Chapter 40: Fairy-Tale Kingdom (7)
“Tch.”
“The bastard system really is sinister.”
Based on Su Qiong’s understanding of the system, he quickly reached a conclusion. “Making the young mermaid chief isn’t the true focus of the quest. Breaking the ‘curse’ is.”
Otherwise, even if the young mermaid became chief, he would remain in power for only ten years.
Ten years later, he would suddenly die because of that ridiculous ceremony, and the mermaid tribe would once again elevate a deformed monster to the position of chief.
“The problem is that the Great Elder already said we can’t awaken someone who’s pretending to sleep.”
“If the curse never existed in the first place, how are we supposed to break it?”
“There’s a way.” Su Qiong spoke with certainty. “The way to defeat magic is with another kind of magic, and the way to fight stupidity—”
ERROR cooperatively finished the sentence.
“Is to be even more stupid than they are.”
“Huh?”
“We’re competing with those idiots to see who can be more foolish?” Even Shi Yuntian looked down upon the mermaid tribe’s intelligence. “How are we supposed to do that?”
“We only need to…” Su Qiong beckoned everyone closer and whispered his plan.
The Great Elder had the honor of participating in the meeting. He listened with wide eyes, utterly amazed.
That was possible?
They were both NPCs, so why was Su Qiong so impressive?
When the system placed them into the plot, had it forgotten to give the others several hundred million points of intelligence?
After the current chief completed the baffling scale-insertion ritual, the celebration officially began.
The mermaid tribe brought out their treasured flame seed and lit a blue fire beneath the ocean.
The fire swayed within a whirlpool formed by the seawater, creating a surprisingly beautiful scene.
Not long after the celebration began, each branch eagerly pushed forward its candidate for chief, allowing them to display themselves and compete for more votes.
Judging from the mermaids’ reactions, this year’s candidates were exceptionally outstanding—so ugly that no one wanted to look twice.
According to the mermaid monsters’ standards of beauty, however, they were celestial maidens of the East and goddesses of the West, beautiful enough to shake heaven and frighten ghosts.
The players secretly slipped into the celebration grounds. Upon witnessing the scene, they could only shake their heads.
Hopeless.
Completely hopeless.
Once every candidate had finished displaying themselves, it was time for the voting.
Every mermaid attending the celebration took out their treasured scale and gave it to the mermaid they considered the most “beautiful.”
The candidates who received more scales, along with the branches they belonged to, wore expressions of unconcealed delight and began celebrating their victory in advance.
The current chief ordered his subordinates to count the votes on-site to ensure the election was fair, just, and transparent.
“They’re announcing the votes publicly. This is cleaner than some countries’ presidential elections.”
“Say less. That statement hits far too many targets.”
“Su Qiong, do we act now?”
Su Qiong remained hidden and observed. Only one second before the chief was about to announce the results did he wave his wand.
According to their agreement, that was the signal to begin.
The players immediately activated their abilities and items.
In an instant, every scale used for voting burst into flames.
Unlike the blue fire that naturally existed beneath the sea, the burning scales emitted a dazzling red light.
Most mermaids had never seen red flames in their entire lives and assumed some kind of monster had appeared.
Strange voices rang out from several different directions within the crowd.
“Oh no! Why are the precious tidal scales burning?”
“It must be the spirits of our ancestors! They’re warning us that the new chief we selected isn’t the most beautiful mermaid at all!”
“Look carefully at him. Is he actually beautiful?”
If only one voice had muttered such things, the crowd might have ignored it.
But several voices denied the new chief’s “beauty” at the same time, making everyone begin to question it.
Honestly, the mermaids had never truly believed the chief was attractive. He merely had a few more scales than they did, along with a larger fish head and larger fins.
By their standards, the actual fish swimming beyond the water-repelling barrier should have been even more qualified to become chief of the mermaid tribe.
Before today, the mermaids had never possessed an opportunity to voice their doubts.
