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Mentioning her father, Emily burst into tears again. Mengdie could only wait for her to stop crying before asking about the necklace once more.
"Yes... my father... indeed gave me a necklace... but I never thought... sob... I never thought... he would sell me off the day after my 18th birthday... sob sob sob..."
Mengdie sat beside her, unsure how to console her. Once Emily calmed down, Mengdie took a deep breath and asked, “Emily, then... where is the ruby necklace your father gave you?”
"The ruby necklace? Do you mean... this one?"
Emily reached into her neckline and took out a heart-shaped ruby necklace.
...
Is this a dream? The necklace I've been chasing for so long... the power I've been pursuing... now finally returns to my sight! Yes... that's it! The heart-shaped carving, the red luster, the simple and unremarkable decoration! If this isn't the necklace I've longed for, what else could it be?!
Perhaps the girl wearing this necklace will never understand Mengdie's feelings at this moment. She was just puzzled as to why this beautiful woman was so overwhelmingly happy upon seeing her ordinary necklace. Thus, she asked softly, "What's wrong with this necklace?"
Startled by Emily's question, Mengdie quickly composed herself, wiped her tears, and sat up straight. Swallowing hard, she said, “Miss Emily... it might sound ridiculous... but could you... give me this necklace? It’s... it’s very important to me. I've been searching for it... for four months!”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Despite trying to contain her joy, Mengdie's voice still trembled.
Emily and the other girls looked at Mengdie strangely. A girl as beautiful as her could easily acquire far more valuable jewelry than this plain heart-shaped ruby necklace. Why was she so fond of it?
Despite their doubts, Emily generously handed over the necklace, saying, “Take it if you want. It’s because of this thing that my father sold me here. Its beauty is useless to me now.”
Mengdie was ecstatic! The necklace she had not touched for four months was finally hers again. She washed her hands before taking the necklace, holding it reverently after a silent prayer.
The heart-shaped ruby shimmered under the moonlight that replaced the setting sun, casting a mesmerizing glow...
So... now... my power... power——!!!
Mengdie hurriedly put on the necklace, stretching out her hands, recalling the spells she had learned, whispering them silently, waiting for the miracle.
...
...
...
Why is there no reaction?!
Mengdie looked at the necklace in confusion. No matter how she tried to use her powers, the spells seemed caged like a zoo tiger, unable to be released. Why wasn't her power returning upon retrieving the necklace?
Frowning, Mengdie repeatedly tried to use her own powers and the spells, but to no avail. The glow of the ruby dimmed instead.
"(Mandarin) What's going on?!"
Xiu, seeing Mengdie making strange movements with the necklace, asked curiously, “Let me see it.”
After a moment's hesitation, Mengdie handed him the necklace. Xiu put down his staff and used a magnifying glass-like device to examine it.
“Xiu, what's going on? I lost my powers when I lost this necklace, so why aren't they returning now that I have it back? This... this... what’s happening?!”
Xiu studied the necklace silently for a while before finally speaking. “Miss Mengdie, how long has it been since you lost this necklace?”
"Uh... about four months. It will be five months in twelve days."
“I see,” Xiu said, returning the necklace to Mengdie with a smile. “Miss Mengdie, as far as I can tell, this necklace is currently under a very powerful sealing spell, a divine seal of goddess-level. It seems that as soon as you lost it, it self-imposed this seal to prevent others from stealing power from it. However, because it’s been away from you for so long, the necklace kept reinforcing its seal, which also prolonged the time it will take for the seal to weaken. If worn by you, I believe the seal will gradually dissipate. But as for how long that will take, I'm not sure.”
Hearing Xiu's explanation, Mengdie was frustrated to the point of feeling faint. That darn Yama, why put such a thorough lock on it? A safe that even the owner can't open, what's the use of it?!
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