Published at 23rd of September 2026 7:07 am

Chapter 3218: Little Xiaotao

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"Why did you suddenly stop talking? It’s so rare to encounter such an interesting creature—why don’t we chat a bit more? I can tell you many secrets~"

Angel had just stepped onto the stairs of the Water Crystal Cabin when he heard a series of voices coming from inside.

This voice had an ambiguous quality, making it difficult to discern gender just by listening; its tone seemed eccentric, and the syllables were slightly sharp.

Angel turned his head to look at Laplace beside him, eyes filled with curiosity and doubt: Who is speaking? Is there someone else inside the cabin? Is it... your Temporal Body?

Laplace responded with a similar gaze: No, you’ll know once you go inside.

Saying this, Laplace was the first to arrive at the cabin’s door.

Just as she touched the door, the voice inside abruptly became gleeful: "Ah, a guest has arrived. Who could it be? Is it someone who can fulfill my small requests, Laplace?"

Laplace directly pushed the door open and entered.

The external light shone into the darkened cabin, bringing in a patch of geometric light.

The light stretched toward the crystal walls inside, and through the illuminated corner, a glimpse of an exquisite oil painting frame could be seen.

For the moment, the content of the painting was not visible, but at a glance, the Water Crystal Cabin contained nothing—apart from this painting, which was the most prominent feature. It seemed that this painting was the "peculiar little thing" Laplace had mentioned earlier.

As Angel craned his neck to look inside, the sharp voice rang out again.

"So it really is my dear Laplace who has come. Is this your Temporal Body? A human form, huh..." The voice initially sounded excited but gradually turned to disappointment: "Although humans are alright, your true form is far more interesting. Moreover, only your true form can meet Little Xiaotao’s humble requirements."

Although the words were fragmented, the general meaning was comprehensible.

The main points were twofold: disappointment in seeing Laplace’s Temporal Body, and the speaker’s name was Little Xiaotao.

However, compared to summarizing the key points of the conversation, Angel was more curious about who this Little Xiaotao actually was. The cabin door was wide open, and the interior didn’t have extended space, being extremely narrow. At a glance, it was clear that there was no one inside, yet the voice unmistakably came from inside... So where was the speaker?

As Angel was pondering this, Little Xiaotao spoke again: "Oh, you actually brought someone else this time. Wrapped them up in your own power, covering their consciousness vessel... Judging by the vessel’s sheen, this is a human. Laplace, you have such a beautiful body—why are you so fond of human forms? Even your Temporal Body favors humans, sigh, such misplaced priorities."

This time, Little Xiaotao was clearly commenting on Angel personally.

However, Angel did not pay attention to the content of her speech, because he finally located the source of the voice... on the crystal wall!

More precisely, it came from within the painting!

If his perception hadn’t been blocked by Laplace, he might have identified the exact location of the voice the first time it spoke; but unfortunately, his perception was shielded, reducing his sensitivity to sound origin, only now did he recognize it.

Just then, Laplace also entered the cabin and casually summoned a glowing lamp.

In an instant, the cabin was brightly lit.

Angel followed her inside, and under the glow, he finally saw the painting’s contents.

The painting depicted a very solemn stage, with deep red curtains drawn aside, and the spotlight shining at the center of the stage.

Sitting right in the spotlight was a dancer gracefully performing ballet.

Indeed, it was literally "gracefully dancing."

In Jon’s words, this painting wasn’t a static image, but a... moving picture.

The "moving" aspect referred to the ballet dancer within.

The dancer, clad in a white feather dress, was continually dancing with her back to Angel, her movements captivating; her hands fluttered like a white swan spreading its wings.

Her toes balanced, elegantly executing a waltz.

Normally, this would be a beautiful scene, but unfortunately, the dance had no accompanying music, making the animated image peculiarly unsettling.

When the protagonist of the animated image—the ballet dancer—turned her head, the unsettling feeling seeped out from the painting.

Because her appearance was incredibly strange.

