I'm Not a Flame-Chaser - Chapter 588

"...I want to make a deal with you." Lin walked up to Delta, then squatted down, his face as cold as rain. "I can keep your Poké Ball."

He's not taking the Poké Ball? What is he planning to do then?

"In exchange, tell me why you're competing individually."

After hearing Lin's terms, Delta's tightly furrowed brows relaxed. Her cold eyes swept over Lin from head to toe, and then she asked calmly, "You don't plan to continue cooperating with Rita and the others? You don't trust her?"

Delta was experienced and quick-witted. She immediately realized that Lin wanted to have his cake and eat it too. If Delta didn't agree, he could still get Poké Ball from Delta and exchange it for information from Rita. It seemed like a win-win situation.

However, he believes that concentrating the Poké Ball in Rita's hands is not a good thing. After all, in this game, the Poké Ball are the most crucial resource. The team with more Poké Ball is more likely to win, but is also more likely to be attacked by a group of opponents.

After realizing this, the strange emotions in Delta's eyes dissipated considerably, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips in the morning light, "Then take it. I'll take it back sooner or later."

Clearly, she refused to cooperate.

"..."

Lin stared at the girl, while she stared back at him with neither arrogance nor servility, her serious blue eyes unusually filled with a hint of mockery.

"... Even if it's just telling me things I'll definitely find out later?"

"How do you know that what the maid told you is the truth?" Delta retorted dismissively. "If I'm unwilling to tell you, do you think she would tell you the truth?"

"... Then let me ask you a different question."

You can't get anything out of me no matter what you ask.

Ignoring Delta's taunts, Lin pondered for a moment, then slowly asked as Delta's gaze suddenly changed, "What is the wish you want to fulfill with seven Poké Ball?"

Before this, Lin thought that no one on the Hyperion would fall for the temptation of "a wish," but after pondering for a whole night, he thought of something.

Indeed, the power of the Aether Anchor is not omnipotent, but that doesn't mean it's completely useless. It's not an "omnipotent wish-granting machine," but it can certainly act as one.

That's the power nurtured by an entire world. It can even reverse time within the World Bubble. However, most people don't know how to use the Aether Anchor. The wishing machine in this World Bubble saves them the trouble of using the Aether Anchor and allows them to achieve their goals directly.

After accurately capturing the fleeting panic deep in Delta's eyes, Lin confirmed his guess: these people did indeed want to do something with the power of the Aether Anchor, and their desires differed, which led to their disagreement.

"..."

Perhaps afraid of letting something slip, Delta didn't answer Lin's question, her cherry-pink lips tightly closed.

"What is Rita's wish? You should be able to tell me that, right?"

"..."

There was still no reply.

Lin, expressionless, pinched his chin, glanced in the direction of the hotel, then turned back to look at the silent girl. He let out a long breath and said indifferently—

What do you want to do to me?

Delta looked at Lin calmly, but her fingers clenched involuntarily. From her reaction, it was clear that Lin was right once again.

It's not hard to deduce that Rita and Himeko were unwilling to tell him, Delta was unwilling to tell him, and both sides knew each other's purpose but kept it from Lin. It could only be that what they wanted to do with the Aether Anchor was related to him.

"I have the right to know what you intend to do to me."

"You? You have the right?"

It's unclear what nerve Lin's words touched on Delta, but she, who had been silent, began to utter the words slowly and deliberately, her azure eyes fixed on Lin.

For some reason, Lin suddenly felt a little flustered when she was staring at him.

Within those beautiful and resilient gems lie complex emotions, such as slight anger, mockery, and disdain.

But none of this was what made him feel so lost.

But it was in that he saw grievance.

In Lin's memory, this girl who had experienced life and death, betrayal and abandonment, had never shown such... little girl-like grievances, even when she was abandoned by everyone in her original world.

Do you know Yae Kasumi?

Delta asked a question unrelated to the current topic, staring intently into Lin's eyes, trying to confirm whether he was lying or avoiding her gaze.

Speaking of Yae Kasumi willing to cooperate with Delta?

Is collecting all seven Poké Ball not about fulfilling one wish, but about fulfilling the wishes of an entire team?

"... I don't know her," Lin answered truthfully. How could he possibly know Yae Kasumi? He didn't even have the slightest memory of her...

Memory...

Memory?

"..."

