A talent for leadership, a skill for managing subordinates, an ability to galvanize armies…
Huan Xuezhi might as well have directly said she needed a subordinate skilled in verbal warfare.
Weilin, who just happened to possess the secondary job of Negotiation (Break) Expert, was a master of this trade. Facing Huan Moxi, first, she used food to close the distance, a smile to lower her guard, and gentle, soft words filled with psychological hints like a devil’s whisper.
Huan Moxi’s spirit felt like it plummeted into deep space. She asked:
“What exactly is Big Sister saying… I… I don’t understand a word?”
“I’m saying, Xi just needs to be protected. Because after experiencing that kind of pain, even if you can never pull yourself together again, no one will blame Xi.”
Huan Moxi couldn’t possibly truly not understand what Weilin was saying.
“Pull myself together… I don’t want this either. But, the moment I show a little more strength than Mokui in front of others, people will die because of me immediately… Everyone close to me, all my friends…”
Xi’s trembling voice was nearly choked with sobs.
Mokui was the current Capricorn Star God.
The loli Xi bit her thin lip tightly. Her downcast gaze was dark and ashen. She said sorrowfully, “…Perhaps being born with the talent of the Capricorn Star God… was the stupidest mistake ever.”
“So, you just ran back dejectedly, seeking Huan Xuezhi’s protection?” Weilin’s voice suddenly turned cold.
“No, I’m not worthy of my sister’s protection. Just let me fend for myself…” Xi said despondently.
“But Huan Xuezhi doesn’t think so! She was enraged by what you suffered, even going so far as to offend the Virgo Star God with force… Uh, never mind whether this is related to Mokui or not. In short, none of the Star Gods are good. In that battle against the Virgo Star God, the Illusory Snow Queen froze half of Snowcell City. It took two thousand Mages a full day to thaw the city afterward… This matter caused a huge stir. Xi can ask anyone to find out.”
“…………” Xi listened, the color in her pupils gathering again, her gaze trembling.
“Also, the Illusory Snow Queen asked me to give these to you.”
What she had earlier requested the Snow Maiden to obtain from Huan Xuezhi were birthday gifts.
…The birthday gifts Huan Xuezhi had prepared for Xi. Three years’ worth of gifts had piled up, but she never had the chance to give them. Now, they could finally be transferred through Weilin’s hands.
An Ice Crystal Bracelet, clearly of extraordinary grade, brilliant and dazzling; an exquisitely bound High-Grade Magic Book; and a stylish, cute Hooded Cape made with high-grade defensive enchantment craftsmanship…
These three items alone were worth nearly a million Gold Coins.
“…These are?”
“Your birthday gifts… Actually, she’s carefully prepared them every year, but never found the chance to give them to you personally. After all, you sisters barely meet twice a year. Coincidentally meeting exactly on your birthday… the probability is too small…”
Her soul trembled. The loli Xi’s small mouth opened and closed slightly, but no sound came out. Only her pupils shook more and more uncontrollably.
“Although, today isn’t your birthday either… But the Illusory Snow Queen fears that if she doesn’t give them now, she might never have the chance again.”
Weilin’s low sigh was like a bomb dropped into Xi’s already turbulent heart.
“…Why!”
This was the first time Xi raised her eyes to look directly at Weilin, questioning her with intense emotion.
“Because the time left for the Snow Kingdom is running out.” Gazing at Xi, Weilin replied with extreme calmness, “So many strange things… has Xi not noticed? The Empire, the Federation… they’ve coveted the Snow Kingdom for too long. The kingdom’s fall is only a matter of time… Ah, right, I forgot. Xi spends all day in depression and world-weariness and doesn’t seem to pay much attention to outside affairs. It’s understandable not to know.”
“But don’t worry. The Illusory Snow Queen has long arranged everything for Xi’s future. Ten million Gold Coins in savings should be enough for Xi to squander for the rest of her life.”
“…What about my sister?!”
“I vow to live and die with the Snow Kingdom.”
Hearing this, the loli Xi’s tears could no longer be held back. They burst forth in a torrent, “Big Sister… you big idiot… Why go so far… for… someone like me… Wuwuwu…”
Three years ago, when Xi fled back to the Snow Kingdom and saw that cold, indifferent, unapproachable Huan Xuezhi, she thought her sister had long forgotten the tiny bit of sisterly affection between them.
If not for Weilin, she might have never known… that Huan Xuezhi’s view of her as her dearest kin had never changed.
“Cry hard. Once you’re done crying, we should leave. The Illusory Snow Queen ordered me to take you away from the Snow Kingdom before tonight.”
“No… I’m not leaving…”
“But if you can’t fight, staying will only be a burden.”
“If I can fight and stay with my sister… I want to try…!”
Xi forcefully wiped away her tears and attempted to circulate her Mana.
A smooth, glossy black sphere appeared before Xi. Its volume gradually expanded, continuously releasing an aura of dark destruction.
Xi’s mind was desperately trying to avoid those memories.
But when her gaze touched this smooth, black sphere, which could serve as a mirror, the guilt and shadows that could never be erased from her heart still emerged like an unshakeable Nightmare, appearing one by one…
“Pfft…”
The dark sphere shattered and dispersed. Xi’s body lurched violently. Scarlet blood spilled from the corner of her mouth…
“Still no good…?”
Xi wasn’t surprised by the failure, but… an incredibly intense unwillingness, mixed with self-blame and self-pity, condensed into deeper pain in her eyes.
At that moment, Weilin suddenly said, “Why not try adding an incantation?”
“…I don’t need incantations to cast magic.”
With the magical talent of a perfect Capricorn Star God candidate, Xi’s accomplishments in magic were monstrous.
“I know… But I’m not talking about casting incantations. I mean auxiliary incantations, also known as Word Soul.”
Gold Medal Spell Lecturer secondary job talent: You can bestow a unique Word Soul based on a person’s life and experiences. By comprehending this Word Soul and speaking it aloud, the person can gain any number of special buff effects.
“Word Soul…?”
“Yes, just like drinking alcohol can boost courage. You need a powerful Word Soul that can suppress the shadows in your heart… even strong enough to swallow them! Hmm, Xi can’t make one up? No problem. Let me teach you one. Repeat after me: My body feels so light… There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore…”
