Chapter 151: The Thousand-year-old existence is exposed! Grandpa Tail, isn't your appearance a bit too "sketchy"?
In the desolate courtyard.
Xueyi, Hanya, and Houhou sat at a stone table beneath a bamboo grove.
A gust of cool wind blew past.
The surrounding bamboo and trees let out a "rustling" sound.
Houhou couldn't help but hug her arms, leaning closer to Hanya.
"Lady Hanya, didn't we agree to find a bright place? This place…"
"It's deserted and feels so eerie…"
Hanya looked around with some confusion.
She said, "Is that so? Compared to the Ten-Lords Commission, this place is quite decent—comfortable and quiet. We can focus on the game's plot; it's perfect."
Houhou wanted to say more.
Suddenly, the flame on her tail flickered.
It signified that Mr. Tail was feeling a bit agitated at the moment.
It immediately spoke up: "Quiet!"
"Watch the plot! It looks like I'm about to make an appearance!"
Hanya placed her jade abacus on the stone table.
She brought up the projection.
In the dim little courtyard, the glowing screen appeared before them.
In the bottom right corner was the streamer Little Gui.
The main screen showed the game's story.
And at this moment.
The three judges indeed appeared within the plot.
They began to interact with Guinaifen and the Trailblazer, who had trespassed into the forbidden area.
"Miss Guinaifen, although it's hard to explain clearly in a short time, those things are not the ghosts and monsters you imagine. Please don't apply your hometown legends to the affairs of the Xianzhou…"
"Those things that slipped out to cause trouble are very dangerous energy parasites called heliobi."
Houhou explained patiently.
Guinaifen, however, replied somewhat stubbornly, "Really? I don't believe it. Heliobi? What are those? I get it—on the Xianzhou, 'heliobus' is just another name for a ghost, right? That must be it."
"It seems I'll have to let Mr. Tail come out for a bit… T-Tail, Mr. Tail?"
Whoosh!
A flash of fire.
[ Tail ] appeared on the screen in the form of a ball of green spiritual flame.
Seemingly to demonstrate that it was an intelligent lifeform.
The image of the flame sphere had a pair of large, clean, simple eyes added to it.
A small black dot for a nose and a mouth composed entirely of lines.
"I hear you, I hear you! So noisy… This venerable self is not some rare beast kept to serve humans."
Guinaifen froze for a moment: "Mr… Tail?"
[ Tail ] manifested a simple hand made of spiritual flame, rubbed its nose, and said, "I am a heliobus, the very ghost or monster you were thinking of. Do you see now? If you see, then beat it!"
Guinaifen took a sharp breath.
Then she let out a scream.
"A ghost!"
Hanya sighed helplessly, "Oh dear, what a strange young lady. She clearly came here to film supernatural spirits, yet when she actually sees one, she starts screaming instead…"
Seeing this scene.
[ Tail ] immediately let out a triumphant laugh.
"Ha!"
"Did you see that, little girl?"
"As soon as I appeared, I scared the wits out of these people!"
"This venerable self is a renowned member of the heliobus race… ahem, anyway, this plot is decent enough."
"I admit I underestimated it a bit before."
Meanwhile.
Hanya skillfully opened the bullet chat.
…
"OMG, so this is the legendary heliobus!?"
"Whoa, it's actually kinda cute!"
"This design looks a bit… low-effort!"
"Do all heliobi look this casual…?"
"What a cute 'Venerable Self'!"
"Is this even from the same dimension? Hahaha…"
…
Seeing the bullet chat.
Tail, who had been gloating, suddenly froze!
"What does that mean!?"
"These people think I'm… cute!?"
Tail immediately bared a pair of fangs.
Its entire form became distorted with rage!
"Damn it! If I wasn't sealed, would I only be showing this simple individual image!?"
"If this venerable self showed my true form, I'd scare you death-seeking fools to death!"
Houhou was suddenly so anxious she was about to cry.
"Mr. Tail… p-please calm down."
"Houhou has never thought you were cute…"
"It's because… it's because everyone is watching the story through their jade abacuses."