Ever since childhood, their elders had taught them that mermaids with large heads and many scales were the most beautiful and deserved to become chief.
Meanwhile, mermaids whose entire upper bodies resembled humans, with faces identical to human faces, were mutant creatures born from monsters.
The mermaid tribe had upheld this standard of beauty throughout its entire history.
Many mermaids secretly felt comfortable and pleased whenever they saw the “mutant creature.” In contrast, when they occasionally saw the so-called “beautiful” mermaids, they felt so frightened that it seemed to shorten their lives by three days.
But because the other fish around them constantly insulted and cursed the monster, they assumed there was something wrong with themselves for thinking differently.
The mermaids possessed intelligence closer to that of ordinary fish. How could they understand that their tribe’s vicious slander arose from jealousy?
Only now, after hearing the voices within the crowd, did they finally dare express their thoughts.
“Not beautiful!”
“The new chief is so ugly! The previous chief was ugly too!”
“I think the mermaid in the coral cave is the most beautiful.”
“Right! Every time I see him, I feel really happy.”
Excellent.
Seeing that the time was right, Su Qiong gave the Great Elder a meaningful look.
“It’s your turn, Great Elder.”
The Great Elder wriggled his dried-fish body, still speaking stubbornly. “I haven’t sided with you. I merely want to learn the secret behind the birth of a true mermaid.”
Yu Qimiao held up his Equivalent Exchange Bag. “Don’t worry. The system has already approved our transaction. As long as you cooperate, I’ll definitely tell you the secret afterward.”
“Yu Qimiao, do you actually know the secret behind the birth of mermaids?” Su Qiong whispered.
“No.” Yu Qimiao put away the item and said expressionlessly, “When the time comes, I’ll tell him the story of The Little Mermaid.”
Su Qiong: “…”
If the Great Elder discovered Yu Qimiao’s true nature, their transaction would definitely collapse.
“Silence.” Following the script Su Qiong had given him, the Great Elder moved before the gathered mermaids and gestured for them to listen.
The Great Elder had explained the truth behind the “curse” countless times, but the mermaid tribe had never believed him.
When he heard the speech Su Qiong had prepared for him, countless question marks appeared in his fish brain.
How could the mermaids possibly believe such absurd nonsense?
Were they truly brainless?
Reality proved that they were.
The Great Elder launched into a lengthy explanation, claiming that the “curse” operated in five-hundred-year cycles. If it remained unbroken when the cycle ended, the mermaid tribe would suffer a terrible catastrophe.
With a weathered voice, the Great Elder declared, “The tidal scales burning with red flames are an omen of that catastrophe! They are preventing you from selecting a new chief because this chief cannot save the mermaid tribe!”
Internally, he thought:
Anyone who believes this nonsense is an idiot.
The burning scales were obviously the result of the scheming human players tampering with them in advance.
Because each scale had initially been held by a different fish, setting them all ablaze simultaneously would have been difficult. That was why the players waited until the scales were gathered together before acting.
They had not deliberately chosen that exact moment at all.
And yet—
“I see.”
“That’s terrifying!”
“Great Elder, what should we do now?”
The Great Elder: “???”
I think you should split open your skulls and check whether there’s a brain inside.
He never imagined every fish would believe him without question. Left with no choice, he continued making things up.
“Our only solution is to select a chief capable of guiding us through this catastrophe!” The Great Elder extended a fin toward the young mermaid. “Him!”
“Me?” Feeling the attention of so many fish for the first time, the young mermaid trembled.
“How could he possibly qualify?”
The leaders of the various branches became anxious when they saw the Great Elder’s choice.
They had hoped to use this celebration to earn greater prestige and resources for their own families.
Good.
They were finally beginning to question things.
The Great Elder felt deeply relieved.
Then he heard the branch leaders begin arguing over which branch the young mermaid belonged to.
So that was what they cared about?
The Great Elder fell into complete despair.
It seemed Su Qiong had been right. The only way to defeat magic was with magic.
