Chapter 12: The Side Effects of Low Reputation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: The Side Effects of Low Reputation
Hum—
With the successful activation of the ritual, the distant Void Insect Hive began to undergo a transformation.
Deep in the shadows, numerous Void insect eggs started to mutate. The mucus coating their surfaces bulged and receded rhythmically, as if something within were struggling desperately to break free.
They were attempting to tear through the slime and force their way into this world ahead of schedule.
Xie Bai, however, felt none of this.
She was currently standing beside the Ritual Center.
As the notification for the ritual’s success appeared, she felt the Chaos Branch Temple beneath her feet rapidly losing its vitality.
Rumble!
Buildings steeped in artistic flair began to crack and collapse, looking as though they would bury everything here in the very next second.
"Another one of those 'the building starts collapsing as the scene ends' plots. So cliché."
After a brief complaint, Xie Bai quickly entered her Spirit Form and vanished from the spot.
As she departed, more structures gave way.
Exquisite murals and pillars carved with ornate runes shattered, turning into heaps of rubble that rained down upon the floor.
Everything within the Chaos Branch Temple was reduced to ruins, drawing a final curtain over the ritual.
*
"Has that person gone far?"
"Hard to say. They vanished into thin air, so they’re likely long gone."
Two mysterious figures, cloaked entirely in black, stood atop the ruins.
"Let’s hope so."
"But Cult Leader, what do we do now? The ritual’s effect was replaced by that person. A single Void Insect Hive isn't nearly enough to meet the requirements of the World Destruction Plan."
Faced with his subordinate’s questioning, the figure addressed as the Cult Leader let out a soft sigh.
"Let it be for now. This Void Insect Hive isn't that important anymore."
"How so, Cult Leader?"
The subordinate’s eyes were filled with confusion. He didn't understand how their World Destruction Plan could proceed without the hive.
"I have a premonition. The key to the World Destruction Plan lies with that young lady from just now. As long as we keep her happy, we won't have to worry about the plan failing."
"That young lady? Didn't she just obstruct our ritual? How could she..."
The Cult Leader gave a light chuckle at his subordinate's confusion.
"Just watch, Julius. A being who possesses such formidable power will inevitably plunge the world into an abyss of suffering in their pursuit of even greater strength. When that time comes, the world will be fragile beyond belief, and destruction will be the only merciful end."
"I was foolish, Cult Leader. I failed to grasp the depth of your insight."
"Heh..."
After lingering to admire the scenery for a while longer, the two finally decided to leave.
"Hmm?"
The Cult Leader felt a flicker of something strange—perhaps it was just his imagination.
He looked back, but the scenery remained unchanged.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"What is it, Cult Leader?"
"Nothing."
The Cult Leader turned back and continued walking.
Under the glow of the setting sun, their shadows stretched out long and thin, seemingly endless as they reached toward the distant night.
*
Carlos Lilanka.
Just a moment ago, while Xie Bai was wondering how to get back from the Chaos Branch Temple, she had spotted the two mysterious figures appearing on the ruins.
Without a second thought, she knew those two pitch-black weirdos had to be from the Chaos Church.
Who else would wrap themselves up like a lump of charcoal and run out to a pile of ruins to admire the view?
They’d have to be sick in the head.
Xie Bai had used their shadows to enter her Shadow Return state.
Then, relying on the record of having previously slipped into Edward’s shadow, she traveled from their shadows back to Edward’s in Carlos Lilanka.
Furthermore, from now on, if she ever wanted to infiltrate the Chaos Church again, she could do so through their shadows.
Tossing the matter of the Chaos Church to the back of her mind, Xie Bai deactivated her Spirit Form and abruptly appeared in front of Edward.
"Hi~"
"Oh, hi..."
Hi?
Wait.
Edward looked at Xie Bai, who had suddenly appeared to greet him, and nearly jumped out of his skin once he processed what was happening.
"Holy crap! You... when did you get back?!"
Edward pointed at Xie Bai, panic-stricken.
"When? I’ve been by your side the whole time," Xie Bai joked nonchalantly.
The joke, however, seemed to genuinely terrify him.
"By... by my side the whole time?!"
Isn't that just a ghost?!
Of course, Edward didn't dare voice that thought.
"Anyway, is that the dinner you prepared for tonight?"
Xie Bai’s eyes sparkled as she pointed toward the lavish spread covering the long table.
