Journey: Guangzhou Arc (Seventeen): Carnival March (Three)

"Mia, where are we going next?"

"Hmm... let me see... Hey? Look at Lupa, have we already played this?"

"Huh? It doesn't seem like it's there yet. Let's go to Mount Firmament then! Are the rules the same as before?"

"Okay, how about the loser treats the other person to dinner?"

"I'd be happy to oblige. Bring it on, I'll be the one to win in the end."

"That's hard to say!"

Lupa and Mia, these gladiator sisters, didn't forget to compete even at the carnival. It can be said that they have tried almost every competition they could since they entered the arena, and their current record is a draw.

After looking around, the two realized that no other place offered a better experience than Mount Firmament, so they immediately made their decision.

Their bet was simple: the loser had to treat the other person to dinner.

In order to determine the final winner, Lupa and Mia hurried towards the Mount Firmament area.

"I can't compare, I can't compare at all..." Mia, somewhat disappointed. "Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older..."

"Hehe, thank you for your kind words, Mia!" Lupa laughed happily. Although she couldn't have a showdown with Mia in the arena, it wasn't a bad thing to have a match in this kind of place. At least she didn't have to fight to the death.

"Well then, as agreed, I'll leave lunch to you, Mia ~"

"Okay, okay..." Mia waved her hand helplessly.

Having finished all the competitions, Lupa and Mia were about to wander around the venue a couple more times before looking for something to eat nearby, when they stumbled upon something even more noteworthy—

A little girl standing alone in the same spot.

The girl was about seven or eight years old. She looked innocent and carefree, full of curiosity about everything around her. However, she seemed to be instructed by someone and stayed in one place without moving, unmoved even when many cosplayers and tourists passed by.

But this is so incongruous, because this little girl shouldn't be alone in this kind of situation.

Lupa's intuition was always accurate; she immediately knew that the little girl had probably been temporarily separated from her guardian.

"Mia? What should we do?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"Keep an eye on it. Lupa, send a message to that Laureate and see what he says," Mia said decisively.

"Good."

Lupa immediately took out her phone to take a picture and sent it to Xiao Ling along with the edited text message.

Xiao Ling:?

Xiao Ling: You're really carefree, leaving such a small girl alone in a place like this.

Xiao Ling: Shouldn't we at least find security personnel to keep an eye on things?

Lupa: Should we take her to see the staff now, partner? It's safer that way...?

Xiao Ling: Just keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't leave her spot.

Xiao Ling: If you rashly take her away, the situation will only get worse.

Key points: public place, child, unexplained disappearance.

Given the extreme protectiveness of the Dragon Country, if this situation escalates into a farce, it could be very difficult to handle.

Besides, this is a venue with tens of thousands of people. Do you really think you can kidnap someone here? How many dishes would make you so drunk?

"My partner told us to keep an eye on her and not let her leave her spot... wait, what?!"

Lupa had just finished speaking with Mia when she saw the little girl suddenly start walking away from where she stood.

Without hesitation, she rushed over and stopped the little girl.

"Please move aside... I need to find my sister..." the little girl said, pouting pitifully.

"I understand how you want to find your sister, so you shouldn't leave on your own," Lupa said calmly. "Think about it, if your sister comes back and finds you're not there, she'll definitely be worried, right?"

But I...

"It's okay, your sister will come back. Until then, we'll stay with you and wait for her to come back, okay?" Mia said with a very friendly smile.

"Hmm... okay!" After hesitating for a moment, the little girl finally smiled obediently.

Lupa and Mia were both relieved to find the little girl to be so sensible.

Now, all we need to do is wait for the little girl's older sister to come back.

"So she's been toying with your tail since just now?" Iuno mocked mercilessly. "A dignified gladiator champion, a big star from Septimont, actually got manipulated by a little girl."

"That's not how it works, Iuno," Augusta smiled. "It's not safe for such a young child to be here alone. With Lupa and Mia by her side, at least those lurking in the shadows who might want to take advantage of the situation will abandon their wicked thoughts."

Yes, the little girl's guard team has increased from two to four people.

"You talk a good game, but who's going to take over for me...?" Lupa said dejectedly. "If she keeps rubbing my tail like this, it's going to get all rubbed raw..."

(www, damn it, I want to touch it too...!)

"Sorry, I can't help Lupa either. This little girl seems to be completely interested in your tail..." Mia, scratching her head helplessly.

"I'm not very good at taking care of children either..." Augusta shook her head and said, "Iuno, do you?"

"Taking care of a child?" Iuno asked with an expression that said, "What's so difficult about that?"

"You sound very experienced. Could it be that you've been rehearsing for the Laureate and your child beforehand...?"

"So-and-so is going to have his baby!" Iuno's cheeks flushed red instantly as she retorted eagerly.

"Please, beautiful, lovely, generous, and kind genius Lady Iuno, help me out of this predicament..." Lupa mumbled, "I feel like my tail is about to fall out of its tail."

Seeing Lupa's earnest request for help, Iuno, though still blushing, smiled confidently and said, "Alright, since you're so sincere, I'll help you out of this predicament, just this once~?"

When it comes to taking care of children, Iuno is indeed more experienced than Augusta. After all, her personality makes it easy for children to get close to her. Although Augusta is a nice person, her authority as the governor of the Septimont always makes the children feel a bit of fear towards her.

Getting back to the main point, in order to free Lupa's tail, Iuno volunteered to go to the little girl's side, ready to play some games with her.

"Want to play with twelve-sided dice?" Iuno waved the dice in his hand at the little girl. "You go first."

This trick worked very well; the little girl was quickly drawn to the twelve-sided die, Lupa seized the opportunity to immediately pull out her tail.

"Phew... I'm finally free..." Lupa flicked her wolf tail and sighed softly.

To be honest, if the little girl hadn't been looking at her with teary eyes, Lupa wouldn't have let her touch her tail.

Kids are such troublesome creatures, but the little wolf warrior willingly fell for her tricks!

"I'm sorry to have troubled the four teachers!" The little girl's older sister pulled her little girl and bowed deeply to Lupa and her group to express their gratitude.

"Don't leave such a young child here alone next time," Augusta advised calmly. "There are many people and suspicious eyes here; if we don't keep an eye on them, something more dangerous might happen."

"The price for having the genius Lady Yu take care of the child is quite high, you know?" Iuno said with an elegant smile, one hand on her hip. "Well, I won't pursue it this time. Just remember to take good care of your little sister."

"If you ever have to separate again, remember to find a staff member at the venue. Don't just leave your loved ones behind." Lupa shook her head.

"Okay, I'll definitely pay attention next time!"

"Alright, little girl, go with your sister. See you again sometime." Mia ruffled the little girl's hair, her voice filled with laughter.

"Okay, goodbye! Beautiful older sisters!"

After getting rid of this minor trouble, all four of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luckily nothing serious happened..." Lupa smiled.

"Yes," Augusta nodded.

"Alright, is this all over?" Iuno received a message from Xiao Ling and waved her phone at everyone. "Now, we have more important things to do."

"Have you found them?" Augusta asked.

"Yes, Your Excellency, he has already sent the location to the group chat," Mia nodded.

"Let's set off now," Lupa with a smug grin. "Let's teach that wretched fellow a lesson."