Chapter 34: The Noble Lady’s Transformation

Galaxy River Street.

Gentian stood before a full-length mirror.

Her reflection showcased her battle attire: a deep purplish-blue asymmetrical off-the-shoulder mini-dress, a black leather corset, dark fishnet stockings, and high-heeled boots—her usual striking style.

Her long, dark purple hair cascaded loosely, with a hint of messy curl at the ends. Paired with her cool, alluring face, she looked like a dark-themed character straight out of a comic book.

Of course, she thought so herself.

“Tsk.”

She pursed her lips at her reflection, then turned sideways, admiring her profile.

Perfect.

She had just received news that a special “Erosion” had appeared near the Provincial Library. It seemed she had another mission.

With three parts disdain, three parts annoyance, three parts anticipation, and one part nonchalance, she sauntered out the door.

Yet, the entire way, she was stared at.

The passersby, a mix of anonymous faces, seemed to have eyes glued to her. Even after walking past, they would turn their heads for another look. Some elderly women even pulled their companions aside to whisper, their expressions as though they had just seen something incredibly rare.

‘How annoying!’ Gentian cursed inwardly. ‘Have these people never seen cosplay before? Staring and staring, it never ends!’

She waited, expecting her Spirit Companion, Xiao You, to emerge and chime in. However, after a moment, there was no movement.

‘Xiao You?’

No response.

‘Xiao You!’

Still no response.

Gentian frowned, pulling out her phone. On the screen, the purplish-gray lop-eared rabbit lay sprawled out, fast asleep, its ears covering its eyes, adopting a clear ‘do not disturb’ posture.

‘…Fine,’ she muttered, tucking her phone back into her pocket. ‘Heartless creature.’

She looked around and realized she was standing in front of a clothing store. Through the glass display window, she could see racks filled with various styles of dresses and skirts.

Her eyes lit up.

She had a new idea.

Gentian pushed open the door and entered the clothing store.

The air conditioning inside was quite strong, and several sales assistants were tidying the clothes racks. Hearing the chime of the doorbell, they instinctively looked up—

Then froze.

Standing at the entrance was a woman dressed in… what style was that? A deep purplish-blue off-the-shoulder mini-dress, a black leather corset, dark fishnet stockings… Was this the dark aesthetic that was popular years ago?

“Miss,” one of the sales assistants quickly recovered, plastering on a professional smile as she approached, “What kind of outfit are you looking for? Something sweet, cool, and chic? We’ve just received several new styles—”

“I… I’ll just look around first.”

Gentian raised an eyebrow, waved a hand dismissively, and walked straight inside.

She moved between the rows of clothing racks, her gaze sweeping over the hanging dresses and skirts. The sales assistant followed behind, wanting to introduce items but not daring to get too close, so she kept a respectful distance.

Gentian stopped in front of a particular set of clothes.

“Tsk… it’s alright.”

She stared at the outfit, then touched the fabric. However, she ultimately shook her head and moved on to another rack.

After browsing for a while, she casually picked out a few outfits and turned to enter a fitting room.

The sales assistant stood outside, somewhat puzzled. The customer had taken so many outfits; could she possibly try them all on?

Inside the fitting room.

Gentian hung the clothes to the side and examined her transformed state in the mirror.

She wasn’t actually here to buy clothes, and besides, being in her transformed state, it wouldn’t be convenient to take off her current attire and change.

She was merely here to observe and understand the styles and details of these clothes, and then—

She closed her eyes, channeling her magic.

A deep purplish-blue aura surged from her body, swirling and transforming. The light, like a living entity, slowly enveloped her battle attire, reweaving and reshaping it.

Seconds later, the light dissipated.

Her reflection in the mirror now sported a new outfit—the very one she had just taken into the fitting room.

It was a black and white vintage court dress.

The white stand-up collar shirt perfectly hugged her body, its cuffs adorned with delicate, intricate ruffles. The black bow tie at the collar was meticulously tied, exuding an elegant, almost ascetic charm. The lower half consisted of a high-waisted, multi-layered black tulle skirt, its tiers casting varying shades of light and shadow under the fitting room’s illumination.