“Silence!” The Great Elder raised his voice and continued telling his fabricated story.
He knew that for generations, every fish had been influenced by its ancestors and believed the young mermaid was a monster.
Even if they helped him become chief today, if some fish developed a brain in the future and began investigating the fact that his mother was human, it could create enormous trouble.
Therefore, Su Qiong had devised an idea and fabricated an illustrious identity for the young mermaid’s mother.
“In truth, he has never told any of you that he is the child of the Fairy-Tale Princess!” the Great Elder declared with great emotion. “The supreme princess who rules over the entire Fairy-Tale Kingdom!”
Inside the castle, the princess was playing a dress-up game when she suddenly sneezed.
“I’m an NPC. Why did I sneeze?” The princess looked confused. “Is someone secretly saying bad things about me?”
No one was insulting her.
They had merely secretly assigned her a fish child.
Although news traveled slowly beneath the sea, the mermaids had heard at least a little about the princess who protected the Fairy-Tale Kingdom.
Their gazes toward the young mermaid immediately became reverent. No one opposed his becoming chief any longer.
The young mermaid stood in the chief’s position and accepted the bloody scale passed to him by the former chief.
Unable to restrain himself, he said, “You’re badly injured. Let me heal you.”
Despite suffering tremendous pain, the former chief wore a generous expression. “It’s all right. Every chief throughout history has died because of the celebration. This is my duty.”
The Great Elder spoke at the proper moment. “As long as the new chief leads us in breaking the curse, the mermaid tribe will no longer face danger, and the former chief will not need to sacrifice himself.”
“Yes. I will break the curse.” The young mermaid delivered the only line Su Qiong had assigned him, then walked toward the former chief and extended his pale, beautiful hand.
He closed his eyes and began to sing softly.
His voice spread throughout the entire seabed.
Every mermaid closed their eyes in intoxication. None had ever heard such a beautiful song, one filled with powerful healing energy.
The Great Elder’s shriveled eyes seemed to regain moisture, and he nearly cried from emotion.
This was the mermaid they had always sought!
A truly perfect mermaid!
He possessed a flawless appearance and a beautiful voice, the genuine crystallization of love and wisdom.
Only because of his existence could the mermaid tribe finally become a true mermaid tribe.
As the young mermaid continued singing, the former chief’s wounds miraculously healed. New scales grew over his body, and his appearance underwent a dramatic transformation.
Within the span of a single song, he developed a silhouette resembling that of a true mermaid and became far more pleasant to look at.
After that, the mermaid tribe no longer dared question the new chief.
They praised the young mermaid’s beauty and voice, calling him the most perfect mermaid.
“Is this enough?” A asked coldly. “Half an hour ago, they were still calling him a monster.”
“We can’t help him forever,” ERROR said. “This is all we can do. Leave some quests for the other players.”
“He’s kind,” Su Qiong said with certainty. “He’ll become a good chief and lead the mermaid tribe back onto the right path.”
“Since even Su Qiong says so, we’ll wait and see,” Yu Qimiao said.
[System: Congratulations to all players for completing the Undersea Quest. Points +50,000.]
[System: As the first team to complete the instance quest, you have received the item: The Princess’s Crown. Instance reward obtained: Mermaid’s Tear.]
[Mermaid’s Tear—Usage Instructions: A divine-grade recovery item capable of negating all damage suffered within an instance and restoring health to 100%. This item may be used only once.]
“A single-use item? The system is so stingy.”
“The Mermaid’s Tear can negate every injury and fully restore health. That’s practically a resurrection item. If it could be used infinitely, it would definitely destroy game balance.”
“Su Qiong, you hold onto it.”
Su Qiong accepted the item and asked uncertainly, “Who should I use it on?”
“Whoever you want,” Yu Qimiao replied. “If necessary, keep it for yourself.”
Su Qiong touched his chest and muttered, “Can I really die?”
Since IF began, aside from the one time ERROR forced him into the coffin, Su Qiong had never suffered a fatal injury.
