnabar saw through her doubts and spoke first, in an almost transactional tone.

"If you'd like to hug me..." She paused, her gaze sweeping across the barren land around her, "...I'll tell you where you can find 'food' to eat."

Looking at Cinnabar's expression, which was both expectant and afraid of being hurt, she was touched in the softest part of her heart.

This lonely Gem People requires information to be exchanged for even a simple hug.

Xiao Huasheng did not answer immediately, but smiled, took a step forward, and opened his arms.

"You don't have to exchange them," she said gently, her voice full of understanding. "Come on."

Before Cinnabar could react, Xiao Huasheng's soft body embraced Cinnabar gently.

If Cinnabar had a sense of smell, it would definitely be able to smell the sweet, apple-pie-like scent emanating from the red-haired Angel.

But this gentle embrace alone was enough to make Cinnabar lose control.

Tears streamed from her eyes.

Mercury poured out uncontrollably, and the Gem People, who never cried, now looked as if he were crying.

After gently hugging Cinnabar and finding her unharmed, Cinnabar felt incredibly relieved.

Cinnabar couldn't help but hug Xiao Huasheng a little tighter, but with a hardness of only 2, she still let go even though she didn't want to separate.

Then Cinnabar gave a humble smile and said, "I'll take you there, to that place full of strange plants."

Xiao Huasheng nodded.

The two walked together in the darkness.

When Cinnabar led Xiao Huasheng to the location where she had discovered it, Xiao Huasheng unexpectedly found her walking along a path that she herself had polluted.

We didn't go anywhere else.

What a kind child.

This small detail softened Xiao Huasheng's gaze considerably.

On the way, Xiao Huasheng asked questions by the moonlight.

"Do you want to get rid of the mercury on your body? Do you want to get rid of these things?"

"I want to, of course I want to, but it's impossible...it will never be possible." Cinnabar shook her head and said sadly, "These things are produced inside my body, and even if I'm ground to dust, they will continue to be produced."

"Hmm... there's always a way. I can help you if I have enough energy..."

"Why?"

"It's just a matter of a thought," Xiao Huasheng said.

But it was clear that Cinnabar didn't quite understand what Xiao Huasheng was saying.

She just felt that this unusual 'Gem People' always said strange things.

Yes, Cinnabar interpreted those outrageous otherworldly elements as just teasing her.

If it weren't for Kongo's endorsement in the main camp, the other Gem People would probably think that Xiao Huasheng was just deceiving them.

For a very long time, Cinnabar, who had never had anyone to accompany her, now had someone to keep her company at night.

The two walked side by side, heading into the distance.

Until they arrived at the cave, inside the cave where Cinnabar lived.

When it reached deeper into the valley, Cinnabar stopped advancing.

She worried that she might contaminate the plants inside, the few 'potted plants' that belonged to her.

Even though they were covered in mercury and constantly releasing mercury vapor, these plants actually thrived under her care.

"I'll stop here. There's no wind inside, so it'll be easy to kill them," Cinnabar said from a distance, looking gently in the direction where Xiao Huasheng was.

Xiao Huasheng stepped forward and entered the cave, where he saw the plants that Cinnabar had mentioned.

There grew some plants that Xiao Huasheng had never seen before.

They resemble ferns in shape, with translucent leaves, veins that emit a faint fluorescence, and colors that are dreamy pale blue and light purple.

They quietly display their magnificence in this dark cave.

Xiao Huasheng looked at the glowing plants and hesitated for a moment.

Their appearance was so strange that they were completely unlike any edible plant she knew.

But Cinnabar's expectant gaze made her decide to give it a try.

She crouched down, carefully avoiding the brightest, most central parts, and picked out the smallest, seemingly less important Glowing Fern from the edge, gently plucking a small leaf.

The leaf felt cool to the touch, swirling around her fingertips.

She took a deep breath and put the faintly glowing leaf into her mouth.

It didn't have the strange taste I expected; instead, it had a faint, minty coolness that melted in my mouth.

Cinnabar, who had been anxiously watching Xiao Huasheng's reaction, saw that she didn't seem to be uncomfortable and her expression had even relaxed a bit before she dared to ask in a low voice, "Can... these be eaten?"

Xiao Huasheng turned his head and gave Cinnabar, who was standing somewhat uneasy at the intersection of light and shadow at the cave entrance, a reassuring and sincere smile. He nodded vigorously.

"Yes! It's edible! Although it doesn't have much energy, it's definitely okay!"

Upon hearing this answer, Cinnabar's face instantly blossomed into an incredibly bright smile.

That smile dispelled the gloom that had long shrouded her brows, making her come alive.

She seemed relieved, her tone filled with undisguised joy.

"I'm so glad I could help you."

She finally came in handy for someone else...

An inedible plant lay quietly within the Lobotomy Corporation, motionless.

The night passed quickly.

The Lunarians do not come at night.

This has been the case for thousands of years.

The work involving Cinnabar is meaningless.

So that night, she nestled beside Xiao Huasheng and fell asleep like a child.

Xiao Huasheng stayed by her side quietly.

Chapter Seven: The Machine of Happiness [5 Updates]

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the cracks in the cave, dispelling the darkness within, Cinnabar slowly opened her eyes.

The moment she regained consciousness, the first thing she felt was an unprecedented warmth and sense of security.

Then, she found herself curled up in Xiao Huasheng's arms in a dependent posture.

And his head was resting on the other person's soft thigh.

The other person held her in their arms like a mother, with extreme tenderness.

"!"

Cinnabar's body froze instantly.

Beneath her crimson hair, if she could blush, she would probably be incredibly red by now.

Centuries of solitude and self-isolation have made her accustomed to maintaining a safe distance from others, both physically and psychologically.

Such unguarded intimacy was a terrifyingly unfamiliar experience for her.