Ashley stared at the silver bracelet on her wrist, muttering to herself in her mind. Although her teacher was in loli form, she probably didn’t need this kind of method to maintain her dignity, right? It was just too cute…
But when she saw the gray-haired loli struggling to drag over a chair and trying to climb onto it, she started to feel a bit uncertain…
The gray-haired loli first swung one leg up, then pushed hard with her arms, trying to hoist herself up in one go. But the chair was still too tall for her.
Ashley hurriedly gave her a hand from behind. If she failed to climb up and fell flat on the ground with a splat, she might just silence the witness on the spot.
“Who needs your nosy help?!” The gray-haired loli’s little face flushed red as she twisted her head and glared at her.
“But as a disciple, how could I just watch my teacher struggle to climb onto a chair without helping?” Ashley quibbled.
“Hmph.”
Letisia stood tall on her perch with hands on hips, regaining her familiar vantage point. She let out a relaxed hum. Plus, this height was perfect for ruffling her disciple’s little head with abandon.
Ashley’s expression grew strange as she felt a small palm rubbing and kneading atop her head. Her gaze fell upon snow-white, plump little legs like peeled lotus seeds.
Just imagining those legs growing into long, straight, slender ones filled her with endless anticipation. Though, these chubby little legs were pretty nice too.
Right, Little Cousin!
Ashley quickly offered the recorder to the Trial Judge on her “throne” and gave a concise summary of the situation.
“Don’t spread this around…”
The gray-haired loli didn’t seem surprised. Her gaze wandered as she spoke softly:
“The Tribunal received the message a day ago. Rift City has vanished, and the investigation team has already set off for there.”
Ashley stared blankly at her teacher, not quite understanding for a moment.
“Rift City got its name because it sat beside the Anafei Great Rift—a prospectors’ city. Among all terrains, rifts are the most suitable for deep cavern exploration. They’re straight up and down, allowing quick ascents and descents with mechanical structures. Plus, the bottom of Anafei has water. From 12,600 meters onward, it’s the underground water world. Over twenty top teams have dived deep into Anafei’s underground water world… But at some point, the entire massive city vanished into thin air. All that’s left are the elevator suspension facilities, scattered debris, and vast traces of the foundation. The city sent no messages before disappearing. The last people to leave were two weeks ago, and there were no anomalies then—except for this…”
The gray-haired loli flipped open the recorder, pinched the tape, and shook it.
“Vanished…”
Ashley finally understood, exclaiming in horror:
“How is that possible?! Smedley isn’t the fourth-ranked captain among the top teams? Even a powerhouse like him got taken out?”
“Because the enemy is an utterly terrifying existence. It’s not just Hundred People Assembly’s fourth seat, ‘Deep Sea Moonlight’ Smedley. Rift City’s lord, the ‘Oracle Blade’ Deirdre with the strongest breakthrough ability, has also fallen into an unknown realm. There are other powerhouses not serving Union City, like big merchant Gwendolyn’s personal guard ‘Dark Gold Mask’ Nina, Tech Hunters’ leader Zenobia Wallaston, the freak doctor Yvonne Stratchi… These top-tier powerhouses were all drawn to the Abyss Expo, targeting archaeological finds and abyss samples. But they’ve all gone completely dark. Of course, there’s your cousin, Xixi Sacharia. She’s not as famous as the others, but she sent out this message—the only one. Sometimes fame doesn’t tell the whole story. Your cousin is undoubtedly a formidable figure.” Letisia explained in detail.
Ashley shook her head repeatedly, unable to comprehend. She said indignantly:
“According to you, multiple top powerhouses got attacked, yet not one could even squeak? Even pigs squeal when slaughtered. Were they electrofishing or something—totally numb?”
“Perhaps they were attacked before they even noticed the anomaly. People in a city naturally let their guard down, subconsciously feeling safe.”
“What can I do? Anything!” Ashley clenched her fists and shouted.
“If you were Amber, I’d tell you this isn’t an event matching your abilities. But you’re different, Ashley. You’re too young and your body too fragile, but even treating you as a disposable item, you could turn the tide.”
Amber, standing outside the door, heard this crystal clear. Her heart ached a little. She took several deep breaths to console herself:
It’s fine. I’m just an ordinary clerk. I’m no good at combat anyway…
“Teacher! Please use me! Treat me like a disposable item! Ruin me however you want! Make a total mess of me, leave me less than human! Waaah… As long as it saves Xixi… I’ll do anything… Even if you pull out my brain along with my spinal nerves and seal it in a sturdy box for protection, you can carry me into battle like that! Use me as an ammo pouch!” Ashley wailed at the gray-haired loli’s feet, sobbing with heaving shoulders.
Huh? Huh? Ashley was willing to go that far for her cousin Xixi? What exactly was their relationship? Had it all been my one-sided wishful thinking?
Amber froze. If the teacher’s earlier comment was a minor bump, Ashley’s words were a violent crash. Her heart nearly stopped.
“No… no… I can’t cry… That girl named Xixi must be exceptional… They must have a bond through life and death… I need to work harder… I need to be even better than her… I want that kind of relationship with Ashley too… I won’t give up!” Amber sniffled her stinging nose and vowed through gritted teeth.
At the same time, she realized listening further wouldn’t change anything. That was a world beyond her reach. So she turned and ran out of the office.
Letisia glanced toward the door and sighed softly. Amber was excellent enough, but compared to a freak like Ashley, she wasn’t on the same level.
Still, the world valued both individuals and collectives. With the support of the iron triangle—Tribunal, City Hall, Hundred People Assembly—Amber could steadily climb to heights most couldn’t reach if she progressed step by step. She might even surpass later on.
While the gray-haired loli pondered, her neural fiber lightly swept through the air.
Then, she looked down at her other disciple and said:
“Didn’t you always look down on Amber? Look at you now—what’s the difference? When someone you care about is in trouble, you buzz around like a headless fly, losing all ability to think.”
Ashley snapped out of it, her sharp intellect reclaiming the high ground.
“Hm… Now that I think about it, Teacher and I are in the same boat. Your body is a weak little loli, but you wield top-tier extraordinary powers. The Tribunal must have ways to protect frail bodies, right?”
“Ungrateful wretch! Who are you calling a weak little fish?!” Letisia snapped.
“Wuu…”
Ashley’s little ears drooped in fright. She forgot that the Trial Judge was only loli-shaped on the outside and had trash-talked her, earning instant rebuke.
“Hmph, no respect for your elders.” The gray-haired loli pinched her little ear with slender fingers and twisted it half a turn like a key, scolding: “You dare mouth off to your teacher now—what will it be like later? Unimaginable! You need harsh punishment!”
Though Ashley was held by her ear, she somehow felt her teacher’s sternness rang hollow. On second thought, with that little loli body, what kind of punishment could she really dish out?
“By the way, don’t act on your own. If the Long Conch truly brought out the ‘King Insect’ from the abyss, all nearby ‘Lords of Insects’ will be summoned there. That area could erupt into high-intensity combat at any moment.”
The gray-haired loli released her fingers, her neural fiber curling into an incense coil shape, and said:
“Go back and wait for news. A whole city and its people can’t just vanish into thin air. Union City has dispatched its most elite investigation team. If I can use you, I won’t hold back. Also, this recording is extremely important—it might be the key to unraveling the mystery. Thank you for your help.”
