Travel · Imperial Capital Arc (VIII): The King's Game (III)

"Hey, this is finally my turn to be the king!" Lynae was overjoyed; it was finally her turn to give orders. "As for the numbers, let's choose number three and number thirteen. As for what orders to give..."

When summoned, Crimson Snow and Carlotta immediately sat up straight, awaiting Lynae's instructions.

As a result, she couldn't think of any interesting commands for the time being, and while she was struggling with it, she suddenly noticed the public command pool on the table that hadn't been used much.

"My turn, draw!" Lynae shouted, drawing the top card from the command pool. "Hmm... let me see..."

"Pop up balloons back to back?"

"Back to back?" Xiao Ling couldn't help but laugh. "Crimson Snow and Carlotta? Really?"

"Is there a problem?" Crimson Snow asked, puzzled by Xiao Ling's sense of humor. "Little Ling, why are you laughing?"

"Crimson Snow, you don't know this, but here we have a saying called 'the cutest height difference.' If you and Carlotta stood together, that would be the case," Xiao Ling explained.

Oh, actually, it's not just that. The main reason is that Crimson Snow is the second ice-type main DPS after Carlotta, and the competition between the two of them for the title of the world's number one ice-type main DPS is a well-worn topic among Wuthering Waves players.

In terms of both height and strength, Crimson Snow was clearly superior to Carlotta, so Carlotta went from being the world's number one Ice C to the world's number one Ice C.

Getting back to the main point, after Lynae gave the order, Crimson Snow and Carlotta immediately took to the field.

The balloons had already been prepared and placed on the table. Lynae, as the one who initiated the instructions, also consciously helped the two challengers Crimson Snow and Roccia, to place the balloons.

It would have been better if they hadn't helped; once they did, another unbearable situation arose.

"Huh? It seems like Sister Carlotta isn't quite able to reach the balloon?" Encore innocently voiced this harsh reality.

(First blood.)

"Uh, is Miss Carlotta going to pop the balloon with her head?" Phoebe asked hesitantly after observing for a moment, offering what she considered a reasonable guess.

(Double kill!)

"Honestly, it really makes it clear from this that they have the 'cutest height difference,' just like Brother Ling said," Suisui said with a smile in her eyes.

(Triple kill!)

"Miss Carlotta, be careful not to let the balloon fly out of the back of your head!" Cantarella teased her arch-rival in a playful tone.

(Quadra kill!)

"I said there's no problem. As the saying goes, a wise man has a clever plan. I believe that Carlotta will definitely be able to overcome the difficulties and complete the challenge!" Xiao Ling said confidently, seemingly really cheering Carlotta on—if you ignore the part about a wise man having a clever plan.

(Penta kill!)

"I said, haven't you guys had enough...?" Carlotta's temples were bulging with veins, and she seemed to have an urge to punch someone.

"It's alright, height isn't a problem," Crimson Snow reassured her with a smile. "I'll try my best to cooperate with your movements during the later challenges. If you'd like me to bend down to help you, you can do that too."

(Crimson Snow, you're so kind, I'm crying!)

"There's no need to do that. Just like Cat's Eye said, I have my own brilliant plan." Carlotta responded confidently to Crimson Snow, while also glaring at Hajiling, who was always eager for trouble, as if to say, "You'll see what happens later."

"Since you have a solution, that's excellent." Crimson Snow nodded with a smile.

"Hehehe, it seems our two challengers are eager to begin their challenge," Xiao Ling said, warming up the atmosphere at the opportune moment.

"Okay, three, two, one!"

At Xiao Ling's command, Crimson Snow and Carlotta began their challenge of squeezing balloons back to back.

Crimson Snow was very relaxed and at ease. For her, this challenge was not difficult at all. Popping the balloons was a piece of cake for her.

Let's shift our focus to Carlotta...

"Heave-ho, heave-ho."