"Uh... yes. I just finished. If you're hungry, you can—"
Before Edward could finish his sentence, Xie Bai dashed to the table and stuffed an entire roasted suckling pig into her mouth.
Watching her gorge herself, Edward’s lip couldn't help but twitch.
It was hard to imagine how such a petite body could fit an entire suckling pig inside.
Unfortunately, there was no one else here to criticize her unrefined manners.
As Xie Bai continued her rampage across the dinner table, Edward spoke up with a hint of worry.
"Um, Miss Bai, Carlos Lilanka might not be very safe lately. Perhaps you should..."
Xie Bai, who had just finished pouring a plate of fried chicken nuggets into her mouth, set the plate down and looked at him with confusion.
"What? Didn't I just pay you yesterday? Are you trying to back out now?"
Edward waved his hands frantically.
"No, it’s not that! It’s just that the Insect Race is about to awaken, and things might get messy in Carlos Lilanka. Maybe you should..."
Before he could finish, Xie Bai narrowed her crimson eyes and said softly, "So... you're worried about me?"
"Worried that I’ll be threatened by those worthless bugs?"
Hearing the sharp edge in her tone, Edward shook his head in denial.
"I didn't mean to underestimate you. It’s just that Carlos Lilanka is currently preparing for war, and everyone’s attention is on the Insect Race. It’s easy for people with ill intentions to muddy the waters, making the city unstable. I was afraid it might affect your lifestyle."
Xie Bai didn't particularly care about his explanation.
"Let them muddy the waters. These are probably just openings your Empire is intentionally leaving to catch enemies hiding in the dark. Besides, I don't believe that you, as the disciple of the greatest alchemist, can't handle a few small fries."
Faced with Xie Bai’s attitude, Edward could only concede.
"You're right, Miss Bai. I’ve said too much."
With that, Edward prepared to take his leave.
"Wait."
Xie Bai suddenly called out to him.
"Don't go yet. I want to ask you something."
Edward turned back, looking somewhat nervous.
"Uh, Miss Bai, is there something else? I’ll do my best to answer."
Seeing his sincere expression, Xie Bai asked, "Is there anywhere around here where I can learn magic?"
"Magic?"
Edward blinked, stunned for a moment.
He didn't understand why someone as powerful as Xie Bai would need to learn magic, but he answered nonetheless. "Alchemy is more prominent here, but magic isn't far behind. Specifically, the Empire’s Royal Library houses magic books covering almost every category. If you'd like to go, I can take you there for a visit."
"The Royal Library?"
Hearing his answer, Xie Bai remembered that she had already tried to go there once.
However, she had been prompted that she couldn't enter due to her reputation being too low.
Her reputation of negative one thousand was proving to be a real hindrance here.
But then again, why couldn't Pride's Blessing ignore this restriction?
Was it because the curse and the blessing couldn't fight each other within the same system? Could the negative effects of the curse not be completely nullified by the blessing?
Considering this, Xie Bai felt she had gained a deeper understanding of how the Ring of Seven Curses operated.
Back to the reputation issue.
Normally, players would grind for reputation to establish themselves in a city. Those with high reputation could enjoy various privileges. Conversely, if your reputation was too low, your rights would be restricted. If it was absurdly low, the City Lord might even issue a bounty for your arrest.
Xie Bai had already learned about the wanted posters through system prompts.
It was safe to say that if she hadn't been wearing Edward’s Robe of Concealment every day, she might have been eating hot pot and singing songs one moment, only for the City Lord to kick down her door and haul her off to prison the next.
Not that she was actually afraid of Roland, the City Lord.
She just didn't want to deal with unnecessary trouble. Unless the other party truly refused to listen to reason—then she would consider killing them.
Because of her reputation, it wasn't just the Royal Library she couldn't enter; many other important places like the Imperial Palace and the Astrology Tower were off-limits. All of them gave her the "insufficient reputation" prompt.
There were generally two ways to get in.
First: grind her reputation back to a normal level.
Obviously, this wasn't an option for the current Xie Bai. Due to Pride's Curse, she could currently only gain reputation through conquest.
But one thing puzzled her. If she had already conquered the Empire, what would she need reputation for? As a conqueror, would she really need to care about the opinions of her subjects?
Xie Bai immediately dismissed the first option.
The second method was much more simple and crude—to the point of being somewhat unreliable. In a way, it was almost the same as the first.
She could just fight her way in.