Chapter 78: Sister, With This Skill of Yours, You Could Set Up a Street Stall!

Celeste stood beneath the towering gates of Lion City.

High above on the city walls, a massive blue flag emblazoned with a golden lion snapped in the wind, its heavy fabric making a rhythmic thump-thump. Patrol soldiers, encased in formidable plate armor that gleamed under the sun, stood their posts with unwavering stillness. A solemn, almost oppressive military aura washed down from the ramparts.

The faint, tingling premonition of Overtones in her heart grew stronger.

Celeste pulled her gaze away from the imposing structure and glanced at the three teammates beside her.

Selene was craning her neck, her eyes wide with enthusiastic curiosity as she studied the defensive fortifications built into the gatehouse.

Reflected in Su Wan’s icy blue eyes, the complex defensive runes etched into the city walls scrolled past like silent streams of data, analyzed and dissected in an instant.

Xia Lian, however, was nervously tugging at the corner of her own sleeve, seeming to find it hard to breathe under the weight of the city’s martial atmosphere.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

And Celeste knew, with a sinking feeling, that she was about to personally shatter that normalcy.

“Everyone,” she cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “Before we head inside, there’s a small matter I need to explain in advance.”

Selene blinked, her interest instantly piqued. “Sister, is it that ‘unstable Heroic Spirit possession’ thing of yours? Is it about to act up again?”

“Correction,” Celeste replied, her face a mask of calm. “It’s not ‘acting up.’This is an’advance warning for the sake of team integration’.”

On Su Wan’s perpetually frosty face, her eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. “Heroic Spirit possession?”

“A special talent,” Celeste said succinctly. “The effect is completely random. To avoid you guys freaking out if it happens mid-battle, I figure it’s better to, uh, open the loot box for you ahead of time so you can see what it’s like.”

She continued, “It has a chance to trigger whenever I cast a skill. When it does, I briefly connect with the power of certain… special existences, which changes my appearance and some of my abilities. The triggered effect is, well, unstable.”

Xia Lian clasped her small hands together, her voice a nervous whisper. “Will… will you look very different?”

“Yep.” Celeste admitted it frankly. “Appearance, abilities, and combat style will all change. It even comes with its own background music.”

Su Wan said nothing, but the look she gave Celeste was already one of intense scrutiny, as if she were examining a defective piece of equipment. Her gaze screamed, ‘Are you suffering from some kind of serious illness?’

A priestess, a wielder of divine order, being so nonchalant about a completely uncontrollable, variable-filled, random ability? This was nothing short of blasphemy against the very concepts of Order and precision.

“Awesome! Open the box, open the box!” Selene was already rubbing her hands together in glee. “I’ll bet five copper coins it’s a melee powerhouse type this time!”

Su Wan shot her a sidelong glance, her icy blue eyes flashing with a new thought: ‘It seems both sisters have some serious issues.’

…

In a small grove on the outskirts of Lion City, Celeste stood facing her three “audience members,” each wearing a different expression. She raised a hand, condensing a ball of soft, pink light.

It was the most basic, single-target Healing Spell.

“Healing Spell.”

The ball of light flew out and dissipated into a gentle halo.

Nothing happened.

“Again.”

Another Healing Spell.

Selene’s initial eager anticipation had melted away. She was now squatting on the ground, bored, drawing circles in the dirt with a twig. “Sister, does your talent depend on the daily almanac or something? This is the fifth time already!”

Su Wan stood with her arms crossed, a flicker of confusion in her cold eyes. A completely random talent? From her perspective, that was just a fancy name for a useless ability.

Xia Lian had gone from nervous to somewhat numb, whispering a quiet prayer. “I hope it’s a normal-looking one…”

Just as the sixth mote of holy light bloomed on Celeste’s fingertips, a sudden change swept through the clearing.

