[Whitehall Tribunal – Office]
After listening to her disciple’s report, Letisia did not look up and continued reviewing a stack of documents. After a while, she said,
“The wilderness is beautiful yet dangerous. Though I do not recommend you go, that is your freedom.”
“Teacher… I want to go with her… Please help me…” Amber clenched her fingers and spoke in a pleading tone.
“I also wanted to give you some S-grade or A-grade ancient relics for self-defense, but as the Trial Judge, I cannot favor my own disciple, let alone hand national treasures to a little girl as toys… Later, go to the warehouse and claim an ancient relic below B-grade.”
With that, Letisia picked up the internal line phone and gave a few instructions. Soon after, a staff member walked in and placed a box on the table. From it, they retrieved a small vial containing a lead-gray liquid.
Upon closer inspection, the liquid consisted of viscous granules, like rotten passion fruit seeds.
Seeing this item, Amber’s face turned pale, and her lips trembled as she asked, “This… this is… the Undying Potion?”
“Use it only in the most critical situations. It will grant you power and make you deeply understand what ‘cost’ truly means.” Letisia lowered her eyelashes, her tone filled with emotion as numerous memories surfaced in her mind.
Though Amber trembled in fear, she mustered her courage, reached out her fingers toward the potion vial, and grasped it. When she tried to lift it, however, it felt extraordinarily heavy, like a small lump of lead.
“Have you steeled your resolve?” Letisia asked in an unprecedentedly serious tone.
“I… I’m prepared to drink it for Ashley… no matter the cost…”
“Then, what is the cost?” Letisia pressed.
All the sights and experiences since entering the Tribunal flooded Amber’s mind. She gasped with a sob, unable to speak.
“One person drinks the Undying Potion, and the other gains happiness? Whether she chooses to forever guard an ice-cold puppet or abandon you for a warm, living person, it is a lifelong torment… But in the face of the most dreadful outcome, it may not be a worse choice. That is the resolve you need—the path ahead severed, left an abyss, right also an abyss. Only by using your life to carry the one you love can you ascend to dawn.” Letisia’s tone was heavy yet resolute.
Amber’s expression gradually calmed. Her slender fingers tightened, and her gaze grew firm.
–
–
The time for departure arrived.
Outside the city by the roadside, the Great Raven was ready. Ashley entered first, then reached out to wrap her arm around Amber’s waist, crossing her arms and pulling tight. She felt the slender softness of that waist.
Of course, they were wearing clothes; there was no need to skimp on that thin layer of space.
“The place we’re heading to this time is the ‘Oasis.’ Someone spotted a Mutated Demonic Flower Blade-Tooth Mantis in the jungle. It has optical camouflage and, beyond its pair of raptorial legs, has mutated two pairs of scythe legs for high-speed cutting that can slice through steel. If the Shield Tunneling Devil Worm is a heavy engineering machine, this one is a pure and efficient killing machine,” Chloe explained.
Amber did not hear a single word. She felt Ashley’s tight embrace from behind, a fresh, exhilarating, and shy sensation churning in her chest. Then, the ribcage doors closed in front of her, flesh surged and gathered, squeezing from all sides, and darkness enveloped her vision.
“Amber, Amber…”
Ashley’s gentle voice sounded in her ear.
“Mm…” Amber let out a soft whimper.
“Have you ever flown before? I mean, if you puke inside, it’ll be really bad.”
“Eh?!”
“Don’t worry, I don’t mind. I’m just curious—what would it feel like to get me all messy with your vomit? Does that excite you?”
“Eh?!”
After Ashley changed tactics, Amber could not hold up. She said coquettishly,
“Don’t… don’t tease me like this… It’s so weird…”
To prevent anything awful from happening, Ashley took off in a gliding manner. She flew steadily for half an hour before landing at the Oasis Sentry Post near their destination.
Several spiraling, monstrous trees supported a three-level wooden platform structure, with thick, curved tree branches serving as load-bearing arms.
Each level had wooden cabins for different functions: a bar, a billiards room, a study room, even a bathroom. The air was filled with the fresh scent of pine resin, and the top level was roofed in cypress bark in a hinoki-bark style.
Undying Corps members and Tribunal agents were stationed here as well.
Leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance, one could see Agricultural Bases 7-9 nearby, planted with vast fields of peanuts and sweet potatoes.
“We’ll rest here until evening and then set out,” Ashley said.
“Won’t it be dangerous at night?” Amber grew worried.
“That mutated mantis is a nocturnal creature. It hides during the day, impossible to find in hundreds of hectares of jungle.”
Amber felt a vague unease but could not find a reason to go during the day.
“If we catch it this time, we can add another exhibit to the Nocturnal Creature Museum.”
Ashley walked toward the counter as she spoke, wanting to rent three compartments.
“Let me see… Sorry, only two left,” the bartender said after glancing back at the key board.
“I’ll take them both.”
Ashley took a few shillings from her small pouch and lined them up on the table. She turned back to the other two lolis and said,
“We’ll squeeze in. Sleep until it’s time to head out in the evening.”
Each compartment was only the size of a recliner—a long bench divided by wooden partitions.
Though two adults could not fit lying down, two lolis could squeeze in.
“I want to sleep with Ashley!” Chloe’s quick little brain reacted swiftly, raising her small hand to claim it first.
“Eh… eh?!”
The silly loli reacted a beat too slow, and intense shame kept her from saying the same. She watched helplessly as Chloe snatched the precious opportunity, sweating profusely on her forehead.
“I’ll sleep alone, you two squeeze,” Ashley said helplessly.
“No way!” both shouted at once.
“Then you can flip a coin. One sleeps on the mat by the outer wall.”
Ashley took her key and headed straight to her own compartment.
To not miss the evening activity, after glaring at each other for a minute, the two chose to make peace.
Unable to lie flat, Amber and Chloe both turned their backs to each other without prior agreement.
In the wardrobe-like narrow space, neither spoke, but both sensed the hostility radiating from the other.
Sure enough, the quiet atmosphere did not last long. The more aggressive Chloe spoke first.
“Hey, stinky Ashley, tell me—how is this any of her business? Why does that clingy pest have to tag along?” Chloe knocked on the partition.
“Who are you talking about?” Amber was only shy around Ashley. As the Trial Judge’s disciple, she carried an inherent dignity when serious.
“Tch tch tch, dog goes you follow, dog stops you loiter—are you Doggie?” Chloe went full blast, insulting both at once.
“You, you…” Amber’s little face flushed red with anger, unable to utter a word.
“Enough! Don’t bully her!” Ashley hurried to intervene. She knew Amber was no match for Chloe—couldn’t even pass the Pop Soda test, let alone handle that little tongue that could rival her own.
“Hmph, this miss won’t stoop to the level of a useless minnow,” Chloe declared in total victory.
Amber could not fathom why Ashley was closer to this annoying loli.
Though the two bickered nonstop, they seemed to enjoy it, which was enviable.
Amber wanted to interact with Ashley too, but she could never get their wavelength or punchlines. She carefully worded things, racking her brains for topics Ashley might like, but the response was always flat—like reciting the news on TV.
Gradually, she understood: the bad reporter and the little swindler were birds of a feather, a perfect match.
When Chloe called her Doggie, Ashley had clearly let out a chilling snicker that sent shivers down her spine.
