"A bitter wind sweeps the land!"
Cryo rapidly condensed in Lumine's palm, forming a spear that gleamed with chilling light. She aimed at the giant robot pouring out a furious barrage and hurled it with all her might!
With a piercing whistle, the ice spear ripped through the robot's metal plating and struck its energy core.
"Bzzzt-"
Erratic electrical crackles erupted from every joint. The lights in its eyes flickered wildly, brightening and dimming before finally going out altogether. Every nozzle fell silent, and the massive machine shuddered to a halt.
"Huff... huff..."
Lumine planted the Starblade Sword against the ground and used it to push herself upright. Sweat ran down her cheeks, and exhaustion washed over her, but the excitement in her eyes was unmistakable.
We finally cleared the last challenge!
There's only one door left!
Once we push it open, we can drag out the mastermind!
"Traveler, how are you?" Yelan approached, concern in her eyes. Between her injuries and exhaustion, she had been able to do little more than leave Lumine to clear most of the remaining path alone.
"I'm fine. I can keep going a little longer." Lumine caught her breath and took stock of her remaining strength-about thirty percent. It should be enough.
She looked up at the heavy iron door and frowned slightly. "We've made it this far, but we're also trapped in here. We can't get a message to Paimon and Lan Yan."
"Don't worry. If we're not out by the agreed time, Lan Yan will go straight to the Ministry of Civil Affairs for reinforcements." Yelan brushed a sweat-dampened strand of hair away from her ear, her voice certain.
"That's good."
"Why don't we rest first? There might be another fierce battle ahead."
Lumine nodded, making no attempt to push herself. "Yeah. I still have some food in my Serenitea Pot. Let's eat and regain our strength before we continue."
"Okay."
Lumine took out the Serenitea Pot, retrieved some food from it, and shared it with Yelan.
The two rested where they were, restoring their energy.
On the other side of the iron door.
One-Eye watched the two stop to rest on the monitor and breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, good!
That gives me time to retreat!
After gathering his things, One-Eye used a robot to open an emergency escape passage. Before leaving, he glanced back at the nutrient chamber and decisively pressed a switch.
Splash!
Green solution poured across the floor, and the little girl floating inside tumbled out with it. She hit the ground hard and lay motionless.
One-Eye looked at the small body, his mouth curling into an evil grin.
"Heh heh heh. When you get in here, be sure to 'enjoy' this gift!"
Using the backup map, Lan Yan and the others found the entrance.
The moment they entered the passage, they were shocked by the devastation inside. The long, narrow corridor was a scene of destruction, littered with twisted robot limbs and shattered rocks. A sharp, burnt stench filled the air, and even the stone floor tiles had been torn up.
"It looks like a major battle took place here," Zhongli said gravely after looking around.
"It seems this safe route differs somewhat from the actual conditions."
Paimon's little face was full of worry, and her voice trembled. "The Traveler and Yelan must have run into danger. Do you think they're all right?"
Alice stroked her head and gently reassured her, "Paimon, trust your companion. The Traveler won't go down so easily. You still have a long journey ahead of you."
"Maybe she's waiting for you inside right now."
"Yeah! Then let's hurry in and find them!" Paimon nodded vigorously.
The group pressed deeper without stopping.
But the farther they went, the more alarming the sights around them became. The wreckage of mechanisms and traps lay everywhere, and the walls and floor were pocked with deep, scorched craters. The entire passage looked as though a violent storm had swept through it, leaving devastation in its wake. Cave-ins blocked the way in several places, forcing them to clear a path themselves.
Paimon grew more and more worried.
Traveler, please be all right! she prayed silently.
After resting for a while, Lumine and Yelan got up and resumed their advance.
A careful inspection confirmed that the iron door ahead was neither trapped nor locked. With a little force, they could even push it open a crack.
The two exchanged a knowing look and slowly pushed the heavy iron door open together.
What lay beyond took them by surprise: a pristine white room filled with futuristic technology. Dozens of screens crowded the walls, flickering with a faint, cold light. When they saw the images on them, their hearts sank!
The screens showed every corner of the ruins!
All along, the mastermind had been watching their every move.
Lumine and Yelan's gazes sharpened, and they became even more alert. As Lumine surveyed the room, she suddenly spotted a small figure standing in a corner.
"Yelan, there's someone here!"
"Hm?"
The two went over to investigate.
It was a little girl with her back to them. Though they couldn't see her face, her small, frail frame suggested she was quite young. Strangely, she held a large, gleaming cleaver nearly as tall as she was, a jarring sight.
"Who is she?" Lumine asked in a low voice.
"Could she be Yinyue's daughter?" Yelan narrowed her eyes.
Lumine spoke tentatively, keeping her voice very soft. "Xiaoyue?"
No sooner had she spoken than the little girl slowly turned around-
Her movements were stiff, like rusty gears turning, each degree marked by a grating jerk. Her eyes were hollow and lifeless, and her face was as pale as paper, without a trace of living color.
At the sight of her lifeless face, Lumine and Yelan's hearts tightened.