"If they met Mr. Tail in person right now, they would definitely be terrified…"
Hearing Houhou's comfort.
Tail finally calmed down.
"Hmph… at least you know how to talk."
"Let's see what else happens in this plot. If it dares to insult my prestigious name, I won't let it slide!"
Hanya rolled her eyes inwardly.
She thought to herself that the game's plot was created by the developer, Feathered Spirit.
You're just a heliobus—how are you going to get revenge?
Are you going to make Houhou leave a comment online to clear your name?
Of course.
She couldn't say these words out loud.
Otherwise, there would be no peace today.
Back in the plot.
After calming down, Guinaifen inquired again, "Judge, if I may ask, what exactly is this fire dumpling? How can one prevent it from attacking? And also… why does a judge carry such a thing around…"
Xueyi said coldly, "You've seen what there is to see. The judges have important matters to attend to. Houhou, see the guests out."
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
Hanya advised, "Sister, don't be angry. You usually go out on missions and have little experience dealing with people. Why not let Hanya handle this? As long as I explain the reason, they will leave on their own."
"You two must have heard about the damage to the Creation Furnace in the Artisanship Commission. The heliobus monsters sealed within have escaped and taken up residence here. The Ten-Lords Commission is under orders to capture them. Advising you to leave quickly is for your own safety."
"If you have doubts, you may ask. Hanya will do her best to satisfy your curiosity. But after asking, I hope you two will keep the secret and leave the Fyxestroll Garden quietly, and never return."
Little Gui would naturally not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
First, she asked: What exactly are heliobi?
"According to the Divination Commission's classification, they are energy parasites from beyond the heavens, spirits of starlight that appear in the form of eerie flames."
"To use a metaphor, they are like moths chasing a heat source. Only this heat source is nothing other than the thoughts of sentient beings."
Next, she asked: "Are these things very dangerous?"
"Yes. They love to parasitize intelligent life, absorbing their experiences and tasting their emotions."
"Gradually, the heliobus will take root in the host's nervous system, using their inner desires and weaknesses to create all sorts of delusions, manipulating the host like a puppet on a string. The host will then obey the heliobus implicitly; we call this 'possession'."
"At this stage, what is inside the host's head is no longer their former self, but a heliobus that is similar yet fundamentally different. The host's body will soon be drained dry by the heliobus, like firewood burnt to ash."
Finally, she asked: "So, Tail is also very dangerous?"
Tail cut in immediately: "Watch your mouth, little girl! What do you mean 'also' dangerous? This venerable self is in the most dangerous category!"
"Tail… has already been suppressed onto my tail by Lady Hanya. It won't harm anyone else," Houhou stated weakly.
"What's troublesome is that heliobi are not creatures of flesh and blood; they are difficult to destroy. So, before the Creation Furnace is repaired, the Ten-Lords Commission intends to set up the Suppression Tower Array in this abandoned garden to imprison these monsters."
After finishing this part of the plot.
Little Gui couldn't help but let out a long "Oh~".
Suddenly enlightened!
"So that's what heliobi are all about…"
"There are no ghosts on the Xianzhou; it's just some alien parasites that were locked up for a thousand years and got out."
"Ah, this, this, this… isn't this even scarier!?"
"It turned from a horror movie into a sci-fi movie!"
…
"When the main quest was at the Artisanship Commission, Master Gongshu mentioned the heliobi inside the Creation Furnace. So there was foreshadowing even back then!"
"Thanks to the Judge for the science lesson!"
"I'm finding the Ten-Lords Commission judges more and more approachable. They're good-looking, speak nicely, answer every question, and never talk in riddles!"
"No wonder I've been feeling less energetic lately and have zero interest in work. I suspect I've been possessed by a heliobus!"
"I have a friend who always sleeps in class. Is he about to be possessed by a heliobus!?"
"Oh no! A heliobus is actually by my side!"
[ [Ruthless Divination Machine] gifted 10 Super Starskiffs to streamer Little Gui and left a message: Netizens, please be cautious with your words and actions. The internet is not a lawless place. Spreading rumors will lead to legal responsibility. ]