Diya energetically gave Yaxiu a high-five, gave Sword Princess another hug, and then vaulted out of the sports car, plunging into the curtain of rain.
"Finally, it's just the two of us."
Yaxiu turned around and complained somewhat disgruntledly, "Sword Princess, why did you have to drive a wedge between me and the Witch? Why make me play the bad guy? If the Witch genuinely comes to hate me over this, we'll be in trouble... Wait, what's wrong with you now?"
Only after speaking for quite a while did Yaxiu notice that Sword Princess was gazing out at the reverse golden rain in low spirits, pouting and sulking. There wasn't a trace of the gentle thoughtfulness she had shown the Witch moments ago. She didn't even spare him a glance, practically wearing a warning sign that read: *Beware of vicious cat; this cat is extremely sensitive.*
"We barely just patched the Witch up, and now it's your turn to have an episode?" Yaxiu rubbed his temples. "I'm not a psychotherapist... If we had that guy in our team, it feels like it would save us an awful lot of trouble..."
Seeing that Sword Princess still ignored him, Yaxiu used Heart Pen to write several lines in front of her:
*Do you prefer the deep sea or the starry sky?*
*For dinner, would you prefer rattan-stewed Lalafell or bamboo shoot stir-fried Lalafell?*
*Do you prefer garter stockings or silk stockings?*
*Do you prefer gold coins or silver coins?*
"Gold coins, obviously!" Sonia snapped crossly. "I'm not an idiot!"
Yaxiu blinked and returned to his previous question. "Why did you slander me like that in front of the Witch? It's not like I've offended you lately, have I?"
"Even though we normally get along fine, it's best if we appear antagonistic so the Witch lowers her guard around us," Sonia said. "Since I'm in charge of helping her, you naturally have to take the opposing side and act hostile toward her. That way, she can quickly grow closer to me.
"Besides, who said you haven't offended me lately?"
Yaxiu looked completely innocent. "How did I offend you? I barely said a few words just now!"
Sonia gave him a resentful look.
Indeed, Yaxiu hadn't offended her with his words; the one who had actually offended her was the Witch.
The moment she heard that the Witch could go back and act cute, cuddle, and kiss someone, the president of the Paw-Stretching Club had instantly broken down!
Her defenses were shattered! She was flustered! Her composure had collapsed! She realized that she was the clown all along!
Sonia's plan had originally been going quite well. She would play the good cop while making the Watcher play the bad cop. That way, the Witch would draw closer to her and keep her distance from the Watcher. Not only would Sonia become the core of the team, but more importantly, she would deny the Watcher and the Witch any chance to deepen their relationship.
Not just now, but if new teammates joined in the future, Sonia intended to stick to this playbook. In short, she had to rally everyone to isolate the Watcher; otherwise, how could she keep him all to herself?
Yet the Witch's words had been a lethal combo of armor-shred, windfury, and deadly poison, leaving Sonia thoroughly agitated. And Yaxiu still wore that innocent, clueless expression—Sonia genuinely felt that even his breathing was an offense right now.
Sword Princess took a deep breath, forcibly clearing the irritation from her mind, and pointed at the lines of ink nearby. "What are we going to do with this pile of stuff when the Witch comes back?"
Yaxiu blinked. Recalling the mechanics of Heart Pen, he realized there really was no way to cancel it. The reason the disposable ink didn't consume his sorcery power was that it had already separated from him, but that also meant Yaxiu had lost control over it.
"Just cut them down with your sword."
Sonia stared at Yaxiu as she drew her longsword, looking at him so intensely that he almost thought she was going to slash him instead.
However, swinging a sword inside the car was awkward, and the ink was right outside the car door; if she pushed the door open, she would be injured by the ink herself. After a brief deliberation, the village girl leaped directly out of the car into midair, unleashing an Evil Light Slash downward to sweep away all the ink, before landing gracefully in the curtain of rain outside—
"(#`O′) Are you an idiot?!"
Yaxiu dashed out in an instant and carried Sword Princess back into the car. Seeing that her legs were already showing signs of aging, his anger flared. "Didn't I just say I've been driving alongside the Flowing Gold River? Leaping out like that lands you right in the Flowing Gold River's zone! It's not like you don't possess the time faction—can't you smell that time scent coming from the Flowing Gold River, thick as strong tea?"
"Mm," Sword Princess let out a soft, adorable nasal hum, appearing contrite.
Hearing how obedient Sword Princess was in his arms, Yaxiu's tone softened as well. "Though I'm at fault this time too. I only thought about bypassing this stretch of the Flowing Gold River as quickly as possible and didn't realize I was driving so close to it."
"Mm."
"Have your legs recovered? Can you walk on your own?"
"Seems like it's still a little off." The president of the Paw-Stretching Club tilted her head. "I think my waist was corroded a bit by the Flowing Gold River too. It feels kind of weak. If you don't hold me tightly, I might fall over..."
"Why has your soul become so weak?" Yaxiu found it somewhat odd. "Could it be the curse from the Book of Chaotic Shopping?"
"Probably. I bought decreased physical constitution, and constitution is closely tied to the soul, so it's normal for it to be affected." Sword Princess squirmed rather restlessly in his arms. "What about you? Has the decreased luck you bought affected your life?"
Yaxiu froze slightly. He suddenly remembered that the curse he had bought was No Paper While Pooping, and after returning to reality, the Gospel had treated him like toilet paper... He felt as though the Dramatic Poet was openly mocking him.
"I think using the word 'affected' is far too gentle..."
"I'm back!"
Diya emerged from the curtain of rain. Seeing the Watcher silently staring at Sword Princess, who was sitting ramrod straight in the back seat, she asked curiously, "Did something happen while I was gone?"
"Nothing," Sonia said. "Witch, did you figure out what that special building inside is?"
"I did." Diya nodded. "It should be the Destiny Q&A you mentioned to me, but the format seems a bit different."
Destiny Q&A?!
Yaxiu and Sonia instantly perked up. When they followed Diya inside, they discovered that it was indeed completely different from the Destiny Q&A in the Sea of Knowledge—
On a round table surrounded by three chairs sat three sheets of paper, along with... three pairs of over-ear headphones.
The three exchanged glances, walked over to sit facing one another, and put on their respective headphones. The first thing they heard was the rules of the place:
*The Destiny Q&A listening exam officially begins. Answer questions based on the dialogue. A wrong answer terminates the exam immediately; a correct answer allows you to continue. If the number of correct answers is greater than or equal to one, the respondent earns the right to ask a question.*
Sonia exchanged a look with the others, and then the following conversation played through their headphones:
*"Witch, what do you think is the meaning of our life?"*
*"Revenge."*
*"No, what I mean is, since we were born into this world, there must be some mission that only we can fulfill. What do you think our true mission is?"*
*"Even if it burns down the entire world, we must take our revenge."*
*"Question: Against whom must revenge be taken?"*
*"① The world ② The Watcher ③ God ④ All of the above"*
Chapter 435