Lady Nozomi gathered all the plates and stacked them on her hands. "Seems like there's no cure for her bottomless pit stomach," she commented.
"I've experimented with various poisons to try to curb her insatiable appetite, but it always backfires and makes things worse. What a bothersome predicament. But I suppose that's just one of her unique traits. Naive and gluttonous," Master said with a smile.
"Indeed, never a dull moment," Lady Nozomi laughed along.
As I wandered around the garden, carrying a few broken glass fragments, I suddenly felt a sneeze coming on. "Achoo!" I quickly wiped away the drooling snot. "Someone must be talking about me. I'm becoming more popular, perhaps? Hoy~, " I grinned with a hint of mischief.
After a few minutes, Lady Nozomi quietly approached me from behind and asked, "What are you doing, young lady Llyne?"
"YAAAACKK!" I shrieked in horror, nearly jumping out of my skin. "I'm innocent!" I cried, trying to defend myself.
"Then what's that thing you're concealing over there?" Lady Nozomi's expression turned serious.
"N-Nothing!" I stuttered, feeling guilty but also a bit embarrassed.
"If you're innocent, then you wouldn't be hiding anything. So show me," Lady Nozomi insisted, her face uncomfortably close to mine as she put on a scary demon expression.
I got so frightened that I nearly peed my pants. Hastily stepping aside, I revealed the broken fragments of the latest vase she had bought from the auction.
Lady Nozomi's eyes locked onto the broken vase, and she turned towards me, her expression stern. "You... You... broke... it...?"
"Eeep! It was an accident. While I was strolling through the garden, I noticed this cute vase. I couldn't resist poking it a bit, and suddenly, it slipped from my hand, falling to the ground and shattering into pieces. I swear, I didn't mean to break it!" I explained nervously.
Lady Nozomi covered her face with her hands and let out a long sigh. "I've never met anyone quite like you before."
"Oh, thanks." I scratched my head shyly.
"That wasn't a compliment!" Lady Nozomi exclaimed, exasperated.
"Kyahh!" I squealed, feeling a bit embarrassed and startled by her reaction.
Lady Nozomi shook her head and said, "Let's forget about that for now. You're going to meet your friends, right?"
I nodded in agreement.
"Have you remembered what I told you yesterday?" Lady Nozomi asked, making sure I recalled her instructions.
"Yup! Loud and clear. Rona is in the house of wind, Ronald in the house of wine, and Isaac in the HQ," I replied confidently.
"Good. At least there's something you can remember," Lady Nozomi nodded approvingly. She then took out a map from her inventory and handed it to me. "Here's the map of the Scorpion base. Try not to lose it and, most importantly, don't get lost yourself, okay?"
"Okay!" I said with confidence.
As I made my way towards the exit of the House of Aum, Lady Nozomi called out to stop me.
"Ah! I almost forgot to tell you." she said urgently. "When you enter the HQ, you'll encounter a checkpoint. Show the token Master gave you to the guard and inform them that you are meeting a friend, understand? If you don't, they'll shoot you. WITHOUT HESITATION." Lady Nozomi warned me.
"Oui... You're joking, right?" I trembled nervously.
Lady Nozomi smiled. "You can try if you want. No one is stopping you."
"Oh... Okay. I think I'll follow your advice. Thanks for the warning..." I replied, feeling a bit relieved but still cautious.
"Don't forget to greet their Masters too. Master Syl may have let you go the first time, but other Masters won't, understand?" Lady Nozomi warned me.
I nodded and turned to leave.
But Lady Nozomi stopped me again. "Ah! One more thing!"
I turned back, and she handed me a wine bottle. "Give this to Miss Judy, the Master of Wine's assistant."
"It's kind of big…"
Without warning, Lady Nozomi pulled something from her sleeve and shoved it into my mouth.
"Ack! What was that?"
She simply shrugged. "Now you can use the inventory."
"Inventory?"
Suddenly, a blue screen filled with boxes appeared before me.
Is this the inventory Lady Nozomi was talking about?
I pushed the wine bottle into the blue screen. It vanished from my hands and reappeared inside the interface.
"Wow! This inventory is amazing!"
Lady Nozomi chuckled. "It only lasts for two days. Make sure to give it to Miss Judy before then."
I nodded again and continued on my way.
With the map Lady Nozomi provided, I studied my current location in the Scorpion base, which was the house of Aum on the south side. "Alright, if I head west, I'll reach the house of Wind. To the northeast is the house of Wine, and the centre, which is north from here, leads to the HQ," I noted to myself. Feeling confident in my navigation skills, I stowed the map back into my inventory with a smile. "Piece of cake! I've got this. No way I'll get lost," I reassured myself, ready to embark on my journey to meet my friends. "To the house of wind, we go!"
