Chapter 40

Chapter 40

After some time observing the Luna Butterfly in action, Eve harbored a subtle suspicion.

She felt there might be an unnatural, mutually exclusive relationship between the Luna Butterfly's abilities.

The abilities of a spiritual state generally follow certain patterns. While a high-level spiritual state might possess multiple abilities, they typically fall under a specific type. For instance, the Silver Moon Clematis can both heal and buff, yet its primary function remains supportive. Similarly, the Mayfly can focus fire and has an additional luck attribute, but these two abilities are commonly combined as defensive skills. The various abilities of these spiritual states, though distinct, cleverly align with a singular purpose.

The Luna Butterfly, however, was an exception. Its Silver Moon Illusion, an enhancement ability, should be categorized as supportive. Synchronization, a form of mental manipulation, ought to be classified as a control-type ability. Concealment, a typical assassination skill, represents yet another distinct type. These three abilities are not easily grouped under a single category, which fundamentally contradicts the basic classification definitions of spiritual states.

Yet, Alice’s effortless discernment of the Luna Butterfly’s actions sparked a new idea in Eve’s mind.

What if Concealment wasn't the commonly understood concealment ability, but rather an overflow or extension of Synchronization?

Alice possessed a conscious modification ability; even without activation, she could subtly influence others to her advantage. So, when Synchronization was superficially engaged, could it also exert mental manipulation, thereby creating the illusion of conceptual erasure of presence and complete concealment?

Upon reflection, it seemed the Luna Butterfly had never explicitly stated that this ability was called Concealment. From beginning to end, it had merely been a judgment made by human researchers.

She scrutinized Alice as if eyeing a delectable roast suckling pig. The two were in close proximity, and Alice felt a slight prickle of unease. She forced a dry laugh and said, “Senior, I don’t know. I was just passing by, and for some reason, I saw you.”

“I might have guessed why,” Eve tilted her head, her smile reminiscent of the Big Bad Wolf enticing Little Red Riding Hood. “But I need your help with a test. Will you cooperate?”

“What test?”

A platinum-gold butterfly suddenly materialized before Alice’s eyes, then swiftly settled on her cheek. Eve stared at her in silence, mentally issuing a command through her spiritual power: “Stop calling me ‘senior’.”

“Senior, why are you staring at me without saying anything?”

Alice looked bewildered. “You haven’t told me what I need to do to cooperate with your test.”

Eve: “...”

No, the test had already quietly failed.

She reached out to recall her spiritual state. The platinum-gold butterfly, looking utterly dejected, drooped back onto her shoulder. Eve straightened up, thinking that the protagonist’s spiritual state rank was indeed higher than hers. She said casually, “Actually, there’s no test. I was just teasing you. I have things to do, so I’ll be leaving now.”

After walking a few steps, Eve suddenly turned back. Under Alice’s confused gaze, she pinched Alice’s soft cheek and said with a soft, ominous smile, “Wait, I almost forgot. You still owe me a milk pudding.”

A sense of foreboding surged in Alice’s heart. She was usually sharp, but now, looking at the black-haired senior’s friendly smile, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

But since she had broken someone else’s property, she definitely had to compensate for it. After much puzzlement, Alice blinked and said obediently, “Alright, senior, let’s go.”

---

Alice swore she would never trust beautiful women again.

When they went to the bar to buy milk pudding, it was peak hours, and the bar was quite popular, so the line of people waiting stretched three loops around the entrance. The newly acquainted senior said she was too tired to stand and let Alice queue alone. Fortunately, Alice had always been lucky. Seeing a young girl struggling in line, the people ahead willingly let her move ahead, and she quickly made it to the front. After buying it, the senior stared at her thoughtfully for a long time, then suddenly took out her terminal and asked if they could add each other as friends.

Although her sixth sense was still ringing alarm bells, Alice had a deeply hidden flaw—not too big, not too small—she was actually a sucker for pretty faces. It wasn't that she was overly obsessed; the Young Master of Venomous Fang was also very good-looking, but Alice still let the shipment go when she had to, and after offending people, she left without a care.

But when it didn’t involve matters of principle, she was more than willing to accommodate good-looking people.

The love of beauty is human nature, Alice thought gloomily. In the end, she was just an ordinary person.

—And so, she happily added the beautiful senior as a friend.

But adding her as a friend wasn’t the end of it. Eve then casually asked if she knew of any relatively powerful and well-regarded mercenary teams on Black Star currently. As an alchemist new to the area, she wanted to join a team to follow.

According to the original story, when Alice later met Luo Wenzhou, the eldest young master of the Luo family, in the First Empire Academy, Luo Wenzhou recognized her as someone he had briefly encountered on Black Star.

Although Alice’s experiences on Black Star were only occasionally mentioned in later recollections and conversations, Eve remembered clearly that Alice had definitely worked as a mercenary on Black Star.

She had been foolish, running around searching for a team when such a major female lead was right in front of her.

Hearing this, Alice was stunned for a moment before tremblingly saying, “Senior, you’re actually an alchemist too?”

Weren’t alchemists supposed to be brainy but physically weak?

Eve nodded, thinking, *Don’t be surprised. In the future, you’ll be even more exaggerated, a true genius skilled in both combat and alchemy.*

However, from Alice’s words, it seemed she hadn’t started learning alchemy yet.

