120 North City Cemetery

North City Cemetery is a public burial ground in North City, famously said to be the final resting place of many notable figures. In reality, it is nothing more than a collection of tombstones with no actual remains buried beneath them. This was the place the ghostly butler had spoken of; he had been one of the spirits wandering this vicinity before accidentally touching the handle of the Ancient Mirror, which allowed him to become a spirit capable of independent action. If the handle was here, perhaps the other components were as well.

The Ancient Mirror had been shattered by a demon from the Ghost Deck, scattering into countless fragments. I only managed to obtain one piece because I became a contractor. The remaining parts were all lost, and now I could only rely on luck to find them. However, I was certain they had not left the North City area. This time, I brought two people with me. Since everyone’s abilities were restricted, it was safer to act together. Chen Hao and Lin Xiayue were on good terms, so I let them stay together at the Lin residence. Although Sun Xiaoxiao was capable in battle, her ability had become somewhat redundant due to the suppression; she could no longer control objects at will, only her specialized miniature weapons. None of us were skilled with weapons, and the only person who paired well with Sun Xiaoxiao was Midnight. Unfortunately, Midnight had long since vanished, becoming one of the many missing awakened contractors.

Therefore, I brought Xue Ning and Feng Qian. Feng Qian’s ability was balanced for both offense and defense, enough to protect himself, and Xue Ning’s ability complemented his perfectly. "Water" was Xue Ning’s special power; even under suppression, she could control the surrounding water vapor, and blood could also be considered a form of liquid. This meant Xue Ning could amplify Feng Qian’s attack power. Furthermore, as the Queen of Hearts, Xue Ning possessed another special ability: Water Clones. She could use water to create replicas of herself that were indistinguishable to the naked eye. Due to the current limitations, she could only create two.

Upon arriving at the North City Cemetery, the first thing I did was have Xue Ning manifest two clones. One remained at the entrance, while the other followed us inside as a scout. Since the clones were merely gathered water energy, their destruction would not affect Xue Ning in the slightest. The cemetery was much larger than we had imagined; beyond the prominent tombstones at the entrance, there was a rockery in the back. Through the Ancient Mirror, I clearly sensed the presence of homologous power buried underground.

Through our collective efforts, we finally found a hidden entrance—a trapdoor concealed by leaves. We opened it to reveal a passage leading to the base of the rockery. Without a word, the three of us descended the stairs. It was pitch black inside, devoid of any light. I used my light energy to illuminate the surroundings, though I dared not make it too bright, both to conserve my mental energy and to avoid becoming an easy target.

As we reached the bottom of the passage, the view opened up. I discovered what appeared to be lamp wicks and oil in stone troughs. After fumbling around for a while, I picked up two stones from the ground and struck them together, creating a spark that ignited the lamps.

As if triggering a mechanism, flames flickered to life one after another, instantly illuminating the entire underground space. Suddenly, a change occurred. Clusters of black death energy surged toward us, accompanied by demon-like roars. Xue Ning reacted quickly, signaling her clone to rush forward and block the oncoming black mist. It was devoured in an instant, but the clone had bought us enough time to dodge the attack trajectory.

More wretched spirits swarmed in from all directions. Feng Qian and I flanked Xue Ning to protect her. Feng Qian drew the Nine of Diamonds, and blood energy instantly manifested, coating his fists and feet. This method consumed the least amount of blood while making his attacks more precise. Once my Ancient Mirror took form, the release of my abilities underwent a qualitative change. I recited the incantations that appeared automatically in my mind, and the mirror emitted a strange light that enveloped the three of us. Compared to the previous light shield, the current defense was much more solid.

However, mere defense was not a solution. Feng Qian attacked first, his blood-coated fist striking a wandering ghost; the power of his corpse-poison bloodline activated instantly. The ghost touched by his blood began to emit green smoke, corroding until it was unrecognizable. Seeing that his attacks were effective, Feng Qian grew more confident. He struck out recklessly, and any ghost that approached was destroyed without exception. With my mirror protecting us, these weak spirits could cause no harm.

Suddenly, Xue Ning, standing between us, trembled. I asked with concern, "Xue Ning, what’s wrong?"

Xue Ning’s face was pale as she said with worry, "My other clone has been destroyed."

"But didn't you say the clones don't affect your true form?"

"But... the person who came is Hu Qingqing, and she is heading in our direction. She didn't hesitate at all when she killed my clone, as if I were her target."

This was strange. Why would Hu Qingqing attack Xue Ning? If she knew Xue Ning’s ability, she should have understood that killing a clone meant declaring war on her. "Could this be a new plan by the Suit Knights?"

"What?" Xue Ning heard my whisper and asked urgently. Clearly, Hu Qingqing was a far greater threat than this horde of ghosts.

"Feng Qian, speed it up!" I urged Feng Qian to clear the small fry faster while telling Xue Ning to message Chen Hao and the others for reinforcements.

"I am the Queen of Hearts, yet no one told me about the Suit Knights' plans." I didn't do this myself because I could already feel the summoning—it was coming from the deepest part of the ruins.

I was certain there were at least three fragments underground. I flipped the Ancient Mirror again, shooting out two beams of white light to envelop Feng Qian and Xue Ning—a variation of the light shield, the Light Layer Cloak. I charged inward alone, holding the mirror to my chest. A blinding white light pierced through the ghosts blocking my path as I sprinted forward.

A massive surge of energy erupted from the passage we had just descended. It seemed Hu Qingqing was arriving. I accelerated, found a reflective fragment, and summoned it to fly toward me. One of the six missing pieces had returned. I stepped up my search and found two more in a corner. It seemed they had been discarded carelessly, not intentionally hidden.

With a loud "boom," Hu Qingqing appeared at the entrance of the passage, accompanied by someone familiar: Hu Xing'er, the Five of Hearts. The sound had been an air cannon, created by her "Air" ability. Xue Ning was the first to see them and activated her Queen of Hearts ability. Two clones appeared at her sides. This time, Xue Ning was prepared; she pulled two daggers from her belt, handed one to each clone, and activated her "Water Blade Enhancement."

The clones charged at Hu Qingqing and Hu Xing'er. Hu Qingqing looked on with disdain and took a step back. Hu Xing'er activated the Five of Hearts, and an air cannon blasted out. One clone was unable to dodge and was blown into fragments; the other, wielding a blade, continued its assault on Hu Xing'er. Xue Ning’s true form did not fall behind, condensing a water blade and rushing toward Hu Xing'er. Xue Ning was no longer the weak girl she once was; long-term association with Sun Xiaoxiao had begun to transform her timid nature.

While Xue Ning and Hu Xing'er were entangled, I found another mirror fragment. Only two remained, and I would have the complete Ancient Mirror to become an awakened contractor. Because the mirror's power had increased, its sensitivity to the fragments had become more specific. I clearly sensed one fragment near the entrance we had entered, and the other was right beside me.

After picking up the last piece, I rushed toward the entrance. Feng Qian let out a pained cry; the worst-case scenario had finally occurred. While I was searching for the last fragment, Xue Ning had been subdued by Hu Xing'er, and Feng Qian was pinned under Hu Qingqing’s foot. Hu Qingqing held a shimmering fragment in her hand and said with a sneer, "It seems you were looking for this."