I sighed in frustration as I realized I couldn't find the house of wind even after an hour of walking and searching. The area seemed to be bustling with people, but they all appeared to have scars and were carrying weapons. It was becoming clear that I had wandered into a dangerous part of the Scorpion base.
"Oui, no wonder Master warned me to be careful. This place seems dangerous," I murmured to myself, scratching my head in confusion.
"Hmm?"
As I walked through the unfamiliar streets, an unsettling sensation crept up my spine, making me aware of someone stealthily following me. The faint sound of footsteps echoed behind, adding to my growing unease. Before I could react, a powerful hand gripped my shoulder and forcefully pulled me backwards, taking me completely by surprise.
"Hey, brat. You look new. Where are you going, huh?" I heard a goofy voice calling out from behind. I turned around to see a tall, skinny guy with an unappealing face and a round, balloon-like companion scowling at me. 'Gangsta?' I couldn't help but wonder if they were some kind of gangsters.
"Oh, I'm trying to find the house of wind. I've been looking at this map, but I still got lost. Can you please help me?" I pulled out the map from my inventory.
"Hey! You were wandering around, ignoring the boss, and now you're coming here asking us for help? Do you think we do charity work? Or do you want to get beaten to a pulp?" The skinny guy's tone was threatening.
'I remembered Ma said that people are weak to crying, meek looking girls. If I act like that, maybe they would let me go?' I thought.
"Huh? N-No, I didn't mean to disrespect anyone. I'm really sorry for that," I stammered, attempting to appear apologetic and innocent.
"You little... Your apology doesn't seem sincere at all. It looks like I need to teach you a lesson," the skinny guy said with a menacing grin.
'Nope, not helpful at all. I guess these guys are just plain jerks.' I sighed.
Before the skinny guy could land his blow, I swiftly stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding his incoming slap. My heart was pounding, but I tried to keep my composure. In the nick of time, a tall, muscular old man with a scruffy beard and long curly hair tipsy old man staggered over and intervened, firmly grabbing the skinny guy's hand. His words were slightly slurred, but he spoke with authority, holding a wine bottle in his other hand. "Hey, no bullying this little one," he declared.
The skinny guy struggled in an attempt to break free, but the old man's grip was surprisingly strong. He yelled, "Let go, old man! Do you want some beating, too?"
The old man released his grip, seemingly unfazed by the skinny guy's threats. He chuckled and said, "Oh no, don't misunderstand. I just don't like it when two grown adults are bullying a sweet little girl on the street, that's all."
"Shut up. We never asked for your opinion," the skinny guy sneered. The fat guy pushed him aside and brandished a large sword in his hand. "Quit yapping and start chopping," he commanded, while the skinny guy nodded in agreement and pulled out two daggers.
"Uh-oh, they've got weapons. You better run, old man," I said worriedly.
"Pfft. And leave you alone to fend them off, child? That ain't heroic, you know?" The old man chuckled. I thought to myself, 'He's so old, but he wants to play hero? How childish.'
I pointed at the two men with weapons and warned the old man, "But they've got weapons."
"I got a weapon too," he replied, holding up his wine bottle. I looked at him baffled, thinking,'A wine bottle?'
"That's crazy, old man! Sword against a wine bottle?" I yelled in disbelief.
The old man chuckled and replied, "Don't underestimate this wine bottle. It's saved me dozens of times." He then proceeded to rub my head with his stinky hands.
I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Yuck! What's that smell from your hands? When did you last clean them?" I said.
"How dare you ignore us. Want to die?" The two weirdos retorted, getting more agitated.
The old man waved them off nonchalantly. "All right, all right. If you want a fight, it's a fight you'll get."
"But -" I began to protest, but the old man gave me a reassuring smile, cutting me off.
The old man warmly patted my head. "Don't worry, child. Though I may seem drunk, I've got tons of experience... with alcohol," he chuckled. I glanced at him, still feeling concerned.
"This child reminds me a lot of my former disciple – so kind-hearted," he mumbled to himself.
'Disciple? Could this rowdy, drunk old man really be a Master?' I thought, feeling a mix of surprise and disbelief.
As the two men fueled by anger and arrogance lunged at the old man with their weapons drawn, ready to take him down, the old man remained calm, standing his ground and smiling confidently.
"Eeek!" I shrieked in fear, instinctively moving backwards to create some distance between me and the impending confrontation.