Chapter 42

Chapter 42

In the end, Frank, though still clearly unhappy, signed the contract and processed Eve's paperwork on the spot. The effect was immediate: a tiny badge labeled "Upside Down Wonderland" appeared next to her black market ID.

Alice naturally looped her arm through Eve's, pulling her toward the door while cheerfully waving goodbye to Frank: "Thanks for your time, Captain. We'll be going now."

"Get going," the brown-haired young man behind the desk waved dismissively.

As the door gradually closed, it concealed the worried expression on the young man's face.

Eve averted her eyes. She was also quite surprised to have run into Frank here.

Logically, this character shouldn’t appear until the later stages of the plot. By that time, Cecil, riding his luck as a male supporting character, would cut down anyone in his path—poisoning some, imprisoning others, stripping inheritances—quickly writing off her, Lorraine, and Frank. He would then solidly secure his position as the sole heir of the Medici family, wholeheartedly devoting himself to being Alice's devoted lapdog.

However, if the premise was that Alice had known Frank since their time on Black Star and they shared a decent history together, such an ending seemed pretty weird.

Eve felt there must be some details she had overlooked.

If given the chance, she would very much like to have a proper conversation with Frank.

If nothing else, as fellow antagonists with a common goal, occasional communication within their faction was necessary, right?

On second thought, with a self-aware villainess, a sister coming into her own, and a bastard brother with unclear ties to the female lead... the plot was taking a weird direction, and it seemed someone was about to be in for a world of hurt.

Though she disliked Cecil, Eve silently lit an imaginary candle for him in her heart: The enemy is charging ahead, young master, how can you stay stuck in place?

"What should we do next?" Alice asked, still holding Eve's arm.

Wasn’t it Alice who dragged her out? Eve mentally pictured a giant question mark. She turned to look at Alice, puzzled, before suddenly realizing Alice wasn’t asking about their schedule.

According to their prior agreement, Alice had already fulfilled her part of the deal—even going above and beyond by helping Eve join the top-ranked Upside Down Wonderland.

Now it was Eve’s turn to hold up her end of the bargain.

Recalling her training experiences with the Medici family, Eve quickly sketched out a training plan in her mind. She was always swift in making decisions.

"Let’s head to the meditation room first. I’ll give you a lesson and get a look at your Spiritual State," she said after a moment’s thought.

Originally, she had only intended to give the female lead an early start, but now Eve changed her mind.

Since more than just her own character path had shifted, why not try to give the heroine's journey a nudge as well?

The idea of subtly influencing events behind the scenes to create dramatic changes on stage fascinated Eve.

Beside her, Alice shivered inexplicably, unaware of who might be plotting against her. After a moment’s thought, she assumed it was probably the Venom Fang faction scheming something unpleasant—truly terrifying, like creepy snakes.

Compelled by circumstances, Alice grew even more determined to become stronger.

Upside Down Wonderland was rolling in money, and their team base was equipped with high-end training facilities like meditation rooms and simulation combat rooms, all located on the first floor.

As the two descended the stairs, they ran into the android attendant, Xiao Zhong, who was smilingly carrying a tray piled high with snacks. "Ah," Alice exclaimed, stepping aside and whispering to Eve, "These are for Brother Qi. He’s the one who bought this android because he often stays in his room and rarely comes out."

Her tone was familiar, as if they were long-time friends.

Initially, she had only brought Eve into the team for cooperation, but now Eve was actively helping her integrate. No wonder the original story described Alice as a little sun—she was genuinely kind-hearted.

Eve’s gaze softened slightly, but just as she was about to say something, she jolted back to awareness.

Wait!

This was just ordinary small talk with a new colleague. Why did it evoke such affection for Alice?

She took a sharp breath. This seamless mental influence was something even she, with her natural resistance, found hard to guard against, let alone ordinary people.

While reading the novel, she had only thought the female lead was enjoying a Mary Sue’s easy ride, but being near Alice made her realize how totally broken this ability was.

She must teach Alice to actively tamp down her overflowing charm, Eve worriedly thought.

Otherwise, every time they spoke, she would have to nervously question whether her emotions were being influenced, acting like a hormonal teenager obsessing over the origin of her feelings around the female lead. That would be too nerve-wracking.

God, anything but that!

-

The mercenary team’s meditation room was much larger than the one in the Medici family, likely because it was shared by all members. Sometimes multiple people needed to train inside simultaneously, so it was designed to be spacious from the start, which conveniently worked for their lesson.

Eve didn’t rush Alice to summon her Spiritual State. Instead, she asked a few basic questions to feel out what Alice knew about foundational knowledge about Spiritual States.

Before learning to run, one must first learn to walk. If understanding Spiritual States is walking, then utilizing them is running. Most people on Black Star had learned to run before they could walk.

Focusing solely on practicality meant that due to lacking basics, most either had shaky control over their Spiritual States or encountered huge roadblocks in advancement.

Alice was a bit ahead of the game, perhaps because she had some schooling in her youth or had received guidance from other team members after joining. She had some foundation, but not much.

"Your understanding of Spiritual States overlooks theory too much. Actually, foundational knowledge is crucial. If you skillfully apply theoretical knowledge, there’s always a chance to turn the tables and overcome stronger opponents," Eve said.

