Chapter 46: Going out again is never smooth sailing.
After finishing dinner, Easter changed his clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Easter calmly finished dealing with the trivial matters, went into his study, took out a pull-out box, and inside lay a letter.
Easter gently picked it up, slowly reading through the pages, a smile playing on his lips. "System, are roses still available at this time of year?"
[Host, perhaps you could go to the market tomorrow.] The system suggested.
East put away the letter, picked up the system rabbit that was sitting on the desk, and said, "Okay, let's go to the market again tomorrow."
[Host, what did the letter say?] The system couldn't suppress its curiosity.
Easter gently stroked the system rabbit's fur. "It's nothing." He recalled the contents of the letter, his ears, hidden by his hair, turning slightly red.
——
【Dear Mr. Rabbit, I am delighted to receive your "love letter". Why did you use the most touching words to touch my heartstrings?】
Is it because you really like me?
It's okay. You can openly admit your feelings for me, just as I would tell you frankly that I like you, I miss you, and I miss the time we spent together in bed, especially on cold, damp rainy nights when I long for your warmth.
Love tastes sweet, thank you for letting me taste this wonderful flavor and bringing me feelings I've never experienced before.
If you were to appear before me now, I cannot guarantee that I would not do something absurd and inappropriate, just like our first meeting, which was truly a cherished memory.
Dear Mr. Rabbit, please don't worry, our love will last forever. I am a holy knight, a symbol of loyalty and integrity. I will not make any false promises to you. Please give me more trust, okay? Mr. Rabbit.
Ah! I miss you so much, Mr. Rabbit. My heart is filled with longing, yearning for you so much that it urges me to abandon everything and meet you. But I cannot. I can only try to comfort myself by repeatedly picturing your face in my mind.
I will remember what you asked of me, but my heart is like yours, so please take good care of yourself and don't make me worry.
Yours, Mr. Rabbit, next time we meet, please prepare a nickname for me~
A unique Ariper just for you.
——
Compared to Easter's account, Areper's was undoubtedly more frank and straightforward, with every word revealing his delight in Easter and the special place Easter held for him.
East lay down on the bed, while the System Rabbit curled up beside the pillow.
The lights were turned off, and in the darkness, only the moonlight that slivered into the room from outside the window remained.
Easter adjusted his posture slightly, pressing his hand tightly against his chest. "Thump, thump, thump..." His heart vibrated rhythmically and continuously.
East didn't know how to accurately express his feelings at that moment. He only knew that he felt warm all over, and his mouth felt like it was filled with honey water. The sweetness slid from his lips and tongue to his heart. A tiny seed, nourished by the honey water, had cracked open.
Unbeknownst to him, Easter fell asleep, and wisps of light, ethereal white mist emanated from his heart, tightly enveloping his entire body.
But this time was different. More and more white fog was dissipating, so thick that all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white, with no other colors visible.
Until the dawn of the next day, the white mist receded completely back into East's heart, leaving no trace of its existence.
East, lying on the bed, slowly opened his eyes, then closed them again after a while. He tucked half his face into the blanket, rubbed it, and buried it in the blanket, wanting to continue sleeping.
Sunlight streamed into the room instead of moonlight, and Easter reluctantly got out of bed.
Tonight, dreams inexplicably drew him in. While brushing his teeth and washing his face, East was puzzled, but remembering that he had to go out today, he put this trivial thought out of his mind.
Ister dressed simply today. After breakfast, he put on a black hooded cloak and left the manor alone, without the players accompanying him. He had considered this carefully. Going to the market without being the king would allow him to see more, and if he encountered danger, he would be more than happy to do so. He had not yet tested how that bug-like ability worked.
The bustling streets remained unchanged despite yesterday's little incident; in fact, they were even more lively.
East's attire blended seamlessly into the crowd, as many others wore similar clothing, along with some even more bizarre and outlandish outfits: the classic raven doctor's attire; faces shrouded in eerie black mist; beast heads and human bodies, human bodies and beast heads...
If East hadn't been certain he hadn't gone the wrong way, he would have thought he was on a street where mysticism was prevalent.
[Host, something seems off here.] The system rabbit appeared in Ister's arms, its sapphire blue eyes peering through the black robe, scanning everywhere. Whether using sight or scanning, the results told him that his analysis was correct. [We've arrived at a special space constructed by a powerful mage, like the "ghost market" rumored on Earth.]
East, "..."
His hand tightened. When he scanned the surrounding streets and didn't see any familiar stalls or faces, he had already guessed what was going on. The system's words only confirmed his guess.
He just wanted to stroll through a normal market, observe the different people and businesses operating in various cities, and finally see if there were any flowers for sale. He wanted to buy a rose, but the situation was that he had ended up in this abnormal place.
"How did I get in?" Easter rubbed the System Rabbit's ears. He had no idea how he got in or how to get out.
[I don't know.] The system is certain that everything was normal before they entered. [This kind of special space is generally only accessible to people with special abilities or other species; there are screening criteria. The host is just an ordinary human and shouldn't be able to enter.]
