My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 109 Black Chrysalis: Mr. Li Qingping, don't you want your good friend...? (Seeking monthly votes)
At dusk on July 18th, at the Liuben Hotel, the setting sun cast rows of windowpane shadows on the room floor, and the white curtains swayed in the wind.

Unit One, Gu Wenyu, woke up in bed, groggily turned over, opened his eyes to look at the ceiling, and took out his phone to check the incoming text messages.

[Li Qingping: Are you coming out? Are you coming out? While I still have time.]

[Li Qingping: I have something to do tonight. This is the only time I'm free these days. Don't tell me you've died again, okay?]

Ji Minghuan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "You're really something, Li Qingping. You're obviously neglecting your duties and sneaking out while the Second Prince was sleeping."

He got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom, thinking: If the Second Prince was attacked while Li Qingping was sneaking out, then when Li Qingping returned to the Whale Garden, at best he would be dismissed from his post, and at worst he would be executed along with his entire family.

Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan, unusually, decided to be a good person and replied with a message.

[Gu Wenyu: You're so busy, how about we call it a day? We can get together again after we go back to China; there's still a long summer vacation.]

[Li Qingping: It's alright. It's a pity we didn't see each other since we're all in Japan together.]

As Ji Minghuan wiped his face with a towel, he glanced at the text message. His mind cleared up a bit, and he thought to himself: Either Li Qingping really considers him a brother, or Li Qingping doesn't care about the affairs of the Strange Envoy at all.

To be able to find time to be with him even while carrying out such an important mission is like a sports champion suddenly asking you out for drinks and a chat the night before going to the world championship finals.

You said, "Forget it, what if we don't perform well in tomorrow's match?" He waved his hand and said, "It's just the finals, nothing's more important than drinking with my brothers. At worst, I won't play."

[Gu Wenyu: Where shall we meet?]

[Li Qingping: The beach, I've sent you the address.]

Ji Minghuan casually summoned a restraint-bound avatar, then walked out of the hotel and boarded a tram that led to a coastal corner of the port area. After a short while, he got off the tram, followed the navigation, and walked for a bit before stopping on the coastal road.

Turning my head, I saw Li Qingping standing alone on the beach. He picked up a flat pebble from the sand and threw it into the turbulent sea.

The pebble leaped and bounced across the sea, repeatedly crossing the waves, flying forward for dozens of meters, splashing up waves, until it disappeared into the depths of the sea.

"Skipping stones on the rising tide, you're not even willing to pretend..."

Gazing at the stone that shot out of the sea like a bullet, Ji Minghuan felt ashamed for his best friend and thought to himself speechlessly: It's not easy for Gu Wenyu, this AI, to have not noticed Li Qingping's strangeness for so many years.

I must say, it truly lives up to its reputation as artificial intelligence.
However, it's also possible that Li Qingping is in a bad mood and has started to give up on himself—he doesn't seem to really like the world of the Strange Tales Garden. He's been forced to accompany the Second Prince to the auction these past few days, so it's hard for him not to develop a rebellious mentality.

Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan crossed the fence of the coastal highway and slid down the slope.

He stepped onto the sand and walked toward Li Qingping, who was still skipping stones on the beach.

Li Qingping didn't even turn his head: "It's rare for you to be so punctual."

He threw the stone, this time with much less force, and the stone was immediately swallowed by the wave.

"So you asked me to come out just to see the sea?" Ji Minghuan walked over. "What have you been busy with lately? You've been acting all crazy."

As she spoke, she stopped beside Li Qingping and looked out at the sea under the setting sun with him.

Li Qingping acted a bit strangely today, not as playful and cheerful as he usually is.

The sea breeze was strong, and Ji Minghuan squinted slightly as he watched one or two sails bobbing on the horizon.

Li Qingping suddenly bent down, picked up a flat pebble from the beach, and said casually:

"Tell me... what if there's something you really hate doing, but you have to do it? What would you do then?"

