Chapter 146 : Defying Logic
Could this palace be related to ancient fierce beasts?
This thought had barely formed in the little white tiger's mind before she could delve deeper into it, when the scene before her eyes changed and she was transported away again. When she focused her gaze, she once again saw two towering palace gates gleaming with golden light, still elaborately inlaid with dazzling jewels.
The little white tiger no longer paid attention to these ostentatious doors; she paused only briefly before pushing open the gates before her.
Unlike the previous time when she could see a corridor and courtyard upon opening the doors, this time there was nothing behind the palace gates—an emptiness that stirred unease in one's heart. So the little white tiger remained outside the gates, poking her head in and looking around, still reluctant to step inside. But with her head inside, she could see the situation in the palace chamber clearly, and she asked the system: "There's nothing in this chamber. So, does this count as completing the exploration task?"
The system hesitated upon hearing this, seemingly a bit speechless: "No, just looking isn't enough. It seems the host still needs to go in."
Jiang Mo had already anticipated this, so while the response wasn't unexpected, she still felt a little disappointed. However, since she had come all this way and had nowhere else to go, entering didn't seem unreasonable.
And so, the little white tiger finally stepped through the gates.
The originally empty palace chamber changed the moment she stepped through the door—the ordinary chamber disappeared, and suddenly a long street with an ancient aesthetic appeared before her eyes. The street was crowded with people coming and going without cease, and various small stalls were set up along the sides, selling all kinds of goods. At first glance, it presented a peaceful and harmonious scene of everyday market life.
The little white tiger's steps halted immediately. First, she looked down at herself and found she was still in her white tiger form, though she wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or tense. Then she called out in her mind: "System?"
The system's light orb appeared, swaying back and forth, and responded: "Host, I'm here."
Seeing it appear, the little white tiger couldn't help but sigh in relief, then asked: "System, have I entered an illusion again?"
The system looked around and, without even needing to scan, answered: "Obviously, yes."
The little white tiger also looked around. Although she couldn't detect any signs of danger, she still felt vexed. She didn't understand what the palace master was thinking—they had already used an illusion in the first palace chamber, why use the same old trick in the second chamber? Was their imagination insufficient, unable to come up with new ways to torment people?!
However, complaints aside, faced with this situation, the little white tiger could only respond as the situation demanded—she took a moment to look back, but the palace gates had already disappeared, and all she could see was a stretch of street, with her standing in the middle of it.
Strangely enough, since the little white tiger appeared on this illusory street, the passing pedestrians seemed able to see her, automatically moving around her position. But no matter how small, a white tiger still has the appearance of a tiger. These pedestrians showed no spiritual energy fluctuations whatsoever and went about their shopping with the demeanor of ordinary mortals—why weren't they afraid when they saw her?
Well, this was an illusion, and nothing could be measured by normal logic.
The little white tiger shook her head, dismissing these oddities. She stood in place for a while longer and, seeing that nothing continued to happen, grew impatient and began to wander cautiously along the street.
The street in the illusion was very long; the little white tiger walked for a long time without seeing its end. However, as she walked, she suddenly heard a commotion, and listening carefully, she could make out the voices of two people arguing... The love of watching drama seems to be a human trait; before the little white tiger's curiosity could get the better of her, the two quarreling people were already thoroughly surrounded by spectators.
The little white tiger peeked once, seeing that the center of the commotion was so densely surrounded that not even a strand of hair from the arguing pair could be seen. She snorted lightly in her heart, didn't approach, and turned to leave.
The system orb, perched on the tip of the host's ear, seemed like it wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent.
Sure enough, after the little white tiger left this "commotion," the previously endless street suddenly came to an end as she walked forward. Moreover, this endpoint appeared abruptly and perfunctorily—it was simply a high wall blocking the road. But how could a road blocked by a wall still be bustling with people coming and going? They couldn't all be there just to stroll around!
Jiang Mo silently complained again, but since the illusion was so simple and crude, she had nothing more to say—she looked at the high wall and, on a whim, tried to fly up to see what was beyond it. However, when she actually flew up, she discovered that the wall's height changed with her position. No matter how high she flew, she couldn't see beyond the wall, which was quite frustrating.
Finally, with no other choice, the little white tiger returned the way she came, soon arriving back near the two arguing people. Looking at the now calm street, she knew without detailed investigation that the key to this illusion lay here.
The spectators hadn't diminished at all, still surrounding the two quarreling individuals in layers so tightly that not even water could seep through. However, it was easy for the little white tiger to enter if she wanted to—she soared into the air, directly bypassing the crowd by flying over their heads into the inner circle. Many people saw a white tiger flying overhead, but they ignored her actions, as if her flying in was perfectly natural.
The little white tiger quickly scanned the crowd; although each person's expression and demeanor differed, they somehow gave a stiff impression. It was as if all their expressions, all their emotions, had been predetermined...
