CHAPTER 118: CHAPTER 118: THE DESCENT OF THE NINE-TAILED FOX (THIRD UPDATE)

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

Spirit Treasury in an incomplete state? Ren Suo was a bit perplexed.

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand what this state entailed; he just didn’t know why it was occurring.

Still, he could somewhat guess the reason—it was probably because the Tokyo Sky Tree, which the Spirit Treasury was affixed to, didn’t have the ’qualifications’ to become a complete Spirit Vein.

Constructed in 2012, the Sky Tree was not yet a decade old. But because it was located in the Tokyo Metropolis and was its most remarkable structure, it became the object to which the Spirit Treasury attached itself.

In "Spiritual Vision," Ren Suo could faintly see Spiritual Energy golden threads converging onto the body of the Sky Tree from all directions. It seemed this was the process of the Sky Tree Evolving towards a complete state as a Spirit Treasury.

However, the incomplete status meant that this Spirit Treasury didn’t even fully possess the ’Nation-Protecting’ effect. The Red Fox had managed to get inside the Spirit Treasury building, and nothing happened.

Ren Suo didn’t know what issues an incomplete Spirit Treasury might pose. However, he wasn’t planning on opening it now anyway. He had made a deal with Old Zhao that the national treasure had to be obtained before igniting the Spirit Vein.

But a spectacle required an audience before the boasting could begin. So, Ren Suo first had the Pangolin relay a message to Old Zhao: "Fairy Palace’s, person, will appear at, Tokyo, Sky Tree."

Without waiting for Old Zhao’s reaction, Ren Suo immediately had the Red Fox use ’Knight’s Wind’ to turn invisible and move out of the observation range of staff members. She found a staff passageway and exited the glass-enclosed observation deck!

Although she hadn’t specifically been upgraded in that regard, the Red Fox’s Physical Condition was at least twice that of an ordinary person. Moreover, she had Evolved Skills such as ’Climbing’. This allowed her hands to generate enough friction even on smooth surfaces to stabilize her body, making it easy for her to reach the very top of the Sky Tree!

The night wind rustled the Red Fox’s Red Clothing. The British Shorthair in her arms didn’t dare show its face, huddled against her chest, MEOWING.

Standing at the highest point in Tokyo, this should be ’spectacular’ enough, right? Ren Suo thought.

But it wasn’t enough, as no one could see the Red Fox.

Ren Suo was fairly confident he could make a flashy entrance in a showy manner. But he had accumulated 13 Evolutions; if not now, then when?

"Hmm... ’Claws and Teeth’? ’Consolidation’? All these cards are pretty ordinary!"

After four consecutive ordinary Evolution Cards, Ren Suo wondered if he should go wash his hands. Just then, a new notification appeared in the Evolution interface—

"Dual Pole Value: The next Evolution will definitely result in a ’Super-Evolution.’"

Huh? It was then that Ren Suo realized the Red Fox’s Defense and Recovery Attributes had reached their extreme values, meeting the ’Dual Pole Value’ required for the second Evolution.

But now Ren Suo hesitated. What if the result of a Dual Pole Value Evolution wasn’t human? He was counting on the Red Fox’s human form for his boasting!

However, if the Super-Evolution didn’t appeal to him, Ren Suo could choose other Evolution Cards and defer the Super-Evolution to the next opportunity.

When Ren Suo opened the Evolution interface, he first saw bad news: out of three Evolution Cards, two were Super Evolution Cards.

But there was also good news—both Super Evolution Cards were humanoid forms.

"’True Human,’ a Colorless Card. Effect: Allows Living Beings to fully transform into humans. The Attribute cap remains unchanged. Gains the new ’Immortal Spirit’ Attribute. The ’Immortal Spirit’ Attribute has no upper limit and can strengthen all Evolution and Attribute effects; the higher the ’Immortal Spirit’ Attribute, the more potent the enhancement.

’Non-Human,’ a Colorless Card. Effect: Allows Living Beings to retain human form while completing a bloodline retracement for a different Evolution. The Attribute cap increases at least tenfold. Obtains an exclusive bloodline Evolution system. Enhances some existing Evolution Cards.

Living Beings can freely transform between their ’True Form’ and ’Non-Human Body’ without any casting time or cooldown. The appearance of the ’Non-Human’ will be retraced from the genetic bloodline of the Living Being, selecting the most beautiful human form—guaranteed to satisfy the Player—as the Non-Human appearance.

As for the third Evolution Card, with green stripes on a blue background, Ren Suo didn’t even glance at it.