Easter strolled leisurely into the crowd, carrying the System Rabbit, and said, "Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it."
[Host, there may be danger.] The system warned that even if you summon a player under these circumstances, you might not be able to defeat them—not just might you, you definitely wouldn't be able to.
"Is this still within my territory?" East's gaze lingered around. Unlike ordinary markets, the things sold here were much stranger. Like markets described in typical fantasy novels, the stall owners displayed unusual items: medicine still covered in dirt; animal bones and hides still attached to fresh blood; strange crystals and iron stones; and various alchemical items...
"Yes," the system replied. "This isn't any particularly special magic; it's essentially still on the same land."
“Then there’s no need to worry.” East stopped in front of a stall.
The stall owner was a woman dressed in a black robe. She sold very ordinary things: several pots of flowers displayed on a black cloth—black, green, blood-red… some with layers upon layers of petals, some with only five petals, some blooming alone, some clustered together, and some still in bud…
There were only a few pots of flowers, yet they gave the impression of a courtyard full of blooming flowers vying for attention.
East stopped because he saw what he wanted to buy... roses, it must be roses, a pot of flowers with three blooms, three different colors, and a few white buds waiting to open.
Following the example of the other buyers, Easter pointed to the potted plant.
[Host, no...] The system's intervention was ultimately a step too late.
"Five hundred intermediate-grade magic crystals, or four advanced-grade magic crystals plus fifty intermediate-grade magic crystals." The female stall owner's voice was hoarse, making it impossible to discern her exact age.
Easter hesitated, mentally asking the system, "What's wrong?"
[Host, you don't want to know how this flower was grown,] the system replied, [and this isn't a rose, it just looks like one. If you buy it and don't handle it properly, it could kill you.]
Easter had many bad thoughts. "Sorry, it's not needed for now."
The female stall owner did not try to persuade her to stay and continued to silently guard her stall.
East patted the system rabbit's head. Fine, he shouldn't have tried to find ordinary roses in the market where "magical species" were exchanging items.
"What kind of flower is that?" East continued to wander aimlessly. He realized that this street might be magical, as it seemed endless and boundless. He could probably wander around for a long time.
"Evil Spirit Flower," the system said, "each flower requires one evil soul to bloom. If handled properly, it can be used to brew potions and help stabilize one's mind."
East paused almost imperceptibly. "This is the 'masterpiece' of a dark sorcerer?"
"Not necessarily. Evil souls are different from ordinary souls. Even ordinary magicians can intervene when it comes to evil souls," the system rabbit shook its head. "Simply put, evil souls are souls burdened with sin. To use Earth as an analogy, they're capable of entering the eighteen levels of hell, and they'll stay there until their souls are completely annihilated."
East understood, but he felt that anyone who dared to take a potion made from such a thing was fearless.
Suddenly someone tapped East on the shoulder from behind.
East turned his head warily. Behind him was a male "person" wearing an exquisite and ornate mask and a hooded cloak with a dark blue base and embroidered gold and red sun patterns.
"How did you end up here?" the male "person" asked, his voice exquisitely beautiful and alluring, captivating all who heard it.
East confirmed the identity of the "person" who came—no, not human, but merman. "I don't know. I was going to a regular market. Who knew I'd end up here?" he said in a low voice.
“This happens all the time. They never seem to care. They only try to fix things after things have gone wrong,” Pearl muttered to herself. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you out after this is over. For now, just stay with me and don’t wander off. There’s nothing good here. Just now, I even saw someone openly selling evil spirit flowers. I didn’t expect that evil thing to still be around.”
Easter remained silent. Could he say that he had just gone to ask about the price?
"Do you know what an evil spirit flower is?" Pearl asked with great interest.
Easter nodded; he hadn't forgotten the information so quickly after listening to the system's explanation.
"Then you probably don't know who was in charge of destroying the Evil Spirit Flower?" Pearl didn't show any regret, but instead raised a new question, which was probably his real purpose in bringing up the topic.
So the answer is obvious: "Aprepitant".
Pearl found Esther's answer uninteresting. "Can't you just play along a little?"
Who is that?
"Who?" Pearl asked, then realized her mistake. "No need."
Easter was speechless. Why was this fish so difficult to please? Nothing worked. Why did Aripor become friends with such a troublesome fish?
"Haha, you really are interesting. No wonder he likes you. He likes your simple and innocent nature." Pearl's words were pointed.
Last night, Randall suddenly contacted him, asking him to spend more time with this king, wanting to know if the king had anything special about him. Otherwise, why would he have attracted Arip's infatuation? His presence here was no coincidence; he followed East in.
But East's situation is somewhat special. No matter how much he investigates, he is still just an ordinary person, an "ordinary person" who can summon special creatures. Interesting, really interesting. If Areber hadn't made his move in advance, he too would have been unable to resist his curiosity when he encountered such an interesting person.
East had no idea what kind of nonsense was going on in the fish's head. "You're strange," he simply commented.
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