Hold Me Once More

Destiny Q&A: Listening Comprehension Test! In truth, it was not that different from the Destiny Q&A in the Sea of Knowledge; only the question had been replaced with dialogue. Compared to a plain question, this format offered far more information. Sonia could tell that the speakers were none other than herself and the Witch. Furthermore, the scene was set at least ten years into the future, as her own voice had grown rich without fading, husky without being muffled... It was remarkably like the vocal tone Daidalos used when portraying an attractive middle-aged woman. Simply by listening to the sound, Sonia felt as if she could see an older version of herself, blossoming like a rose guarded with thorns. The Witch was the same. Her voice held not the slightest trace of her current childishness—lacking even the innocence one would expect when she uttered the word "revenge." Revenge was, by its very nature, a concept steeped in fairytale romance, much like love itself. Outside of plays and dramas, who in the real world could genuinely love or hate someone for four or five straight years? Everyday life was enough to dilute anything; all intense emotions eventually faded into the mundane. Yet when the Witch spoke the word "revenge," her tone was as calm as though she were discussing tonight's dinner. That proved vengeance was no fleeting impulse for her, but a task she was bound to complete, an obstacle she had to surmount to survive, a personal goal intricately tied to her interests. Most importantly, when the Witch spoke that line, she seemed to include Sonia in it as well—did the two of them share a common target for revenge? Sonia looked toward Diya, only to find Diya looking equally bewildered. The three of them took off their headphones, exchanged glances, and then Yaxiu cleared his throat, putting on a solemn air as he asked, "Shall we discuss it together? Or will you two solve it yourselves?" If it were just Yaxiu and Sword Princess, Yaxiu wouldn't have hesitated to bluntly ask her what juicy gossip she had just overheard. But since Sword Princess was currently cultivating a team dynamic of "Watcher vs. Sword Princess and Witch," Yaxiu could only play along with her script. As long as it reduced internal friction within the team, Yaxiu didn't mind playing the villain. Although he always suspected Sword Princess harbored ulterior motives, this hierarchical model was undeniably more effective for managing a team. Back at his old corporate job, Yaxiu had seen teams where superiors and subordinates were on entirely chummy terms, but that only eroded managerial authority, leading to a swift increase in slacking off, loafing around, endless bathroom breaks, and outright defiance. To be fair, Yaxiu's previous habit of discussing everything collaboratively with everyone had been a mistake, a seedbed for internal strife. When everything was up for discussion, people would vie for favor, which inevitably bred factions, favoritism, and bias. Wasn't that previous incident where the Witch lost trust in them caused by Sword Princess conferring and communicating with him far too much, making the Witch feel like an outsider who might be cast aside at any moment? It wasn't that they couldn't talk things over, but Yaxiu needed to hold decisive authority, intimidating presence, and convincing leadership to ensure his will was carried out effectively at all times. The ideal state was, naturally, for his operators to trust and support him. If that perfect synergy proved elusive, Yaxiu at least had to ensure that even if his operators didn't trust him, they wouldn't dare defy him! Clearly, he had a long way to go before achieving either state. At times, Yaxiu wondered whether it would have been better not to draw a new operator in the first place. After all, by the time they left the Sea of Knowledge, he and Sword Princess had already formed a seamless team, and as a duo, they possessed more than enough advantages. Other sorcerers couldn't even dream of having a single companion they could grow alongside and trust completely. Yaxiu not only had one, but he also had a boat and a car—what right did he have to be dissatisfied? Was drawing the Witch as a new operator truly necessary for him? Yet Yaxiu soon reached his own conclusion: it was necessary. The Heroic Spirit Legion, the Flowing Gold River, scavenging resource points... the Witch's contributions to the team were far from negligible. As a support-oriented damage dealer, her value to the group was immeasurable. There were numerous resource points that Yaxiu and Sword Princess might have conquered on their own, but only after spending an enormous amount of time and likely sustaining injuries. The Witch's presence boosted the team's efficiency by at least two or three times. Most importantly, the spoils of war they collected were overflowing, and having Sword Princess liquidate them for cash was a last resort. For every sorcerer, the gains brought by resources suffered from diminishing marginal returns. Initially, Sword Princess had indeed exchanged those spoils for resources she could use—her miracle, Ten Years of Sword Sharpening, no longer had to be conserved sparingly, for instance—but the rate of improvement would quickly taper off. There was a limit to the sorcery spirits she could wield, and she only needed to master a handful of miracles. It was like playing a video game. Sonia had already outfitted herself with the top-tier glowing peripherals, bought the most expensive skins, and ordered the tastiest takeout. If she wanted to continue increasing her strength, she could only do so by advancing her faction realm. Under these circumstances, having another target to develop was of immense value. One could even say that the more operators they had, the higher the conversion efficiency of resources into team combat capability became. As for why they needed strength... A multitude of images flashed through Yaxiu's mind: Lisi, Igola, Annan, Qinna, Harvey, a modest luxury manor, an ordinary daily life where one could sleep until waking naturally, and meeting Sword Princess and the Witch in person, but in a place outside the Void Realm... Moreover, it wasn't just him; Sword Princess and the Witch needed strength even more. Therefore, he had no reason to become complacent. Once he saved up enough points, he would continue spending them on gacha pulls. The team had to keep expanding, even if it meant increasing his management overhead. *When will I finally become a team captain brimming with majestic authority...?