“We’re running out of time. Let’s leave the instance and find Qiyi.”
“All right.”
Through their telepathic connection, Moi arranged to meet Qiyi in the mountain instance.
The mountain region was the easiest instance in the Fairy-Tale Kingdom. They had also obtained a guide long ago, so completing its quest required no more than ten minutes.
Qiyi arrived slightly earlier and thoughtfully gathered fruit and mushrooms to cook them a delicious mushroom soup.
“Wild mushrooms. Aren’t they poisonous?” Shi Yuntian spoiled the atmosphere.
“Wild mushrooms are quite likely to be poisonous, but this is game time. Surely the system isn’t enough of a bastard to poison players with mushrooms.”
“Wow, it smells so good!” Now that Su Qiong could taste food, he became terribly greedy, his eyes glowing like a hungry wolf’s.
“Let’s eat first. We can discuss everything after dinner.”
Shi Yuntian thought the mushroom soup was too vegetarian, so he carried his heavy blade to the mountaintop and killed several snow rabbits and a deer.
“Rabbits are so cute.” Su Qiong swallowed hard.
“Braised rabbit and stir-fried diced rabbit both taste excellent,” Shi Yuntian said.
“Really?!” Su Qiong instantly became excited. “I want some!”
The snow rabbit: “…”
Will no one speak up for me?
After happily finishing their late-night meal, everyone extinguished the open flames and entered a cave to avoid the cold.
At the same time, they exchanged information with the other guilds and studied their next plan.
Xi Huaiji, leader of Extremity, contacted them and said she had led a group into the palace the previous day and obtained six keys.
“We have nine. Together, that still isn’t even half.”
“There’s no helping it. The instance is too difficult.”
Su Qiong counted on his fingers and told them, “Excluding today, we have two days left. At our current pace, we may spend the entire final day collecting keys.”
The main problem was that no one knew what existed inside the second castle.
The task within the Circle Lord’s castle was probably even harder than gathering the keys. They could not afford to waste so much time.
“Xi Huaiji has already reached an agreement with the leader of Everyone Survives,” Yu Qimiao said. “Today and tomorrow, they’ll devote all their strength to gathering keys so that everyone can directly enter the Circle Lord’s castle on the final day.”
“Can they be trusted?”
“Yes,” ERROR said with certainty. “If the door remains locked, everyone dies. Humans unite against a common enemy only when facing absolute desperation.”
“That’s why I cooperated with them and agreed to share keys.” As Yu Qimiao analyzed the situation, he made arrangements. “We still have one region we haven’t completed. We must go there tomorrow. Qiyi, you’ll enter the ocean region with Xi Huaiji. I already gave her the guide in exchange for protecting you. Xi Huaiji currently ranks first. As long as she agrees, she can definitely keep you safe. However, she is still a calculating elite player. Remain cautious and reveal as little internal information about our guild as possible.”
Qiyi nodded. “I’ll remember.”
Shi Yuntian lay down lazily. “So today was one boring instance, and tomorrow will be another boring instance.”
A shared the same opinion. “We have two days. Can’t we do something during them?”
Yu Qimiao had already guessed that they would complain.
Shi Yuntian was not the guild’s only battle maniac.
“Other teams might not be able to, but we can,” Yu Qimiao said with certainty. “IF only requires the players to experience all six regions. It never said Su Qiong had to.”
“!!!”
“We almost forgot! Little Pastry is a roaming NPC. He can enter any instance that has already been opened.”
“That’s right,” Su Qiong said. “Actually, I wanted to tell you the day before yesterday.”
But the forest had been so much fun that he forgot about anything serious.
“Can you find a way to explore the castle and tell us what you discover?”
“Yes!” Su Qiong picked up his wand and happily prepared to depart.
“Su Qiong.” Yu Qimiao stopped him. “Only gather information. Don’t do anything dangerous. If necessary, save the item for yourself.”
