Orange Curse

He quickly set down his teacup and changed the subject. “Lord Orange, could you tell me a little about the Grand Library?”

“Certainly. But before I do, I need to know your race and your stance.”

“Me? My appearance makes it obvious, doesn’t it? I’m an Aberration. As for my stance, what exactly do you mean?”

“But I can’t sense your passive ability.”

“I’m strong enough that my passive ability isn’t very noticeable. You can just assume I don’t have one for the time being.”

Once Orange confirmed that Chen Miemie was an Aberration rather than a human, she stopped asking about his so-called “stance,” and the two of them moved on.

“The Grand Library is the second city of our witch race. It was once a human city, but changed hands in Year 33 of the New Era. I was stationed here to oversee it.

“It’s a city that reveres knowledge and books. It’s prosperous—and powerful.”

“A city of witches? Then why did I see nothing but humans in the streets?”

“Compared with humans, our witch race is small in number and weak in overall power. Witches also like to stay at home and hate getting involved in affairs of state. So although this is supposedly our domain, most of the upper class has been human for the past several decades.”

Chen Miemie agreed with everything else, but he took issue with one point. “Witches are weak? I get the feeling you alone could suppress this entire city.”

Chen Miemie was currently in his Yellow Robe state. If even he said she was strong, then she had to be extraordinarily powerful. To him, Orange’s strength was comparable to Haomiao’s during the Eternal Moon Night incident, when Haoyue had been invincible beneath the Eighth Rank.

Orange did not deny it.

“Shopkeeper, not long ago, we were Aberrations just like you.

“During the New Era, we received the world’s favor, and a group of powerful individuals was born among us. That was a benefit granted during the early days of the New Era.

“I’m powerful only as an individual. At present, the upper echelons of our witch race possess considerable strength, but our population base is severely lacking. There’s a huge gap in the middle and lower tiers, and we have no successors to carry us forward. This is common knowledge across the continent.”

There was one other piece of dirty laundry Orange did not mention: because witches originated from different races, divisions existed within their ranks, and they were far from united.

For example, witches of demon-kin origin generally would not come to human cities to develop. Naturally, they would not contribute to the human witches’ branch. The reverse was also true.

Chen Miemie did not take it to heart. “As long as you’re strong, that’s enough. Just make good use of your time and train your successors.”

Orange shook her head. “That’s an idealized scenario. A lack of population is only one of our limitations. Successors trained by human witches like me have limited lifespans. They may not even live as long as I have. And in this era of the Seven Races’ Competition, how easy is it to find someone with truly exceptional talent?”

Chen Miemie caught the key phrase, “human witches,” and asked cautiously, “Do you know Qiu Shizi?”

Orange’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Of course. She’s a very promising human witch. What’s your relationship with her?”

Chen Miemie clapped his hands. “Persimmon and I are good friends. She once did me a huge favor, and I owe her one. I came here this time to see if there was anything I could do to repay that debt.”

Hearing that, the tension around Orange’s eyes eased. “Helping people is very much Persimmon’s style. But Persimmon… sigh.”

“Don’t sigh. What happened to her?”

“Persimmon has astonishing talent and an excellent personality, so the witches adore her. Originally, she was the successor I had the highest hopes for. Unfortunately, she damaged her foundation during the previous war in which the witches fought external enemies. She only has a few years left to live.

“See the giant eye above my head? That’s one of her eyes. She has already begun making arrangements for her own funeral.”

“There’s really no way to save her?”

Orange hesitated for a second. “No. This is the shackles that bind human witches. We have only human lifespans—like flowers, beautiful but with far too short a blooming season.”

Chen Miemie’s time that night was precious, and he had no intention of playing games. He cut straight to the point. “You hesitated just now. That means there is a way, but you didn’t tell me.”

Orange hesitated again. “That’s a secret of our race. It isn’t convenient to reveal it.”

Chen Miemie didn’t believe her. “If it were truly classified, you wouldn’t have hesitated in the first place. Come on, tell me. Don’t play the riddle game.”

