Castorice asked, puzzled, "What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm trying to say is, Aglaea brought you back, not so you could die in vain for her ' Re-Creation ' slogan."
" The Journey of Flame-Chase will inevitably involve sacrifice. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to hide from Lady Aglaea all the time."
"... Sigh, never mind, everyone has their own difficulties, I won't say any more. Anyway, I didn't plan to keep my promise to her, hehe."
"However, take my last piece of advice: Styxia is no tourist attraction. The stuff buried there isn't even worth ten... no, fifty Aglaea— "
"But do you know why I've never been there? Because even if I were a demigod, I'd be afraid I wouldn't be able to come back."
"I can take you there, but it'll cost extra."
Xing immediately agreed and conjured a bunch of milk tea from the hourglass necklace.
"How much do you want? I'll give you as much as you want! But... allow me to ask, is the job of the demigod Zagreus to extort money?"
Cipher snapped her fingers crisply. "Guess what? It really is."
"Or rather, it's part of my business."
"Although it's unpleasant... I've lived a much longer life than most people, and even if I'm not as good at making a living as Lady Aglaea, I've still managed to save some money."
"I... I can give them all to you."
Cipher was somewhat surprised, "Ha, so are you not going to live your life anymore?"
"Then... then it'll be ninety percent... no, eighty percent..."
Castorice also felt that this might be a bit inappropriate, and changed her words.
"Alright then, I won't stand on ceremony: eighty percent of Castorice's savings, plus unlimited milk tea... Hey, not a bad deal."
Xing stared at Cipher; she had really gone to great lengths to give away so much milk tea.
"You'll realize your mistake once I'm fully recovered."
"Oh dear, I'm so scared... Hehe, let's talk about it after you catch my Tail."
"Here, continue--!"
Cipher didn't forget the important matter and returned the gift to Castorice.
"Ouch, be gentle...!"
"However, the plan has changed: don't go to the baths tomorrow, come find me at the gates of Okhema."
"The reason for changing the connector location is..."
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just intimidated by the seamstress's cold, unapproachable face. If I could, I wouldn't want to stay in Okhema for even a second longer."
"Alright, the deal's done. I'll give you both a ride—it's a long way to go, so get some sleep, you two!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Cipher tossed out the cup of milk tea she had just drunk, and a burst of white light instantly filled Xing and Castorice's field of vision.
The following day, in the private bathhouse of the "holy city" of Okhema...
Xing opened her eyes Mimi; she seemed to have lost a part of her Remembrance... What exactly happened...?
"Is this... my room? How did I get back?"
"Coins... milk tea... Cipher? She even tucked me in?"
Xing rubbed her dizzy head; she was actually quite alright...
"Well... it's getting late, let's go."
Before leaving, Xing looked again at the Phantom Thief's Letter left by Cipher, the sequel after sequel:
Huizi, it's quite troublesome to write such a respectful opening every time, and it's also quite troublesome for you to read the Phantom Thief's letter three times without any information.
The gift left behind by the " Shut-in Princess " is here; you must take good care of it. Don't forget, don't go to the bathhouse, come directly to the gate of Okhema City to find me.
As everyone knows, I have very little patience. If you're late, I won't take you, understand?
P. S.: I'm the one who covered you with the blanket, so thank me.
The Cat Phantom Thief, Your Majesty!
"The rain keeps falling, the sky keeps clearing, and the letters keep coming... I've figured out this pattern!"
Xing carefully checked her over. Cipher not only covered her with a blanket, but also brought over the gifts and milk tea that Castorice had prepared.
Cipher thoughtfully added a note: the gift from Castorice was a ring, which she called " Netherwing Musing ".
The hand-carved silver ring, when held close to the ear, seems to emit the sound of melting snow.
In Aidelia, the deceased, before their passing, seal ice and snow into a ring and offer it to the living, so that it may accompany them on the rest of their journey through life.
When the ice melts and the snow thaws, the flowers will bloom, and you will find me.
Hmm, that's quite Romance.
Looking at the milk tea again, it's still so delicious and refreshing, making Xing feel full of energy!
Not long after, outside the city of Okhema
Beside Xing was Castorice, who then had her "second meeting" with Cipher.
"Oh dear!" Cipher stretched, "The sun is shining brightly; it's truly the perfect time for parting."
"You've arrived... Your Excellency."
"Is it really just the three of us?"
Xing confirmed again and again that if possible, she wanted to say goodbye to her companions before leaving.
"Of course, a team of three is the best setup to advance to the finals."
Cipher patted Xing on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it, I've spoken to 'The Tailor' and Boss Ye —they have no objections."
"Tsk tsk, Castorice... you really know how to make things difficult for me. I want to travel with you, but I can't actually touch you. This is so troublesome."
"Feel sorry..."
"Just kidding, don't take it to heart." Cipher tossed the cat-ear coin in the air.
"However, did you two know that, according to mythology, to help the deceased cross the River of Souls and reach the Underworld, an Obolos must be placed in their mouth or on their eyes..."
"What is Obolos?"
Cipher explained, "This is the ferry fee to the Underworld. But this time I won't actually ask you for it; I'll pay for it in advance, we'll just go through the motions."
"Why..."
Xing's expression changed. "Tell me honestly, how much money did you extort from Castorice?"
"It's okay, it's not much..." Castorice muttered softly.
But in Hoshino's opinion, when she said "not much," she actually meant "not much left"... Well, the Cat Phantom Thief is truly heinous!
"Alright~ Mende's fast-track journey is about to begin! Give me a coin, I'm about to unleash my power."
"Oh, right! Before I go, I'll give you two one last piece of advice. Especially for you, Lettuce Princess-- "
"You can't wait for the wind to come. Since we've only been here once, let's not waste our lives."
Cipher tossed the coin again, and everything around her seemed to be paused, with time flowing at an incredibly slow pace.
However, to Cipher's surprise, Xing was unaffected by the " Trickery " divine power and just stared straight at her.
"Huh? Huizi, how did you do that?"
Now it was Cipher's turn to be dumbfounded. She had heard Aglaea say that these "extraterrestrial visitors" were not simple, but she didn't expect them to be this outrageous! Even those immune to the Speed Force had come!
"To be honest, I know that trick too."
Xing smiled slightly and took out a " Flipping Coin " from her pocket... or even an upgraded version of " Eternity "!
"I'll show you what true Speed Force is!"