Chapter 839 – Lures
The citadel was lit up even during the night. It seemed like many things were happening inside, but Aiko didn't quite care about that part.
'There is still a building in the distance?' Aiko tilted her head as she noticed a small building far away.
'That should be the last one, right?' It kind of felt ominous as it was a single small building, compared to these huge citadels.
Aiko dressed up in her [Barbaric Nightingale Set] and left the tent. She would keep the tent there just in case she had to return, but the important part was to scout it out and see if that was really the last place.
And if so, maybe she didn't need to deal with all those 'villages'? That would be preferable.
The plains thinned as she approached the single building. It seemed like everything around that lone house was maintained. The grass, the rocks, everything. It felt organised, with intention, which made Aiko wary.
A few steps more and she was within the radius of the 'maintained' sphere. It was difficult to say if anyone lived-
[You have died.]
"..." Aiko blinked her eyes as she was back inside the safe area.
"..." She couldn't believe that she died faster than she could see her enemy, no, the weapon that killed her.
She didn't hear anything. She couldn't see anything. She couldn't feel anything.
It was a complete mystery what just happened to her, which made the situation even more eerie.
However, Aiko didn't worry about that. She already had a plan in mind.
She would gather all those uglies just before this house and see if they were agitated enough to attack it. Then what was left of it would be scavenged by her.
'But can those lures be interacted with?' Aiko was worried that the ugly that lived in that house would mess up her plan, so she first went to the shop to read the description again.
The description changed, rightfully so. She now knew what the lure would do, how much of it and under what circumstances.
The lures didn't work well in water, but artificial water wouldn't affect it. That meant the shamanic uglies wouldn't be able to stop it.
Moreover, once those lures were activated, they would turn sticky. They can't be treated as a normal thing.
If the ugly picks it up, it will increase the effect by severalfold. Moreover, it was also protected against damage, meaning that you could still cut it, smash it, mush it and so on, but you couldn't get rid of it.
That was the most impressive thing that Aiko read about it, since once activated it wouldn't 'move' from its place until it did its job.
And, since it already had amplifying effects, more lures in the same spot would also increase in radius.
Aiko was impressed by this and bought everything according to her plan. She was a bit worried that the lures wouldn't have enough distance, so she included as many lures as she possibly could buy.
This should give her enough spread that it would attract all the villages, but she didn't stop there.
There was a small residue called 'maddening powder'. She didn't know where it came from or how it got here, but it was very useful.
So, Aiko cooked those two things together, making one large ball of sludge.
"It's nasty, but it will work." Aiko nodded her head seriously. She wanted to observe the situation and what would happen to it, but she couldn't.
She was unable to identify what killed her, so going back there was a suicide.
Aiko borrowed the [Spatial Mage Set]. This time she couldn't take it with her, since her previous set was still inside that tent.
'I will get everything later.' Aiko nodded her head, but then she paused. 'What about the Spirit Slime...?' She was so quick to leave she didn't consider that.
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'Can I teleport without clothes?" Aiko had this absurd thought, since she needed these clothes to be able to teleport so far, but maybe it would be possible even without clothes?
'Let's just try.' Aiko nodded her head seriously. She went back into the shop to leave the clothes there and just used the staff as a catalyst for this teleportation.
She appeared on the plains naked, diving into the tent and picking up her clothes.
Quickly putting them on, she teleported everything back to the base.
[You have died.]
This time she died because of the teleportation, but fortunately everything was back.
'Phew...' Aiko breathed a sigh of relief, now she would be able to execute it without worrying.
She was also worried that her tent would be trampled over, but fortunately, she didn't need to worry about that any more.
Licking her lips gently, she used the supporting magic to teleport everything onto the plains.
There was not just one large ball, but it also combined the many small balls with it, making it a pile of balls in different sizes.
With that done, activation was simple.
Aiko just teleported over with a bucket and threw the water at it before recalling.
'Ugh...' Aiko was dizzy from the constant jumping and exhaustion of not only MP but also HP.
'Everything should be fine.' Aiko nodded her head. The effects last for about a month, but she would check it every-so-often, just in case something went wrong.
For now, she was free, so she would go to sleep in her bed!
