The white-haired little girl slowly opened her cute red eyes.
‘Familiar ceiling… She was back.’
This was Emilia’s mansion.
Nuo Ai’er: “Ah, that’s comfortable~~”
Finally no whips or electric shocks.
Nuo Ai’er tilted her head slightly and saw a familiar, reassuring slender figure. The little wolf girl in the red hood, Leinata, was already watching over her.
Seeing Nuo Ai’er wake up, Leinata’s originally calm eyes instantly became tender. She didn’t speak immediately, but leaned over slightly and gently held Nuo Ai’er’s soft little hand.
The moment their palms touched, Nuo Ai’er felt an unprecedented sense of peace.
Nuo Ai’er: “I don’t have to do dungeons for the next month, that’s really nice, meow~.”
“Leinata, after I passed out, what happened to you all?”
After Nuo Ai’er calmed down, she asked Leinata about the dungeon. After all, her memories only went up to when Leinata came to save her.
“First, I severely punished that twin-tailed girl who bullied you.”
Leinata slowly told Nuo Ai’er everything that happened afterward, glossing over the battle details and calmly narrating the complete results, trying to make Nuo Ai’er feel at ease.
After hearing the entire thrilling aftermath, Nuo Ai’er obediently leaned back on the pillow, her small hand firmly held by Leinata.
Leinata’s speed was neither fast nor slow, omitting the battle details.
Nuo Ai’er: “You even have this kind of bug-like talent?”
Among these things, Nuo Ai’er felt the most absurd was Leinata’s [Grow Stronger Against the Strong]. And there was even more buggy.
Usually, she thought Leinata’s combat power was already bug-like, but she never expected it could keep breaking through.
After learning that their Glaze Guild had ultimately achieved victory, the big stone in Nuo Ai’er’s heart finally fell. A dangerous but safe victory, not bad.
Nuo Ai’er: “Then we can have a blast for a month!”
Nuo Ai’er’s eyes lit up. But she was already thinking about the four of them traveling around the Inner World later.
The happy mood lasted only a few seconds before Nuo Ai’er’s smart (?) little mind soon sensed something wrong. Even though they won the match and everyone returned safely, Leinata seemed to have some unspoken concern deep in her eyes.
‘No, why does it feel like Leinata’s mood isn’t relaxed at all…’
Nuo Ai’er: “Leinata, is there… something you haven’t told me?”
Nuo Ai’er’s voice carried a hint of worry. She had a bad feeling.
Leinata: “Nuo Ai’er… follow me.”
Leinata didn’t explain directly, but gently helped Nuo Ai’er up from the bed. The two held hands, quietly walked through the corridor, and finally stopped in front of another bedroom door at the end of the hall.
Along the way, she kept holding her soft little hand, slowly walking out of the bedroom.
This room was the private bedroom that Emilia specially arranged for Hui Mei.
Leinata gently raised her hand and pushed open the door. At that moment, Emilia was sitting quietly on a chair by the bed, her posture upright and gentle, silently guarding the room, patiently watching over the person on the bed.
Emilia: “Nuo Ai’er, you’re awake?”
Nuo Ai’er: “Emilia?”
But Nuo Ai’er’s gaze instinctively fell on the soft large bed. On the bed, Hui Mei was lying peacefully, her eyes tightly shut, looking as if she was in a deep sleep. But it was eerily quiet.
Earlier, in the sister’s room dungeon, Nuo Ai’er had experienced that Hui Mei’s sleeping habits were very bad. Nuo Ai’er’s heart instantly skipped a beat, and a strong unease inexplicably rose. She quickly walked to the bedside.
Nuo Ai’er: “How long has Hui Mei been sleeping?”
Seeing Nuo Ai’er’s confused and worried expression, Emilia sighed softly and stood up.
Emilia: “Nuo Ai’er, listen to me first.”
Then, Emilia spoke a series of times that instantly stunned Nuo Ai’er.
Emilia: “All of us exited the dungeon and returned to the mansion together after the guild war ended and the dungeon closed. But each person’s exit time was different. You exited about an hour ago, and only slept for a short hour before waking. But Hui Mei is different.”
Emilia paused, her tone slightly heavier.
Emilia: “After she was eliminated in the dungeon, she returned here earlier than the rest of us… According to Anna, Hui Mei was teleported back three days ago, and has been unconscious for a full three days and three nights now.”
Three days and three nights. Nuo Ai’er’s heart stopped, staring blankly at the sleeping Hui Mei on the bed. Hui Mei had been motionless for so long, with no signs of waking.
