X
“You ask me? If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?”
Hearing Freya’s utterly righteous retort, Xiluo’er fell silent. Consequently, the entire dark dreamscape descended into an eerie quiet.
‘Well, that’s just speechless, isn’t it, folks?’
Xiluo’er rubbed her temples, a headache brewing. “Seriously, what’s the difference between what you said and saying nothing at all?”
Perhaps she had overestimated Freya. While Freya had indeed offered some useful information, it wasn’t much.
Xiluo’er had initially thought her luck had turned, believing her long-dormant cheat ability was finally coming online. It seemed she had celebrated too soon.
Noticing the hint of disappointment on Xiluo’er’s face, Freya grew anxious for what felt like the nth time.
“You can’t blame me for this! I’m usually dormant inside you, so how would I know what’s happening outside?”
“But aren’t deities generally omniscient and omnipotent?”
Freya waved a finger in front of Xiluo’er’s eyes, looking at her as if she were an idiot.
“Pfft, that’s not how it works! You’d have to seek out deities who govern the authority of [Fate] or [Knowledge]. Even among deities, each one presides over different abilities, alright?”
Xiluo’er merely shrugged, having no intention of continuing this particular debate with Freya.
“So, in short, as long as I can find a source of magic, you can help, right?”
“Exactly, that’s precisely what I mean!”
Her chest swelling with pride, the magnificent Lady Freya puffed out her rather generous bosom.
“And once I find a source of magic, how do I replenish your mana?”
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. This magnificent one has her own methods. Hmph, deities are incredibly powerful…”
Seeing Freya’s conversation once again devolve into boasting and self-aggrandizement, Xiluo’er quickly activated her escape skill.
“Alright, alright, I get it! Well, great Lady Freya, I’m going to sleep now. You rest easy. Bye-bye.”
Following her words, a sensation of falling enveloped her, and the dark dreamscape before her eyes began to shatter.
When Xiluo’er opened her eyes again, she was lying flat on her bed in the room.
The stark contrast of returning to her quiet room from Freya’s noisy presence made Xiluo’er let out a long sigh.
However, despite Freya’s limited helpful input, there was still something to glean.
If she could find a magic supply, Freya’s method might indeed prove to be a valuable trump card.
But… that was easier said than done. Where exactly could she find a stable source of magic?
Just then, Xiluo’er heard a clicking sound coming from the direction of her room door—someone was turning the doorknob.
Xiluo’er instantly grew wary. It was already past midnight, so who would be entering her room at this hour?
‘Honestly, I’m quite busy, aren’t I? So many people want to find me, haha.’
Joking aside, Xiluo’er had already slipped one hand under her pillow, where a dagger was hidden.
She had already broken that metaphorical window with Rona, so it was entirely possible Rona was now trying to eliminate her.
With a faint creak, the room door slowly opened.
“Eve… Sister?”
Feigning a half-asleep tone, Xiluo’er spoke, stifling a yawn.
The person who appeared at the doorway surprised Xiluo’er slightly. Had it been Rona holding a knife, Xiluo’er might have found it perfectly reasonable.
‘How strange. What is Eve doing in my room in the middle of the night for no reason? Even if she suspects me, she wouldn’t check my body while I’m asleep, would she?’
‘Like, feeling all over my body… checking for dangerous items, something like that.’
Whether it was a trick of the light or the enhanced perception of night, Xiluo’er felt that Eve, standing at the doorway with her hair disheveled, had an unnervingly deep gaze.
Xiluo’er couldn’t quite describe the feeling, only that… if Eve were holding a cleaver, the scene might have made a lot more sense.
“Mm… Is something wrong, Sister Eve?”
Eve, standing at the door, shook her head. Her tone was equally cold… perhaps it was due to her stoic nature.
“Nothing. Just went to the restroom and thought I’d check if you were asleep.”
“Mm, alright… Good night then, Sister Eve.”
“Mm, good night.”
Eve then closed the room door again. However, Xiluo’er noticed that as she closed it, Eve kept staring at her, even when the door was narrowed to just a crack.
‘Hiss… That felt weird, like something out of a horror movie.’
But soon, Xiluo’er realized another problem—why would Eve leave her own room to go to the restroom?
She had mentioned during their previous shared night that her room had a private bathroom. Yet, now she was using that same flawed excuse again.
‘Well… whatever, I suppose.’
Eve’s suspicion of her wasn’t new, and Xiluo’er now felt there was nothing to worry about. After all, there were far more serious issues to contend with.
‘This is what happens when you experience something huge; the smaller things don’t feel like much anymore.’
She faced numerous major crises now!
At that moment, Xiluo’er suddenly thought of something, her eyes widening in the dark room.
‘That’s right, Eve!’
The words Freya had spoken in the dream earlier surfaced in her mind, and Xiluo’er suddenly had a clear idea.
Eve could serve as that stable source of magic!
Xiluo’er was well aware of Eve’s unique abilities as a hero, especially in the mage class.
When it came to mana reserves, Eve was exceptionally noteworthy.
Xiluo’er remembered a scene from the late game where, during a cutscene against the Demon Lord, Eve casually unleashed a dozen or so super-tier spells in rapid succession to clash with the Demon Lord.
It was generally known that humans typically didn’t foolishly engage in magic duels with demons—demons possessed racial talents, after all!
Indeed, finding a way to leech magic from Eve wasn’t out of the question… The problem was, how to do it?
Freya had only said to find a source of magic and that she would handle the absorption. Did that mean Xiluo’er just needed to be around Eve more often?
Alas, if possible, Xiluo’er would prefer to minimize her contact with Eve, the less the better!
****
Looking at the desserts laid out before her and listening to the surrounding chatter, Xiluo’er sighed and put down her fork.
“What’s wrong, little Cat Tail? Why aren’t you eating? Don’t you have an appetite?”
From across the table came someone’s cheerful voice—Irene, clearly.
“No, not exactly…”
Xiluo’er looked up at Irene, who was humming a tune opposite her.
It wasn’t that she lacked an appetite; she simply didn’t understand why Irene insisted on meeting her at a dessert shop.
She had no idea what Irene was thinking. A transaction couldn’t take place in the black market, so why drag her here?
Could this person actually be a foodie?
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