After explaining her question, Diya reverted to her usual form and spoke up before anyone could ask, "I have no recollection whatsoever of the other speaker."
"None at all?" Sonia asked curiously. "Analyzing the conversation, the two of you were once very close, but for some reason you had a falling-out. She and her master are trying to capture you, yet somehow the plan went awry, leaving both of you surrounded... You even wanted to ask her for a hug."
If it had been a male voice, there would be no need to ask—it could only be Yaxiu, her favorite.
Yet the voice was crisp as wind chimes, an alluring feminine tone that tugged at the heartstrings at every turn. Diya did not know anyone like that in reality!
The closest person to such a vocal quality was Aunt Bogin, but he was a man!
The most likely candidate was Annan, but Annan's voice was not that sweet. Furthermore, Lisi was not particularly close to Annan—in terms of intimacy, Annan ranked below Aunt Bogin. Neither Lisi nor Diya would ever crave a hug from Annan!
Yet among the people she knew in reality, there was no other woman besides Annan!
The only person who fit the conditions was Yaxiu, but he was male. Drawing upon the knowledge gained from reading hundreds of fairy tales, Diya could only concoct such a plot: Yaxiu had been dominated by Igola and feminized into a woman. That way, everything made sense. "Master" and "demon" referred to Igola, while the "she" in the dialogue was Yaxiu... or rather, Yashu. In that case, Diya would naturally be filled with righteous indignation over Yashu's plight.
Still, such an assumption was far too absurd; only a fairy tale could come up with something like that. Diya could not help but glance at Sonia—if it was not an older sister known in reality, it could only be a best friend met in the Void Realm.
Sonia immediately shook her head. "I would never call anyone master, and going mad for love isn't my style either."
Diya also felt it could not be Sword Princess. After all, inside the cabin of lost memories, Sword Princess had made it abundantly clear that the person she valued most was herself. Neither family nor lover could ever override her personal will.
What was more, the "she" in the dialogue sounded silly, like an innocent, sweet big sister—completely different from the elegant yet chilling Sword Princess.
"Besides, I feel the 'Witch' in the conversation is vastly different from you sisters," Sonia said. "Do any of you have that sort of... circus-like personality?"
Diya shook her head repeatedly. She also felt that the "Witch" in the dialogue did not resemble her in the least—crazed, dark, and gloomy. If their sisterly personas were distinct, vibrant colors, the Witch in that conversation was practically a muddy, filthy blackish-gray.
Yet the voice was unmistakable, and "she" had even mentioned the codename "Witch." More importantly—if neither of the speakers was Diya, what did this question have to do with her?
Yaxiu spoke up. "Is it possible that some connection exists between your two questions? For example, the target of revenge in Sword Princess's question might be the 'demon' or 'master' from Witch's question?"
Sonia found that quite plausible and asked, "Then, Watcher, do you have someone who loves you to death and would even call you 'master'?"
"No!" Yaxiu shook his head at once. "I never mess with women in reality. I'm surrounded by men—who would possibly love me to death?"
Sonia pressed, "What about someone who calls you 'master'?"
"Actually, I have a theory." Yaxiu completely ignored Sonia's question. "Do you think 'the World' could be a person's name? Or perhaps a moniker?"
Sonia hesitated. "If that's the answer, wouldn't it be far too difficult to get right...?"
"It could be that higher levels in the Void Realm lead to progressively harder questions. On the third level, the Destiny Q&A might very well ask about our children," Yaxiu said offhandedly. "But this way, it all makes sense—the demon named 'the World' has a female follower. Witch will encounter 'the World' and his follower in the future, thereby forging a bitter grudge."
Although it sounded extremely far-fetched, there was no better hypothesis. Witch was adamant that no woman in reality matched the dialogue, so the only remaining possibility was that she did not yet know the other speaker.
Diya suddenly remembered that the reputation of Yaxiu and his companions in Gospel was already thoroughly ruined. Once the Weaving Ceremony concluded, they certainly could not stay. They might very well leave Gospel for another country; after all, it would not be their first time going abroad. The sisters harbored no attachment to Gospel either. When their body was restored, they would surely stay with Yaxiu and naturally follow him when he departed.
Could it be that the "she" and "master" here were new characters Lisdia would only meet after arriving in another country?
"Then what should I choose for my question?" Diya asked.
"Actually, the first three choices for your question are quite similar. I suggest ④ All of the above," Yaxiu said. "Based on our experience from the last Destiny Q&A, whenever you can choose all of the above on the first question, do it. Sword Princess's first three options, however, were worlds apart—she can't possibly seek revenge against the world, me, and the god all at once, right?"
Sonia and Diya nodded in agreement, put on their headphones, and wrote their answers on the paper. Soon enough, they heard the Void Realm's response—
"Congratulations, you answered one question correctly. Would you like to continue?"
"Your answer is incorrect. The Destiny Q&A has concluded."
Diya exclaimed happily, "I got it right!"
Sonia said angrily, "I knew an absurd option like 'the World' couldn't possibly be right! The answer was clearly the god!"
Yaxiu protested, "You never said that—"
"I definitely did!" Sonia glared fiercely at Yaxiu, her cheeks puffing up in frustration. "It's all your fault for giving reckless advice... hmph!"
Underneath the table, Yaxiu felt Sword Princess kick him. A touch of annoyance flared within him—he had his authority as captain to uphold and could not let an operator run wild like this—wait, why had Sword Princess taken off her shoe?
Furthermore, the kick carried very little force, hardly heavier than a cat kneading dough. He looked down and saw a dainty foot clad in black stockings curling its toes, rubbing back and forth against his calf. Yaxiu had no choice but to rein in his temper, shooting Sword Princess a look warning her not to be so cocky. But the president of the Paw Stretching Club merely lifted her chin, acting all the more brazen.
While the two engaged in their covert duel, Diya began listening to her second question.
"Foolish woman, loyal dog in heat, all your nutrients went straight to your chest and hips, a female beast whose only thought is crawling into that man's bed..."
"I'm not... foolish..."
"Of all the insults I threw at you, that's the only one you want to dispute? And you just proved how foolish you are—why did you save me?! I must have caught your stupidity, running away with you on my back!"
"Because... Master... needs you... needs your persona talent..."
"If I hear the word 'Master' from your mouth one more time, I'll throw you out."
"When I saw you in danger... before I could even think... I was already standing in front of you. Witch, come back with me to see Master... I'll protect you... Master told me he wouldn't hurt you, which is why I came... I'm sorry... Ever since that day, I've wanted to apologize to you... I'm sorry..."
"You are not allowed to apologize! Not! Allowed! He is the one in the wrong! You were merely used by him; it has nothing to do with you!"
"No, I knew full well all the consequences, yet for Master's sake, I still... If I could do it all over again, I would do the exact same thing..."
"What is so good about him anyway? You spent all your nights on him, yet he never once spared a glance at the moon!"
"We still have plenty of time... Sooner or later, we will definitely be together..."
"I've had it with you, you idiot... Fine, they shouldn't be able to find us here for now. Let me treat your wounds."
"Witch..."
"Yeah?"
"Your hair came undone. Let me braid it for you."
"Question: What did the 'foolish woman' actually come to do?"
"① Forcibly kidnap the Witch; ② Persuade the Witch; ③ Spring a trap to ensnare the Witch; ④ Visit the Witch"
Chapter 437