But before either could speak, the little girl's body suddenly gave an eerie shudder. Then, before their eyes, she began an extremely stiff dance, twisting her hips and shaking her waist. Her joints cracked as they twisted, like those of a long-neglected jointed doll.
The next second, the dance stopped abruptly.
The little girl froze, and her hollow eyes suddenly turned fierce and terrifying. She raised the cleaver and lunged at Lumine with frightening speed that belied her small frame!
"Watch out!" Yelan shouted.
Lumine reacted instantly, raising the Starblade Sword in front of her. But the moment their weapons clashed, her palm went numb-that seemingly tiny body could unleash terrifying strength!
Lumine instinctively stumbled back two steps, staring at the little girl in shock.
The girl didn't pause. She continued attacking them, swinging her cleaver in an impenetrable flurry, its blade flashing down like a torrential rain.
Concerned for the girl's safety, Yelan and Lumine dared not strike hard. They could only fend her off with deft movements, forced onto the defensive as they fought and retreated.
Several times, they tried to find an opening, but the child was like a tireless killing machine. She shifted seamlessly between attack and defense, leaving no weaknesses at all.
Just as the two found themselves at a loss-
"Lumine!"
"Traveler!"
"Yelan!"
Lan Yan, Paimon, Alice, and Zhongli had finally arrived!
The little girl caught sight of the new faces rushing in from the corner of her eye. Abandoning Lumine and Yelan, she whirled and charged at Zhongli and Alice, bringing her cleaver straight down at Zhongli's face!
However-
Though she had seemed like a god of slaughter before Lumine and Yelan, facing Zhongli was like crashing into an invisible cliff. Zhongli didn't move an inch. With one hand behind his back, he neutralized every attack using only a shield formed from Geo.
The girl's cleaver struck the shield without causing so much as a ripple.
"Naughty child, it's time to behave."
Alice chuckled and lightly tapped her staff. A streak of red magic struck the little girl squarely between the brows.
The girl went rigid. The ferocity in her eyes receded like the tide, and then her eyes closed and she fell stiffly to the floor.
Lumine and Yelan let out long breaths and went over to join the others.
"Traveler, are you two all right?!" Paimon flew over and looked Lumine up and down.
"We're fine." Lumine waved a hand, her gaze falling on the unconscious girl. "This child is probably Yinyue's daughter. Yelan and I just found her, but we didn't expect..."
Lan Yan crouched down and examined her. "Her mind was being controlled. She's unconscious for now, but her life isn't in danger."
"Let's send her out later. Take her to Baizhu," Lumine said.
Yelan said, "Yes. I'll send word shortly and have people from the Ministry of Civil Affairs come clean up. They can take her with them."
"By the way, Paimon, how did you all get in? And Zhongli, Alice, how did you two end up here too?" Lumine asked.
"Well, here's what happened..."
Lan Yan once again took on the role of explaining and recounted everything that had happened.
When Lumine and Yelan learned that the mastermind was probably Alice's escaped "pet," their expressions were hard to describe.
"Sorry, sorry~" Alice pressed her hands together, her manner sincere. "I was careless and let him escape and cause quite a bit of trouble. I'll pay whatever compensation is needed, as long as it's within my means."
"Let's put that aside for now." Lumine shook her head, her expression serious. "The most important thing is finding that mastermind... the Miniature One-Eyed Tyrant. We can't let him do any more harm."
Who knew whether he might pull another stunt like the Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles? They had to eliminate the threat as soon as possible.
Without wasting a moment, everyone began searching the room. But they looked in every corner and found no sign of the one-eyed creature.
Clearly, he had already escaped.
"He sure ran fast." Lumine clicked her tongue in annoyance.
He actually got away. Damn it!
Since they hadn't caught him, all their earlier efforts had come to nothing.
"What do we do now? We don't know where he ran off to, so we can't go after him," Paimon said, troubled.
"I have a way. Right here," Alice said.
Everyone looked over.
Alice was holding a map with a point of light moving across it.
"Mm-hm, this is a tracking scroll I painstakingly made. It can track his aura. We just need to follow the light, and we'll find him."
"Oh, there's something that useful? That's great!" Paimon waved her little fists excitedly.
"Where's he going now?"
Alice took a look. "Judging by the direction... Chenyu Vale."
On the map, the point of light was moving rapidly toward Chenyu Vale.
"He's actually planning to cause trouble in Chenyu Vale too! We have to stop him!"
"After him!"
The group split up.
Lumine, Paimon, Alice, and Zhongli headed to Chenyu Vale to pursue the Miniature One-Eyed Tyrant, while Yelan and Lan Yan stayed at the ruins to clean up.
Yelan fired a special signal flare outside. Once her subordinates received it, they would bring the Millelith.
As for the Treasure Hoarders who had worked for the mastermind, Yelan and Lan Yan gathered and bound them together to await transport to the Ministry of Civil Affairs' prison for trial.
For Alice's sake, Yelan released the few young Treasure Hoarders who had guided her.
"Turn over a new leaf and start fresh. No more stealing and sneaking around, understand?" Yelan folded her arms, her gaze stern.
The men thanked her profusely and scrambled away.
(Just speeding through this part of the plot to get ready to write about junior schoolmate Wa.)