His gaze was fixed solely on the phrase ’select the most beautiful human form,’ and an irrepressible curiosity itched within him.

The ’True Human’ Super-Evolution would undoubtedly make the Red Fox tuck away her tail, which was already hidden by ’hallucination,’ making her look even more human. And ’Non-Human’ is described so confidently, even stating ’the most beautiful, absolutely Player-satisfying humanoid form’... Hmph, are you underestimating me, Ren Suo of Autumn Name Mountain, a seasoned expert in these matters! To be fair, both Evolutions are quite similar. ’True Human’ adds a new Attribute, while ’Non-Human’ provides a new, exclusive Evolution system. There isn’t much difference. This game’s classification of Evolution Cards is quite reliable: blue-green rare cards are better than grey common ones, gold legendary cards are better than blue-green rare ones, and trump cards are better than all other Evolution Cards... Both are Colorless Cards, so I can’t tell which is superior. Naturally, I’ll choose the one with the ’skin’!

He selected ’Non-Human’!

On top of the Tokyo Sky Tree, the Red Fox’s Clothing emitted a crimson Smoke, completely enveloping her. Ren Suo tried to move the right joystick to get a closer look, but he couldn’t.

It’s just a skin change, isn’t it? Does it need to be this mysterious?

Ren Suo gripped the game controller with both hands, assuring himself that he was a person who had transcended vulgar tastes, definitely harboring no indecent thoughts.

When the red mist dispersed, Ren Suo knew. This skin was an absolutely fantastic choice!

「At 8:35 PM」

Tourists lingering while shopping on Sunny Sky Street suddenly noticed what appeared to be red leaves fluttering in the night sky.

When they focused their gaze, they realized they weren’t leaves, but red butterflies. Some people tried to catch these Red Butterflies, but their hands passed right through them as the butterflies turned into wisps of smoke and vanished without a trace.

Looking up, the tourists saw a red glow atop the Sky Tree. The Red Butterflies seemed to be originating from that radiance.

"Are we this lucky? Did we stumble upon a Sky Tree event?"

"Let me tweet this..."

"Look! Over there... is that a person?"

More and more people looked up towards the top of the Sky Tree, raising their phones to try and capture the scene. The figure was five hundred meters away, imperceptible even when they zoomed in with their phones. Yet, somehow, each of them could vividly imprint that breathtaking image from the night sky onto their retinas.

A patrol officer activated his communicator, his eyes glued to the figure in the night sky. His voice stuttered, "At... at the Sky Tree... s-she’s appeared—"

"The Nine-Tailed Fox, Tamamo no Mae!"

At the peak of the Sky Tree, against the night sky, stood the Nine-Tailed Fox. Draped in rosy clouds, her hair cascaded like an ink spring, and nine fluffy tails arched protectively beside her. Cradling a blue British Shorthair in her arms, she descended step by step from a height of 450 meters towards the ground!

This was indeed the Super-Evolved form of the Red Fox: the Nine-Tailed Fox!

A green-striped blue Evolution Card, exclusive Skill "First Impression." Effect: The moment Living Beings see the Nine-Tailed Fox, regardless of distance, they will automatically conjure a perfect image of her in their minds. As the Nine-Tailed Fox approaches, Living Beings will continuously revise this ideal image, causing it to align with the Nine-Tailed Fox’s actual appearance. This, in turn, leads Living Beings to admire the Nine-Tailed Fox from the bottom of their hearts, strengthening all of her Charm Skills. This effect lasts for 24 hours and can be reapplied.

The originally illusory Red Butterflies beneath the Nine-Tailed Fox’s feet transformed into tangible steps, allowing her to tread solidly upon the air. Yet, as she lifted her foot, the Red Butterflies would dissipate into smoke!

A gold-striped blue Evolution Card, exclusive Skill "Fantasy Sky Flower." Effect: Temporarily turns any Illusions touched into physical forms. The entity’s strength is related to the Defense Attribute, and its maximum duration is related to the Recovery Attribute.

A green-striped blue Evolution Card, exclusive Skill "Snow Moon Flower*3." Effect: Significantly expands the Illusion range.

A grey-striped blue Evolution Card: ’hallucination’ automatically Evolves into ’Illusion.’ Effect: The Illusion has no physical form and cannot produce sound; it can only create visual spectacles.

