Annabell revealed a mischievous smile. “What I mean is, everyone here is trash. The Imperial Genius Ranking, the Future Star of the Empire—putting me on the same list as you is simply brainless.”
As soon as she said this, the whole crowd erupted in an uproar, and everyone’s faces turned extremely ugly.
“Annabell! You’re too arrogant!” a noble swordsman couldn’t help but roar. “We respect you as the Duke’s daughter of the Empire, but don’t be so ungrateful!”
“Arrogant? I’m just stating the facts.”
Annabell spread her hands, her eyebrows drooping, and her heterochromatic eyes filled with mockery. Her posture was infuriating.
“What, you’re not convinced? Then come at me all at once. I’m in a hurry. You can be beaten to death by me, or I’ll beat you all to death. Pick one.”
[Ding! Charles’s affection level has decreased, current: tit-for-tat! Reward: Bronze Treasure Chest x1!]
[Ding! Nobleman A’s affection level has decreased…]
Listening to the system notifications ringing in her head, Annabell felt so good she could ascend to heaven.
Cursing people to get equipment drops—did something this good really exist in the world?
Charles’s face had already darkened to the point where water could drip out, and veins bulged on the back of his hands.
He stared fixedly at Annabell and took a deep breath. “Annabell, you’re certainly impressive today. But don’t forget, this is the Elven King Ruins.”
He sneered and opened his palm, revealing a rune shaped like an ancient tree. “It takes nine gems to open the ruins. Now all nine gems have their owners.”
Charles pointed at Charlotte, then at his own faction. “What a pity, Miss Annabell. It seems you’ve arrived a step too late. There’s no quota for you in the ruins. You can get lost.”
Everyone suddenly understood.
Right! Even though Snake died, his quota was already void.
Charlotte had one gem, plus their eight gems—that made exactly nine!
Annabell didn’t have a gem. She absolutely couldn’t get in!
“Oh? Is that so?” Instead of panicking, Annabell raised her eyebrows with interest.
She walked toward Charles step by step, revealing a very kind and amiable smile.
“Since there’s no quota for me, then just squeeze one out for me—wouldn’t that solve it?”
“You dare to snatch it?!” Charles was so angry he laughed, as if he’d heard the biggest joke ever. “Annabell, do you really think you’re invincible? I am the Imperial Prince! If you dare to touch me, the entire Duke’s Estate will be buried with you!”
“An opportunity item goes to the one capable. Isn’t that the bandit rule you all silently agreed on just now when you watched Charlotte being surrounded? What, can’t apply it to yourselves?”
Annabell was unmoved. She even took a step closer.
Terrifying magical power instantly locked onto Charles. He could even feel the hairs on the back of his neck turning to frost.
“You… you’re crazy…” Charles swallowed his saliva. He could see genuine disdain and killing intent in Annabell’s red and blue heterochromatic eyes.
This crazy woman actually dared to make a move here!
“I’ll count to three.” Annabell began the countdown.
“Three.”
Charles suddenly turned his head to look at the Saintess Rosalind beside him, hoping the Church’s saintess would lend a hand.
But Rosalind acted as if she hadn’t seen anything and silently looked away.
The biting cold made him shiver involuntarily.
“Your Highness, a wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him!” the prince’s strategist urgently transmitted a message.
“This woman is insane! And she just killed a Lord-level Magical Beast, level 8. It’s not worth fighting her head-on now. We can find a chance to kill her inside the ruins!”
“Wait!” Charles roared.
Gritting his teeth, he turned to look at a noble youth in his group.
He was the weakest among them.
“Hand over your gem.” Charles commanded, his voice full of humiliation.
“Your Highness?! This…” That nobleman B looked utterly incredulous.
“I said hand it over! Can’t you understand?!” Charles bellowed. If he didn’t hand it over, he felt that crazy woman Annabell would really attack! Dying here, no one would know—who would say it was her doing?
Under Charles’s glowering stare, nobleman B bit his lips in humiliation and tremblingly pulled out the gem from his chest.
Charles snatched the gem away, then turned around and handed it to Annabell.
His hands were trembling slightly from extreme anger and humiliation, but he had no choice but to squeeze out a twisted smile.
“Miss Annabell… a small token of my esteem, not worthy of your acceptance.”
Annabell unceremoniously grabbed the gem and tossed it in her hand a couple of times.
“If you’d done this earlier, we wouldn’t have wasted everyone’s time. Why put yourself through this?”
[Ding! Charles’s affection level has severely decreased, current: irreconcilable! Reward: Silver Treasure Chest x1!]
Hearing the system’s notification, Annabell raised her chin with satisfaction.
The wealth code never lies!
Charlotte, standing behind Annabell, saw everything clearly.
Facing the pressure of the Empire’s top geniuses, Annabell didn’t budge an inch.
She didn’t hesitate to offend the powerful Fourth Prince, even intimidating him with magical power, just to forcefully snatch a ruins quota.
Charlotte knew that Annabell didn’t have to do this.
If she had shown up earlier, directly displayed her overwhelming strength from killing the Lord-level Magical Beast, and coupled it with her identity as the Duke’s daughter, others would have obediently given up their spot, and everyone could have remained polite on the surface.
But she deliberately chose the most hateful way.
Why?
Charlotte looked at Annabell’s aloof and slender back, and her eyes grew moist again.
’It must be to vent for me!’
’Annabell must have seen how I was cold-shouldered just now, so she deliberately used such an extreme method to humiliate them, pulling all the hatred onto herself to seek justice for me!’
’She is such a gentle person, but she always uses the coldest, most vicious exterior to disguise herself.’
’She would rather bear the reputation of a “crazy woman” and a “vicious villainess” just to protect me under her wings.’
Charlotte silently vowed in her heart.
’After this ruins trial ends, I must confess everything to her!’
’I want to tell her that I am also a girl, and I… have always really liked her!’
Annabell, unaware that she was being wildly overthought and had even been forcibly given a yuri filter, was currently happily checking her system inventory.
“Charles’s hatred has been pulled to [irreconcilable]; this wave was a complete win. If I work a bit harder, I can get him to [blood feud]!”
Annabell checked contentedly.
At the same time, she glanced at the affection level list of others.
Suddenly, her gaze froze on a name, and the smile on her lips instantly stiffened.
[Saintess of the Holy Light Church·Rosalind: Current affection—Casual Acquaintance (continuously rising)]
“Huh?!” Annabell almost popped her eyes out.
What the hell?!