"It might end up being just the three of us, too."
Yaxiu tilted his head. "Regardless, in a place like the Void Realm, where dangers and opportunities lurk at every turn, the more comrades you can trust to have your back, the better."
"I don't trust her—"
"You didn't trust me at first either, did you?"
"How could she possibly compare to you?"
Yaxiu gave her a startled look. Sonia averted her gaze toward Diya, muttered a few words under her breath, and sighed. "I understand. It's true that the intensity of combat on the Time Continent far exceeds the Sea of Knowledge. Two people can no longer guarantee absolute safety; three is much more suitable..."
The red-haired Sword Princess shot Yaxiu a glare and poked his chest with a finger, snapping, "Just don't forget your promise. As long as I'm stronger than her—"
"Then you will be the most important operator in my heart!" Yaxiu, ever a devotee of raw tier lists and stats, answered without hesitation.
"Hmph." Sonia was still somewhat sulky, but when she turned to Diya, a radiant corporate smile instantly graced her face. "Hello."
Yaxiu introduced them as well: "Witch, this is Sword Princess, my teammate all this time. Sword Princess, this is our new teammate, Witch. We'll all be comrades sharing weal and woe from now on, so let's get along well."
While Yaxiu and Sonia were whispering back and forth, Diya used the time to take stock of her situation.
It wasn't a dream, nor was it a hallucination. Without opening the Gate of Truth, she had truly been brought into the Void Realm by the Watcher's miraculous ability—and had appeared in the very same place as him.
Unlike Sonia, that sheltered house cat, Diya was a bona fide feral alley cat of a sorcerer. She had sailed tens of thousands of miles across the Sea of Knowledge all on her own, had been bitten and mauled by ichthyosaurs, and had been swallowed by sea waters. Having suffered all the bitter trials of a lone wolf, she had forged a mind of iron.
Consequently, she grasped almost instantly just how immensely valuable this 'teaming up' ability was. The Watcher had practically overturned the cultivation rules of the sorcerer world, downgrading Void Realm exploration from epic myth to the level of a bedtime fairy tale—and as she would soon learn, the difficulty could plunge even further.
If trade were possible, Diya had no doubt that countless Legendary Sorcerers would willingly forfeit all their sorcery power, or even their faction mastery, just to acquire the ability to form a party in the Void Realm.
No wonder the Watcher had always concealed his true face behind fog and gone by a code name. He surely knew the value of this ability, and he must have been terrified that someone would use the prophecy faction to track down his real location!
Diya had initially harbored suspicion and hostility toward him, but her attitude had completely shifted now. She had to cling tightly to the Watcher's coattails, and then find a way to milk him dry of every last secret!
He could see her mental state, he could track Little Lisi while she was undergoing the Bronze Dragon's trial, and he could summon teammates into the Void Realm... *Man, you've certainly caught this princess's attention!*
At the same time, Diya picked up on a telling clue: the Watcher didn't seem to have told Sword Princess about her beforehand, which was why Sword Princess was so clearly aggrieved by her arrival.
*Hmm... This princess isn't great at socializing. A situation like this calls for a sub...*
*Have Little Lisi take over? But Lisi needs to look after the physical body, and besides, she's far too young...*
*Among my sisters, the only adult woman versed in human nature is...*
She adjusted her decorative silver-rimmed glasses, catching sight of her reflection from the corner of her eye.
Sorcery spirit 'Mask', activate!
Personality Fission—Mask Overlay—Mode: White Queen!
When Diya opened her eyes, her outfit had transformed into a shimmering, pure-white off-the-shoulder minidress. Her legs were clad in white garter stockings, her hair had turned snow-white, and the dark-red hue of her lips added a touch of mature allure.
Both Yaxiu and Sonia, neither having seen such a spectacle before, were visibly taken aback. *You can swap skins directly in the Void Realm?!*
Yaxiu also harbored a question of his own. In the splash art, the Witch hadn't worn glasses. When she had visited him in person before, she hadn't worn glasses either. Why was she wearing glasses now that she was in the Void Realm?
Still, he had no intention of meddling. After all, glasses hit his strike zone square in the center.
Speaking of which, Yaxiu had encountered three near-death experiences so far. The first was when Gerard nearly hacked him to death. The second was when Valkas nearly took him down together during the Blood Moon Trial. The third was when Freya found a pair of glasses in a drawer and almost put them on.
The third had been the most perilous of all.
"Hello, I am the Witch." Diya extended a hand to shake Sonia's. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Please look after the Watcher and me in the future."
*This little vixen...* The red-haired Sword Princess was so infuriated that her eyes nearly shifted into slits again.
In that split second, Sonia recalled every noble palace intrigue and domestic soap opera she had ever watched, racking her brains to come up with a brilliant counterstroke.
Just then, however, Yaxiu called out to them:
"Don't just stand there. Let's get in the car and chat."
The two glanced over and found that Yaxiu had somehow procured an open-top sports car and was lounging comfortably in the driver's seat, stretching his arms.
Yaxiu had actually been slightly surprised that it was a convertible, but on second thought, it made sense. It didn't rain on the Time Continent—at least not rain that fell *downward*. A roof served no purpose other than blocking the view, as pointless as pixel censorship, so getting rid of it made total sense.
Of course, perhaps this was simply part of the 'affordable luxury' aesthetic.
Sonia wasn't surprised in the slightest, having rowed a boat across the Sea of Knowledge with Yaxiu before. Diya's eyes, on the other hand, sparkled with wonder. She clapped softly, gazing at Yaxiu with unreserved admiration. "Watcher, you're amazing! In all of the Time Continent, we're probably the only ones exploring the Void Realm in a sports car, aren't we?"
"It's nothing special, really," Yaxiu said modestly. "It's all thanks to how well everyone else makes me look by comparison."
*This woman...* Sonia gritted her teeth in fury. Ever since the Watcher had barged into her life, she had rocketed down the path of a 'swordsmanship prodigy.' She hadn't attended a ball or tea party in days. Usually, other people flattered her; rarely did she ever compliment anyone else. Over time, her flattery skills had inevitably grown rusty.
Offering a few words of praise cost nothing at all, yet it could significantly boost the Watcher's favorability—a social tactic with an exceptionally high return on investment. The Sonia of old would have seized on it instantly, but Diya had beaten her to the punch!
*This Witch... turns out she's the same type of sorcerer as me!*
Then both of them turned their gazes to the passenger seat beside Yaxiu and reached for the door handle at the exact same time!
Truth be told, sitting in the front passenger seat proved absolutely nothing. But sometimes, yielding an inch meant losing the entire game. When it was time to compete, one had to fight for every scrap; even if victory was impossible, one had to stake a claim. Otherwise, a single retreat would lead to a total rout!
"Witch, do you want to sit in front?" Sonia smiled radiantly.
"Why, yes, the view from the front is wonderful." Diya blinked innocently.
"But today is my very first time exploring the Time Continent. How about letting me do some sightseeing first?"
"Well..."
"Do both of you want to sit in the front? Go right ahead, then."
Yaxiu vaulted smoothly into the back seat. "It just so happens I don't feel like crowding with anyone anyway."
Sonia: "..."
Diya: "..."
Chapter 212