"Guh, damn it..."
After the crowd dispersed, Little Durandal stood alone in place.
Her shoulders slumped, and her exquisite little face was full of disappointment, like a little eggplant wilted by frost.
The girl's application for membership was rejected. The reason was that she was already registered under the name of the Eye of Truth.
Even though Little Goose swore she could renounce her membership right now, the Nine Creeks Tribe still refused on the grounds of potential espionage risk.
Perhaps that petite and cute appearance was truly pitiable, so the Nine Creeks member in charge of recruitment softened and offered a compromise: "Little girl, although you can't join our sect, if you don't mind, would you like to pet the giant panda guarding the gate?"
Little Durandal's body shook! And shook again!
"Really?"
"Of course."
Woo-hoo! Fluffy! Black and white color scheme! Roly-poly!
With an excitement bordering on pilgrimage, the little girl cautiously approached the "Political Correctness Beast" lying lazily in the corner sunbathing.
Who would have thought that the moment the girl approached stealthily, the panda, who was originally too lazy to lift an eyelid even for the end of the world, would suddenly shudder as if hit by high voltage? It scrambled and rolled deep into its shed, refusing to show its head no matter how the Nine Creeks member called.
"That little guy must have been scared."
Fuli, arriving beside Little Goose, handed over a large cotton candy. Its fluffy cloud-like shape and sweet smell made the recipient's eyes light up. While extending her small tongue to lick it, she asked aggrievedly, "Why? I clearly like them very much..."
Bianka was indeed a cat slave, but why couldn't a giant panda count as a cat?
It even has "cat" (mao) in its name (Xiong Mao)!
"You have to consider the feelings of small animals too."
Fuli placed a comforting hand on her head, smoothing her hair and patting it. "Undeniably, Bianka's current appearance is super cute, but you are essentially still an S-Rank Valkyrie. Small animals are keenly perceptive of danger. To them, your rash approach is equivalent to Lady Shiji laughing wickedly and sneaking into a cat café, or you appearing in front of Rita in your current childhood form."
As a fellow cat slave, Little Goose had heard of the name Lady Shiji.
But the latter analogy obviously resonated with her more.
The girl nodded with a face full of awkwardness. "That would be hell."
"Right? Besides that, come with me."
Fuli looked around and pulled Little Durandal into an alley.
Drawing his long blade, he moved instantly through the void, using a God-Avoiding strike to penetrate the invisible energy barrier surrounding the Nine Creeks base, sneaking inside with the girl.
Relying on the 3D map provided by Hanchuan Yingyue, the two, with their presence concealed, moved like ghosts merging into shadows. Avoiding patrols with twists and turns, they arrived at a secluded backyard room.
The room's window was half-open, and the shouts of staff members came from inside.
"Get Number 1086 and Number 1032 into position!"
Peeking through the crack in the window, they saw two members dressed in Nine Creeks Sect attire struggling to position a polar bear and an Asian black bear on either side of a peculiar machine in the center of the room.
A person who looked like a manager stood at the console and pulled down a lever. In an instant, blinding blue-white electric arcs burst from the electrodes on both sides of the machine. Two electric snakes precisely hit the two bears, fusing them into a charmingly naive giant panda.
"..."
Little Durandal's expression went blank.
Fuli explained, "So there's no need to be too sad. Giant pandas are first-class protected animals after all; how could the Nine Creeks bunch be rich enough to give one to every member? Just knockoffs. In a few months, the energy will run out, and they'll revert to their original forms."
Little Goose, coming back to her senses, twitched the corner of her mouth. Facing this scene, she had the absurd feeling of Big Mom and Kaido using Luffy in his rubber fruit form as a condom while doing something indescribable.
"Let's go."
"Mhm."
Just as they came, the two left the Nine Creeks base silently.
Standing in the shadows of the alley and exchanging a glance, they felt the thrill of doing something bad without getting caught by the owner.