Carlotta kept trying to pop the balloon by pressing the back of her head against it, and occasionally she would stand on tiptoe to find a better point of leverage. Her idea was good, but the result was the opposite, and the balloon was knocked off several times by her repeated actions.

With only thirty seconds left in the challenge, Carlotta had no choice but to use every trick in the book to try and pop the balloon.

Just as she hoped, the balloon was quickly flattened by her efforts, and she was about to succeed in the challenge.

As if playing a joke on her, the balloon flew out again at the last moment.

Heartfox let out a howl and slammed the bell on the timer, signaling the end of the challenge.

"How could this happen..." Carlotta's entire body turned ashen, as if she was resentful of this ending.

"What a pity, you failed the challenge," Xiao Ling said, feigning regret. "So, it's time for punishment."

"A bet's a bet, so bring it on!" Carlotta said calmly. "Whatever the punishment, I'll handle it gracefully!"

"We failed to complete the challenge and deserve to be punished," Crimson Snow nodded.

"As for the punishment... let me think..." Xiao Ling pondered for a moment, then decided to draw a card from the command pool as the punishment. "I'll draw!"

Hmm... try the mystery food or drink.

"How mysterious is it?" Cartethyia asked curiously.

"I'll go get it for you, then you'll know."

Xiao Ling left her seat temporarily, and returned a moment later with a bottle of beverage and a can of fish.

"Let me see what goodies you brought back, A-Yu?" Aemeath curiously took the punishment prop from Xiao Ling's hand. "White Flower Snake Grass Water, and canned herring?"

Upon hearing about these two mysterious objects, Dania immediately looked at Carlotta with pity.

These two are infamous throughout the entire food world; the former is widely recognized as the most unpalatable beverage, and the latter is the world's smelliest food.

"Come on, you two, choose one." Xiao Ling took the punishment item back from Aemeath's hand and pushed it in front of the two of them.

"Hmm... I'll choose canned food." After hesitating for a moment, Carlotta chose canned herring.

Crimson Snow watched as Carlotta took the canned herring, and silently took the White Flower Snake Grass Water.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Carlotta opened the can of herring, and the pungent odor emanating from it immediately caused an uproar among everyone present.

"Ugh~ Damn it, Xiao Ling, are you sure this is canned food and not a biological weapon?!" Lynae started gagging as soon as she smelled it.

"This tastes way better than those tech-infused foods at the academy..." Roccia also looked troubled.

The others also seemed to be avoiding the area at all costs, fearing they might be attacked by this terrifying biological weapon.

Carlotta, who was being punished, had turned deathly pale, but maintaining her elegance, she still picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

With that one bite, her taste buds felt like they'd been hit hard, making her want to spit it out and rinse her mouth on the spot.

But with a "you have to accept the consequences" attitude, she forced herself to remain calm and swallowed it.

"Hmm... this canned food has a really unique flavor, but it's not my type," Carlotta commented calmly.

Seeing that Carlotta had completed her challenge, Crimson Snow also unscrewed the cap of the White Flower Snake Grass Water, took a light sniff, and then sipped it.

Then, she pondered for a moment and said, "The taste is unique, like a straw mat soaked by rain, with a hint of sea saltiness. It's not unpleasant, but it's not exactly enjoyable either."

"Really?" Curious Lynae took the white snake grass water from Crimson Snow's hand and took a sip. "Holy crap! Who soaked their stinky socks in water?!"

"Is it really that bad?" Dania quickly took the drink and took a sip. "Ugh~ I can't take it anymore, I almost died after just one sip..."

The other girls also tried the White Flower Snake Grass Water out of curiosity, but they all failed miserably. Even Xixi, who was usually very well-mannered, had veins popping out on her forehead after taking a sip.

Clearly, White Flower Snake Grass Water is the most lethal punishment tool, since you can't detect anything unusual from its appearance or smell. At least the canned herring will remind you with its extreme stench that it is definitely not a good thing.

Carlotta was now on the verge of tears; she desperately needed something sweet to wash away the sour and salty taste in her mouth.

Someone please save her! QAQ