Aquamarine City was built atop a massive rock formation. Its structures, fashioned from seashells, ford a breathtakingly beautiful town. Corals and seaweed served as natural canopies. Yet, curiously, no sentient life inhabited the city. Only small fish darted about, unnoticed by the system, even when Chang Long caught one to inspect.
"Strange. Look at this—the hotels, the shops. What's going on here?"
Chang Long pointed out the various establishnts as she swam past, puzzling. When she reached the town square, she was rendered speechless by the sign on one particular building. The lettering over the entrance read:
"Player Service Building."
Chang Long swam inside, driven by curiosity, but found the place locked and seemingly unready for use. With nothing of interest to explore, she made her way to the outskirts of the city.
Not far from Aquamarine City lay the Coral Cetery. Thousands of corals stood bleached and lifeless, forming a desolate path. At its heart stood a massive stone altar supporting what resembled a colossal archway carved with intricate, haunting designs.
Chang Long stared at the enormous stone archway in confusion. It looked nothing like a mirror. In fact, there was no indication of a mirror anywhere. Even swimming through the arch produced no changes; it did not respond to her presence at all.
"Damn. Ackeran, are you sure this is the Mirror of Truth?"
Chang Long exclaid in frustration, turning to Ackeran, who looked equally perplexed.
"Absolutely. But you—are you truly the one destined to find it? Why don't you know the rules for passing through the mirror?"
Chang Long froze, startled by Ackeran's question, and began to think back. What was she supposed to do to access the mirror?
"The mirror is a door. To open a door, you need a key. A key… That's it! The Keys of Truth!"
Her exclaid happily as she recalled the key given to her by the Four Reaper Guardians. She rummaged through her backpack and, curiously, found the key untouched by water.
As Chang Long searched for the key, sothing sped toward her with malicious intent. Its gaping jaws aid to tear the rmaid apart. Chang Long flicked her tail, narrowly dodging the attack. She turned to face the attacker, startled, and drew the Sovereign Sword from her waist.
"A level 52 Sawtooth Sea Worm Beast is preparing to attack."
The creature coiled itself back to face her. Chang Long let out a disgusted ew upon seeing it. The Sawtooth Sea Worm looked as though it had crawled straight out of a horror film.
To her dismay, more of the creatures began to appear, encircling her. So of them even had remnants of old als lodged in their jagged teeth.
"Damn it. How am I supposed to fight this many? And the transformation's ti limit is almost up!"
Chang Long grumbled in frustration.
At her current level, there was no way Chang Long could defeat the level 52 Sawtooth Sea Worms. Moreover, because she had consud the Shape-Shifting Pill, she could not summon any spirits to possess her. Doing so would nullify the pill's effects, and she would drown. Calling upon her pets or using the Spirit Realm skill was similarly out of the question, leaving Chang Long to rely entirely on her ownwit.
"Damn it!"
Chang Long shouted as she dodged the attacks of two Sawtooth Sea Worms by swiftly swimming upward, causing them to collide with each other.
For now, her only hope lay in her quick reflexes and resourcefulness. She swam in an evasive pattern, luring the sea worms away from the Mirror of Truth while frantically searching for the 4 Keys of Truth she had been given.
"Found it!"
Chang Long exclaid with relief, to the collective tension of her spirits, who could not do much to assist her other than warn her of incoming attacks.
The lettering over the entrance read: Devi-chan and Hisa-chan were visibly restless, worrying for her safety, while Alice-chan kept close, never letting Chang Long out of her sight. Ackeran silently observed her actions .
Chang Long swam toward the Mirror of Truth, searching for keyholes. But no matter where she looked, she could not find anything resembling a keyhole.
"Look out, missy!"
Devi-chan's urgent shout jolted Chang Long into action. She narrowly avoided an attack, though a lock of her flowing rmaid hair was torn off by the razor-sharp teeth of one of the sea worms.
"There's nothing—no keyholes anywhere!!"
Chang Long cried out in desperation, panic setting in as the glow blinking around her body signaled that the pill's effect was nearing its end.