Just as they were about to continue their date, a female voice full of sobbing penetrated the wall from the other side of the alley.
"Guh! Kill me!"
Hmm?
The boy and the little girl halted.
Immediately after, a rough male voice sounded with a playful tone:
"Heheh, I'll make you suffer a bit more."
"Even if you really humiliate me, I will neither call for help nor bow my head!"
"Oho? Is that so?"
There's a problem!
The little knight princess, filled with a sense of justice, got hot-blooded and immediately pulled her "mount" into action.
They pushed off their legs, leaped onto the top of the wall, and looked down at the scene in the courtyard.
In the courtyard, a beautiful woman in a crisp office lady suit was slumped on the ground. Her clothes were disheveled, and she was missing a high heel, looking utterly wretched.
Opposite her, a tall, burly man towered over her. His eyes appraised her like prey, carrying undisguised aggression as if licking her entire body with his gaze.
"Let—Hmm?"
Little Goose was about to jump down on the spot to dispense justice, but was yanked back by Fuli beside her.
Turning her head in confusion, she saw the boy pressing an index finger to his lips, his eyes signaling her to hold her horses.
The conversation in the courtyard continued.
"The original team for the basic traffic system of the Xuan Ye Avenue 1046 Airspace has completely run away. You're going to handle the maintenance and updates for that system." The burly man's face was flushed with excitement. "From now on, you are the new project manager! Your department currently has five people. All of them are super rookies who just graduated and haven't even touched the Sky-Faring Commission's airspace system! Oh, right, they were part of the mixer research club in college. If you don't get this done, you're not allowed to go home!"
The blood drained completely from the woman's face, her delicate body trembling in despair. "Somebody... save me! Save me!"
"By the way, the development language is C++... Ah, this girl bit her tongue to commit suicide." The man showed no mercy, hoisting her over his shoulder. "But it doesn't matter. The medical skills of the Alchemy Commission's Dragon Lady Bailu are divine. Even if she really dies, she can still be resuscitated."
The woman playing dead opened her eyes, pleading helplessly. "Please let me go! I have an eight-year-old mother above me and an eighty-year-old daughter below me crying to be fed!"
"Not happening." The man was expressionless, pointing to his dark circles that rivaled Gaara's. "No one let me go back then, so you still want to run? Can you even run?"
"Ah, this..."
Watching the retreating backs of the two, Little Durandal scratched her head awkwardly atop the wall.
She wasn't exactly disappointed; what if the scenario she had imagined had actually happened?
"That young lady seems to be a programmer who just joined the Sky-Faring Commission." Fuli gazed into the distance, brimming with sympathy. "Among the Six Commissions of the Luofu, the Sky-Faring Commission is mainly responsible for airspace management and navigation scheduling. Facing a chaotic scene like the Luminary Wardance, with the sky full of Starskiffs and worthies gathering from all over, it really does give one the urge to just end it all."
Rules and algorithms are fixed, but people are unpredictable.
A single immoral geezer attempting an insurance scam is enough to paralyze a flight path, let alone the chaotic dance of various 'Lunatic Heirs' who match the Chrysos Heirs in infamy.
"Speaking of Chrysos Heirs." Fuli abruptly changed the subject, speaking with great interest. "I recently took in a disciple. She happens to be the Chrysos Heir corresponding to Baal in mythology—the type that is a fusion of god and demon, with her potential absolutely maxed out!"
"Is Hyperion planning to expand its roster?"
Even knowing this day would come sooner or later, and even though she was the one who had previously rejected the boy's invitation to join Hyperion, Little Goose still felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, don't worry."
Fuli then gave her a thumbs-up and a bright smile. "Bianka, you will always be the fifth seat of our Hyperion, ranked even ahead of Kallen!"
When he invited Bianka, Hyperion only had four official members: him, and the three Herrschers of Nagazora.
Thoth, currently tending crops on Mount Taixuan: So love really does disappear, right?