The wristwatch on Orange’s arm lit up. She glanced at it before speaking. “All right. You really are Persimmon’s friend. She said you’re the owner of a mysterious shop in the city?”

“That’s right. That’s where the title Shopkeeper comes from.”

“I’ve managed this city for over a century. How have I never heard of such a mysterious shop?”

“Otherwise, why would it be called a ‘mysterious’ shop? Its entrance and location are never fixed. Only those with the proper affinity can find their way there.”

Orange nodded, only half understanding. She assumed that the “mysterious shop” was another part of Chen Miemie’s Aberration nature.

“Shopkeeper, you’re Persimmon’s friend, which makes you my friend as well. So I’ll be frank.

“My name is Orange. My ability was originally quite ordinary—I could only wield powers related to oranges. But as I continued developing it, it gradually became something different.

“I can control orange seeds and ‘plant’ a tiny orange light core inside a person’s body. It’s about the size of a grain of rice, and it continuously emits a faint warmth that helps eliminate negative conditions.

“I can also control orange peels, wrapping them around a person so that an injured individual feels as if they’re wrapped in a warm blanket. This stimulates their vitality and allows their body to repair itself.”

Chen Miemie silently admired her.

Even with their connection to Persimmon, they had only just met, so Orange could not possibly reveal all her Mysteries. She had concealed a great deal of information, and she had not said a word about her offensive abilities.

Orange’s original Mystery had not been particularly powerful. It was merely an ordinary fruit, yet she had developed it into the ability of an unparalleled powerhouse.

“The two abilities you mentioned are related to healing, but I don’t think they can solve Persimmon’s problem.”

“Correct. Even if her old injuries were healed, her lifespan would still be capped. Living a few extra decades would mean little to the ruler of a race—it still wouldn’t be nearly enough.

“The truth is, Persimmon isn’t the one who wants immortality. I am. Persimmon is only searching for a way to achieve it on my behalf.”

This time, Chen Miemie was genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”

Orange’s expression turned solemn. “I hope you won’t reveal what I’m about to tell you, Shopkeeper.”

“Of course.”

“I possess a special ability called Orange Curse. It can only be used on certain people. Once cursed, the target gains one characteristic from me, chosen by me, though its effects are somewhat weakened.”

Orange did not explain the curse’s drawbacks. Chen Miemie did not ask. He had already understood what she was getting at.

“You use the curse on some human witches and designate your lifespan as the characteristic they receive, allowing them to live almost as long as you do. So you must first obtain immortality yourself.”

“Yes.

“In truth, we human witches didn’t originally have any desire for immortality. After all, we were once human ourselves, and we could accept lives that were brief but brilliant.

But this was not a peaceful world. As one branch of the new races, they needed sufficient strength to survive and establish themselves. They carried the title of witches, yet their ranks were dwindling and their successors were few. Without the power to match their reputation, their fate would likely be a miserable one.

“As one of the leaders of my race, I have no choice but to resolve this problem.”

“How can I help you?”

Orange shook her head. “I don’t know, either. This goes against the laws of nature, and I don’t have the slightest clue where to begin.”

Just as Chen Miemie and Orange were sitting together and drinking tea, something momentous happened inside the shop at 19 Fairy Tale Road.

Every book on the shelves in the study began to shine with dazzling light and shake violently.

Before long, the books started flying off the shelves one after another. They sprouted tiny wings and hovered in midair.

The commotion in the study naturally drew the attention of the oddities in the living room.

The flying books and the oddities faced each other down at the doorway.

The Forbidden Fruit Codex was the only book among the oddities. It stepped forward and called out, “Who are you?”

Among the densely packed mass of hundreds, even thousands, of flying books, an ancient-looking volume flew at the head of the group.

It flew out of the study, and as it moved, numerous leaves fell from between its pages. The leaves were still a vibrant green the moment they left the book, but by the time they touched the floor, they had already withered.

“We have answered the summons of [Story] and [The Passage of Time], and received the light of [Mystery] and [Miracles]. We are newborn book oddities. My name is Withering Poems.”