A piece of brisk, lively music materialized from thin air, permeating the grove. The thick, melodious tune of a bawu flute, carrying the moist, vibrant atmosphere of a distant water town, filled the air with a rhythm that made one want to tap their feet.

“It’s here!” Selene shot up from her squat, practically bouncing with excitement.

[Overtones triggered! BGM: “Scenery on the Port” (Yilong Port). Transforming character: Lan Yan.]

In an instant, a soft, cyan-blue halo wrapped around Celeste, shimmering like ripples on a pond.

When the light dissipated, the plain, pink-haired priestess was gone.

In her place stood a graceful damselette dressed in a cyan-blue short shirt, partially covered by an asymmetrical jacket of light gauze. This was paired with a pleated, agile-looking white skirt that barely reached her mid-thighs. Her waist was cinched with an exquisitely embroidered sash, and the cuffs, hem, and corners of her jacket were dotted with elegant vine patterns.

Her pink hair remained, but tucked into it was a small, silver swallow decoration, so lifelike it seemed poised to take flight at any moment.

Most eye-catching of all was the cyan vine she held in her hand, its entire length glowing with a faint, natural light.

[Additional buff: Agility increased. Movement speed increased by 20%.]

[First time triggering Lan Yan transformation. Drawing additional reward…]

[Congratulations to the Host! You have permanently mastered: Lan Yan’s Vine Weaving Technique (Master level)!]

At the same moment, the air above Celeste’s head shimmered and twisted. A huge, translucent screen of light unfolded out of thin air, like a projection at an open-air cinema.

On the screen, a girl dressed exactly like Celeste was now, nimbly leaped and ran alongside an antique port. She gestured with the vine in her hand, weaving all sorts of exquisite objects from thin air, before turning to flash a playful smile at the camera. The entire animated short film was saturated with the poetic charm of a riverside town and the sprightly energy of the girl.

‘Thank god, it’s a proper character PV,’Celeste breathed a sigh of relief internally.’If the System had hit me with some “All-Star Dancer” fan-made MMD, I would’ve had to quit the team on the spot today.’

Her two new teammates were completely frozen.

They stared up, dumbfounded, at the high-definition, smoothly animated “personal promotional video” playing above their heads, complete with what sounded like Dolby surround sound.

What in the world was this? A magical projection? A divine miracle?

Celeste blinked, then subconsciously shifted her weight.

She immediately felt the problem.

This outfit was clearly designed for a petite, delicate girl. She, on the other hand, stood at a respectable 1.75 meters, with curves that were more statuesque than slender.

At this moment, the fabric of the top was stretched taut, outlining a rather exaggerated silhouette. The decorative ribbon at her waist seemed a bit cramped, and the hem of that white skirt… was definitely a bit too short.

As the night wind blew, a distinct chill brushed against the outside of her thighs.

Celeste fell silent.

Then, a voice that was not her own—crisp, lively, and completely different from her usual lazy drawl—spoke from her lips.

“Anywhere is fine, but not going is also fine.”

The moment the words left her mouth, her body moved.

It was just a small step.

To Selene, it was a complete blur. Her sister shifted sideways like a weightless feather, her feet seemingly not even touching the ground. The entire movement was impossibly fluid, impossibly elegant.

“So fast!” Selene’s eyes lit up. “Is this an agility type this time?”

Su Wan’s pupils contracted slightly. No, that wasn’t just speed. That was a display of ultimate coordination and agility. Every exertion of force, every turn, was as precise as a textbook diagram, with not a single ounce of wasted motion.

“…Her form and footwork are very special,” she commented in a low voice, a sharp, analytical glint in her icy eyes.

“Wow!” Xia Lian let out a small gasp. “So… so cute!” Realizing what she’d said, her face flushed red, and she hurriedly added, “I mean, you look so… so lively like this, Sister Celeste!”

Selene had already rushed over, circling Celeste with wide, wondering eyes. “Sister, is this vine a weapon? Even your voice changed!”