The Spirit Slime naturally didn't follow her this time and went visit its new 'friend'.
A scream could be heard during the night, but it was hard to say what kind of scream it was...
...
Aiko woke up after a few days. She was impressed just how colourful this place became over time.
It was no different from the real world, if not for the lack of other living beings.
'I wonder if I can invite everyone over one day...?' Aiko's factions grew over time, making it sizeable. It was frankly impossible to be able to get EVERYONE inside this space, but in small numbers, it just might be possible.
'Well, that's debate for another day.' Aiko looked outside her window, which was now by her bed. 'It's also kind of creepy how my supposed home changes from time to time...' She wanted to ignore it a few times, but things were getting a bit too ridiculous. Just one blink was enough for the house to completely change!
Aiko stood up, just as Yue approached her room.
"Awake?" Yue tilted her head. She clearly didn't expect Aiko to be already up.
"You make it like I laze around." Aiko rolled her eyes.
"Isn't that the case?" Yue raised her eyebrow. 'At least you have rested well...'
That's right, she mixed her thoughts with her spoken language, making a mess of things.
"Uhuh." Aiko pouted her lips and Yue quickly realised what happened.
"Haha..." Yue laughed awkwardly. "How about we talk down below?" She changed the topic, but it was obvious that Aiko was still upset.
"Then go, gogo." Aiko shooed her out of her room and went back to bed. Since Yue complained about her laziness, she would be as lazy as she could get!
...
Several days later. Aiko finally left her room. She was honestly bored with it already, and she probably rested enough now, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Yue was waiting down below. It was hard to say if she was happy or not, but Aiko didn't care much.
Aiko walked down, sitting on the sofa, while Yue was sitting on a small comfortable chair, leaning on the armrest.
Food was conjured in front of them out of nothing, making Yue even more speechless.
"You know how damn special this place is?" Yue tried to gauge Aiko's feelings, since she was locked up for a while.
"Normally, the Soul Realm wouldn't have any colours. They are not necessary since we perceive things differently. And if there were colours, they would not be as... advanced as what you are showing." Yue stared at Aiko who was, oh so naturally, munching on her food.
"For example. We can colour things, but the colour would be uniform. For example, this small table? It would only have one flat colour. There would be no texture or anything and there certainly wouldn't be so many colours involved, just one."
"Every object would have just one colour and if the object was too small, the colour would be that of its surroundings!" Yue tried to explain in simple terms, since Aiko seemed unaware of how ridiculous this place was.
Usually, your Inner World would have something similar, but more 'realistic'. There would be colours and everything, but it would be greatly limited in size until you developed it and even then, you have to maintain it, making it a difficult task.
This place? This place was very odd. It didn't seem like it was limited in size, it kind of felt like it was growing as time passed. Some things would stay as is, while others progress greatly.
For another example, the huge wall outside seemingly never changed, while the colours and structure of the place inside the safe area changed over time and by a lot.
Things were rearranged. Colours were adjusted and even now as she spoke, the senses were being 'implemented' into this place as if that was the most natural thing possible!
'It's outrageous.' Yue sighed gently. She was a bit concerned about how powerful Aiko was to be able to 'populate' this place.
"That sounds kind of boring..." Aiko raised her eyebrow. "Is that the same with the Treasure?"
"The Treasure was made out of the living, so it can naturally copy the normal world and draw its conditions."
"The colours would be there, the same with animals and other things, it's not as wild as this place." Yue described her reaction when she was inside Aiko's Treasure, made out of the dragon part.
"I'm glad that place is nice." Aiko smiled happily.
"... Is that what you should be saying right now?" Yue sighed again. It seemed like Aiko was carefree, but she knew damn well that she was listening to all of Yue's words.
"Why not? You are happy, the others are probably happy too, what else should matter in this case?" Aiko tilted her head as if that was the most natural thing to do.
"..." Yue gave up thinking about this. "So, when will this end?"
"Soon, I already planted the lure, now we just have to wait..." Aiko smiled, waiting for the effects to settle in. She should probably visit the place very soon, just to make sure the lures were still there and that the strange being wouldn't try to get rid of it.
Sure, the system said it would work, but you never know...