"Residual Illusion"

"How did today go? Anything to report from Ms. Feng?" Shen Bai asked as he slowly started the car after watching He Siying close the door.

He Siying shook her head and said:

"Nothing wrong. I've put everything you and Yiyi gave me in place, so don't worry about her safety. Ms. Feng talked to me a lot today."

Shen Bai wasn't surprised. He said calmly:

"It's inevitable that family members will have worries and questions. Every newcomer goes through this. Since they've chosen us, we can't let them down."

He Siying nodded, then looked around the car and said:

"How are those boys' abilities?"

"They're all pretty good, far beyond my expectations. You should get along with them in the future, too."

He Siying smiled faintly at that and said to Shen Bai:

"Let's hope so. But Yiyi told me today that she wants me to work with them in a few days to get used to each other."

Shen Bai frowned, but after thinking for a moment, he relaxed again.

"That's fine, too... No wonder she didn't introduce your Staircase today. With her old personality, she'd have shown you off long ago. I was puzzled about that for a while."

He Siying neither agreed nor disagreed, only saying:

"Yiyi has her own considerations. Honestly, the situation has changed surprisingly fast over the past two years. The Netherworld has been appearing more and more frequently. I'm afraid we won't have time if we keep taking things slowly like before. Giving the newcomers more training is good for them, too."

Shen Bai nodded, acknowledging what He Siying had said.

"Yes... Sometimes I wonder whether clinging to our old ideas now will lead us straight to a dead end. Maybe Yiyi is right."

He Siying turned to glance at the somewhat wistful Shen Bai and said:

"Don't think so much, Shen Bai... Things will get better."

He Siying swayed gently. Whenever she said something like that, she would try to relax as much as possible.

She lowered her eyes, looking at the pedestrians on the street as she said:

"As long as we kill all the Evil Sins, everything will get better."

Shen Bai didn't reply. He simply stayed silent.

Only after they reached their first destination and got out of the car did Shen Bai speak again:

"By the way, Si Ying, I've more or less finished the file on the 'Taint' you brought back yesterday."

He Siying straightened the cloak she was wearing and said, sounding a little happy:

"That's great. Honestly, I didn't expect that Evil Sin to drop a Taint. It feels like it's been ages since I've seen one."

"Yes. After all, the lower the level, the less likely they are to drop a Taint. It's been a while since we encountered a level 4 Evil Sin, too... ever since we came here."

As he spoke, Shen Bai stopped and looked up at the building before him.

A department store.

The busier a place was, the greater the losses and casualties when the Netherworld appeared, so places like shopping malls, supermarkets, and train stations had to be inspected regularly.

Under normal circumstances, sensing from outside was enough, and there was no need to enter the building. But this had also led to the Netherworld incident at No. 12 Middle School not being discovered immediately.

Though the incident at No. 12 Middle School was a special case-who could have imagined that an Evil Sin could kill people undetected in a school where teachers came and went every day and which opened regularly at set intervals?

In any case, they had learned from their mistake. They absolutely couldn't allow another tragedy like those in the past. Looking at the department store, which had already closed, Shen Bai went around with He Siying to a side entrance without a rolling shutter and gently pressed his hand against the door.

Twang-twang-

As the distinctive sound of plucked threads rang out, Shen Bai pulled, and the door opened naturally, as though it had never been locked.

Shen Bai walked into the department store, sensing the surrounding presences as he said:

"This Taint is very well preserved. It can use that Evil Sin's abilities even without processing: cognitive confusion and memory manipulation... But we don't really need this Taint. Xiao Liang will probably advance soon, and his cognitive disruption ability will improve then. I can cover the memory side, so Yiyi and I plan to turn this Taint in and exchange it for other resources."

He Siying nodded. She very much agreed with Shen Bai:

"True, but honestly, will the higher-ups really give us fair compensation out here in the middle of nowhere? And that side... I still remember how that level 3 Taint only got us a level 1 artifact and a very 'commemorative' certificate of merit. A while later, I saw that level 3 Taint on display in an official's home."

Shen Bai had clearly already considered this question. He replied:

"It'll be fine. Netherworld incidents have been developing increasingly rapidly lately. I've heard some news from friends. Our voice is gradually gaining weight, so that side probably won't be able to influence this approval much."

He Siying withdrew a few strands of sound she had sent out to investigate and replied:

"Let's hope so..."

After confirming that nothing was wrong, Shen Bai and He Siying left the department store, thoughtfully locking the door again.

Once that was done, the two headed for their next destination.

Meanwhile, Huo Qiuliang, who had already changed into pajamas, sat at his computer browsing recent files.

This was Huo Qiuliang's own unique way of relaxing. He enjoyed the feeling of countless cases and incidents pouring into his mind, then examining and analyzing them one by one. He always wanted to know more.

The habits and characteristics of Evil Sins, their classifications, and new changes.

The Curtain-Callers' actions and possible plans.

The increase in Heirs and newly emerging inheritances.

The different Staircases and powers of the Gifted.

Huo Qiuliang was willing to devote all his time to these things. At the same time, he was also trying to find something.

But he still hadn't found it today. He didn't particularly mind, though. After all, this wasn't the first day he'd failed to find it.

Huo Qiuliang checked the time, stretched, then glanced at the file submitted by Snow Cedar.

"Ah... Shen Bai entered the Taint's file ahead of time? Let me take a look."

"Name:

[Residual Illusion] (provisional)

Appearance:

A hollow, openwork crystal shaped like a jujube pit, black and hard in texture.

Powers:

1. The holder can alter others' memories at the cost of their own memories.

2. The holder can influence others' cognition at the cost of their own cognition.

3. The holder can pass through solid matter at the cost of their own flesh and blood.

Precautions:

Prolonged contact without appropriate protective measures will cause intellectual impairment.

Source:

Dropped upon killing a level 4 Evil Sin."

Huo Qiuliang skimmed the other notes, then closed the viewing interface only after confirming that there were no issues.

Huo Qiuliang let out a breath and murmured to himself:

"Looks like we're trading it away~ Makes sense. With me around, there's no need for a cognitive-influence artifact that comes at a cost... Looks like Yiyi doesn't intend to do any forging on it herself, either. The higher-ups probably have other plans, too... Whatever."

With that, Huo Qiuliang shut down the computer, flung himself onto his bed, and got ready to sleep.

*Note:

"Residual Illusion"

"If I lose my memories, then lose the present too, what do I have left? Is what remains my self? Or an illusion?"