“Then let’s not do it,” Ji Minghuan said. “We only live once, what’s there to think about?”

"But it's not that simple, because this matter involves more than just you."

"Then tell me, what exactly is it? Otherwise, how can I, your brother, offer advice if you're all so vague?"

Li Qingping remained silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and suddenly threw the flat pebble in his hand toward the sea.

"Forget it."

"Just do what you want to do."

As Ji Minghuan spoke, he picked up a pebble from the beach and casually tossed it into the sea. “In short, don’t let yourself have any regrets. After all, you only live for a short while. When you close your eyes in the coffin, you won’t remember whether you did the right thing or the wrong thing. You’ll only remember… the things you didn’t have time to do.”

He watched as the stones he had thrown were swallowed by the white waves, and one or two snow-white seagulls flew over the undulating sea.

"Even if this comes at a high price?" Li Qingping looked at the ships coming and going, his trouser legs soaked with seawater.

“Even if everyone in the world dies,” Ji Minghuan said, putting his hands in his pockets. “As long as you think it’s right, then it’s worth it.”

Li Qingping was silent for a moment, then suddenly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile, his black hair tied in a high ponytail swaying in the wind. "You're right."

"So what exactly is it?" Ji Minghuan shrugged. "If you're planning something shady, then just pretend I didn't say anything. I don't want to be accused of instigating others."

"Come on, do you seem like that kind of guy, bro?" Li Qingping chuckled. "I have to go back right now. Thanks... I feel much better after chatting with you."

Ji Minghuan rolled her eyes at him: "Seriously? I came all this way and only chatted with you for less than ten sentences before you're going to run away. I thought I could get a free meal."

"Isn't this just a way to get back at you for standing me up last time?" Li Qingping chuckled and bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Fine, fine, so you hold a grudge like this, huh?" Ji Minghuan said, forcefully shoving him back with her shoulder.

Li Qingping staggered back a few steps, leaving footprints on the sand. At this moment, he was quite good at pretending, as if his acting skills had suddenly returned.

Seeing his absent-minded look, Ji Minghuan said, "If you have something urgent, go back. See you next time."

"Bow." Li Qingping smiled.

"Bye," Ji Minghuan said. Li Qingping turned around, stepped onto the slope, crossed the fence, and returned to the top of the coastal highway, waving back at him as he walked.

Ji Minghuan stood on the beach, watching Li Qingping's silhouette disappear into the distance. He thought to himself, "You better not die at the auction, kid. If I create a Mysterious Envoy character later, I'll have to rely on you to protect me in the Whale Garden."

Soon after, dusk fell, the golden sea slowly darkened, and the setting sun cast long shadows of children playing on the beach.

Li Qingping walked along the coastal highway with his hands in his pockets and a blank expression.

Suddenly, he slowly stopped and looked up, only to see a huge, pitch-black cocoon hanging upside down under the ginkgo tree.

The next moment, he silently withdrew his gaze and walked past the giant cocoon as if it were nothing.

But at that moment, the giant cocoon slowly opened, and a humanoid figure, wrapped in black restraints and wearing sunglasses, like a mummy, emerged from it and hung upside down under the ginkgo tree.

"Mr. Li Qingping, I need to talk to you about something."

Black Chrysalis held a book titled "The Correct Way to Use the Friendship-Breaking Fist" in her hands, her eyes lowered as she spoke.

Li Qingping paused, then asked without turning his head, "Why do you know my name?"

“Who knows?” Black Chrysalis said. “I also know that you have a good friend named Gu Wenyu.”

In that instant, Li Qingping's expression turned slightly cold. Without anyone noticing, he took his right hand out of his pocket, and a card with intricate patterns appeared in his hand.

“Octave Prism,” he murmured to himself, crushing the card.

With a crisp "click," eight crystal prisms formed in mid-air and hurtled toward the black pupa, instantly assembling into a massive octagonal cage.

The black pupa's body was bound inside.

