In the end, Kaguya managed to purchase the mysterious stone for 150 yuan, though the credit for this deal didn't belong to her, but to Qiao Xiaoqing. It turned out that despite her refined appearance, Qiao Xiaoqing was an expert haggler.
The fortune-teller was initially adamant about not selling the stone. However, after some persuasive negotiation from Qiao Xiaoqing, he eventually relented and sold it at a bargain price.
The stone, according to the fortune-teller, was something he had picked up on a mountaintop. At the time, it didn't appear as it did now. Back then, it had been a radiant, translucent stone that glowed like a crystal, making the fortune-teller ecstatic as he thought he'd stumbled upon a treasure. He quickly tucked it away and hurried down the mountain.
However, when he finally took it out at the foot of the mountain, the stone had transformed into a dull, ordinary rock with cracks. It now looked no different from the pebbles found in riverbeds.
The fortune-teller was baffled. He distinctly remembered how beautiful and radiant the stone had been up on the mountain. Now, it was completely different. He even wondered if he had dropped the real stone on the way down, but the shape was identical to the one he had picked up.
He inspected it from every angle but couldn't figure out what had happened. Reluctant to discard it, he held onto the stone, thinking it might still be valuable. He even took it to a jade shop for appraisal, only to be disappointed when the shop owner told him it was just an ordinary quartz rock. Unwilling to give up, he visited several other shops, but they all gave him the same assessment.
Frustrated and dejected, the fortune-teller eventually gave up and tossed the stone aside. He figured he had been mistaken all along.
However, when these two beautiful, elegant girls showed interest in the stone, the fortune-teller was initially excited, thinking that maybe it was valuable after all. But when they only offered a low price, his excitement faded, and under Qiao Xiaoqing's relentless bargaining, he finally sold it at a cheap price.
"Why did you buy this rock?" Qiao Xiaoqing asked as she examined the stone, turning it over in her hands. "It just looks like any ordinary rock you could find anywhere."
"I'm not sure either," Kaguya responded thoughtfully. "But something about it feels... off."
"Off?" Qiao Xiaoqing blinked, then her face lit up with excitement. "Is it some kind of magical treasure? Or maybe it'll give you superpowers if you eat it!"
"You've been watching too many sci-fi movies," Kaguya said, tapping her on the head. "There's no such thing as magical treasures here. And eat it? Why don't you try eating it first and let me know how that goes."
"Isn't it possible, though?" Qiao Xiaoqing pouted, looking disappointed. "I thought it might be something special."
She casually tossed the stone to Kaguya, then hooked her arm around Kaguya's, smiling brightly. "Let's go eat, then watch a movie!"
"What's so great about movies?" Kaguya grumbled, rolling her eyes.
Since crossing over into a different world, Kaguya had lost interest in movies. Her life now was far more exciting than anything a film could offer, and she was much stronger than any superhero in those films. Even the so-called heroes and vigilantes would be no match for her; she could defeat them effortlessly.
"Come on, let's go!" Qiao Xiaoqing clung to Kaguya's arm, rubbing her with her soft chest in a playful manner.
"Can't you act a bit more ladylike?" Kaguya tried to pull her arm away but found it locked in Qiao Xiaoqing's firm grip. It was clear she wasn't going to let go anytime soon.
"You've already seen everything and felt everything. What? Trying to deny it now?" Qiao Xiaoqing teased, tilting her head with a playful smirk, her cheeks flushed as if lightly brushed with blush.
Kaguya's heart skipped a beat.
Qiao Xiaoqing had always been vibrant and full of energy, but now, in this moment of playful charm, there was a subtle allure to her that caught Kaguya off guard. Beneath her youthful vigor, she possessed an undeniable beauty.
"Fine, fine. I get it," Kaguya turned her head away, feeling a bit flustered. "But... we're still siblings, right?"
"Aren't we?" Qiao Xiaoqing tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Why, dear brother, are you thinking inappropriate thoughts about your little sister?"
"Of course not!" Kaguya cleared her throat. "I was just confirming. After all, we're siblings."
"Siblings, huh?" Qiao Xiaoqing muttered the word twice, then smiled brightly, hugging Kaguya's arm again. "Come on, let's go eat."
Since bringing the stone home, nothing else had happened. It remained just an ordinary stone, lying inert without the slightest hint of the strange energy Kaguya had felt earlier. The once-familiar sensation had vanished completely, as though it had never existed in the first place.
But Kaguya was sure she hadn't imagined it. That odd, familiar feeling was real—there had been something special about the stone. Especially when she had first noticed it on the street, the sensation was more than just familiarity; it felt like a calling, urging her to pick it up.