Her entire face resembled an inverted heart, her skin so white it glowed, with two oval-shaped soft pink blushes dancing on her cheeks, her eyes were two small black dots, and her faint brows also mere dots.

Compared to her enormous head, her neck appeared very thin and long, curving out over a meter, like a white porcelain snake.

Overall, she resembled a bizarre-looking creature or perhaps a character described in some macabre tale.

As Angel was stunned by the appearance of the painting’s figure, her elongated neck suddenly sprang like a coil, violently launching her head into the center of the painting, with the porcelain-white nearly transparent heart-shaped face occupying nearly three-quarters of the frame.

This jarring impact was reminiscent of a jump scare in horror films on a holographic tablet, intended to frighten the audience.

Sadly, this heart-shaped face’s jump scare did not break out of the painting.

Angel, aside from being startled by the move that seemed poised to break through dimensions, felt surprisingly unalarmed.

Perhaps it was due to Laplace blocking his perception, thus dampening his emotional fluctuations?

"Humans, I am weary of humans. Humans have been unable to offer me dazzling performances for years, and this human looks so wooden at first glance." The familiar sharp voice emerged from the tiny mouth of the heart-shaped face.

With her face close to the canvas, Angel could even see her mouth open, revealing her bifurcated tongue inside.

Like an enlarged snake tongue.

Disregarding these details, from the sharp voice that emerged from her mouth, Angel was almost certain that she was the one who had been constantly chattering—Little Xiaotao.

Angel did not attempt to engage with her but instead looked to Laplace beside him.

From what he could see, besides the speaking Little Xiaotao, there seemed nothing noteworthy about this painting. From Angel’s perspective, it could be called a "peculiar object"; but Laplace was more knowledgeable, unlikely to find it odd just because it was a talking painting.

Therefore, there must be something more special about this painting; Angel might discover the answer if he observed for a while. But it was unnecessary, with Laplace beside him, he could just ask directly.

Besides, Angel’s perception was still blocked, making it impossible to achieve comprehensive observation.

Laplace clearly understood Angel’s gaze and calmly said: "The person in this painting is the odd object I mentioned... You’ve been shielded from sensing her peculiarities. But I can tell you, she is surrounded by a dense Mysterious Aura."

Mysterious aura? Angel immediately reacted, surprised: "Are you saying this painting is a mysterious object?!"

Laplace fished out a mysterious object from the Sea of Void Mirror?!!

Angel found it incredulous, a mysterious object delivered directly to her main body, is this... a gift from the creator? No, is it a gift from the world consciousness?

Angel wasn’t speaking randomly; it’s important to know that Laplace has received ’gifts’ from the world consciousness more than once.

Angel couldn’t be sure about others, but Laplace is definitely the favorite of the world consciousness within the Daylight Mirror Domain.

As Angel was lost in thought, Laplace shook her head: "No, this painting is not the mysterious object. The real mysterious object should be the person in the painting."

Is Little Xiaotao a mysterious object?

No, it shouldn’t be called an "object"; she is... a Mysterious Spirit?

Angel has seen mysterious spirits firsthand and has heard about them. Take Olao for example, he seems to be nothing right now, but once his brass mirror body is refined into a mysterious object, he can immediately become a Mysterious Spirit.

Items that have mysterious spirits are definitely centered around the mysterious spirit.

In this regard, even if the painting isn’t a mysterious object, Angel doesn’t feel it’s a loss. This also counts as a gift from the world consciousness, and compared to a mere mysterious object, a mysterious spirit is even rarer.

Laplace: "I know what you’re thinking... it’s not as you imagine. It is not an ordinary mysterious spirit."

After she fished up this painting, Laplace had a period of communication with it. Through the interaction, Laplace has roughly determined that Little Xiaotao is a Mysterious Spirit.

Although Little Xiaotao is a mysterious spirit, she also has a main body, or rather a carrier.

Her main body is not this oil painting.

Laplace even asked Little Xiaotao where her main body was, but Little Xiaotao didn’t answer her; instead, she made a "request."