The restraints above his head had already burst open, but his body remained suspended in mid-air along with the octagonal cage. Each side of the cage was a prism, refracting the last rays of sunlight before dusk faded, illuminating the coastal highway with a bright, clear light.

"I see... This is the fighting style of the Mysterious Envoys. They call them fragments of strange tales, but they're presented as cards. How is this any different from the buyer's show versus seller's show on Taobao?"

Black Chrysalis adjusted her sunglasses, quietly surveying the prism cage around her, and slowly said, "Uh... I mean, is it possible that you overestimated my strength? With your level, a mere push would be enough to knock me to the ground, unable to move. There's no need to use the power of the Fragment of Wonders; isn't that overly cautious? It's not suitable for someone of your level."

Li Qingping turned around and slowly walked towards the black cocoon, his eyes as cold as ice.

He said, enunciating each word clearly, "Tell me, why do you know the name 'Gu Wenyu'?"

"Why wouldn't I know?" Black Chrysalis asked. "Perhaps he and I are good friends too."

“I’ll repeat myself,” Li Qingping said. “Answer my question.”

As the words fell, each prism shrank inward slightly, squeezing the black pupa's living space. An ordinary person would likely have screamed by now; it was like a massive wall crashing down on them. Each core member was under immense pressure, as if it might crack at any moment.

But Black Chrysalis remained calm, as if she felt no pain: "Oh... Mr. Li Qingping, is your father Ghost Bell? How come he's acting like a super criminal and so violent?"

Li Qingping, with his hands in his pockets, tilted his head and replied:

"Your father is the real ghost clock."

"Alright... Regardless of whose father Ghost Bell is, let's stop joking and get down to business." Black Chrysalis said, raising a finger from the Prism Space. "Mr. Li Qingping... you're protecting the Second Prince, aren't you?"

Li Qingping remained silent, calmly gazing into his eyes, her pigtail swaying in the wind: "So what?"

Black Chrysalis slowly said, "I can help you. The battle at the auction will be very chaotic. Ghost Bell, Blue Arc, and even the people of Lake Hunter may appear on the battlefield... Finally, with the addition of the White Raven Brigade, there will be nearly 10 quasi-Cataclysmic level people participating in this chaotic war."

He paused, then said, "But with the Second Prince as a burden, you might not be able to protect yourself."

"Oh...and then?" Li Qingping remained expressionless.

“I can help you protect the Second Prince. I think even astrologers need to learn to integrate into human society, like ordinary people, and buy ‘life insurance’ or something. And I’m your insurance salesman… How about buying insurance now?”

"boring."

Li Qingping turned around and walked forward without looking back.

Immediately afterwards, the octagonal prism behind it suddenly contracted inward until it was the size of a palm. The black pupa's body, which should have been squeezed into a bloody mess like a tomato hit by a road roller, turned into a black restraint belt that flowed downwards with a gurgling sound.

"How does he know my name... and also about the Second Prince?"

Li Qingping lowered his head, his hands in his pockets, deep in thought. At that moment, a name slowly surfaced in his mind: "Wen Yu? No, it couldn't be him."

Just then, Li Qingping suddenly paused for a moment.

He wasn't shocked that the black pupa behind him had turned into a strange bundle of restraints, but rather surprised by a figure walking towards him on the road directly in front of him.

The person approached him while playing on their phone.

A moment later, Gu Wenyu, who was directly in front of him, slowly looked up from his phone.

He glanced at Li Qingping, then at the palm-sized octagonal prism behind Li Qingping, and at the black restraints that were constantly flowing out from the gaps in the prism.

Gu Wenyu was stunned for a moment, and finally fixed his gaze on Li Qingping's face.

Li Qingping also raised his head blankly, meeting Gu Wenyu's gaze with a look of astonishment on his face.

"Li Qingping?"

Gu Wenyu slowly opened his mouth, breaking the deathly silence on the coastal highway.

　There will be another update later, please vote with your monthly tickets!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)