“You’re so strict… everyone thought you were…”
Being able to get this close without being noticed could only be the party’s thief, He Zi.
Li Si didn’t look her way.
She swam back to the shore, grabbed her clothes, and covered herself as she headed to a nearby bush.
“That… Ao Li An Na didn’t want things to turn out this way either…”
“If you’re here to comfort me, there’s no need.”
Having left the party, she couldn’t rejoin anytime soon.
As the burst damage dealer, He Zi’s arrival at this moment only served to spew nonsense.
“We’ve always seen you as a friend, but… the way you make us feel… it’s like…”
“Like…”
The Cat Beastman scratched her ear, lowering her head like a child who had done wrong, desperately searching for a less hurtful answer.
Finally, she suddenly recalled her father’s strict table manners from her childhood and blurted out, “Like… a father…”
Li Si was silent in the bush for a while, then calmly responded, “I don’t think I’m wrong. You’re the ones who should reflect on yourselves.”
“Li Si, I’m not here to argue with you. I hope we can still be friends. This is the loot from wiping out the goblin nest. We agreed to split it five ways.”
He Zi landed softly and placed the cloth bag full of loot outside the bush.
“By the way… since you’re a girl… Why do you never bathe with us? Do you… not see us as friends…?” He Zi’s voice sounded a little lonely.
Li Si silently put on her armor.
Just as she was about to step out of the bush, she suddenly stopped and sharply looked up at the night sky.
The bright moon had suddenly turned blood red.
A thick layer of black clouds drifted in from afar, gradually spreading to cover the entire night sky.
He Zi was startled by the sight of Li Si’s true face.
Usually, Li Si wore a full-face helmet that hid all her features, so interacting with her relied on her muffled voice to guess what kind of person she was.
But now her face was fully exposed: silver hair as smooth as lake water, eyes with the unique blue of the Southland Soya people, and delicate brows and lips that made her look like an elven girl.
It was a complete contrast to the stern, powerful adventurer image of the past.
“The Holy Court’s power is receding. The goddess’s barrier has disappeared.”
The familiar sternness instantly shattered the impact of that face.
An extremely incongruous calm settled on Li Si’s face.
He Zi felt as if she were once again facing that strict, father-like presence, and instinctively averted her gaze in discomfort.
But the next second, her eyes met Li Si’s again, both looking up at the sky.
In the sky, the barrier that protected Border Town was rapidly dissipating.
Thick black clouds spread from deep within the forest, with dense demonic energy churning and layering in the air.
“Roar!”
A sudden uproar of a roar erupted.
“It’s coming from the camp!”
He Zi immediately leaped onto a treetop.
That sound was a goblin’s bellow.
Normally, goblins would never appear in the safe zone, but now the barrier had anomalously faded.
Something must be wrong with the goddess’s power.
Without time to assess the situation, He Zi rushed back along the original path at top speed.
“Roar!”
Another goblin’s furious roar echoed from deep in the forest.
Li Si frowned.
Two roars came from two different directions.
Goblins’ calls varied from low-level to elite.
These two roars were loud and steady, probably from two elite goblins.
“Roar!”
Li Si’s eyes sharpened, ‘Third one…’
A third goblin roar came from another direction.
This one was even louder and clearer than the previous two.
Given the current strength of Ao Li An Na’s party, dealing with three elite goblins might not be a problem.
But this third roar didn’t seem to be just from an ordinary elite goblin.
Li Si picked up the cloth bag from the ground and was about to follow He Zi when suddenly her expression shifted.
A strange signal, like a call for help, flickered wildly in her perception.
[Kind Mother]: You have the most encouraging insight.
‘What’s this…’
Li Si turned to look in the direction completely opposite to Ao Li An Na and the others.
From there, an urgent connection was sending out an invitation.
Li Si glanced back at the direction He Zi had gone, then at the direction of the connection signal.
After a moment of hesitation, she silently walked toward that signal.
Ao Li An Na and the other three were the heroines of the game, and Li Si had already taught them everything a beginner could know.
With their strength, as long as they earnestly applied the knowledge she’d given them, they shouldn’t have too much trouble handling this sudden change.
On the other hand, this sudden distress signal seemed a bit suspicious.
It appeared to be the guidance of a newly awakened talent.
She had felt something similar when she first transmigrated and awakened “Strict Father,” but back then it pointed toward the twelve heroines.
After successfully establishing connections, those pointers disappeared.
Now this was clearly an entirely new pointer.
Who could it be this time?
Li Si pondered as she put her helmet back on, drew her longsword, and ran in that direction.
She didn’t know the specifics, but the distress signal was urgent.
‘Wait… something feels off. The forest’s atmosphere has become really strange…’
Ahead in the forest, a young girl carrying a staff walked alone through the coniferous woods.
Li Si stopped in confusion and looked at the girl dressed as a priest.
The distress signal was indeed coming from her, directly linked to Li Si’s perception.
Come to think of it, she thought she recognized this person.
Li Si’s brow twitched.
She was about to reveal herself when her expression suddenly changed.
Something flickered in the shadows.
It seemed to be a pair of green glows.
With the red moon overhead, the goddess’s protection gone, and monsters invading the safe zone, it was obvious that this girl had been targeted by a monster.
Li Si decisively concealed herself and carefully sensed her surroundings.
The girl seemed to have detected the danger too, suddenly breaking into a run and shouting, “Goddess bless me! Goddess bless me! Lili Ya has never done anything bad!!!”
Li Si waited quietly.
Suddenly, wind blew through the forest, carrying an unusual, fetid scent.
She flared her nostrils and then shot forward like an arrow.
The sword’s light turned into a flash under the red moon, emerging from behind a tree on the girl’s path.
The girl was so startled that she slammed on the brakes and dropped to her knees, shouting, “Spare me, big shot! My name is Lili Ya, I’m 18 years old, and I’m a level 1 apprentice priest! This is all my money! Please don’t kill me again! Resurrection costs experience points!”
The whole self-introduction and loot drop were smooth and practiced.
“Ssss-roar!”
Li Si swung her sword, striking directly at the gaping maw emerging from the shadows.
It was an 8th-level Swamp Python, its mouth wide open, ready to swallow the girl in one gulp.
But Li Si’s sword was faster than its jaws.
The longsword cut through, cleaving the Swamp Python in two.
[Killed Swamp Python. EXP +8]
Li Si sheathed her sword and turned to look at the girl.
The girl had snapped out of it by now.
She clutched her gathering bag and whirled around.
Seeing it was someone in full plate armor, her panicked expression instantly relaxed, and she exclaimed joyfully, “Li Si!”
“Lili Ya, you went into the wild again.”
Li Si had just greeted her when she suddenly froze.
[Kind Mother: ‘Lili Ya’s’ approval +5%]
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