This "request" was rather bizarre; Little Xiaotao wanted to see Laplace’s main body "perform a whale absorbs water." Here, "whale absorbs water" is merely a metaphor; it’s not ordinary water, but the memories from the Sea of Void Mirror.

Little Xiaotao’s meaning is that as long as Laplace can fulfill her request, she will surely answer her question.

Laplace did not heed Little Xiaotao’s request but instead immediately told Angel about Little Xiaotao’s existence and brought Angel here.

Laplace did this for a reason.

Angel can refine Secret Treasures, and going further, he can refine mysterious objects. For Angel, communicating with a mysterious spirit will clearly bring greater benefits.

And for Laplace herself, even if she communicates with the mysterious spirit, probably won’t get much out of it. It’s better to give this opportunity to Angel.

"I can sense that Little Xiaotao can leave at any time. This painting is merely a medium she left behind; if she truly wants to leave, she can do so anytime." Laplace: "So, if you have anything to ask, it’s best to communicate with her quickly."

Angel hadn’t expected Little Xiaotao to be a movable Mysterious Spirit. Initially, he thought Laplace had struck gold, but now it seems it might not be a gift from the world will, and perhaps Little Xiaotao sought out Laplace herself?

Actually, Angel didn’t know how to communicate with a mysterious spirit, but since Laplace specifically brought him here, he certainly couldn’t stand there awkwardly.

After thinking for a while, he asked Little Xiaotao in the oil painting: "Are you the painting spirit?"

Since Little Xiaotao is residing in this oil painting, Angel speculates that her main body might also be a painting? And she herself might be the spirit in the painting?

Little Xiaotao’s gaze had been fixed on Laplace, but upon hearing Angel’s voice, she reluctantly shifted her eyes over: "Hmph, foolish human."

"I know what you are thinking; my main body is not an oil painting. As for what the main body is, I require seeing Laplace’s whale absorbs water, only then will I answer."

Angel: "Why are you so fixated on seeing the whale absorbs water?"

Little Xiaotao: "Because only such a performance is worth my viewing. Moreover, I am guided here by fate, surely because of this performance!"

"Guided by fate?" Upon hearing the familiar term, Angel immediately felt a headache,

"Could it be that you were guided by the Book of Kael?"

"The Book of Kael? You actually know the Book of Kael?" Little Xiaotao turned her head, truly observing Angel for the first time, and after a moment’s scrutiny, she smirked sinisterly: "I see, you’ve been dictated by fate."

Angel: "..."

"Even though you are human, now you seem interesting." Little Xiaotao looked at Angel: "Those dictated by the Book of Kael are countless. But afterward, very few know they were dictated by fate; you knowing about the Book of Kael means someone surely told you."

"Moreover, that person must be a legendary level Wizard."

Angel: "Only a legendary level Wizard can circumvent fate’s dictation to reveal the truth to me?"

Little Xiaotao turned away: "I’m not telling you. If you want me to answer your question, you must fulfill my request... because that is the rule!"

Previously, Little Xiaotao’s attitude was playful, but when she said "That is the rule," Angel suddenly understood something.

Angel: "Does anyone who asks you questions need to fulfill your request? Is this a constraint by the Mysterious Power?"

Little Xiaotao said nothing, but Angel sensed he was right.

It’s akin to an equivalent exchange.

You must pay something to receive something in return.

But based on Little Xiaotao’s words, currently, it seems only Laplace’s whale absorbs water performance can grant the opportunity to ask questions, which made Angel a bit troubled.

Surely, Laplace can’t actually be made to perform, right?

Angel thought for a while: "You might not just need Laplace to perform; perhaps I can perform?"

Angel raised his hands toward himself, signaling Little Xiaotao to look his way.

Little Xiaotao coldly glanced at Angel: "Human performances are everywhere. I’ve seen countless, and I’m tired of them all. Without a performance that is worth my attention, you might as well forget it."

Angel: "Can you tell me what kind of performance you appreciate? Maybe I can fulfill it?"

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