The black-haired man with heterochromatic eyes paused for a moment, while the pink-haired girl chuckled coldly, "Don't know him... Hmph."

Lin snapped out of his daze, his eyebrows furrowed, completely baffled as to what Delta was trying to say. He patiently asked one last time, "So what exactly do you want to wish for? If you want me to do something, how do you know I won't grant your wish if you don't tell me?"

"Hmm? Sure." Delta smiled brightly, her smile radiant with a youthful fragrance. "Then can you unlock the chains? If you do, I'll tell you what I want to do."

"..."

Lin paused for a second, then moved his fingers, and the golden chains binding Delta dissipated into fragments.

Perhaps not expecting Lin to actually do this, the girl was stunned. She stared at Lin's solemn face, her light clothing fluttering gently after being freed from its restraints.

"...for you."

Before Lin could react, a Poké Ball was thrown in front of him, and Delta turned around and jumped off the rooftop like a gust of wind.

After landing in a panic, the girl ran wildly into the distance without looking back. A blush of cherry blossoms gradually crept up her fair skin behind her ears, and her tail swayed as if teasing her.

New Testament: Afterword of the Dirac Sea: Chapter 103 Bronya

Lin picked up the Poké Ball from the ground, his heterochromatic eyes gazing down at Delta's retreating figure. Even he couldn't help but feel a hint of doubt in his eyes.

As it turned out, he got the Poké Ball, which he could use to exchange information with Rita, just as he had planned.

But the process was unexpected. When he freed Delta from her restraints, he predicted that Delta would either run away or fight back, but she left behind the Poké Ball and then just left.

Lin couldn't understand her behavior or her motives.

Holding Poké Ball, I stood on the edge of the rooftop, gazing at the city as a new day began, a gentle breeze caressing my face.

He silently put the Poké Ball into his pocket.

Perhaps Delta wanted to tell him that she was a practical person who didn't like riddles, so given her personality, she should have told him the truth after he released Delta.

However, due to certain reasons, she could not or did not want to say it, so she preferred to leave the Poké Ball for him to ask Rita himself rather than tell her herself.

Forget it, the outcome is pretty much the same anyway. I'll go talk to Delta after this farce is over.

Lin sighed and prepared to go back to find Rita. The Poké Ball he had, plus Yae Kasumi's Poké Ball, would be enough...

"Stop, hand over the Poké Ball."

"..."

The prop shop owner was right; there were indeed many short people here, and including the one who was trying to rob them, she had already seen three.

The gray-haired girl with the strange double-drill hairstyle was even more stiff than Delta, but she didn't have Delta's mature calmness. Instead, she had a frozen, lifeless stillness.

She had a cute and delicate appearance, a petite figure, wore a pair of purple earrings, and dressed in a dark brown outfit that looked like a school uniform. Her gray eyes calmly gazed at the equally calm Lin.

The strangest thing about this girl is her legs. Underneath the pleated skirt should be a girl's youthful and fair thighs, but she is wearing an exoskeleton suit on her legs. Moreover, if you look closely, her feet are not touching the ground, but floating a distance above the ground.

Lin glanced at the other person's watch; his excellent eyesight allowed him to immediately see the words "Riding Motorcycle Robot Team" on the watch.

It seems this is the member of the only team that didn't have Poké Ball.

"Bronya doesn't want to engage in a pointless battle, nor does she want to hurt you, so you can leave once you put down the Poké Ball." The girl's cold, almost mechanical voice came from her lips, and at the same time, she raised her right palm, pointing it at Lin.

Bronya... It seems this girl's name is Bronya.

This verbal tic and way of referring to herself reminded Lin of Seele, who also liked to use her own name instead of "I".

"... You've been following Delta for a long time, haven't you?" Lin didn't think she just happened to meet him and then robbed him. Most likely, she had been eyeing Delta for a long time, looking for an opportunity to strike, but Delta was too strong and it was difficult to find an opportunity. After Lin Cong got the Poké Ball from Delta, the girl named Bronya in front of him saw hope.

"That's right." Bronya readily admitted, her gray eyes filled with determination. "Those Poké Ball aren't of much use to you, but they're very important to Bronya, so I hope to give them to Bronya."

Lin did not reply. He subtly observed the other person but did not find any weapon.

