Her eyelids trembled slowly.
The voices that had been tearing through her head moments ago suddenly vanished, as if someone had cut them off with a sharp blade.
The air was quiet.
Strangely quiet.
Mo Xuan opened her eyes.
She was not on the ground.
There was no sign that she had fallen.
She was still standing in front of the wooden table, her hand stretched toward the book just as it had been moments before.
Her expression froze.
"…What?"
She didn't move for several seconds.
Her cold eyes slowly swept across the room.
The table… the books… the dim stone lamps…
Everything was exactly where it should be.
No one was shouting her name.
No one was running toward her.
Nothing had happened.
And yet…
She remembered it clearly.
The fall.
The pain.
The voices that almost tore her mind apart.
Slowly, she raised her hand and touched her temple.
There was no pain.
Only a faint pulse, as if her mind was trying to recall a memory that didn't truly exist.
Her gaze returned to the book.
She reached out and picked it up slowly.
The cover was simple—old brown leather with no special decoration.
She flipped through the pages quickly, her eyes moving across the lines.
There was nothing remarkable.
Just an old book written in the language of this world, explaining methods of storing low-rank shards and a few simple notes about Water Xiao.
She paused for a moment.
Then she closed the book quietly.
"…So it's just a book."
She placed it back on the table.
Yet her gaze lingered on it for several seconds.
Not because the book mattered…
But because the moment before it had made no sense.
She thought coldly to herself:
"Perhaps it was just fatigue."
Or maybe…
"Memories from my previous world are starting to overlap with this one."
Finally, she turned and left the table.
Outside, the noise of the festival was still alive.
Lanterns illuminated the sky, and voices filled the streets as if nothing unusual had happened at all.
But the moment Mo Xuan stepped out of the hall—
She stopped.
Across the corridor…
That boy was standing there.
Watching her.
Not with curiosity.
But with a strange calmness… as if he had been waiting for her to come out all along.
Mo Xuan narrowed her eyes slightly.
"That presence… again."
This time, the boy didn't change direction.
He began walking toward her.
His steps were steady and calm, as if he had already made a decision.
Mo Xuan noticed his movement from the corner of her eye.
For a brief moment, their gazes almost met.
But she simply turned her head away.
As if he didn't exist.
The crowd of the festival flowed between them—swaying lanterns, merchants shouting, laughter filling the wide plaza.
By the time the boy reached the place where she had been standing…
Mo Xuan had already disappeared into the crowd.
And she never looked back.
The festival streets were overflowing with life.
Rows of stalls stretched along both sides of the road.
Some sold tools related to low-rank shards, while others offered simple manuals about how to use them.
Mo Xuan ignored most of them.
She continued walking calmly until she stopped in front of a large building with a wooden sign hanging above it.
Hall of Fortune.
Inside, people gathered around long tables covered with rough stones of different sizes.
Each stone was sealed with a simple mark.
Some contained shards.
Most of them contained nothing.
Mo Xuan stepped inside.
Behind one of the tables sat a middle-aged merchant watching the customers with clear boredom.
When his eyes landed on her, he raised his eyebrows and let out a mocking laugh.
"Well, well… what do we have here?"
He looked her up and down.
"Did a little girl get lost during the festival?"
Mo Xuan didn't answer.
Her eyes were calmly examining the stones laid out before him.
The merchant's smile shifted slightly.
"Listen, kid," he said mockingly.
"This isn't a candy shop."
He tapped one of the stones with his finger.
"Every stone here costs money."
Mo Xuan asked calmly,
"How much?"
The merchant laughed again.
"One silver coin per stone."
He pointed to the piles in front of him.
"Inside these rocks you might find a Xiao shard… or absolutely nothing."
Mo Xuan paused briefly.
"What are the odds?"
The merchant grinned widely.
"About one in twenty."
He shrugged.
"And even if you do get one, it'll most likely be low rank."
Mo Xuan nodded slightly.
She already knew that.
Even without a shard aperture, it was still possible to extract and use shards through crude methods.
It was difficult.
Inefficient.
But for someone who possessed enough knowledge…
It was enough.
She took out several silver coins and placed them on the table.
"I'll take ten stones."
The merchant froze for a moment.
Then burst into laughter.
"You?"
He picked up a stone and tossed it lightly in his hand.
"These aren't toys, little girl."
"When you lose your money, don't come crying."
Mo Xuan finally raised her eyes to look at him.
Her gaze was completely calm.
"Just give me the stones."
The merchant paused briefly, then shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
He pushed ten stones toward her.
Several people nearby began watching with curiosity.
Mo Xuan picked up the first stone.
She lifted it slightly…
Then smashed it against the stone table.
Crack.
Fragments scattered.
Nothing.
The merchant laughed loudly.
"Haha! See?"
But Mo Xuan had already picked up the second stone.
Another strike.
Nothing.
Third.
Nothing.
Fourth.
Nothing.
Fifth.
Nothing.
Sixth.
The stone cracked slowly…
But the inside was empty as well.
Whispers rose among the spectators.
"Just as expected…"
"A kid wasting her money."
The merchant smiled broadly and shook his head.
"I told you… this isn't a game."
Mo Xuan showed no reaction.
She calmly looked at the remaining four stones.
Then slowly gathered them and placed them inside a small pouch.
The merchant raised his eyebrows.
"What? Not opening the rest?"
She replied coldly,
"Not now."
The merchant laughed mockingly.
"Afraid you'll lose in front of everyone?"
Mo Xuan didn't answer.
She simply took the pouch and turned away.
For her…
Opening the stones in front of a crowd wasn't important.
Some things…
Were better done in a quiet place.
A short while later…
Mo Xuan left the Hall of Fortune.
The lights of the festival glowed behind her.
The noise still filled the streets.
But her steps were calm.
Inside her sleeve…
Rested the small pouch containing the four remaining stones.
Most likely low rank.
But that didn't matter.
Because her mind was already calculating how to extract what might be hidden inside them.
And somewhere among the crowd…
A pair of eyes watched her as she walked away.