Tina came here to invite Nuo Ai’er to the Falcon Guild’s base.
To go see another victim.
Without any hesitation, Nuo Ai’er immediately nodded in agreement. To figure out what was going on with Hui Mei’s soul seal, she had to go see for herself.
Leinata accompanied Nuo Ai’er.
Emilia stayed behind to look after Hui Mei.
Then the two of them set off.
Unlike the Glaze Guild, Emilia was way too generous—so the four of them, along with their maid Anna, lived together in a mansion.
In comparison, the Falcon Guild’s base was extremely down-to-earth.
It was an old-style tavern tucked away in a corner of the Underworld Commercial Street. The place was spotless inside, even the glass windows were wiped clean.
According to Tina’s brief explanation on the way, the Falcon Guild members took turns running this little tavern every day, serving scattered players in the inner world and earning Points here and there.
In short, they were practical and simple.
But this tavern had an overbearing landlady.
Pushing open the tavern door hung with a cloth curtain, Nuo Ai’er saw the first floor’s tables and chairs neatly arranged, the floor clean and tidy.
However, because a member had been affected, Stella had closed down the tavern today and wasn’t accepting customers.
“The bedroom at the very back… upstairs is where we live. Nailuo is… she’s been…”
The three of them slowly climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor.
Tina softened her steps and lowered her voice.
But just before they could step onto the last two steps—
“Nooooo—!!”
A heart-wrenching, tearful scream exploded from the bedroom at the end of the hallway, slamming harshly into everyone’s ears.
Nuo Ai’er: ‘…’
That voice sounded like… Stella?
The three of them paused, a thick unease flooding their hearts.
Tina wore an expression of someone already used to this and explained softly:
“Big Sister… hasn’t slept in three days. She’s been trying every way to save Nailuo. Her emotions are a bit unstable…”
‘ “A bit” doesn’t sound right at all…’ Nuo Ai’er thought.
The three reached the bedroom door and gently pushed it open.
The room was simply furnished.
On the bed lay a girl with short brown hair, skin pale, a faint scar on the side of her cheek.
That was the true face of the ninja girl, Nailuo.
She was lying there motionless, just like Hui Mei—in a deep unconscious coma.
Beside the bed, the red-haired twin-tailed Stella was crouched on the floor, looking disheveled.
Seeing Stella like this, Nuo Ai’er felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
The same Stella who had been so domineering in the Dungeon now had messy hair, red and swollen eyes, and tear-streaked cheeks.
Her hands tightly clutched a translucent white crystal, its surface completely dim, its magic power exhausted.
Clearly, all its energy had just been drained.
Stella’s shoulders trembled violently.
“Why doesn’t it work… why?!”
In the corner, the orange-haired girl Xiruila was curled up, hugging her knees tightly, shaking all over, not daring to even breathe.
“Waaah, so scary…”
She was completely terrified by her Guild Master’s breakdown.
Watching this scene, Nuo Ai’er’s heart ached.
Just as Tina had said, for three days Stella had been doing everything she could to save Nailuo.
Stella had truly given it her all—not only begging for help everywhere but even spending the precious Points she had saved for so long, frantically buying all kinds of high-level curse-breaking crystals.
Yet the result was still futile.
Or rather, that soul seal was just too bizarre.
Even such powerful items couldn’t shake that seal in the slightest.
Just then, the emotionally broken Stella noticed the movement at the door.
Her reddened eyes shot up, her gaze sharply locking onto Tina at the doorway and the two beside her—Nuo Ai’er and Leinata.
Anger surged in Stella’s eyes.
In the next second, she pulled out her black whip and lashed it toward the three.
Leinata reacted with lightning speed, drawing her short blade and stepping sideways to shield Nuo Ai’er.
But the expected attack never landed on them.
The strike wasn’t aimed at Nuo Ai’er or Leinata.
The whip coiled precisely around Tina, who had no time to dodge, and yanked hard.
Tina was instantly pulled right in front of Stella.
thud
Stella stood up abruptly, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Tina.
She slammed her hands onto Tina’s shoulders.
“Tina! Why did you bring them here?!”
“I-I…”
“I told you not to have too much contact with the enemy! Why did you still contact them privately and bring them into our base?!”
The anxiety and breakdown that had built up over the past few days—Stella was now venting it all on Tina.