"Is that so."
Little Durandal nodded, a smile unconsciously blooming on her lips, and the tiny grievance in her heart vanished into thin air.
She asked again, "Who is that Chrysos Heir?"
"It's Ei!"
Leaving the alley, Fuli pointed to a giant airship slowly passing by in the sky. On the holographic screen plastered to the side of the airship, a purple-haired girl was introducing the local customs of various places on the Luofu.
Her movements were slightly stiff, but her stunning beauty and unique aura perfectly compensated for it.
"Another girl?"
Little Goose frowned subconsciously.
Fuli said matter-of-factly, "Our Hyperion doesn't recruit males. Mei said it easily leads to power struggles, and we need to maintain the purity of the organization."
What purity? The purity of your harem?
The girl rolled her eyes, a rare sight for her.
Fuli continued his introduction. "Ei said she wants to study under Robin for a while to fulfill her dream of debuting as an idol, and then officially join us... I plan to have her stationed at the Shenzhou branch then. Hyperion needs to expand its industry, and it won't do without one of our own overseeing things locally."
(Translated: Separating the harem members to avoid them fighting and scheming against each other.)
(This was the elusive Dr. MEI, who vanished at the speed of light before the host could shoot her a death glare.)
Even though a little displeasure popped up in her heart again, the S-Rank Valkyrie still offered advice from a professional perspective. "Since you're taking her as a disciple, at the very least, proper teaching needs to be in place. If she's stationed at a branch, how will you guide her?"
As soon as her voice fell, she saw the boy pull out a brilliant, flowing cyan feather like magic, and she couldn't help but smile. "The ultra-long-distance teleportation of the Immortal Gyrfalcon. I actually forgot about that."
"Coo coo coo!"
The Gyrfalcon, which had appeared on Fuli's shoulder at some unknown time, affectionately nuzzled his cheek. Then, it flapped its wings and soared high, disappearing into the horizon, off to play who knows where.
Looking in the direction the divine eagle disappeared, a trace of envy flashed in Little Goose's eyes.
Remembering the scene of being rejected by the giant panda (?) earlier, she secretly prayed that she could also raise a cat with supernatural powers in the future. It wouldn't matter even if it was a bit ugly.
The crowd suddenly stirred, discussions and exclamations rising and falling.
"Look! People are fighting in the plaza over there!"
"Really? The Cloud Knights aren't stepping in?"
"Can they step in? That's the precious granddaughter of the Zhuming General and the current Luofu Sword Champion! With their strong backgrounds and powerful strength, who would dare interfere so easily? Do you want to be split into five pieces to fight the Borisin alone?"
"Don't worry, they will definitely control themselves, otherwise wouldn't Aurum Alley be smashed to pieces by them?"
"Let's go, let's go! Hurry up and watch the show!"
The crowd surged, quickly running toward the plaza not far away.
"They are so bold."
Watching the surging crowd, Little Goose muttered to herself.
"Oh! So it's already this time."
Fuli, on the other hand, looked as if he suddenly understood.
Facing the girl's confused gaze, he smiled mysteriously without explaining. Instead, he grabbed her small hand and ran in the direction the crowd was gathering.
Before long, an ancient plaza surrounded by coiled-dragon stone pillars came into view.
The area was extremely vast, complete with rockeries and a lake, and the ground was paved with retro bluestone slabs.
At the top of the highest dragon-patterned stone pillars on both sides, two figures were standing proudly at this moment.
On the left pillar, Yunli held her iconic greatsword Old Iron pointing downward with one hand, the tip aimed diagonally at the ground, her tied-up black hair flying in the wind.
On the right pillar, Yanqing stood tall, surrounded by several flying swords emitting a chilling aura, like loyal guards protecting a king.
The 'Artisan' and the 'Sword Champion' faced off from afar. Their invisible auras clashed fiercely, stirring up air currents that split the clouds above the plaza and blew the clothes of the spectators below loudly.