“It’s just an influence that comes with the ability. It’s not like you haven’t seen this before,” Celeste cleared her throat, trying to find her normal cadence but failing.

She waved the emerald-green vine in her hand, and an innate, muscle-deep memory of weaving techniques flooded her mind.

A sudden thought popped into her head.

“By the way, let me show you something fun.”

Celeste crouched down and casually snapped off a few ordinary, slender branches from a nearby bush.

Under the watchful gaze of three pairs of eyes, her fingers began to move.

And what hands they were.

Her ten fingers flew, moving so fast they blurred into afterimages. The ordinary branches were looped, twisted, and knotted between her digits as if they had a life of their own, weaving themselves into shape with impossible speed.

In just over a dozen seconds, a lifelike sparrow made of woven vines lay quietly in her palm. Its wings were delicately thin, its tail feathers slender, and even its tiny eyes seemed to hold a spark of cleverness.

“This is…” Xia Lian leaned forward, her curiosity overpowering her shyness.

Celeste stood up, a smile curling the corners of her lips. She gently tossed the vine sparrow into the air.

A miracle occurred.

The little sparrow, woven from nothing but common branches, actually spread its wings. Catching the night breeze, it began to circle the clearing with nimble grace.

It was flying.

It glided lightly through the forest air, its wings adjusting their angle from time to time, sometimes climbing, sometimes diving. The moonlight shone on its slender vine skeleton, casting a lively, dancing shadow on the ground below.

One circle, two circles, three circles…

After soaring for nearly half a minute, it slowly lowered its altitude, landing accurately and gently back in Celeste’s outstretched palm, like a tired bird returning to its nest.

The grove was dead silent.

Xia Lian’s mouth was open wide enough to fit a goose egg. She looked from the vine sparrow to Celeste and back again, her mind completely blown.

In Su Wan’s icy blue eyes, the eternal glacier finally cracked, revealing undisguised, deep shock. She stared intently at the vine sparrow, then at Celeste, her gaze finally settling on the glowing vine in her hand.

That craftsmanship… that technique was bordering on the sublime.

This priestess… just how many bizarre skills was she hiding?

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Selene broke the silence, applauding vigorously. Her face was alight with vicarious pride as she shouted, “Awesome, my sister! With this skill, you could make a fortune setting up a stall in the city!”

Celeste just smiled and handed the vine sparrow to Xia Lian.

“For you.”

“Sister… Sister Celeste…” Xia Lian took it with trembling hands, her voice sounding distant and dreamy. “It… it was really flying just now…”

“Just a little trick using the wind,” Celeste said nonchalantly, though she was secretly surprised herself. She hadn’t expected a Master-level skill to be able to imbue a woven object with such lifelike characteristics.

Three minutes later, the transformation effect lifted.

The cyan-blue halo reappeared, and the tight-fitting damselette outfit faded away like a receding tide, replaced once more by her simple priest robe. The music stopped.

Celeste shook her head, her voice and posture returning to normal.

“Okay, demonstration’s over,” she said, looking at her two new teammates. “Next time you suddenly hear music or see me changing clothes in the middle of a fight, don’t panic. That’s just me… uh, switching states.”

She added, “Besides this unstable one, I also have a stable Heroic Spirit possession. That one consumes a lot of stamina, so I generally save it for emergencies.”

Xia Lian was still cradling the vine sparrow, nodding vigorously. Her eyes shone with a look that clearly said, ‘Sister Celeste, what other incredible surprises are you hiding from me?’

Su Wan had already returned to her usual calm, but there was a new, almost imperceptible note of inquiry in her tone. “Understood. However… your ability system is indeed very special.”

“Let’s go.” She was the first to turn and walk towards Lion City. “It’s time to report in.”

Selene hopped along behind her. “Sister, if you trigger that one again, can you weave a little gadget for me too? That sparrow is so cool!”

“I can weave one even without the transformation,” Celeste replied. “I’ll make you one later when I have some downtime.”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]