As they walked and talked, they gradually made their way to the Black Star branch of the Alchemist Association. This was Eve’s first time visiting an offline branch of the Alchemist Association. Backed by the Oliver family, it was indeed flush with cash.

The association occupied an entire skyscraper. Bright lights shone through the windows, and the signboard was made of pure gold. Even the security in the vicinity was noticeably better than elsewhere. Two tall guards stood at the entrance, and Eve keenly noticed the mecha spatial rings on their wrists.

Now this was real influence.

Alice couldn’t help but stop and stare at the building, her eyes full of longing and admiration. “I heard the Alchemist Association’s influence spans the entire universe. Even local powers like Venomous Fang don’t dare provoke them lightly. As long as you achieve Three-Star Grand Alchemist rank, the association will sign you, and you’ll live under their protection, have everything you need, and be respected.”

“Senior, since you’re also an alchemist, is this rumor true?”

“Something like that,” Eve said vaguely.

To some extent, it was true, but the subject wasn’t the Alchemist Association—it was another family.

“I get the feeling, senior, that you’re not just skilled in fighting. I think you’re also very talented in alchemy. Why aren’t you signing with the Alchemist Association instead of looking for a mercenary team?”

Alice turned to look at her and asked, “Researching academics in a brightly lit skyscraper is much more comfortable than the life of a mercenary living dangerously. And with your abilities, senior, I’m afraid most teams couldn’t handle someone as capable as you.”

She said “most teams,” but never explicitly accepted or rejected Eve on behalf of her own team. Eve looked at her and smiled faintly. “Are you testing me, dear?”

If she hadn’t been constantly guarding against Alice’s mental influence, she might have blurted out all her origins and plans again.

Although Alice likely hadn’t fully mastered her mental powers yet and wasn’t doing it intentionally, Eve still felt somewhat displeased. It was troublesome to always have to be on guard.

And when she was in a bad mood, she liked to mess with others—like forcibly teaching Alice how to control her abilities.

“Yes, I can tell you. The Alchemist Association is backed by another power. You know the four great families of the empire, right? The association is backed by one of them, the Oliver family. I don’t want to sell myself to such a major family or permanently tie myself to any faction.” Eve spoke calmly, as if unaware of how shocking this information would be to an ordinary person.

In the eyes of most people, the Oliver family was just a low-key, wealthy scholarly family, and alchemy was merely one of their fields of study. However, only those belonging to that class knew they were the true behind-the-scenes sponsors of the Alchemist Association.

And Eve continued to say things that made Alice’s eyelids twitch. “You haven’t fully mastered your spiritual state yet, have you? Are you full of doubts about it but don’t know how to start understanding it? It’s too obedient, often performing unlike what a spiritual state of its grade should be capable of.”

“I can teach you how to use your spiritual state. I can even teach you alchemy.”

Eve finally showed her hand, a sly grin curling at the corner of her lips as she said slowly, “In return, I only ask that you help me join your team. Don’t look at me like that, dear. I know with your strength, you couldn’t possibly be in some unknown small team. After all, you have connections to Venomous Fang.”

“...”

Alice looked her over carefully—this mysteriously appearing, always-smiling black-haired girl. After a long while, she said slowly, “Senior, compared to your request, you’re offering too much. It makes me a little suspicious.”

“It’s not too much.”

Eve raised a finger, smiling cunningly. “After all, I only said I’d teach you. I didn’t guarantee that you’ll learn. How much you learn depends on yourself.”

“If you don’t guarantee you’ll teach me, how can I believe you actually have the ability to teach me and aren’t just fooling me? You’re so powerful—if you deceive me, I won’t be able to get back at you.” Alice asked again.

"That's simple," Eve thought with her omniscient viewpoint; she knew all too well whether Alice had that potential or not. "Regarding the Spiritual State, I can tell you that our Spiritual State Abilities are of the same type. As for the latter... I could go take the certification test right now to show you, but my actual skill level might cause a bit of a stir here. Would you mind?"

In a place like Carol-123, a Three-Star Grand Alchemist is truly a talent worth recruiting.

"No need," Alice interrupted her. "I believe you, Senior."

She extended her right hand to Eve, a sunny, unclouded smile spreading across her delicate, rounded face. "I agree, and I hope we can work well together, Senior. But as teammates, it might feel a bit odd for me to keep calling you 'Senior' from now on."

"I never really liked being called 'Senior' anyway," Eve said with a slight pout, almost a smirk.

Those with advanced Mind Control abilities are often exceptionally sensitive to others' emotions. Alice had clearly verified, through probing and perception, sentence by sentence, that Eve was speaking truthfully before agreeing to collaborate. Yet on the surface, she appeared to trust her senior unconditionally, with pure and innocent sincerity.

She keenly sensed that Eve's understanding of her might far exceed what she had anticipated. Though unsure how this was possible, out of caution, Alice ultimately chose to rein in her curiosity and instead proactively extend goodwill to this senior.

This wolf in sheep's clothing was nothing like the naive, sweet girl described in the original story. From the very beginning, subtle probing hidden beneath their friendly conversation had never ceased.

Eve firmly grasped Alice’s outstretched hand, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Then let’s wish us a happy cooperation moving forward, you who's so good at pretending, Alice."