She had also added a few extra touches—a vintage staff, conjured by magic, now rested in her hand. Its shaft was dark black, its head silver, and it felt just right in her grip. With this addition, she truly exuded the aura of a classical, dark noble young lady.

Gentian twirled in front of the mirror. The skirt flared out, like a blooming flower.

‘Mode Change: Classical Noble Lady’s Court Dress!’

She shouted out the phrase in her mind, full of chuunibyou spirit, mimicking a transformation sequence from an anime.

Then, she nodded in satisfaction at her reflection.

This was more like it. This truly suited her ‘Solitary Gentian Flower’ temperament.

‘Xiao You, come out and take a look! Hurry! That’s an order!’

She finally couldn’t help but call out again.

This time, the phone screen obligingly lit up. The purplish-gray lop-eared rabbit lazily peeked out, squinting at her.

“It’s alright,” Xiao You’s voice drawled. “But normal people wouldn’t wear that.”

“It’s just cosplay anyway, isn’t it? What, are you unconvinced?” Gentian twirled the staff in her hand. “This is called art, understand?”

Xiao You glanced at her, a hint of helplessness in her gaze, but said nothing, shrinking back into the phone.

“Hey! You—”

Before Gentian could finish, the phone screen had already gone dark.

‘…Fine,’ she rolled her eyes. ‘Just sleep then, sleep yourself to death.’

She fiddled with the staff for a while longer, enjoying the smooth rotation between her fingers, her mood significantly improved.

Then, she pushed open the fitting room door, preparing to leave quickly.

In the sales assistant’s eyes, the strangely dressed young lady had gone into the fitting room, then emerged empty-handed.

“Excuse me, nothing suitable,” Gentian said indifferently, walking out of the store without a backward glance.

The sales assistant stood frozen, feeling that something wasn’t quite right. What had that young lady been wearing when she went in? Wait, what *was* she wearing when she went in?

Why couldn’t she remember?

Never mind, perhaps she was too busy and got confused.

The sales assistant shook her head and returned to tidying the clothes.

****

Gentian now stood on Galaxy River Street’s pedestrian walk outside the store.

She looked down at her new outfit, then at the vintage staff in her hand—indeed, it was far too eye-catching. Ordinary people would certainly find it strange.

She snapped her fingers softly.

A faint illusion shimmered into place, subtly covering her entire body. To passersby, she was merely an ordinary girl in a simple T-shirt and jeans, nothing special. Her deep purple hair also vanished, replaced by the most common black hair, tied into a simple ponytail.

As for the staff? With a thought, it transformed into a black crossbody bag, slung over her shoulder.

Perfect.

Gentian nodded contentedly and walked towards the Provincial Library.

****

At the stone steps in front of Chutian Provincial Library.

Gentian stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up at the magnificent building.

Upon reaching this point, she had already dispelled the illusion. Now, she was once again in her black and white vintage court dress, with a black crossbody bag slung over her shoulder, and her hair a normal but slightly refined shade of black. Standing at the library entrance, she resembled a classical noble young lady stepping out of an oil painting.

Of course, paired with her self-proclaimed cool expression, there was still a slight sense of incongruity.

She focused her senses.

Indeed, there was the aura of an “Erosion,” hidden somewhere within the library. Around this “Erosion” were faint, elusive threads, seemingly connected to the lower-level “Erosions” it guided and manipulated. The “Erosion” itself, however, seemed to be deliberately concealed by something.

It appeared there was… another master? A more advanced “Erosion” providing assistance?

Yet, none of this escaped her perception—she was a second-tier Blossom Wielder, after all, and possessed such abilities.

‘How interesting,’ she mused, a smirk playing on her lips. ‘It’s hidden quite well. And, there’s a somewhat familiar aura…’

Yes, familiar. It shared a similar aura with the “evil spirit” she had slain last time.

Exuding confidence, her long black hair swayed gently behind her as she strode proudly up the steps.

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