After a long standoff, Yanqing finally broke the silence and spoke first. "Hey, Yunli, your days of constantly running off with my swords are over. Give me back my Suren."
"If you want it, then you'll have to take it." Yunli raised a rebellious smirk. "But you already knew that."
"Hmph. I had a feeling you'd say that."
Yanqing held his fingers together like a sword, and a longsword as clear as ice crystals unsheathed in response.
From the loudspeakers around the plaza, obscure drumbeats began to play.
Yunli's fighting spirit burned fiercely. "How many times have we fought to settle things so far?"
"Hard to say." Yanqing took a stance with a determination as if ready to burn to ashes together. "Let's finish this, Yunli. Once and for all."
"Hmph."
Yunli used her thumb to flick away her finished Qiongrear Bird skewer. The bamboo stick turned into a streak of light tearing through the air, accurately shattering the dragon-patterned stone pillar beneath Yanqing's feet, sending rubble flying.
The obscure drumbeats sounded again.
Little Durandal: "Uh, what are they doing?"
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the situation before them seemed a bit off.
"This is one of the famous scenes of the Luminary Wardance." Fuli, biting into a newly bought candied hawthorn skewer, began to explain with great interest. "It is said that many years ago, on the eve of a certain ceremony, Yunli and Yanqing, who were still children, met for the first time on the Luofu. The two took a dislike to each other and started fighting on the spot."
"Even though they were eventually stopped by the Merlin's Claw General passing by, this tradition was preserved."
"Tradition?"
"That's right." The boy nodded. "Every time they spar during the Wardance, they tacitly suppress their strength to the level they were at when they first met. No matter who it is, as long as they can successfully stop them like General Feixiao did back then, they can get a particularly substantial reward."
This was also why so many spectators had gathered around the plaza; clearly, they had all heard about this from the locals.
"Reward? What is there?"
A muscular, burly man carrying a giant axe next to them couldn't help but interject, looking eager and clearly tempted.
"The Luofu Sword Champion's sword arts insights, or precious items of B-Rank or higher?" Fuli replied. "The reward from the future Sword Champion and the current Artisan certainly won't be some cheap goods."
Swish—!
Before his voice even fell, a figure in the crowd had already rushed out first like an arrow leaving the bow.
"Haa! Heaven-Piercing Ground Cannon!"
Accompanied by a violent shout, the figure instantly crossed hundreds of meters, a fist the size of a sandbag wrapping a violent airflow straight towards Yunli's face.
"Despicable!"
Seeing this, the burly man also roared, taking large strides and rushing forward not to be outdone.
"Phantom Sword Art!"
"Ultrasonic Impact!"
"Divine Thunder Shadow Severing Dash!"
"Demon-Breaking Red Rose of Erjiu!"
Not just him; the first person's charge seemed to light a fuse, and dozens of spectators who considered themselves skilled began to show off their abilities.
For a time, colorful energy beams, howling sword qi, deafening sound waves... all kinds of attacks submerged the plaza and the two people in it like a torrential storm.
Prometheus, who came online to observe, couldn't help but complain: [I can understand magic spells, but do those physical types have to shout out their move names when releasing skills?]
Fuli looked at her sideways: When we were playing 'Fight the Landlord' a couple of nights ago, I wonder who was excitedly shouting 'Joker Bomb!' and 'Four Deuces!'
Ahem! [TL: the text corrupted here]
The little AI guiltily averted her gaze: [Host, do you think these people can win?]
Rather than worrying about them winning, it's better to worry about whether the medics of the Alchemy Commission will collectively overwork later. The boy shrugged, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield. Yunli's explosive temper goes without saying, and that guy Yanqing seems gentle and refined on the surface, but in reality, his moves are even more ruthless.
[You don't plan to make a move, Host?]
No rush. Fuli, enjoying the show, responded calmly: Let them play around first.