Tina’s shoulders ached from the grip, and she trembled all over.
Seeing her furious Guild Master, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. Her voice was soft and aggrieved.
“Big Sister… I just wanted to find more people… so we could all think of something together…”
“You’re being presumptuous again!!”
Stella snapped.
“I told you, you just need to obey me, your Guild Master! Why do you have to act on your own?!”
“Why can’t you guys just learn to listen to me?!”
“Nailuo ended up like this—maybe it’s their doing!”
Seeing Stella’s breakdown before her eyes.
Whether from empathy or fear, Tina couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Crystal tears rolled down her cheeks in big drops, too aggrieved to say a word in rebuttal.
Seeing the frightened little girl, Stella’s fingers digging into her shoulders stiffened.
She realized she had lost control a bit.
Yelling at Tina wouldn’t solve anything.
So Stella forced herself to grit her teeth and suppress her rage.
After taking several deep breaths, she glared at the two people at the door.
“What are you two here for… to humiliate me?”
“Of course not…”
Faced with Stella’s hostile questioning, Nuo Ai’er shook her head in exasperation.
Before Nuo Ai’er could explain further, Leinata beside her spoke:
“Don’t get the wrong idea. Our guild also has a member in the exact same coma, both with sealed souls.”
Those words made Stella freeze, the hostility in her eyes fading slightly.
Nuo Ai’er added:
“Tina and I think alike. Now isn’t the time for hostility.”
“Both our sides have comrades in danger… How about we temporarily set aside the grudges from the battles and work together to find a way to wake them up first, okay?”
After hearing this, Stella’s tense expression slowly relaxed, her face a mix of complexity and gravity.
She was silent for a few seconds, looking at Nailuo lying unconscious on the bed. Finally, she suppressed all her aggression and asked coldly:
“Even if you say that, do you have any leads?”
“Do you know who did this?”
“Do you know how to break it?”
The room fell silent again after she spoke.
Nuo Ai’er closed her mouth and pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
Leinata’s emerald eyes dimmed slightly, she too remained quiet.
Xiruila: trembling.jpg
Tina sniffled twice and also shook her head.
Everyone only knew one clue—
Both had fallen into that strange coma after being eliminated near the stream.
No one could figure out what it was.
But deep in Nuo Ai’er’s heart, there was one suspicious person.
Also, the puppets that appeared in the Dungeon.
Perhaps the Witch Kafei, who had once modified Hui Mei’s world bubble, was involved.
Nuo Ai’er: ‘Hui Mei…’
Even though Nuo Ai’er desperately didn’t want to believe it,
for Hui Mei’s sake, she decided to share the information about Kafei.
“Um, everyone, actually—”
Just as Nuo Ai’er steeled herself and was about to spill everything—
“Actually, it was me~”
The air twisted and vibrated slightly.
A crisp, playful girl’s voice appeared out of nowhere.
“Aww, so many cute beauties… Why does the atmosphere feel so weird?”
The sudden, unfamiliar voice made everyone in the room tense up.
Instinctively, they all looked up at the source.
In midair above the bedroom, a petite green figure slowly materialized.
Short emerald hair, a small and delicate loli figure, delicate and refined features.
A harmless smile hung on her face, making her look like an innocent, adorable little girl.
Nuo Ai’er: ?!
But Nuo Ai’er almost burst into tears from fear.
Because she was the High Witch—Ka Fei!
And the moment Ka Fei appeared, Leinata sensed her intense, terrifying aura.
Her normally calm emerald eyes turned red in an instant.
Without a second thought, Leinata drew her short blade and slashed toward Ka Fei in midair.
But the next second, the blade cut straight through the empty phantom. It met no solid substance and passed right through.
Kafei remained hovering in the air.
“Don’t be so fierce right away. I’m just a virtual projection right now. Physical attacks can’t touch me~”
Easily dodging the killing blow, Kafei slowly dropped her playful expression.
“Anyway, let’s get to the point.”
“I came all this way for just one thing—to have a simple little trade with all of you.”
She scanned the wary faces around the room, then finally fixed her gaze precisely on Nuo Ai’er.
Her finger pointed slowly at Nuo Ai’er.
“My demand is just one—hand her over to me.”
“If you give her to me, I’ll immediately lift the soul seals on those two girls.”
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