"Could those be the keyholes on the stone platform? There are four of them, one in each direction."
Hisa-chan said after helping her surveying for keyholes. He pointed to the one closest to Chang Long.
Chang Long quickly swam to inspect it, confirming that the holes were indeed keyholes. However, ti was running out. There was no way she could insert all four keys while being pursued by nearly a dozen sea worms—and with the pill's effects waning.
"Everyone, gather around !"
Chang Long commanded. Her three spirits rushed to her side imdiately.
"There's no way I can unlock all four keys in ti, so I'll have to use the Spirit Realm skill. Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, Alice-chan—you know that using this skill here might result in you drowning, right? We need to understand each other before I proceed. Ah!"
Her sentence was cut short by another attack. She swam to avoid three more sea worms that launched themselves at her, causing them to crash into one another. She then darted back to her spirits.
"You want us to unlock all four keyholes simultaneously, don't you?"
Devi-chan asked, and Chang Long nodded before speaking, her voice heavy with concern.
"It's dangerous—you know that, right? But I don't want to back down anymore. The mirror is right there, and I'm going through it!"
Chang Long's resolute declaration was t with smiles from her spirits. None of them showed the slightest hint of displeasure at her request.
"We obey your command, master,"
Chang Long's three spirits spoke in unison. She smiled sheepishly, taken aback by their unusually respectful deanor. These were the sa independent, willful spirits who often treated her like a re child, now addressing her with sincere reverence.
"Ah... uh, please help out here. Spirit Realm."
Chang Long quickly activated her skill. The three spirits, now in corporeal form, held their breath as they each took one of the keys from her hands. Then swam toward the designated keyholes they had already agreed upon.
Click.
All four keys turned in unison, triggering a loud crackling sound. A violent tremor shook the surroundings. At the sa mont, the effect of the Shape-Shifting Pill wore off. Chang Long and her spirits clung tightly to the Mirror of Truth as the environnt around them spiraled into chaos.
The Sawtooth Sea Worms fled in terror, scattering in all directions. Coral debris swirled like a storm, creating an apocalyptic scene at the seabed. Chang Long felt her lungs burning for air, her breath running out fast. Her spirits, still in corporeal form, clung to the mirror, their faces turning pale as they struggled to hold their breath.
A crushing wave of guilt struck Chang Long. She realized she had made a grave mistake. Not only was her own life in danger, but her loyal spirits might also perish because of her decisions. Unlike her, they could not be reborn. If they perished, their souls would vanish forever. Sadness overwheld her, Chang Long internally apologize to her three spirits as her vision began to blur from the lack of oxygen.
'I can't, I can't take this anymore. Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, Alice-chan—I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I've failed you. I've failed this journey to the mirror. And now, I'll lose you as well. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry!'
Splash!
The sound of water breaking filled her ears as the stone platform surged upward into the air. A solid stone base had risen from the seabed. Chang Long collapsed onto the platform, gasping for air, as did her three spirits, still in their corporeal forms. The four heaved and stared at the cloudless sky above. Where there had once been empty space within the arch, a transparent mirror now stood in its place. Chang Long pushed herself upright and looked around. They were now suspended about twenty ters above the sea, surrounded by emptiness. In the distance was the Mist of Death. Curious sea creatures occasionally breached the surface, drawn by the strange sudden upheaval that had disturbed the ocean floor.
"I thought… I thought I was going to die. So I succeeded," Chang Long murmured in a soft voice. She glanced at Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, and Alice-chan, who offered weak smiles in return.
"Rest up first. We'll head in when we've caught our breath,"
Devi-chan said pragmatically as he sat cross-legged next to Hisa-chan, who nodded in agreent.
"Having a physical body can be exhausting,"
Alice-chan said with a chuckle.
"How about we celebrate? You know, for finding the Mirror of Truth at last."
Chang Long spoke as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the Horn of Abundance. Devi-chan moved closer, eagerly whispering sothing to her.
Chang Long laughed and handed the horn to Devi-chan before fishing out her dining kit. anwhile, Devi-chan began ordering sothing from the magical horn.
