Chapter 71: The Peril of Underestimation

This was truly disastrous.

Originally, this outfit had been intended to prevent Liu Xingluo from being attacked by other Superhumans (TL Note: Individuals possessing extraordinary abilities beyond those of ordinary humans.) unaware of the truth; now, however, it was proving counterproductive.

Unless she could concoct a plausible lie, Liu Xingluo would likely have to face this Princess alone.

“Sister, you want me to take off these clothes, but if I do, won’t I be naked?”

Given that Jidi herself was properly clothed, it suggested her sense of shame shouldn’t differ too drastically from a human’s.

Surely, she wouldn’t allow herself to be exposed.

“Is there a problem with that?”

Yet again, Jidi’s words defied Liu Xingluo’s expectations.

‘Not only that, but how could she even bring herself to ask such a question?’

‘She herself was wearing clothes, yet she was telling me to strip naked?’

‘What in the world were these Princesses thinking?’

“Because, if a human were to see me naked after I took off my clothes, wouldn’t that be incredibly awkward? Wouldn’t I feel ashamed?”

Simply existing outside in her female form, exposed to others’ gazes, already made Liu Xingluo deeply uncomfortable; the thought of being seen naked… just picturing it made Liu Xingluo feel as if she would explode.

‘It was utterly impossible.’

“What are you talking about? Our bodies are perfect creations, born from the union of Father and Mother; there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, even without clothes.”

“Indeed, if they were to see our bodies, it would be an honor for them.”

“For they would have the chance to witness the perfect physique that these flawed beings could never hope to emulate in a lifetime.”

‘This was impossible; the conversation had completely stalled.’

‘Was this what they called Evolved Beast (TL Note: A type of creature in this world, often with unique abilities and different biological/social norms than humans.) thinking?’

‘She couldn’t comprehend it at all, nor did she wish to.’

‘She was human; why should she try to understand an Evolved Beast?’

‘On another note, what did she mean by calling humans “flawed beings”?’

‘This was supposedly her first time in the human world, wasn’t it?’

‘Could there be some deeper, unknown connection between humans and Evolved Beasts?’

“Little sister, why are you still standing there stunned? Hurry and take off those clothes!”

“Don’t you feel incredibly uncomfortable wearing such foul-smelling clothes?”

Seeing Liu Xingluo frozen and making no move to remove her clothes, Jidi urged her again to strip quickly.

With such smelly clothes on, Jidi couldn’t even bring herself to have a proper conversation with her adorable little sister.

‘Come to think of it, they had been in such close contact when she hugged her earlier; surely, she hadn’t picked up that disgusting stench herself?’

Realizing this, Jidi quickly sniffed herself.

Thankfully, no, she hadn’t.

It was likely because her little sister had pushed her away almost immediately after the hug.

“Please allow me to refuse.”

“Sister, I have my own reasons for wearing these clothes; as long as I wear them, humans will consider me one of their own and won’t attack me.”

After all, Liu Xingluo had indeed been made to wear this outfit for precisely that purpose.

As for whether this reason would convince Jidi… she truly didn’t know, nor could she conjure up any other plausible lie.

“Now that you mention it, those flawed beings I fought earlier were indeed wearing similar outfits.”

“So, they rely on clothes to distinguish their own kind?”

“How pitiful.”

Recalling her previous encounters and connecting them with Liu Xingluo’s recent words, Jidi arrived at this conclusion.

In a sense, she wasn’t entirely wrong; during wartime, people primarily identified others by their uniforms.

This was also why strategies involving donning enemy uniforms to infiltrate their ranks were employed.

“But little sister, do you really need to wear their clothes?”

“Those flawed beings can’t pose much of a threat to you, can they?”

“Even you should be able to easily deal with those who rely on Mother’s bestowed power.”

Even if her little sister was the weakest among their siblings, she was still a Princess, one of the beings at the apex of all Evolved Beasts.

Jidi certainly didn’t believe humans could threaten her combat prowess.

“Sister, you mustn’t underestimate humans.”

“From my observations these past few days, while you could easily defeat those humans just now, they were merely a small fraction.”

“There are actually many strong individuals among humans, not to mention their ability to coordinate their powers to unleash even greater strength.”

“If you continue to underestimate them, even you, Sister, might stumble.”

If humans were truly as fragile as Jidi claimed, they would have been annihilated 13 years ago.

Yet, their successful repulsion of that horde of Evolved Beasts was ample proof of their formidable strength.

“Don’t worry, little sister, they are merely a group of flawed beings whom Father considers a disgrace; even if they attacked together, they would absolutely be no match for me.”

“Besides, our other sisters will arrive later; when the seven of us combine our strength, those flawed beings will have no chance of victory against us.”

In Jidi’s eyes, there was only one reason why the legion Father had dispatched 13 years ago was repelled by these flawed beings: they hadn’t allowed the Princesses to participate.

If they had been willing to let them act back then, mere humans would have been utterly insignificant.

Witnessing this, Liu Xingluo found herself at a loss for further words.

Jidi’s contempt for humans was, ironically, quite advantageous to humanity; the more she underestimated them, the greater humanity’s chances of victory would be.

This was the essence of ‘pride goes before a fall.’

However, Liu Xingluo now had to find a way to say something else to stall for time, allowing reinforcements to arrive.

Concurrently, she also needed to avoid removing the clothes she was wearing.

“What is that you’re holding?”

“A sword?”

“It appears to be made with the same technology as those used by the flawed beings.”

“Little sister, since when have you been interested in swords?”

“If you wish to wield a sword, there’s no need for such a substandard item; Father’s treasure vault is filled with magnificent swords, and if you simply ask, Father would surely let you use them as you please.”

Regarding the weapons used by humans, she had observed them after disposing of those individuals.

Though she couldn’t fully comprehend them, their craftsmanship was undeniably crude, utterly incomparable to even a single finger of her second sister.

“It’s not that I specifically want to wield a sword; I simply needed a usable weapon, so I snatched this one from a human.”

“After all, when fighting humans, one always needs a weapon, don’t they?”

Since Jidi had proactively steered the conversation towards weapons, Liu Xingluo seized the opportunity to follow her lead.

“I see. Hmm…”

Jidi feigned an expression of contemplation, then abruptly lashed out with a punch aimed directly at Liu Xingluo.