A remained silent but took out the Blank Card he had previously received and handed it to Su Qiong for safekeeping.
The Blank Card was a divine-grade item capable of reviving the dead, making it even more powerful than the Mermaid’s Tear.
“Mm-hm, I understand!” Su Qiong gripped his wand and turned around.
ERROR suddenly followed him from behind, insisting on seeing him off.
After leaving the cave, ERROR leaned close to Su Qiong’s ear and whispered several sentences.
“Huh? Can we really do that?”
“Yes.” ERROR ruffled his hair. “Go.”
The people waiting inside the cave could not hear their conversation and curiously asked, “ERROR, what did you say to Little Pastry?”
“Private words between lovers.”
“Ugh!”
“Mr. ERROR, must I remind you that your intimacy with Su Qiong is only two percent?”
ERROR: “…”
Trying to kill me with words, are you?
Meanwhile, Su Qiong had already used the convenience of being a roaming NPC to return to the castle’s top floor.
Nearly half the rooms had already been opened, and the corridor was packed densely with players.
Many more players had entered the rooms, and screams and wails continuously rang out.
Su Qiong tightened his grip on his wand and found Xi Huaiji among the crowd, where she was coordinating Extremity’s members.
Xi Huaiji appeared surprised to see him.
“Your name is Su Qiong, right? Why did you come looking for me?” Xi Huaiji displayed her information card. She currently ranked first, and her level was far above Su Qiong’s.
“Because you helped me clear the last Circle. In return, I should guide you once.”
“You mean the sacrifice?” Xi Huaiji smiled lazily, her alluring gaze roaming over Su Qiong. “At the time, I had no other choice. I was forced to do it. How can you be certain I don’t resent you and intend to take revenge?”
“After all…” Xi Huaiji’s gaze seemed to carry hooks as it locked directly onto Su Qiong. “You made me suffer quite a bit.”
Any other player would already have been captivated by Xi Huaiji’s beauty and seductive manner.
But Su Qiong felt absolutely nothing.
The world of code was completely blank. He did not understand the implication behind her words at all.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t do it intentionally.” Su Qiong sincerely apologized to Xi Huaiji.
Xi Huaiji looked briefly startled, then laughed.
“All right. I’ll stop teasing you.” She withdrew her gaze and looked toward several doors they had been unable to overcome. “What’s your idea?”
“I want you to accompany me to the other castle.” Su Qiong resembled a primary-school child who insisted on bringing a capable adult along.
“You have a way into the other castle?” Xi Huaiji asked.
“I can enter, but only for ten minutes.” Su Qiong explained, “I want to gather some clues in advance.”
Xi Huaiji was intelligent and immediately guessed the answer. “The ability you obtained in the last Circle?”
“Mm.”
“Fine.” Xi Huaiji’s smile deepened. “I also want to see what kind of reward a Circle Lord grants.”
Su Qiong led her to the corridor between the two castles. He pressed a hand against the heavily locked door and activated Order Deduction for the second time.
In a world governed by order, Order Deduction allowed Su Qiong to predict events that would occur in the future.
Because the deduction was unrelated to reality and belonged to the realm of imagination, it was not restricted by known conditions.
Simply put, even though they had not gathered all the keys, Su Qiong’s consciousness could cross the door.
The aerial corridor connecting the two castles was pitch-black, so dark that they could not see their own hands.
Xi Huaiji did not hesitate to reveal an item. She removed the golden hairpin from her hair, and the black pearl embedded within it began to glow.
“So beautiful!” Seeing the exquisitely crafted hairpin, Su Qiong praised it enviously.
Xi Huaiji gave him a longer look. “Your priorities are unusual.”
When other players saw Xi Huaiji’s weapon, they mostly wondered what offensive abilities it possessed.
Only Su Qiong could not look away because of its beautiful appearance.
“You like hairpins?”
“Mm!” Su Qiong nodded. “I like everything beautiful.”
Xi Huaiji gave a noncommittal response and gestured for him to continue forward.