"What did you order, Devi-chan?"
Hisa-chan asked curiously.
"Stead grouper with li,"
Devi-chan replied, his eyes fixed on the mouth of the horn, waiting for his order to appear.
"Why isn't it coming out? Is this thing broken?"
Alice-chan tilted her head, peering at the horn.
"No way. An artifact of this caliber would never break. Let see it, Devi-chan."
Chang Long did not wait for his response, snatching the horn and examining it closely.
"Well, is it broken?"
Devi-chan asked, sounding anxious as Chang Long fell silent for a while.
"Devi-chan, are you sure the fish you ordered was a grouper?"
Chang Long frowned, her eyes never leaving the horn.
"Of course. What else would I order?"
Devi-chan retorted, puzzled.
"Well, why is it so huge? Look at this—it's stuck inside!"
Chang Long grumbled, handing the horn back to Devi-chan.
The forr pirate king stared into the horn and gasped. The fish's mouth was poking out from the opening, leaving everyone laughing at his astonished expression.
"Is that really a grouper, Devi-chan? Why is it so enormous?"
Alice-chan chuckled, unable to contain her amusent.
"It's a Goliath grouper. I don't eat this often, might as well go big, right?"
Devi-chan replied, standing up to shake the horn vigorously, trying to dislodge the fish.
Plop!
After much effort, the stead Goliath grouper with li finally erged from the horn. Chang Long quickly grabbed the lid of her dining kit to catch the enormous fish, which was far too large for any plate she owned.
"That looks amazing. Hey, Chang Long, can I try ordering sothing too?"
Hisa-chan asked excitedly after seeing Devi-chan's massive dish erge from the horn. Devi-chan puffed out his chest with pride.
"Huh? Sure, order whatever you want, just don't pick sothing as huge as Devi-chan's fish. I don't have plates for that."
Chang Long handed the horn to Hisa-chan, who accepted it with excitent.
"Then I'll give it a shot too, master,"
Alice-chan chid in, equally eager.
"Go ahead, just make sure whatever you order doesn't involve blood,"
Chang Long quipped, cutting Alice-chan off before she could get any ideas. Alice-chan frowned and muttered under her breath.
"In that case, I'll need so ti to think."
Hisa-chan ordered sashimi and sake, while Chang Long added a few more dishes to the mix. The group sat in a circle in front of the Mirror of Truth, sharing their al. Alice-chan stuck to her usual diet of blood despite everyone's efforts to persuade her to try sothing else.
After finishing their al, Chang Long and her corporeal spirits gathered before the mirror. The keys had already been used, and the mirror now resembled a transparent curtain. Unsure if she could pass through to the Land of the Dead, Chang Long slowly reached out to touch the mirror, her heart pounding with excitent. Her fingertips made contact with the surface so lightly that she, with her eyes closed, did not realize her fingers had already passed through.
"Whoa!"
Devi-chan exclaid loudly as he saw Chang Long's hand disappear into the mirror, even though the other side appeared completely empty.
"What is it, Devi-chan?"
Chang Long asked, too nervous to open her eyes.
"Your hand—it's gone into the mirror, Chang Long,"
Hisa-chan said with a wide grin. Opening her eyes in excitent, Chang Long gasped with joy. After enduring countless hardships, she had finally unlocked the path to the Land of the Dead.
"You've done it, master. Congratulations!"
Alice-chan said with a chuckle, amused by Chang Long's expression, which resembled a child receiving a new toy.
"Alright, let's go,"
Chang Long said, smiling as she extended her hand to Devi-chan. The forr pirate king smiled back, taking her hand with one of his while offering his other hand to Hisa-chan. Hisa-chan grasped Devi-chan's hand and reached out to hold Alice-chan's. The four nodded to one another, and then Chang Long stepped into the mirror.
She walked through, leaving only her hand still clasping Devi-chan's. Devi-chan followed, then Hisa-chan, and finally Alice-chan. All four disappeared into the Mirror of Truth. Only Ackeran remained behind, unable to pass through no matter how hard he tried.
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