She's Just a Phantom

A single word—"also"—spoke volumes about this demigod's indifference toward the extinction of her race. Yaxiu suddenly realized that Vichy's Eternal Twilight elves were probably long extinct, just like the ancient elves who had lived on the Time Continent alongside the King of Time. Through the shifting eras, elven civilization had long since fractured, leaving behind only faint, tenuous traces of bloodline connection. Even modern Blood Moon elves and Gospel elves could hardly be called the same species. "Are all demigods like you? No race, no nation, only desire?" "Not at all." Vichy's answer caught Yaxiu by surprise. "You have it wrong. Whether it's race, nation, or desire, they're all just philosophical concepts. As long as people share the same yearning, they will gather together, forge new races, build new nations, and wrap their desires in the guise of grand ideals." "You might not believe it, but struggles in the divine realm are far more vicious than in reality." "A lone wolf like me is actually in the minority in the divine realm. If most demigods didn't cooperate, they'd struggle just to survive—unless they're willing to remain bottom-dwellers among demigods for all eternity, though in that case, every powerhouse could take whatever they wanted from them." "Though it might sound strange to ask," Yaxiu said, "why didn't you join some faction, climb your way to the top, and use the organization's resources to empower yourself? Wouldn't that be far more efficient than being a lone wolf? After all, you're a demigod of both soul and prophecy." "Precisely because I'm a dual-path demigod, I couldn't do that," Vichy replied. "Apart from a Divine Lord, no demigod would dare make use of me, and no organization would dare allow me into their inner circle. They feared me far more than they feared their enemies." "Then couldn't you have..." "Founded an organization of my own? I tried that in my first life." Vichy shook her head. "Mutual deception, scheming, diplomacy, shifting alliances... Maintaining an organization is every bit as difficult as researching sorcery. In my first life, I squandered far too much time running an organization. That's why my own strength stagnated, and I missed out on many precious opportunities." "I don't have that kind of charismatic leadership." The Spectre Prophet sighed softly. "It has nothing to do with realms in the mind faction or anything like that. It can't be faked. It's a charisma that emanates from the depths of the soul, capable of resonating with the ideals of countless people. Any leader capable of sustaining a great faction relies on personal charisma to draw loyal followers. I, on the other hand, could only rely on mutual interests to rally ambitious schemers. Not only did it yield half the results for twice the effort, but once things fell apart, there was never a second chance." "So after I was reborn, I knew I had only two paths—either submit to a leader and become their dog, or become a solitary wolf that preys upon the world. Obviously, I would only ever choose the latter." "Is that so?" Yaxiu scoffed coldly. "Then what are you now—a dog, or a wolf?" Vichy turned, rested her hands on Yaxiu's shoulders, and opened her mouth wide as if getting a throat swab. "Ah— Ah—" "What are you doing?" Yaxiu pushed her chin away. "Checking to see whether you treat me like a dog or a wolf." Vichy held out her hands. "Even though you try so hard to train me into a dog, deep down you still fear me like a wolf." "Don't think I wouldn't dare... I'm just afraid you'll tattle to the Sword Princess later!" "Then you've got quite a few wolves to fear." Having scored another point in her ongoing clash with Yaxiu, Vichy felt thoroughly refreshed, and much of the irritability caused by her period melted away. She asked offhandedly, "Speaking of which, where's Miss Rose? Her sharp-tongued jabs at your expense are always such a delight." "She had to go to the company to handle official business today," Yaxiu said. "After all, one of us has to work, or where would we get the money to squander?" "Besides, she's also in charge of the police department's wanted notices and the underworld bounties. Even if she can usually manage things remotely, she still has to go in person every once in a while to check on their progress." Turning to serious business, Vichy grew a bit more solemn. "Any findings?" "Of course not." Yaxiu shook his head. "Although we issued wanted notices for the two teams Igola and Harvey encountered under the pretext of 'Suspects in the Canaan City Major Disaster,' aside from a few false alarms, there haven't been many leads. Not to mention, the Blood Moon team and the Gospel team have most likely disguised their appearances." For instance, the Gospel team's white tiger beastman, Amilo, was guaranteed to have disguised himself. After all, the Nation of Stars was an entirely human realm. When an elf like Vichy projected over, she merely became a human with slightly pointed ears; a beastman would likely just look like a burly man. There was no way a beastman could roam about openly. "Aside from them, Rose also dispatched underworld assassins after several targets who are almost certainly legendary sorcerers. They only succeeded against two. All the other targets disappeared beforehand, and we have no idea whether someone else got to them or if they've already slipped into the Nation of Stars." Vichy's eyes widened. "You mean the native legendaries of the Starry Kingdom?" "Yes," Yaxiu said. "Among the currently known missing persons are three suspected legendaries: the Duke of Vosroda, the Pope, and the Night King. The Duke of Vosroda even has some history with me—" "The father of the senior Feili used to like, right?" Vichy chimed in. "Speaking of which, let's go into that shop and buy some clothes for Feili!" Yaxiu glanced over, dark lines immediately covering his face. "If you want to go, go yourself. There's no way I'm stepping inside." The reason was simple: it was a women's lingerie shop. "Doesn't matter if you don't go. Either way, I'll send her a set of super-erotic lingerie under your name. You can look forward to it all you want, Master." "My maximum tolerance for you is limited to grossing me out. After all, I have to keep an eye on you, so I can't avoid you," Yaxiu said coldly. "Crossing the line is something I will not allow." "I'm not doing it to gross you out; I'm helping you! Once she receives the lingerie, cute little Feili will understand the signal you're sending. Then tonight, she'll wash up squeaky clean and appear in your bed. Wouldn't that be great?" "Or do you still want to deceive yourself into thinking Feili doesn't like you and actually likes that senior?" Vichy laughed. "The day their date ended, she ran straight over to tell you that there were no romantic feelings between her and the senior. And for the next month, whenever she had free time, she'd run over to the villa to read books and chat with you, following right behind you like a tail." "If it were anyone else, sure, forget it. But she's a demon—the demon we must rely on to compete for the angel remains. Right now, she's practically digging her heart out to hand it to you. How could you refuse?" "Or are you afraid that once we return to reality, we'll tattle on you to your Sword Princess and Witch? We can sign a contract! Igola and Harvey definitely won't stand in your way." Yaxiu, who had been silent, slowly shook his head. "It's not about any of that. It's..." "Or are you afraid that Feili will cling to you in the future?" Vichy placed her hand gently against Yaxiu's chest. "Then there's even less reason to worry." "She's just a phantom."