Master of Kaidan
Chapter 45: The Increase of Strange Illusions

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Increase of Strange Illusions

Although a lot of paper was wasted, Feng Xue’s harvest couldn’t be considered nonexistent. Besides the three mystical items, what concerned him the most, was after all, a black orb.

The black orb was originally just a paper bracelet. During the recasting process, it spontaneously generated over a dozen elements. Feng Xue thought a large object would result, but unexpectedly, those elements suddenly shattered, and then the paper, along with everything else, contracted into a marble-sized black sphere.

What made Feng Xue uneasy was that his Golden Finger could see that type of ominous Mosaic Sphere on the black orb, which was different because it exhibited none of the living characteristics, nor did it have any actively moving explicit element entries.

"What in the world is this thing?" Feng Xue carefully did not touch the black orb with his hand but instead took out an Indescribable Stick that had warped during the process and poked it. Yet, it did not cause the erosion he had imagined. In fact, given that the object had been lying on the table without eroding the table, it implied it probably wasn’t that dangerous.

"Anyway, I’ll experiment with it later..."

Feng Xue shook his head slightly, with no plans to stow the black thing in his Storage Bag just yet, instead turning his attention back to the three mystical items.

Speaking of these three things, Feng Xue felt as if he had a lifetime’s worth of complaints stuck in his throat. Although he couldn’t say they were as useless as a pink remote control toy, how should he put it...

Subtle, just subtle!

The first mystical item was the Indescribable Stick he’d used to prod the black orb—

Name: Mystical Item · Indescribable Stick

Elements: [Solid], [Durable], [Storage], [General], [Weapon], [Tool]

Description: While it appears to be just a crowbar with a red handle, it seems to be tainted with an indescribable aura. This makes it almost unbreakable and allows it to reduce the sanity (san) value of any enemy it hits. Additionally, it can be stored in any "seemingly storage-capable" location and retrieved at will.

Remark: Works best in combination with an Old Seal and friends!

If he had to describe it, it was quite powerful. The reliability of being nearly unbreakable, the debuff of lowering an enemy’s san, and the convenience in storage and retrieval were all notable. However, after seeing the remark, Feng Xue didn’t find it difficult to imagine where this item had come from.

In fact, that was secondary, because if he remembered correctly, this item should belong to a certain Evil God’s avatar, right?

But despite saying that, it was, in reality, the most practical of the three items, as the second mystical item was a cardboard box.

Yes, just a cardboard box, about half a meter tall, the kind of corrugated box commonly used for large parcel deliveries—

Name: Mystical Item · Suspicious Cardboard Box

Elements:[Storage], [Concealment], [Infiltration], [Assassination]

Description: A cardboard box used by a mercenary for infiltration, its internal space is much larger than it looks, enough to fit two adults. Once inside the box, your presence will be significantly reduced, but if a creature stares at it, the people inside cannot move.

Remark: You can’t see me!

If you say this thing is utterly useless, that’s not exactly true. If he decided to simply sleep inside the box at night, he pretty much wouldn’t need to worry about standing watch. However, the space inside the box was a bit awkward. It wasn’t too small – two adults crouched in it wouldn’t feel cramped – but it wasn’t big enough to stand up or lie down in, so you’d have to squat.

And more importantly, aside from the Storage element, the other three element entries were top-grade! Every time Feng Xue saw this thing, he wondered if he hadn’t thrown in that [Storage] element, but instead had put a [Assassin] element into it, whether he might have obtained another splendid item.

And more than those two items, what really made Feng Xue want to curse was the third one. If one must say, this third item indeed satisfied his needs and was a decent storage item. But the problem was, this thing... was a skirt...

Name: Phantasmal Four-Dimensional Skirt

Features: [Storage], [Clothing], [Transformation], [All-match]

Description: A seemingly ordinary short skirt that appears to match most tops. However, what’s intriguing is that when this skirt is worn, the unknown dimension between the thigh and the skirt’s hem will transform into a storage space that encompasses everything.

Note: What exactly is under a girl’s skirt?

...

If Feng Xue could reluctantly accept and use the first two items, this skirt... although of excellent practicality, he refuses! Even though the skirt was continuously emitting whispers like that of a demon, that unparalleled utility seemed to have a demon singing in the depths of Feng Xue’s heart.

A man shouldn’t, at least ought not to!

With gritted teeth, Feng Xue forcefully smashed that demon into two flat cakes, then picked up the skirt and told Chen Xiyao with a tone as resolute as a warrior severing his own wrist:

"It’s yours!"

"Huh?!" Chen Xiyao, who was still tangled in thoughts like "Where should I put the pink remote control toy?" and "If I place it somewhere out of sight, will it be suspected that I’ve equipped it?" was startled by Feng Xue’s voice. Only then did she see a short skirt thrown her way, and her face turned even redder.

"This, that, it’s too short..." and "Giving a skirt as a gift, could it be...?"

"That’s a storage tool, ever heard of a four-dimensional skirt?" Feng Xue forced his gaze from the skirt, fearing that if he couldn’t hold back, he would make a decision he’d regret for life.

In fact, whether or not to reveal his Golden Finger in front of Chen Xiyao was something he had carefully considered. But after weighing the pros and cons, he still decided to reveal the power of recreating phantasmal items.

First, Chen Xiyao was unaware of the specifics of this world. In such a situation, the less Feng Xue cared, the more she would take it as "common knowledge" of this world.

Second, the necessary condition to become a Kaidan is to leave a deep impression on outsiders. Compared to an assassin who wasn’t very noticeable, a craftsman capable of creating all kinds of bizarre items would clearly be more memorable.

And even if the impression on Chen Xiyao herself was equally profound, what about its spread? After seeing information about predecessors who went on massive killings in the real world, bestowed by the Gatekeeper’s knowledge, Feng Xue was sure that the real world had official organizations to deal with Kaidan. This meant that after Chen Xiyao returned, she might be interrogated or even have her memories wiped. In such a case, encountering an assassin as opposed to a mysterious person capable of crafting phantasmal items represented two completely different concepts. The former would not be of interest to the officials, but as for the latter, the officials might even remember Feng Xue’s existence due to the immense benefit.

Even considering the most extreme scenario, if Chen Xiyao got separated from him by accident, and then the Cross Sword Guild captured her, and then his abilities were exposed, so what?

How would the Cross Sword Union react to someone who could produce phantasmal items?

Even in the worst-case scenario, he would simply be enslaved as livestock to produce phantasmal items, right? But what if the Cross Sword Union was unaware? What would the outcome of capturing him be?

Undoubtedly, as someone who had left an impression on outsiders and also resisted the Manager, the best Feng Xue could hope for was to be hung on the execution platform waiting to evaporate.

Feng Xue firmly believed in a saying, as long as one is alive, there is hope. Even if trapped in a cage, as long as one is undying, there will always be an opportunity for a reversal. But once a person is dead, that’s the end of everything!