Cirrus had to admit, Felicity's proposal was very tempting.
But, why?
Cirrus was no fool. It was an intelligent lifeform, one of the smarter ones among the Heliobus, and it excelled at schemes and machinations.
It had tasted countless human emotions and knew better than anyone the complexity of humanity. The human mind was the most difficult thing to grasp; their emotions were always in a state of subtle flux. Even after entering Felicity's body and tasting those subtle emotional shifts, Cirrus couldn't guess her true intentions.
It couldn't figure her out.
"...What is your real goal?" Cirrus couldn't help but ask.
"I have no goal, no reason."
The smile on Felicity's face grew even more brilliant. She opened her arms as if to embrace the entire world.
"I come to heal, I come to give, I come to bestow. I grant all who seek it a life of unending prosperity, a gift of blessings to cure all stubborn ailments."
"I am Abundance!"
Felicity raised a finger and tapped lightly. Her fingertip brushed against Cirrus's intangible body, directly bestowing a sliver of the Abundance's power upon it.
Cirrus's body trembled slightly. It felt its own existence grow a little stronger. It stared at Felicity in astonishment, its massive single eye filled with disbelief.
The power Felicity granted also carried her emotions. Cirrus easily savored that sincerity, as delicious as a teddy bear biscuit.
"You're really willing to help me?" Cirrus asked.
Although it had no other choice, it couldn't help but ask.
"Of course." Felicity's reply was still firm and decisive.
"Alright then, we have a deal. Help me reclaim the other Heliobus, and then I'll defeat you and go challenge the Xianzhou's General. Are you satisfied with that?"
The cyan flame transformed into a cluster and floated onto Felicity's shoulder. It didn't dare enter Felicity's body again, merely hovering on her shoulder.
The power within Felicity's body was too terrifying. The last time it was expelled felt like a warning—just revealing the tip of the iceberg had nearly annihilated it.
Whenever it realized how weak it was, it would feel an immense nostalgia for the ancient times when it was part of Ignamar.
Even though it was just one of the fragments that made up that great Heliobus.
"Alright, now let's crack this maze illusion..."
Just as Cirrus was getting ready, it suddenly felt a vast surge of Imaginary energy erupt by its side. It subconsciously glanced over and saw Felicity conjure another wooden spear.
*Splat~*
The tightly shut gate ahead was smashed open just like that. Before Cirrus could react, another immense wave of Imaginary energy rose up and proceeded to smash open the next gate further ahead.
Cirrus's eye widened even more. It suddenly began to doubt whether it could truly defeat Felicity after reclaiming all the Heliobus fragments and re-forming the great Heliobus.
It couldn't say for sure.
Felicity stopped only after breaking through several gates in a row. She saw a cyan, tail-like flame poke its head out from one of the doorframes, casting an inquisitive glance in her direction.
After what seemed like a moment's hesitation, a voice filled with exasperation rang out:
"Hey, crybaby, look at you, you coward! I already told you it was that person—what's the use of hiding?"
It was Mr. Tail.
"I thought it would take a while to find Huohuo. After all, imprisoned princesses are usually hidden by evil dragons in the deepest part of the castle."
Felicity blinked.
"Evil dragon? Princess? What strange things are you talking about?" Cirrus floated around Felicity's shoulder, asking curiously.
"It's nothing. Go play on the side."
"Oh."
Ignoring Cirrus, Felicity walked straight to where Mr. Tail was. Peeking her head through the doorframe, she saw a Foxian girl curled up in a corner, her hands clutching her head.
"Sob... I-I finally see a living person!"
Huohuo was startled by Felicity, and her voice carried a hint of a sob. Bean-sized tears rolled down her pale face as the petite Foxian girl vigorously wiped her cheeks.
"Waaah, this is great! I thought I'd be trapped here forever... It's so good to see you!"
"If you ask me, this one is far more dangerous than this maze illusion."
Mr. Tail snarked from beside HuoHuo. Its gaze flickered over to Cirrus, who was floating obediently on Felicity's shoulder, and it revealed an intrigued expression.
"What do you think, Cirrus?"
"Indeed."
Cirrus nodded in deep agreement.
The two Heliobus had unexpectedly reached a consensus.
Only then did HuoHuo see Cirrus floating on Felicity's shoulder, and her expression instantly froze.
The next moment, Felicity saw a small white flag being slowly raised.
"..."
Felicity pinched the tip of HuoHuo's nose.
HuoHuo shivered and snapped back to her senses, but she still held up the small white flag nervously, looking pitifully at Felicity.
"...H-Have you seen Miss Guinaifen..."
"No, there's no trace of her life force in this area. She probably didn't enter this mirage illusion."
Felicity shook her head at her, then simply reached out to support Huohuo's body while continuing to lightly tap forward with her other hand.
"Stay close to me."
"Oh..."
Huohuo responded pitifully, only daring to carefully grasp Felicity's sleeve with her slender fingers while shrinking her neck and following behind Felicity.
"This is unbearable! If I could regain my freedom, the first thing I'd do is gobble up this crybaby coward in one bite!"
Tail, following behind Huohuo, wore an expression of bitter disappointment, scolding Huohuo for her various faults like a stern father.
"You're clearly a judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, so why are you always seeking help from others? Useless thing, how did I end up sealed inside you?"
"...You're also terrified of Miss Felicity, refusing to even poke your head out when called."
Huohuo retorted quietly.
"You...! You're infuriating me!"
Tail flew into a rage, transforming into a ball of will-o'-the-wisp floating around Huohuo.
"Hehehehe, to think Tail has fallen to such a state, unable to even handle a little girl. Hehe, Tail, you're so pitiful~"
Cirrus floated beside Felicity, clearly enjoying the spectacle and stirring up trouble.
"And you think you're any better!? One look and I can tell you tried to possess that little girl and got beaten up, right? Now you've become a dog that relies on others' power, which suits you perfectly, Cirrus!"
"...You're not wrong, you've hit the nail on the head."
Cirrus sighed but then shifted his tone with a mocking laugh.
"But you've got one thing wrong—a dog that relies on powerful backing is a good dog! The one behind me is far more formidable than the cowardly judge you're attached to. She even promised to help me restore my great Heliobus form. Right now, help me reclaim the first fragment!"
Cirrus laughed arrogantly.
However, the response he received was—
"No."
Cirrus: ?