When it came to serious matters, Eve automatically switched into serious mode. Sitting cross-legged on cushions facing each other, she said earnestly, "Not to mention that Spiritual States can complement or counter each other. Different types of Spiritual States require different cultivation methods, and you also need to learn how to avoid mental burnout and Spiritual State outbursts."

"Starting to systematically learn about all types of Spiritual States now is actually a bit late, but we can begin with those aligned with your ability direction."

Eve started with common mental abilities, their activation conditions, and spoke until her throat felt dry. Alice perceptively handed her a bottle of water. The cool, sweet liquid flowing down her parched throat alleviated some of the discomfort.

Teaching is so exhausting, Eve thought, offering a sincere apology in her heart for slacking off during the Second Steward’s Spiritual State lessons to study Alchemy instead.

After what felt like forever, she finally finished the basic theory. Clapping her hands, Eve decided hands-on demonstration would be better. "Come on, summon your Spiritual State."

To her surprise, Alice hesitated. Raising her hand, she asked uncertainly, "Teacher Xiao Qing, didn’t you say my Spiritual State is related to mental abilities? Would summoning it directly affect you?"

She actually considered that her Spiritual State might affect others!

Eve was so touched she almost teared up. Just the fact that Alice finally understood her ability could influence others made today’s lesson worthwhile.

"If I asked you to summon it, you don’t need to worry," Eve explained with a relieved smile. "Besides, mental abilities of the same level can cancel each other out. Given the difference in our abilities, neither of us can strongly control the other."

Eve’s own mental energy was already A+, only one rank below Alice’s S-level. The actual gap between them wasn’t large.

"By the way, what is your Spiritual State, Xiao Qing? I was too rushed last night to see clearly," Alice asked curiously.

There was no point hiding one’s Spiritual State. Eve directly summoned the Luna Butterfly, a platinum butterfly fluttering gracefully before landing.

"Here, the Luna Butterfly. Its ability is synchronization."

Alice leaned in, her honey-gold eyes examining the moon-glow butterfly, and sincerely praised, "It’s beautiful."

The Luna Butterfly tucked its wings in shyly.

Perhaps Eve’s clear explanations gave Alice some confidence. She no longer hesitated, closed her eyes, and began establishing the link with her Spiritual State.

The surrounding light and shadows warped, condensing into a hazy, indistinct form—like two connected spindle shapes, one large and one small, with smooth, flexible lines and a pair of thin, scaled wings covering its body. The entire Spiritual State was shrouded in a faint glow, like flowers reflected in a mirror, made you dizzy if you stared too long.

The Luna Butterfly subtly activated its ability, resisting the mental influence emanating from the other.

The dizzying glimmer faded from view, and only then did Eve see clearly that the figure was actually a golden wasp. The palm-sized insect perched on Alice’s braid like a lifeless gold artifact, its stinger slender and long. Just the sight of it gave her a faint sense of dread.

This was one of the top-tier spiritual states in the psychic discipline—S-class, the Queen Bee.

Hundreds of years ago, the leader of the rebellion had used this spiritual state to control through brainwashing a massive, terrifying army, nearly overthrowing the empire’s rule. Since then, records on psychic spiritual states were suppressed, and the name of that leader, along with the Queen Bee, became forbidden terms throughout the empire.

The previous awakener of the Luna Butterfly, Commander Maria, who had witnessed that era firsthand, intentionally only displayed the Luna Butterfly’s concealment abilities while hiding its mental powers. It was hard not to see this as a form of protection.

Given this, it was no wonder Alice couldn’t use her spiritual state—after all, all avenues to learn about it had been cut off. It wasn’t until she later met Ludwig and accessed the Oliver Family’s archives that she finally learned what kind of spiritual state she had awakened.

This time, however, Alice was lucky to have encountered Eve first.

"Spiritual states with mental manipulation abilities are special. As one of the most troublesome types of powers, even if you don’t actively use them, they unconsciously affect those around you."

Eve paused, considering for a moment how much to reveal about the Luna Butterfly, but ultimately decided to be fully honest with Alice.

After all, if she didn’t speak up now, it would come up eventually. Better not to sow the seeds of mistrust.

Eve continued, "Actually, I’m the same. But my situation is a bit better because the Luna Butterfly has a mind of its own and can help control the ability even when I’m not paying attention. Clearly, the Queen Bee isn’t that kind of self-aware spiritual state—it only responds to your thoughts, so you must learn to restrain yourself."

"So what should I do?" Alice looked rather confused.

"First, you need to realize that you objectively have a mental influence on those around you. Have you noticed that your relationships started improving from the day your spiritual state awakened?"

Alice thought for a moment, then nodded.

Not only had her interpersonal relationships improved, but awakening her spiritual state had been the turning point of her entire life. From that day on, she went from being a young girl fleeing hastily from the chaotic star sector to a rising genius in Black Star.

"For someone accustomed to preferential treatment, voluntarily giving up their privileges is difficult," Eve sighed, gently brushing the Queen Bee’s golden wings as she spoke calmly. "But for you right now, even with an S-class spiritual state, you can’t use your ability for two things simultaneously."

"To wield your spiritual state with mastery and control, you must learn to give up short-term gains for long-term objectives."