After passing through the dark corridor, they entered the top floor of the other castle.
Xi Huaiji used the black pearl to illuminate their surroundings and discovered that the other castle…
Had no staircase.
The entire top floor had been opened into one large, flat space resembling an attic.
There were no entrances or exits. Every location visible to the naked eye had been completely sealed.
“There’s no staircase. How do we get down?” Xi Huaiji attempted to break the attic floor but discovered that both the floor and walls were constructed from a special material that could not easily be damaged.
The spacious attic was extremely empty.
Only one bed stood at the center, with a beautiful girl lying upon it.
“Considering Circle Two’s theme, she should be Sleeping Beauty.”
“She really is beautiful,” Su Qiong said.
“In the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty wakes only after receiving a prince’s kiss.” Xi Huaiji gestured toward her. “Kiss her.”
“Me? No, no!” Su Qiong hurriedly waved his hands. “I’m not a prince!”
Besides, Su Qiong was a newly born system and had never kissed anyone before.
Xi Huaiji saw through him immediately and laughed. “I was teasing you.”
“Teasing me?” Su Qiong was shocked.
How could she toy with an NPC?
Xi Huaiji remained completely unaware of how excessive her actions had been.
She walked directly to Sleeping Beauty’s bed, pulled the hem of her qipao upward slightly, and knelt to search for clues.
“This awful game gives every fairy-tale character a distorted storyline. If you actually kissed her, who knows what would happen?”
Su Qiong walked over and searched alongside her, softly explaining, “I’ve never read fairy tales.”
“That shouldn’t be possible. Judging by your appearance, you can’t be older than those two old men Andersen and Grimm.”
Fairy tales were so widespread that they were nearly impossible to avoid.
As long as Su Qiong had been born in a world where fairy tales already existed, he should have read those ancient stories.
“I don’t know,” Su Qiong said honestly. “I don’t possess any memories of being human.”
Hearing that, Xi Huaiji gave him another strange look, wondering whether Yu Qimiao had instructed Su Qiong to say it and pass false information to Extremity.
It did not seem like it.
Besides, that false information would serve no purpose.
“I thought you knew Yu Qimiao and the others in your original world,” Xi Huaiji said.
“Why?”
“You’re too good to them. In our human world, everyone is selfish. People don’t help others unconditionally.”
“Yu Qimiao said humans are all different.”
“What a coincidence.” Xi Huaiji rolled her eyes dramatically. “The person who told you that is practically the embodiment of self-interest.”
Xi Huaiji was ten thousand percent certain that someone like Yu Qimiao possessed no compassionate heart.
If they cut open his chest, they would probably find a heart blackened by greed.
“…”
Su Qiong wanted to defend Yu Qimiao but could not refute her.
When dealing with anyone outside the Orphan Alliance, Yu Qimiao truly resembled a blackhearted capitalist who schemed against everyone.
“And then there’s ERROR from your guild…”
“You can’t ask about his information!” Su Qiong reacted immediately.
Xi Huaiji stared at him for a moment before saying, “That’s quite a strong reaction. Fine.”
“He, um…” Su Qiong hesitated.
Xi Huaiji had helped him, after all. Extracting a little information from him would not be excessive.
But ERROR’s identity was special. If others learned that he had designed IF and had been forcibly pulled into the game, they would undoubtedly want to kill him.
Su Qiong and ERROR were bound as lovers. If ERROR died, what would happen to him?
“Why are you spacing out?” Xi Huaiji spoke again, reminding him, “I found a way down.”
“What is it?”
“If the exit isn’t beneath the bed, it can only be inside it. Let’s move Sleeping Beauty.”
Su Qiong extended his hands and helped move her.
The moment they sat her upright, revealing the passage hidden beneath the bed, Xi Huaiji and Su Qiong prepared to act.
Suddenly, white light flashed before their eyes.
When they regained awareness, they had returned to the door secured by forty locks.
