The attendant at the ticket checkpoint immediately ran out, scooped Li Yuan into her arms, and coaxed and comforted her. Only after her crying subsided did she lead her away through the staff passage.
Qian Peng stared blankly at this whole scene.
He had planned to turn back and exit from another station, but when he noticed the guy holding a riot shield by the turnstiles smiling at him, he could only walk over without changing expression. He slipped a hand into one pocket, then his face changed as he patted another.
"Where's my wallet?" His voice was full of confusion. After turning out all his pockets, he anxiously said, "Officer, there's a thief!"
"Enough. Don't let it happen again."
Before Qian Peng could finish his act, the guy opened the gate and motioned for him to leave.
Qian Peng immediately walked out.
Seeing this, a rhino-headed Beastman copied him, feeling around in his pockets by the turnstile and letting out a soft sound of surprise.
But before he could say anything, the guy smashed his shield into his face.
He pinned the rhino head down, drove a knee into his neck, and picked up his radio. "Found a suspected outsider from beyond the city, not affiliated with the Alliance. Requesting backup."
Hearing that, Qian Peng quickened his pace, afraid the guy might suddenly change his mind.
Still, he was baffled by the guy's completely different attitude toward him.
Could his impressive 20 points of Charm have done the trick?
He asked the chat, and amid the discussion of millions of viewers, they reached a convincing answer in less than thirty seconds.
"So he's a Race Knight."
"No, no, Mr. Antonio. None of the suggestions I've made to you contain any racial prejudice."
Golden Wind folded his dazzling golden single wing behind him, leaned back against an expensive leather sofa, and crossed his legs in a relaxed pose.
"You mongrel dog from the Celestial Realm." Seated behind a mahogany desk, Old Treant crushed the cigar in his "hand" and roared, "You should know the cost of lying to us. Not only you, but your family, your lover, your friends—everyone connected to you will have their tongues cut out because of your lie!"
Golden Wind raised the wine on the table and offered the treant a toast.
Old Treant Antonio, dressed in an oversized black suit, trembled with rage. Still, he suppressed his temper and asked, "How will you prove that you came back from the future?"
"I can't prove it." Golden Wind took a sip of wine and reminded him, "You can ask six more questions."
The young treant standing behind the sofa rested a branch on his holster, nearly unable to resist drawing his gun.
Old Treant Antonio shot the young treant a glare and continued, "How many people do you want from us?"
"Oh, old sir, I think you misunderstand. Not just people—your wealth, industries, connections. I need everything the Gaudeliv Gang has to submit to me, to bow beneath the glory of Golden Wind." Golden Wind set down his glass. "This wine is good. You have five questions left."
Smoke practically poured from the old treant's nostrils in fury. "Can you guarantee that you'll save our Mother Tree?"
"I can only say I'll try. Who can guarantee the future? What if I fail?" Golden Wind replied.
At that, Antonio narrowed his eyes. The rage that had been about to erupt like a volcano instantly turned as bleak and frigid as the polar regions. "If you fail to save our Mother Tree, aren't you afraid we'll kill you?"
"By then, I should be over level one hundred. Your betrayal won't amount to much, and I'll even gain a batch of high-quality living wood." Golden Wind smiled. "Three questions left."
"And if you save our Mother Tree, how do you intend to deal with her and the Gaudeliv Gang?" Old Treant Antonio asked.
"I haven't decided yet." Golden Wind stroked his chin, thinking seriously. "As for the Mother Tree, I'll probably plant her in the gardens of Sky City. We used to grow all sorts of flowers and plants there, but we never had a grand tree to hold the place down."
"As for the Gaudeliv Gang, you're my angel investors. I can still guarantee your basic freedom and safety." Golden Wind smiled faintly. "That counts as two questions. You have one last chance."
As he spoke, he pulled out a dagger and held it to his throat, reminding him once more:
"If, after asking your final question, you still haven't made a decision, old sir, then I can only kill myself."
"And you will forever lose your chance to save the Mother Tree. The shrieks of that poor treant girl after she turns into a divine aberration won't be pleasant to hear."
"This is too hasty." Old Treant Antonio said in a deep voice, "One tree cannot decide something this important. I need to meet with the family elders before making a decision."
"Then that's regrettable." Golden Wind pushed the dagger forward another fraction. "I only accept two outcomes: dying here, or walking out alive after receiving the Gaudeliv Gang's submission."
Old Treant Antonio stood up, his enormous trunk pressing against the ceiling as its leaves rustled loudly.
He pulled a wrinkled piece of bark from his chest. After slowly spreading it open, his entire body began to shake violently.
"It seems you weren't lying, you bastard from the Celestial Realm."
Excitement was impossible to hide in his voice.
"For us treants, life, wealth, fame, power... compared to the safety of the Mother Tree, those things animals pursue are worthless."
He walked up to Golden Wind, extended his thinnest branch, and kissed the Half-Winged Celestial's toe.
"You have gained the Gaudeliv Gang's loyalty. Likewise, you must fulfill the oath we have made."
"Of course." Golden Wind put away his dagger, the smile on his face unchanged. "Listen carefully, Mr. Antonio. This is my first command."
"Find two Silver-tier treants and accompany me to Broken Sword Valley to kill a few things."
Iron Wall City, Emerald Park.
Li Yuan waited beneath the upscale apartment building across from the park for over half an hour before finding an opportunity. While the woman at the front desk was distracted, she followed behind an adult passing by and slipped through the apartment building's turnstile.
She habitually headed for the stairs, but an adult in the elevator called out to her.
"Little sister, aren't you taking the elevator?"
Li Yuan glanced at the adult, gave him a sweet smile, and entered the elevator. "My home is on the thirty-first floor. Uncle, could you press it for me?"
"You can only access your own floor with your keycard. Didn't you bring your key?" the man who had called Li Yuan into the elevator asked curiously.
He scanned his fingerprint, and the button for the twenty-fourth floor lit up.
"Do you need me to call the front desk for you?" the man asked.
"No, thank you, Uncle. I'll have my mom call the elevator from upstairs."
Li Yuan pressed the close-door button.
The elevator stopped on the twenty-fourth floor. After the adult left, it stopped again on the nineteenth floor.
Li Yuan did not want to wait any longer, so she got out and climbed the emergency stairs to the thirty-first floor, then rang the doorbell of apartment 3101.
After a while, the door to 3101 opened, and a girl who looked like a middle school student poked her head out.
She looked left and right before noticing a delicate girl standing at her door, half a head shorter than herself.
"You are...?" she asked.
"I'm your senior." Li Yuan held the door in place, smiled faintly at the middle school girl, then walked directly inside. She came before the teddy bear plush on the living room sofa, lifted an invisible skirt hem, and curtsied.
"Lord Kachu, I am Li Yuan, a Magical Girl from the future. I hope to form a contract with you once again, become a Magical Girl, and save this world."
Before you continue