On the screen, the Nine-Tailed Fox descended like an Immortal arriving in the mortal world, treading on Red Butterflies as if walking on air. The humans below were awestruck, their eyes unblinking as they watched her approach. Red Butterflies danced throughout the entire Sky Tree region, paving a fantastical Red Butterfly pathway for her.

To create this spectacle, Ren Suo had spent nearly an hour setting up the Illusion.

First, he had to draw a butterfly and then color it. Next, he selected the largest Illusion range, along with rain and flutter effects. Finally, he arranged the butterflies into a path with steps—Ren Suo accomplished this by connecting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and using copy-paste operations.

Furthermore, the butterfly staircase had to continuously move downward, like an escalator. Otherwise, the Nine-Tailed Fox would lose all her grandeur during the nearly kilometer-long walk.

Luckily, arranging the Illusion was relatively simple; otherwise, the Nine-Tailed Fox’s strongest Ability would have been wasted...

Ultimately, this created a special effect so stunning it could have come from a movie.

Five minutes later, during the Nine-Tailed Fox’s seemingly slow yet actually rapid descent, the people on Sunny Sky Street had completely succumbed. Their gazes were fervently fixed on the Nine-Tailed Fox. They maintained a respectful distance, not daring to overstep, as if witnessing an Immortal’s descent!

In a daze, a pleasant voice entered their ears: "Fairy Palace, here by invitation."

Ren Suo was very satisfied. He believed this spectacle was enough to make the world understand the nature of the Fairy Palace and also meet the Flourishing Sakura Country’s requests.

Initially, I only planned a light-pollution-esque spectacle of red light shining from the Sky Tree’s tip. But this current display isn’t just ’making a grand entrance’; it’s ’shaking the world’! This is what you all asked for, not what I originally intended... Ren Suo mused.

But it’s time for the Nine-Tailed Fox to withdraw. It’s been several minutes. The Flourishing Sakura Country officials aren’t fools; they’re surely gathering forces to come here. Though the Nine-Tailed Fox can fight, her combat methods are quite ordinary. It would be troublesome if she encountered a tough guy immune to her Charms. It’s better to make a stunningly flashy appearance and then vanish under everyone’s watchful eyes, completing what is, so far, the most perfect entrance ceremony. Afterward, I’ll just contact Old Zhao through the Pangolin and have the Flourishing Sakura’s Mysterious Party help the Nine-Tailed Fox complete the transaction.

However, just as the Nine-Tailed Fox’s bare feet were about to touch the ground, a rift suddenly appeared in the space directly in front of her, startling Ren Suo.

What’s going on? Are Awakeners from the Flourishing Sakura Country coming to fight?

But as the spatial rift tore open, two people Ren Suo knew well appeared on the screen.

One was Old Zhao, an expression of helplessness on his face.

Old Zhao had never imagined that the Fairy Palace would actually agree to the Flourishing Sakura Country’s request. Not only that, but they had sent someone directly from the Sky Tree, and this entrance ceremony was so incredibly cool...

Without a doubt, this Palace Nine-Tailed Fox will become a distinguished guest of Flourishing Sakura and establish contact with them! How can the Mysterious Country stand for this! Although Flourishing Sakura is the Mysterious Country’s subordinate, the Fairy Palace is currently the only known Supernatural Force! It’s an incredibly ancient and secretive power, possessing countless unfathomable methods, and perhaps even controlling the revival of Spirit Veins! The Mysterious Country absolutely cannot let anyone else have this first contact opportunity! We were the ones who first made contact with the Fairy Palace!

If Old Zhao hadn’t been responsible for matters concerning the Pangolin, he wouldn’t have qualified to participate in such significant diplomatic contact. However, hoping the Pangolin might put in a good word for him, the Mysterious Country had sent Old Zhao directly to improve their rapport with the Fairy Palace.

Of course, Old Zhao wore a military-grade wireless earpiece; strategists from the Mysterious Country were ready to adjust his negotiating tactics at any moment.

As for their nearly illegal entry... The Mysterious Country didn’t care, so Flourishing Sakura could only pretend not to.

However, Old Zhao noticed that the Palace Nine-Tailed Fox seemed to be constantly watching the Awakener next to him.

Old Zhao thought this because Ren Suo had focused the game’s camera on the female Awakener who had torn open the spatial rift.

As mentioned, Ren Suo recognized two people.

One was Old Zhao, an acquaintance of the Pangolin from within the game.

The other was a passerby Ren Suo had only briefly encountered just moments before.

Seemingly noticing the Nine-Tailed Fox’s gaze, the female Awakener spoke first:

"Hello, my name is Dong Chengling."