* Yaxiu's heart swelled with yearning for power—he was, after all, a man who had almost become an operations supervisor! Faced with Yaxiu's proposal, Sonia immediately said with disdain, "While I'm not the least bit pleased to share my future with you, I'm willing to compromise for the sake of improving our accuracy. Besides, what I heard was a conversation between the Witch and me, so I think it's necessary to make it public." "I have no objections either," Diya said curiously. "Was it a conversation between the future me and you?" Sonia nodded, recounted the dialogue along with the question, and asked, "Witch, do you have someone you want revenge on? Does it have something to do with why you were feeling uneasy tonight?" Diya shook her head at once. "No! And I don't have anyone I want revenge against. Even toward my grandmother, who put me through the Armoring Ceremony, I've never harbored any desire for vengeance!" Although she had been confined to the high tower since childhood, Diya harbored no resentment toward her grandmother. While she had lost her freedom, she had gained a carefree childhood in return. Especially after leaving the tower and seeing the outside world with Yaxiu and the others, she understood even more clearly that her grandmother owed her nothing and had never wished to harm her. At the end of the day, everything she endured was simply the predetermined destiny of the Yisu clan; her grandmother was merely one link in a chain of tragedies passed down across generations. Thus, what she wanted was not revenge, but resistance. Since no useful information could be drawn from the dialogue, their only choice was to analyze the options. "'The world' seems far too broad, and 'god'..." Sonia made a very strange face. "Could we ever be powerful enough to seek revenge against a god?" To the vast majority of sorcerers, a god was less an embodied deity than a symbol, a cluster of rules, or even the world itself. No one had ever seen a god, and no one had ever escaped a god's influence. How could one seek revenge? Seek revenge against the sun? Against a storm? Against the ocean? Therefore, the options of 'god' and 'the world' were practically equivalent. In that case... When the Witch and Sword Princess turned their eyes to him, Yaxiu remained perfectly composed. "Although I also think I'm the most reasonable answer here, the problem is, out of those three options, I'm the only one you actually know." Sonia blinked, and realization quickly dawned on her. "You're right. The Destiny Q&A isn't a trial of knowledge where we're meant to figure it out logically; it's a gamble of luck where we have to guess it. If an answer seems that glaringly obvious, it's definitely a distractor!" Diya nodded in agreement. Though she hadn't experienced the Destiny Q&A in the Sea of Knowledge either, she found the logic very sound. "Besides, I can't imagine why I would ever seek revenge against the Watcher... If it were Sword Princess wanting revenge, I could understand." Sonia blushed slightly and scoffed. "I can't wait to part ways with him as soon as possible." Diya blinked—*I didn't say a thing, you know.* After a brief hesitation, Diya said, "Actually, the dialogue I heard was also very bizarre. I wonder if it's connected to Sword Princess's question." Then, Diya's hair color began to shift. First, she transformed into a sweet white-haired girl: "Next, presented by me, White Queen—" Then she shifted into a cool, aloof black-haired beauty: "—and me, Black Butler, acting out the dialogue." Black Butler laughed maniacally. "Hahahaha, this is killing me! Weren't you trying to catch me? Come on, catch me! And then we can both be caught by the Holy Temple of Calamitous Fire! They will definitely burn both you and me to ash! Hahahaha!" White Queen said calmly, "We won't be caught. Master will definitely come save us. Witch, let's cooperate for now." Black Butler sneered with biting sarcasm. "Is that so? In that case, where is that demon right now? You intended to act together, didn't you? So why are you the only one trapped in this encirclement with me? Well, well, well, could it be that just like me, you've finally been abandoned? Abandoned, haven't you!?" White Queen said resolutely, "Master will never abandon me." Black Butler said snidely, "Ah, what loyal devotion. Would you mind opening your mouth so I can vomit inside? Everyone is just a tool to that demon, including you! Why?! Why are you still so willingly used by him even now? Don't you know you've never been loved?" White Queen said infatuatedly, "If Master doesn't use anyone else, why would he choose to use me? He must still love me. And no matter when, he's always so gentle with me." Black Butler turned hysterical. "Yes, he's gentle, but there isn't a shred of love in his eyes! I'm going crazy! What on earth did I do wrong to be so cursed as to run into you two demons?! One lunatic! One fool!" White Queen: "So, will you cooperate? They're already closing in. We won't escape unless we work together." Black Butler suddenly calmed down. "I can cooperate, but you must agree to one condition." "What condition?" "Just like in the past, hold me once more." "Question: What was the past relationship between the two speakers?" "1. Friends 2. Colleagues 3. Non-blood-related family members 4. All of the above"