Volume Two: Life and Death at High Speed in the Northern Realm - Encounter
"The inspection is complete. Sirius's outer shell has multiple areas of damage, and several internal components are also loose. We can only perform emergency repairs for now; the rest will have to wait until the end of the stage."
"Thank you for your hard work, Ailin. Anyway, as long as we can get going, that's all that matters. Givinia, have you found A Ye?"
"We're starting to see something... Ah, she's coming this way."
Givinia smoothed her hair and straightened her clothes. Strangely enough, despite all the messy things that had happened, and despite Ally and Ailin looking disheveled, her hair was still silky smooth.
"... that Givinia."
"What's wrong?"
As Givinia turned her head, her long, flowing light brown hair danced with her movements—the kind of hair any woman would envy.
What kind of shampoo do you use?
"Piaoting."
"You use the same hair as me! Then why is your hair so beautiful!"
"Well..."
Givinia blinked sharply, then forcefully tossed her long hair back, striking a pose that was hard to describe as either sexy or goofy.
"Perhaps it's because she's naturally beautiful~☆"
"..."
"... Even Sister Givinia has her silly moments."
"When did you two start to have the misconception that she's very serious?"
"Because she's always been so reliable, and has such a mature demeanor, of course... wait, wait, wait A Ye!?"
"Long time no see! Did you miss me?"
Having found the perfect moment to interrupt, I stepped out from the shadows, accompanied by a mysterious highlight and background music—or so it seemed.
"Welcome back... um?"
Givinia suddenly moved closer, our noses almost touching, and stared intently at me.
"... Hey, what's wrong with you?" I cautiously moved back a little; this distance was too ambiguous! If Haoyue saw this, she'd definitely kill me!
"It's nothing, it's just..." She didn't stop, she circled around me again, touched my hair, pressed my chest, and poked my butt.
Oh my god! My reliable Divine Teammate has turned into a pervert!
"That's strange, A Ye. I feel like you're... a little different than before." Having finished her harassment, Givinia rested her chin on her hand, seemingly lost in thought. Hey, hey, hey, if it's sexual harassment, don't make that serious face!
"You're definitely overthinking it... No, now's not the time for this! It would be terrible if someone else snatched the bonus points!"
"Um?"
"Bonus points?"
"Didn't you guys notice...?"
Looking in the direction I was pointing, I saw that the crystal pendant was emitting a bluish light.
Not far from us was a suspicious Square Tower.
"Ugh... I can't stand it, those contestants are so efficient! They're running around non-stop!" Payne complained as he walked along the dimly lit road.
"The faster they find us, the faster we finish our mission. Or do you want to stay in this godforsaken underground forever?" Geronimo seemed quite nonchalant.
"You think everyone's as cocky as you, running around without getting tired..."
"Since you're tired... and the seal point isn't going anywhere, why don't you go there to rest for a bit?"
"Is that alright? Didn't the seniors say that we should rush over immediately once a sealing point is marked? The punishment for causing trouble due to delays will be severe."
"If you're tired... then take a rest. I'm tired too." It was a rare occurrence for Xiu Lin to speak, his voice devoid of any enthusiasm.
"Oh well..."
As they spoke, the three walked toward a Square Tower not far away.
"Not bad luck!"
This is a beautiful and impressive Square Tower. It looks small from the outside, but the interior space is surprisingly large. Right in the very center of its interior space is a small, somewhat dilapidated altar.
"Don't delay, mark it now!"
Ally eagerly took the crystal pendant from the car and skipped into the Square Tower. Her sister-obsessed sister Ailin followed, and then Givinia.
"Hey? Sister Ye, aren't you coming?"
"I... uh... I'll just stay outside and keep watch." I quickly refused. Last time, the reason a Crystal Emperor Tree suddenly appeared at the bonus point was most likely because of me, so I dared not approach rashly this time.
"A Ye, you're so boring! Safety is important, but this is a historic moment! As long as we mark two bonus points, we'll get a ranking! This is a moment the whole team should witness together!"
"Um, but..."
Seeing my hesitation, Givinia came to my rescue. She said to Ally, "This underground ruin is fraught with danger. It's safe for A Ye to stay outside. It's a bit of a pity, but let's save the celebration for after we win the championship."
"Ugh~~~ Alright then, A Ye, you'd better keep watch!"
So the three of them went inside, while I stayed outside.
"..."
I feel uneasy.
My scalp tingled, and a certain part of my heart itched slightly; I suddenly felt a strange sense of crisis.
It felt like being on high alert, which was very uncomfortable.
Since Grey Starling Company is looking for ways to boost the scores of the contestants, they must be planning to do something about those scores.
In other words, they must have made contact with the bonus point providers in some form.
Hopefully, I won't run into them.
"Phew~~~ We're finally here." Xiu Lin yawned, his whole body limp, almost collapsing onto Geronimo's back.
"It's just a short rest, okay? Once you're rested enough, we'll get back to work right away, or the senior will definitely chop my dick off."
"Payne, your language is so vulgar. Is this why you're so unpopular with women?"
"Go to hell, Geronimo! Believe me or not, I'll chop your dick off first!"
"Go ahead and try if you dare!"
"Please stop arguing... my head is spinning..."
Just then--
From the Square Tower just inches away, a dazzling silver light shot straight up and exploded, forming the word "congratulations".
"..."
The three stared at each other in silence.
Then, as if on cue, they entered the Square Tower.
"It's all done! Now a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I can go all out in the fourth stage without any worries!"
"You're the best, sister! Keep it up!"
The Sena Sisters raised their arms in celebration, Givinia looked at them with satisfaction, a "thank you for the treat" expression on her face.
"Next, call that boring A Ye and hurry up and get out of here!"
Ally suddenly shuddered, her expression instantly tensing.
A chilling sense of crisis spread through her heart.
Slowly, she looked towards the entrance of the Square Tower, and the other two followed her gaze—
The interior of the tower is illuminated by crystal pendants.
The blinding blue light made it easy to see the visitors inside the tower.
Payne, Geronimo, and Xiu Lin entered the Square Tower together.
Of course, there are already people here.
They are all stunningly beautiful girls who catch the eye.
"Hmm? Which team are you from? This area has been marked, so don't mess around."
The one who spoke was the girl who was in the lead.
She has a hot figure and beautiful red hair.
"Why isn't there any response? We told you to hurry up and leave, we still need to look for someone..."
"Don't use that tone, Amy, be more polite."
However, the three of them still didn't say anything.
An eerie atmosphere quietly permeated the air.
I felt they had finished their business and went into the tower, only to find all three of them staring intently at me.
"Hey, what's wrong with you guys? Your eyes are so scary."
"No, it's because my sister suddenly looked very serious that we..."
"That's strange, not this way?" Ally's face was full of seriousness.
"What's wrong, Ally? My projection didn't detect any danger."
"No... I don't know why, but suddenly my heart is beating so fast, I feel like I'm facing a formidable enemy... Ah!"
Could it be...? Ally suddenly looked up, her eyes growing increasingly tense.
"Sister, what exactly—"
"Something terrible has happened! Run!"
"How--"
"I have a feeling—it's Emilia! She's in danger!"
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I suddenly feel like completing the Golden Puzzle...