However, since that moment, the stone had shown no further signs of activity. Kaguya didn't plan on discarding it, though. Instead, she stashed it in her personal space, thinking that the mysterious sensation might return someday.
It was at this moment that the system, which rarely made an appearance—no, practically never made an appearance—suddenly chimed in.
"Congratulations, you have obtained an unidentified item. Rating: SSS. Attack, defense, and special abilities: unknown."
"What... is this?" Kaguya quickly asked, surprised to hear the usually silent system speak up.
"Unidentified item. The system cannot provide further information as the item is currently sealed. If you wish to learn more, you may request a system appraisal," the mechanical voice responded in its typical emotionless tone.
"Fine, I choose appraisal," Kaguya said, nodding.
"Insufficient achievement points to complete the appraisal," the system coldly replied.
"What? It costs achievement points to appraise something?" Kaguya's mouth twitched in disbelief. She was now certain that this system was inspired by those pay-to-win games like certain penguin-branded online games.
"Of course. Appraisals require a fee. Alternatively, you can investigate it on your own, though it may result in unknown consequences," the system responded.
"Unknown consequences?" Kaguya asked, curious. "What kind of consequences?"
"Death."
"..."
Kaguya was dumbfounded by the system's response, her face darkening with frustration. "So you're basically forcing me to appraise this stone, huh?" she muttered.
"How much achievement points does it cost to appraise the stone?" Kaguya asked, hoping the price would be reasonable.
"10,000 achievement points," the system replied flatly.
"What?!" Kaguya's eyes widened in shock, blinking in disbelief. "Are you serious? You must be joking!"
She couldn't help but feel she was being swindled. Appraising this ordinary-looking stone cost ten times more than her transformation elixir, which was only 1,000 points! This was daylight robbery.
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Kaguya's lips twitched. "How could appraising this rock cost so much?"
"The system does not make mistakes. The price is accurate, fair, and consistent," the system's cold voice responded, seemingly indifferent to her outrage.
"Fair? are you serious!" Kaguya thought, feeling utterly annoyed. This was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard.
She decided to try her luck. "Can't you give me a discount or something?"
Surprisingly, the system responded, "Discounts are available."
"Really?" Kaguya asked cautiously, not daring to hope too much. "How much can you discount?"
"50%," the system answered.
"Half off?!" Kaguya was speechless. How could the system knock the price down by half so easily? She began to question how much of a rip-off this entire situation was. No store had ever given such a steep discount so casually.
As Kaguya was lost in thought, she suddenly realized someone was standing very close to her—too close. She looked up and almost bumped into Qiao Xiaoqing, whose face was inches from her own.
"What are you doing?" Kaguya yelped, startled, taking two steps back.
"I should be asking you that!" Qiao Xiaoqing said, blinking her large, beautiful eyes. "You've been spacing out since earlier, and no matter how many times I called you, you didn't respond. What's on your mind?"
"Oh, nothing," Kaguya smiled apologetically. "I was just thinking about something. Sorry."
Qiao Xiaoqing didn't pry further and smiled as she linked arms with Kaguya. "Let's go eat then!"
"Sure," Kaguya agreed.
By now, it was evening, and the sky had darkened. The last remnants of sunlight faded behind the horizon, leaving only traces of twilight on the clouds. The neon lights of the city flickered on, illuminating the streets with their dazzling colors, adding a vibrant contrast to the night.
Meanwhile, in an unassuming room within a tall building elsewhere in the city, a group of people was deep in discussion.
"Are you sure it's her?" A tall, muscular man in military uniform asked sternly.
"Positive," a middle-aged man emerged from the shadows, his voice calm yet cautious. "But she may have already sensed something."
"That's impossible," the soldier dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "Our plan was carefully crafted and has only just begun. We used people who have no connection to the actual operation. There's no way she could have caught on so soon."
"Never underestimate your opponent," Li Guoqiang cautioned as he sat down on the nearby sofa. His tone was grave. "This time, our target is no ordinary individual. She possesses powers that far exceed those of normal people. Conventional methods won't work against her."
"Is she really that powerful?" The military man glanced at a dossier on the table, skimming through the information. "This level of ability… it's beyond human capability. Even our enhanced soldiers from the 'God-Making Project' couldn't pull off feats like these. She wiped out an entire Pacific fleet by herself—how is that even possible?"
"She's far more terrifying than you can imagine," a man who had been sitting silently on the sofa finally spoke up. His voice carried a somber weight to it. "You haven't faced her directly, so you can't understand the overwhelming power she wields… or the hopelessness that comes with it."
Guo Huaian, This man was the same military commander who had led the assault against Kaguya during their last encounter.