Nuo Ai’er: “How could this be… Shouldn’t dungeon injuries all reset and clear? How could this be… Didn’t they say death and injuries in dungeons don’t affect reality? But why is this happening!”
Nuo Ai’er’s voice trembled, with uncontrollable panic and fear. Seeing Nuo Ai’er about to cry, Leinata quickly stepped forward and gently pulled her into a warm embrace.
Leinata didn’t speak, just gently stroked Nuo Ai’er’s head, silently comforting all her panic and fear.
Emilia watched the two clinging to each other, her expression still calm and composed, as she slowly explained all the information she had gathered over the past three days.
Emilia: “I was the first to exit the game after Hui Mei, about two days ago in the morning. After hearing about Hui Mei’s condition from Anna, I invited the most professional physicians from the Inner World to examine Hui Mei one after another.”
Nuo Ai’er: “What were the results?”
Holding onto Leinata, Nuo Ai’er asked nervously.
Emilia: “All the physicians confirmed that Hui Mei’s vital signs are stable and completely normal.”
Nuo Ai’er: “Is that so…”
Hearing this, Nuo Ai’er calmed down a bit. Luckily, Hui Mei’s body was fine.
Nuo Ai’er: “But then why is she unconscious?”
Nuo Ai’er pressed.
Emilia: “That is the problem… All the doctors were at their wit’s end. Even if they found the cause, they had no way to wake Hui Mei up.”
Nuo Ai’er: “Why? If her body is fine, why can’t she wake up?”
Emilia said:
Emilia: “Because the problem isn’t with her body at all. The problem is with her soul.”
The golden-haired, blue-eyed young lady paused and revealed the truth.
Emilia: “An invisible seal was silently placed on Hui Mei’s soul. This seal locked away her consciousness, turning her into a vegetative state of perpetual sleep.”
A soul seal? Nuo Ai’er had never heard of such a term. But that meant Hui Mei would sleep forever and never wake up.
Nuo Ai’er: “How… who did this…”
Nuo Ai’er murmured softly. But deep in her heart, she already had a faint idea… She just didn’t dare to think about that witch who targeted her at every turn and stopped at nothing.
Emilia calmly analyzed:
Emilia: “Although I can’t do anything about souls, I’m almost a hundred percent sure that the problem occurred the moment Hui Mei was eliminated by the stream.”
Leinata: “I was there too, very close to the stream.”
Emilia: “Leinata’s strong luck talent… My talent did its best to prevent me from approaching the stream battlefield, not daring to let me intervene in that strange elimination.”
Nuo Ai’er: “Something else infiltrated the dungeon!”
Nuo Ai’er thought of that puppet she and Tina faced. At this point, the three of them almost all had the same idea.
An existence with very high status had infiltrated the game and placed a curse on Hui Mei. Although the purpose was unknown, it was definitely not well-intentioned.
The three stood quietly by the bed, looking at the sleeping Hui Mei, each lost in thought.
Just then—
“Ding-dong!”
The mansion’s doorbell rang.
Emilia raised an eyebrow slightly, a bit puzzled. Who would come to visit at this time?
She gently raised her hand to signal the two to wait, then turned and quickly walked out of the bedroom, went to the entrance on the first floor, and gently opened the mansion’s front door.
Standing outside the door was a little girl with a blue single ponytail.
Emilia: “You’re from the Falcon Guild…?”
Emilia remembered this little girl from the Falcon Guild. Her name was Tina.
Tina stood outside the door, without any hostility, and asked directly in a gentle voice:
Tina: “Sorry to intrude. I came to ask… Do you have a member who hasn’t woken up yet?”
The moment she heard that, Emilia was slightly taken aback. How did she know?
Nuo Ai’er and Leinata inside also came out upon hearing the sound and looked at Tina at the door.
Nuo Ai’er: “Tina?”
After understanding the situation, Nuo Ai’er also explained Hui Mei’s condition.
Nuo Ai’er: “Yeah… the doctors couldn’t find the problem. Hui Mei has been unconscious for three days and three nights since being eliminated from the dungeon. Finally we discovered that her soul had been sealed, so she can’t wake up.”
Tina, who had been calm, showed no surprise upon hearing this; instead, she revealed an expression of “as expected.”
Tina: “I knew it. Because… Nailuo from our guild, who fought with your Hui Mei… she has also fallen into the exact same state of unconsciousness.”
Nuo Ai’er: “Tina, what do you mean?”
Nuo Ai’er pressed. As soon as she finished speaking, Nuo Ai’er’s eyes widened.
Nuo Ai’er: “There are other victims too…”
Emilia was also a bit surprised. Leinata frowned deeply.
Nuo Ai’er fell silent. She felt that things were getting more and more complicated.