Chapter 70: The Imposter
Gu Nie strolled along, admiring the swirling snowflakes while simultaneously considering what to eat for dinner.
A thin layer of crimson light gently spilled down, permeating every corner of Sugg Relic City.
Gu Nie halted his steps.
Unbeknownst to him, his leisurely stroll had led him to the entrance of Old Stone Street.
Seeing the familiar intersection, Gu Nie couldn't help but smile.
For the past few days, he had been staying at the Deep Duke's Castle in the Antu Kang District, and today, he had unknowingly wandered back to Old Stone Street.
"I haven't seen Old Man in days. It's a good opportunity to visit him today."
Gu Nie took a step forward, intending to cross the road.
Clip-clop, clip-clop…
The swift sound of hooves echoed.
A carriage sped towards him through the snow.
Gu Nie didn't rush to cross the road, instead, he paused.
Clip-clop…
The sound of hooves gradually slowed until the carriage came to a halt before him.
The carriage door opened.
He saw Heiro, clad in a dark blue robe and cloak.
"Heiro?" Gu Nie was slightly surprised.
"Didn't you… go to your family's estate?"
"Get in." Without responding to Gu Nie's question, Heiro spoke concisely.
Gu Nie pondered for a moment before ascending the carriage steps.
As soon as the upper half of his body entered the carriage, Gu Nie's body stiffened. He sensed something amiss.
However, Gu Nie was quick-witted and subtly shifted his body, taking a seat opposite Heiro.
Heiro then closed the carriage door, shutting out the snow and howling wind.
The carriage interior was dimly lit. While it would be difficult for a normal person to see clearly, Gu Nie could discern every detail within the carriage.
Heiro lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.
Gu Nie didn't rush to break the silence.
He gently rubbed his thumb and middle finger together, as if calculating something.
After four or five minutes, seemingly satisfied, Gu Nie slowly spoke, "Where are we going?" His voice was calm and clear, devoid of any emotional fluctuations.
"Taking you somewhere to see someone," Heiro's voice was clear, as always carrying that delicate quality.
"See who?"
"You'll know when we get there."
"Huu…"
With a gentle exhale, Gu Nie gently pulled back a side curtain.
The towering dome-like buildings lining the road were gone, replaced by scattered, low-lying houses and overgrown weeds.
The carriage had entered the outskirts of the city.
Pulling the curtain back, Gu Nie turned back to Heiro, who was seated opposite him, and spoke softly, "You know?"
"There was once a girl who held me and said that someone wanted to kill me."
"After she said that, she didn't realize how dangerous those words were, or how much she had revealed. She was truly foolishly innocent." Gu Nie shook his head with a wry smile.
"From those words, I guessed that her family might have some connection to certain mysterious forces."
"I didn't report her, nor did I investigate her further. Because I knew she was a good girl."
"Because I knew she would leave Sugg Relic City, that she would go to a safe place."
"I didn't want her to be in danger."
"But…"
Gu Nie's tone took on a strange, ethereal quality.
Gradually lifting his head, his eyes glowed with crimson.
"It seems my wishful thinking was ultimately too naive."
"Once caught in this massive tide, who can remain aloof, who can easily control their own destiny?"
Listening to Gu Nie's words, Heiro, seated opposite him, struggled slightly but remained immobile, like a wooden statue.
"I guess she's under your control now, isn't she?"
As soon as Gu Nie uttered those words, Heiro trembled slightly, her face filled with fear and desperate struggle.
"Although you're almost identical to her, in physique, appearance, voice, and mannerisms, flawless enough to deceive anyone."
"But you're not her."
Gu Nie leaned closer and whispered in the "Heiro's" ear, "I still remember her scent."
"Pure and clear, spotless and untainted, as innocent as a shy flower in full bloom."
"And you, every pore on your body exudes a nauseating stench of decadence and debauchery."
"A fallen dark elf?"
"Disguising yourself as a pure and innocent maiden, that's quite a feat."
Gu Nie's lips curled into a strange smile.
Heiro's face turned ashen as she seemed to clench her teeth, desperately trying to break free.
"Don't struggle," Gu Nie's voice echoed like a ghost.
"You can't escape."
At that moment, Gu Nie sensed that the shadow "imposter" disguised as "Heiro" was firmly bound by twenty puppet threads.
Furthermore, the entire carriage compartment was completely sealed off from the outside world by Gu Nie's expanded puppet threads.
When Gu Nie entered the carriage, he had sensed that the "Heiro" before him was a shadow "imposter."
Imposters were a large branch within the Shadow lineage.
They were naturally gifted with various concealment and transformation abilities.
They could alter their appearance, form, aura, and even mimic souls.
Some high-level imposters could even transform into plants and animals.
They could also drastically change their size.
It was said that skilled shadow imposter masters could transform into tiny flowers, mice, cockroaches, and so on.
Shadow imposters were one of the most troublesome extraordinary individuals for the Extraordinary Association.
If not for his cultivation of the Bone Marrow Potion Secret Spell, which allowed him to have a meticulous and clear sense of smell, and the numerous severed chains of fate that granted him a deeper insight, Gu Nie would have found it difficult to discover that the "Heiro" before him was an imposter.
After all, when he first saw her, he truly believed she was Heiro.
After realizing that she was an imposter disguised as "Heiro," Gu Nie maintained a silent facade while secretly casting the "Puppet Thread" spell to control her.
The Puppet Thread spell was inherently a highly covert functional spell with an incredibly strong concealment effect.
If the Puppet Thread had been level two or three, Gu Nie wouldn't have worried about being discovered.
But with only a level one Puppet Thread, there was a chance she might notice.
Gu Nie could only take a gamble.
Fortunately, the extrasensory perception of this third-order shadow imposter wasn't as keen as Gu Nie had imagined.
The shadow "imposter" didn't detect Gu Nie's puppet threads.
Since she hadn't noticed, everything was good.
While controlling her with numerous puppet threads, Gu Nie completely isolated the interior of the carriage from the outside world.
At this point, her life and death were entirely in his hands.
After all, the Puppet Thread was a high-level spell, and even at level one, it had undergone a transformative advancement.
Gu Nie estimated that five or six puppet threads would be enough to completely control her.
However, to be safe, he increased the number of puppet threads to twenty, plus another five or six to envelop the carriage. This had consumed a significant portion of his source energy.
High-level spells were powerful, but their consumption was also immense.
(End of Chapter)