The next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting thin light spots on the floor.
Xing Yue groggily opened her eyes. Though somewhat awake, she still felt sleepy.
She thought that since the Pink-haired Piggy sleeping with her was also a bed-lazy monster, she just had to get up later than her.
‘Hmph!’
‘It’s all that Pink-haired Piggy’s fault for spreading her laziness to me! How infuriating!’
With that, Xing Yue turned over, ready to let the bed continue kidnapping her without any guilt—
A faint, almost imperceptible call reached her ears.
The voice was very soft, very light, like wind drifting from far, far away.
Xing Yue’s motion of lying back down froze.
Confused, she opened her eyes and looked toward the pillow.
There she found the Jet Black Forbidden Book, which had somehow already appeared there, lying quietly, its cover’s blood-red six-pointed star glowing dimly in the morning light.
“…”
Xing Yue’s mouth twitched.
“What are you calling for so early in the morning…”
She muttered, but still yawned and sat up.
After all, this stupid book was usually quiet; if it made a rare sound, she should check what was going on.
She reached out, picked up the forbidden book, and opened it.
The pages flipped on their own, stopping at a certain page.
Xing Yue closed her eyes, entering that peculiar state of perception.
The call became clearer.
It was a female voice.
Young, clear, carrying an unstoppable longing.
“…Power.”
“No matter the cost… I want to obtain power.”
“Real… power enough to overturn everything…”
Xing Yue blinked.
‘This voice doesn’t sound like she’s seeking revenge—there’s no gritted-teeth hatred, no desperate despair.’
‘Instead, it’s more like…’
‘A pure, burning desire.’
‘Like someone starving for a long time seeing food.’
‘Like someone trapped in a desert seeing an oasis.’
‘Huh, interesting.’
Xing Yue muttered to herself.
She didn’t respond out loud.
Last time taught her that no matter what she said, the book would count it as a “response.” She had casually complained half a sentence, and got summoned straight to Alpha’s side.
This time, Xing Yue learned her lesson, deciding to check the situation first.
The Jet Black Forbidden Book seemed able to see the other side. Xing Yue calmed her mind and, through some link in the book, sneakily peeked at the other side.
The image gradually became clear.
It was a room.
Big.
Very, very big.
Carved window lattices, heavy drapes, famous paintings on the walls, gold-threaded carpets on the floor—every detail silently proclaimed the occupant’s status.
Xing Yue’s gaze swept across the room and finally landed on the person holding the book.
It was a young girl.
She looked about the same age as the Pink-haired Piggy.
Soft light-green long hair draped over her shoulders, adorned with a small, delicate silver-white crown. Her long dress was luxurious, embroidered with intricate golden patterns—clearly no ordinary garment.
But her complexion was poor.
Faint dark circles under her eyes, visible exhaustion between her brows. Lips slightly pale, radiating an aura of “I haven’t slept well in a long time.”
The most striking thing was her wrist.
There was a wound there, still oozing blood.
Blood dripped onto the carpet, blotting into a small patch of dark red.
But she didn’t seem to care at all.
She just lowered her head, staring intensely at the black book in her hands.
Xing Yue narrowed her eyes. That book looked very familiar.
Black cover, blood-red pattern—it was the same Jet Black Forbidden Book as hers.
Just then, the young girl seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.
Her gaze aimed directly at a certain spot in the void.
In that instant, Xing Yue felt as if their eyes met.
Those eyes were beautiful.
But also very tired.
Yet within that tiredness burned a flame that couldn’t be ignored.
Then she spoke.
“Great being…”
Her voice was soft, carrying an unusual reverence.
“Have you heard my call?”
“I beg you.”
“Grant me power.”
“I am willing to pay everything for it.”
She paused, a flash of determination in her eyes: “My blood, my soul, my future—”
Xing Yue looked at the young girl again, then at the blood on her wrist, then back at the Jet Black Forbidden Book.
‘Her vibe is a bit strange.’
‘She’s probably some noble lady, well-born and well-fed. Her current situation doesn’t seem all that dire.’
‘As for the wound and her tired face, it’s not like she’s been through inhuman torture—more likely from drawing a summoning array. Alpha used his own blood to draw one back then too.’
‘All in all, I’m curious.’
‘What does she want power for?’
Xing Yue wanted to ask, “What’s up?” but remembering last time’s lesson, she held back.
She decided to observe a bit more.
The young girl waited a few seconds, but received no response.
A hint of anxiety flashed in her eyes.
“Great being…”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“If I alone is not enough…”
“I can offer you even more.”
“More sacrifices.”
“I will spare no effort to provide the most satisfactory sacrifices, whatever you need.”
Xing Yue’s eyes widened slightly.
‘Huh?’
‘More sacrifices?’
‘Is this lady planning to go full evil cult sacrifice?’
‘Sacrificing living people to me?’
‘No way!’
Xing Yue shook her head wildly inside.
‘I don’t want that kind of sacrifice!’
‘I just wanted to see what kind of client the Jet Black Forbidden Book brought me.’
‘And maybe, through this client, learn more about the outside world—like what Alpha is up to these days—that would be best.’
‘Not to become an Evil God!’
The young girl was still waiting.
Her gaze fixed on a certain spot in the void, as if awaiting fate’s judgment.
Xing Yue looked at her, quickly calculating.
‘I’ve observed for a while and can’t figure her out. This lady never said what she wants power for, and I can’t guess her situation.’
‘But…’
‘I’ve had nothing much to do lately.’
‘Every day is just sleeping in with the Pink-haired Piggy, eating, studying magic, going to the dungeon to see Wei Anna, then coming back to read and sleep—a three-point line.’
‘Not that it’s boring, but I feel like I’m about to break through—I’m close to the threshold of the fourth tier. Yet I’m still missing a trigger, maybe only actual combat can help me improve.’
‘And now, this trigger seems right in front of me. Maybe by helping this young girl, I’ll advance.’
Xing Yue thought it over and finally made her decision.
She took a deep breath.
Then she spoke.
Her voice traveled through the void, through the link of the forbidden book, across the vast distance—
Landing in the ears of that young girl.
“Tell me.”
“You want power. What do you plan to do with it?”