Hmm, she understood—these were simply NPCs requiring no attention.
Jiang Mo didn't think too much about it and quickly entered the inner circle, finally getting a clear view of the two main characters arguing. One was dressed in silk and brocade, looking very wealthy, while the other wore a short coarse garment and stood by a small stall, apparently the stall owner. The stall had originally displayed a row of sachets, not very elaborate, but now they had all fallen to the ground and been stepped on several times.
After landing, from her vantage point, the little white tiger immediately saw one of the sachets under the foot of the wealthy young master. The sachet wasn't large, but it wasn't as thin as paper either; stepping on it would definitely be noticeable—he was doing it deliberately.
Then, listening to their argument, the situation became even more absurd—Jiang Mo had initially thought that the young master had smashed the stall for some reason, and the stall owner was demanding compensation. Who would have thought it was the reverse: the young master claimed the stall owner's stall was blocking his way, and not only had he smashed the stall and destroyed the sachets, but he was also demanding compensation from the stall owner for his losses.
The little white tiger, having heard the whole story: ???
So this illusion was this unreasonable and illogical?
The little white tiger was bewildered but greatly shocked. Then, even more illogically, as the two argued, they decided to find someone to judge their dispute, and among so many NPCs, they somehow chose the tiger cub who was barely larger than a cat.
The tiger cub tilted her head and, faced with their request for judgment, innocently "awoo-ed" once, not speaking human language.
The two arguing people seemed to pause, then acted as if nothing had happened, as if the little white tiger had already agreed to judge their case, and recounted the whole affair again. The stall owner looked utterly humble, begging her to uphold justice. The young master maintained his arrogant expression, showing no awareness of his wrongdoing, as if his actions were perfectly justified... His unreasonable demeanor made one want to punch him just by looking at him.
However, faced with the requests of these two, the tiger cub again tilted her head, her golden tiger eyes filled with pure innocence. She "awoo-ed" once more, soft and sweet, as if she couldn't understand a word they were saying, much less judge their dispute.
The scene froze awkwardly. The two disputants turned their heads simultaneously to stare at her, their gazes deep and silent.
Before the little white tiger could react, the system was already unnerved by their stares and whispered in the host's ear: "Host, stop playing around. This is an illusion, and you need to break through it to get out."
This made sense, but not following the script was quite entertaining too.
The little white tiger had been toying with the illusion for a while, wasting considerable time. Only when both the stall owner and the young master began to show menacing expressions did she finally clear her throat at the system's reminder: "You want me to uphold justice?"
When the stall owner and young master heard her speak, their expressions changed simultaneously, like turning a page. The menacing looks disappeared, and they reverted to their original roles—one pitiful and humble, the other haughty and arrogant. Then, as if nothing had happened, they again requested her to uphold justice, as if the tiger cub's words alone could determine the outcome.
The system whispered to her: "Host, which side will you take?"
According to normal logic, the stall owner was clearly in the right, and the young master was making unreasonable demands. But this illusion obviously lacked logic; otherwise, why would such an obvious case need anyone to judge?
The little white tiger was tempted to be mischievous and say she sided with the young master, curious about how the illusion would react.
Fortunately, while tempted, Jiang Mo knew this wasn't a place for games—being in an illusion meant she was being tested, and it was uncertain what consequences a frivolous answer might bring. After careful consideration, she abandoned the joke and sided with the stall owner.
The moment the little white tiger gave her answer, a sudden change occurred—the crowd of spectators, previously acting like NPCs, suddenly let out a collective roar. The sound was like a dog's, and somewhat familiar. When the little white tiger turned to look, it wasn't just that the sound was familiar; these people had all transformed into fierce beasts, tiger-like with wings—precisely the Qiongqi she had dispatched not long ago!
When the little white tiger had faced the false Qiongqi in the other space, there had been only one opponent. But now there were dozens or hundreds of spectators, all simultaneously transforming into Qiongqi, instantly surrounding the weak and pitiful white tiger.
The little white tiger hadn't anticipated this situation, and while she was momentarily stunned, the hundred or so Qiongqi surged toward her all at once.
The system immediately flew up in fright, soaring high and looking down, only to see a large group of Qiongqi instantly engulfing the white figure at the center. Fortunately, this dangerous scene lasted only a moment before one Qiongqi went flying, then another... These Qiongqi seemed to be made of paper, and it didn't take long for the host to clear them all away.
The gatekeeper had been a false Qiongqi to begin with, and those appearing in the illusion were even less formidable. However, the sight of a horde of fierce beasts pouncing on the host was terrifying enough, and the system received quite a fright.
Only after all the Qiongqi had been taken down by the host and the scene had completely calmed did the system descend again.
It wanted to say something, still in shock, when suddenly the scene before them changed. The previously chaotic scene seemed to refresh, and it and the host again appeared on the quiet street, with the sound of an argument clearly audible not far away...