One thing to note is that Bronya's eyes are different from others; they are very... determined, as if she won't give up until she gets the Poké Ball.

It's not that Delta and the others weren't determined enough to fight for the Poké Ball, but Bronya's determination seemed to have a different meaning.

To put it in simpler terms... she was serious.

Lin pondered for two seconds, then calmly spoke to Bronya without taking out Poké Ball: "The idea that collecting seven Poké Ball can grant a wish isn't as all-powerful as you imagine."

"Bronya knows."

The girl's words made Lin Mo pause for half a second. He pretended to think and glanced at Bronya.

Did she know?

So what was her motivation?

"Bronya, be careful. There's a familiar feeling about this person."

Just as Lin was pondering, another little dwarf came out. This time, Lin saw the only male child besides the one the landlady had mentioned.

With brown hair and a more youthful appearance than Bronya, his expression and eyes possessed a maturity far beyond his appearance. Lin could tell in an instant from his eyes that he couldn't possibly be a child.

It seems this is Bronya's teammate. So far, only the members of the Riding Cat Team have not yet made their appearance.

Lin noticed that the brown-haired boy was staring at his right eye, that strange Prismatic Eyes.

"You..."

The boy sensed an unusual aura emanating from Lin, but having lost his own power, he didn't immediately recognize it. Now, as he drew closer, his already somber expression became even more gloomy.

Then, as he examined the ever-changing Prismatic Eyes that seemed to be absorbing everything around it, a feeling washed over him, and he nervously took a half-step back, adopting a wary posture.

"... Bronya, he is Herrscher."

"Click".

This statement surprised Lin and shocked Bronya even more. In an instant, a huge mech resembling a knight appeared behind her, its right cannon aimed at Lin, who remained unmoved despite seeing her actions, its gaze extremely calm.

Lin looked at the mecha with great curiosity. It had no lower body, only a structure that seemed to be a spine, and its left hand was equipped with a shield, protecting Bronya and the boy behind the shield.

This pair is the team that Lin is most interested in so far.

The fact that they were able to detect Herrscher elements in the forest indicates that they had previously come into contact with Herrscher. The fact that they didn't need to make a wish with Poké Ball suggests that they were also aware of the characteristics of the World Bubble.

"Herrscher, what are you doing here?" Bronya didn't know whether she was asking the boy beside her or the man in front of her who had suddenly become incredibly terrifying in her eyes.

"Don't worry, he seems to be able to communicate, and he let that girl go just now."

Lin actually wanted to tell him that, in a sense, Delta had let Lin go.

Bronya nodded, not daring to look away from Lin. She demanded, "Who are you? Are you Herrscher or a human?"

Quiet.

After Bronya asked her question, a stalemate ensued. Lin remained silent, while Bronya and the others waited for his answer.

The New Testament: Afterword of the Dirac Sea: Chapter 104 The Truth About the World Bubble

A familiar silence fell over the scene. Protected by the seemingly self-aware mecha, the gray-haired girl and boy cautiously retreated, trying to move to a safe distance, while Lin watched them thoughtfully.

Putting himself in their shoes, Lin would probably have reacted the same way, so he wasn't too surprised.

What he was thinking was that perhaps he could get some information he needed from these two people.

Under Bronya's tense gaze, Lin took out the Poké Ball from his pocket, held it in his hand, and waved it at Bronya.

"You were following Delta, so you should have overheard our conversation."

"No... we didn't hear that."

Lin nodded. If Bronya heard him, he would save himself the trouble of explaining. If she didn't, he didn't care. Holding the Poké Ball, he said to the wary Bronya and the boy, "I can give you this."

Bronya was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly realized that this was not without its price.

"What do you want us to do? And are you even Herrscher?"

Lin didn't explain, but continued calmly, "Do you know who organized the Great Elf Tournament? What do you plan to do with these things? Tell me, and I will decide for myself whether or not to hand over the Poké Ball to you."

To reiterate, Lin's goal wasn't to collect all seven Poké Ball, but to investigate the truth behind the Great Elf Tournament. Why did he enter the World Bubble and then leave, allowing everyone else to enter? What exactly did he encounter in the World Bubble at that time?

Bronya and the boy exchanged a glance, but neither of them replied. In their view, Lin's identity was a big problem.

After another ten seconds or so of stalemate, Lin let out a breath and put down the Poké Ball.