“Did the time run out?” Xi Huaiji frowned. “Ten minutes really isn’t enough to accomplish anything.”
“My ability has limitations.” Su Qiong understood the restriction. If he could deduce infinitely, the instance NPCs would definitely become furious.
He opened his interface and checked the ability’s usage.
When he lowered his head, he saw that the countdown had disappeared.
Before vanishing, the number seemed to have changed from nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds to exactly ten minutes.
But he and Xi Huaiji had already been back for more than ten seconds.
Could it be that the deduction had not ended because time ran out, but because…
“I think we died just now,” Su Qiong said.
Xi Huaiji immediately turned toward him.
“The passage really is beneath the bed, but moving Sleeping Beauty kills the players.” Su Qiong had experienced many similar situations and quickly identified the cause. “We must not have satisfied the proper conditions.”
“I understand.” Xi Huaiji acknowledged it, then asked, “Is there anything else you need help with?”
Su Qiong thought for a moment. “If possible, I hope you can gather every key within the next two days.”
“You don’t need to tell me that.” Xi Huaiji turned around and strode away in her high heels.
Su Qiong watched her disappear, then stared in her direction for a while before lowering his head and operating his bracelet.
He fiddled with it for a long time before it finally flashed twice and received a new message.
[Fairy-Tale Princess: zero.]
[Su Qiong: Okay.]
As expected, NPCs could communicate with one another through their bracelets.
However, because there were too many NPCs nearby, Su Qiong had struggled for a long time before successfully locating the Fairy-Tale Princess’s signal.
Five minutes later, Su Qiong reached the entrance to the instance. The Fairy-Tale Princess arrived as promised, still dressed with exquisite care.
“Why did you call me here?” she asked. “Let me make this clear first. I won’t let you enter the castle, and I won’t reveal any clues about the instance.”
“I know. You’re the Circle Lord, so you can’t actively help players clear your world. I only want to verify a theory.”
The Fairy-Tale Princess asked warily, “How do you intend to verify it? My level is far higher than yours!”
“I know. You’re Level 296.” Despite the enormous difference in level, Su Qiong showed no fear and instead invited her, “They definitely won’t gather all the keys today. Would you like to visit the mountain region with me? My companion can roast rabbits. They’re delicious.”
“Roast rabbits!” Excitement flashed through the Fairy-Tale Princess’s voice before she quickly resumed her proud royal demeanor. “Since you’ve invited me so sincerely, this princess will reluctantly honor you with my presence.”
“As expected,” Su Qiong said without context.
“What?”
“You don’t have any playmates inside the castle, do you?”
“!!!” Furious at being seen through, the princess shouted, “That’s none of your business!”
So what if she had no playmates?
The most noble, supreme, omnipotent princess of the Fairy-Tale Kingdom thought:
My duty is to defend the honor of the royal family. Playmates would only slow down the speed at which this princess draws her blade.
“We’re here.” Su Qiong brought the princess into the mountain region and said almost boastfully, “They’re all my companions.”
Upon hearing Su Qiong’s voice, the players who had been worrying constantly finally relaxed and rushed toward him.
“You’re back? Were you injured?” Yu Qimiao inspected him from head to toe, even lifting his cloak to check for holes.
“I wasn’t injured.” Su Qiong took out the life-saving card and returned it to A. Then he introduced his new companion. “She’s the Fairy-Tale Princess. You’ve already met twice, so you should recognize her, right?”
“…”
The entire mountain remained silent for a very long time.
For a moment, no one knew what to say.
When the child of the family went out alone and returned with the most dangerous, terrifying monster as a new friend, how were the adults supposed to react?
“I understand!” Shi Yuntian suddenly realized. “Su Qiong must want us to kill the Circle Lord outside the castle and clear the Circle that way!”
Hearing this, the Fairy-Tale Princess began to reflect.
Had she been too good-tempered, giving this idiot the confidence to believe he could defeat her?
“Boss Shi, that was a wonderful thought. Don’t think again next time.”
