Wang Yue woke from her slumber, her eyes fluttering open to reveal an unfamiliar ceiling.
Where am I…
Well, as long as it’s not underground…
A sense of restriction tugged at her limbs. She gave them a experimental pull, only to realize her arms and legs were tied down.
Eh?
Was she bound spread-eagle while she slept?
Wang Yue tilted her head and saw Medeili sitting on a chair by the bedside, her small head nodding as she dozed off.
Ah, it’s fine then…
She watched the orange-haired girl. Medeili was wearing a patchwork cartoon-print hoodie, her small hands tucked into the oversized sleeves, leaving only the tips of her slender, pale fingers peeking out like flower buds.
“Mm…” Hearing the rustle of the bedding, Medeili rubbed her sleepy eyes. “You’re awake?”
“The ropes…”
“Sorry. While you were sleeping, you sat bolt upright several times. You didn’t answer when I called you, almost like you were possessed. It looked like you were trying to go somewhere, so I tied you up… D-did I do the wrong thing?” Medeili asked worriedly.
“You saved me,” Wang Yue said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Next time, remember to put my wand somewhere I can’t reach, and then put me in a straightjacket for the insane.”
“Should I untie you now?” Medeili asked in a soft voice.
“Yes.” Wang Yue nodded.
Medeili lifted her skirt, revealing her snowy-white, rounded thighs. She pulled her wand from a garter, gave it a gentle flick, and spoke.
“Little Piggy, set free!”
Whoosh!
As the ropes loosened, Wang Yue sat up. She rubbed the marks left on her wrists from her subconscious struggling and asked, “Set what free?”
Medeili tucked the wand back into her garter, a faint smile playing on her lips. “That’s just how the incantation goes.”
“Little Plum has turned naughty, hmph.”
Wang Yue smiled and looked through the window frame. The street outside looked familiar. “Are we in the Quicksand Lowlands?”
“Yes. You said you wanted to leave. The Crimson zone is too dangerous, and I couldn’t carry you very far, so this was as far as I could go,” Medeili replied.
“The further, the better.”
Wang Yue’s smile faded, replaced by a look of concern. Before she could find a way to combat that unknown summons, she needed to find a safe place.
After Wang Yue explained the situation, Medeili expressed her willingness to help.
“Sigh,” Wang Yue lamented. “I’ll have to trouble you this time.”
She had originally thought about calling Lilith, but on second thought, Lilith couldn’t use magic and her strength was greatly reduced. More importantly, the blonde girl’s mind was immature, like a child… well, she was a child.
Little Plum was the best choice.
“Where are we going?” Medeili asked.
“Mmh… anywhere. A nearby town, or even further if need be,” Wang Yue answered.
“In that case, I want to check the stockpiles Mr. Bizlu left for me. I need to record the locations, audit the accounts, and make an inventory,” Medeili said.
“Sounds good.”
Only then did Wang Yue realize that Little Plum was quite the wealthy young lady.
Between the inheritance from Medeili’s father and the gifts from Lord Cold Swan—the life’s work of two Lantern-Bearers—she was loaded. If this world had a Forbes list, she would easily crack the top five hundred.
Wang Yue connected to the Crow Sentinels scattered nearby. Hundreds of small visual windows instantly flooded her mind, giving her a bird’s-eye view of the entire Quicksand Lowlands.
Since time was of the essence, there was no time to contact her avatars, and she couldn’t worry about school matters. After a quick pack, she led Medeili to the rented warehouse.
The garage door slowly rumbled open, revealing The Low-Crawler Colin.
Medeili looked up at the vehicle, finding it quite interesting, her lips curving into a smile.
The dents and cracks on the front from the Invisible Fiend had been repaired. After restocking food and filling the water tanks, the two boarded the vehicle and drove out of the Quicksand Lowlands, with a flock of Crow Sentinels following as escorts.
Under Wang Yue’s guidance, Medeili buckled her seatbelt and gave it a tug to ensure it was secure. Then, she began to give directions.
She had many ‘beacons’ in her mind—the locations of the secret bases given to her by Lord Cold Swan.
Some of these bases were underground, some were hidden inside mountains, and some were embedded within giant ancient banyan trees…
Because some supernatural items and materials radiated intense pollution, keeping them in towns was as dangerous to ordinary people as nuclear waste. Therefore, they were generally stored in the wilderness.
Wang Yue held the Pivot-Comb Sphere to operate the vehicle while chatting with Medeili.
“Let’s go over our skill trees. It’ll make it easier to coordinate in an emergency.”
Wang Yue told her about the Mystic Art ‘Puppet,’ the Three-Eyed Crow System, the Chameleon Key, and her other methods.
Once she finished, Medeili described her own abilities.
The primary one was Mystic Art No. 026: ‘Sea Demon.’ In addition to physical enhancement and gaining characteristics of marine life, it came with the ability to control water: ‘Living Water.’
The orange-haired girl tilted her head. A crystalline tear rolled from the corner of her eye. With a flick of her finger, the tear left her face and suspended itself in the air as if in zero gravity. The perfectly round droplet traced elegant arcs as she manipulated it.
She explained, “If there is a large amount of water, I can control it to produce inward pressure or outward expansion. I can also change its shape, use it for water-jet severing, atomization, and other things.”
“Incredible. Doesn’t that mean you can directly manipulate the water molecules inside living organisms? Like the blood in a human body?” Wang Yue asked in amazement.
“Yes. I can turn a person into something soft and limp like a dried fig. But usually, I don’t make them too dry, because I have to stuff them into bottles. Once they’re in, I add water to make them swell back up until their skin is moist and the bottle is filled to the brim…” Medeili’s small face flushed slightly with excitement.
“Eh?”
“Ah!” The girl gave a small cry of alarm, covering her face with both hands and shaking. “What was I saying… please forget that…”
“I actually think you could become a wonderful field medic,” Wang Yue suddenly thought. “You could stop bleeding and perform transfusions without medical equipment. You could save so many people! You’d be like Nightingale, the Lady of the Lamp.”
Medeili gave her a helpless look. “Classmate Gingerbread Man is truly a warm person.”
“By the way, what’s your blood type?” Wang Yue asked.
“Type O.”
“Me too! We can give each other transfusions.”
“That would be wonderful.”
…
As they talked, The Low-Crawler Colin arrived at a hidden cliff within a mountain forest.
This was the nearest secret base.
Sector G24-B.
The two got out of the car and passed through a natural rock fissure obscured by vines. A wide, man-made tunnel appeared ahead, ending in a heavy hexagonal metal door.
Wang Yue lit her wand, applied some oil to the hinges first, then stepped back to wait for Medeili to enter the password.
Once the code was entered, the sound of locking bolts retracting echoed. Wang Yue flicked her wand, pulling the metal door open.
The heavy door swung open smoothly and silently, showcasing high-quality bearing craftsmanship.
Inside was a massive cavern with an organized layout, featuring ladders and stone steps connecting different elevations. Workbenches, storage cabinets, Sealing Boxes, and various other containers were scattered throughout.
Crates were stacked against the walls. Opening one revealed it was filled with canned food and water storage containers.
Medeili took out a notebook and began transcribing the inventory for G24-B. As a professional base, the safe contained detailed and accurate ledgers.
Once the recording was finished, the two checked for aging components and the condition of the rock supports. They used witchcraft to reinforce the surrounding stone and finally applied a fresh coat of anti-rust paint to the metal door.
Suddenly, Wang Yue’s brow furrowed. “Someone’s coming!”
“Explorers?”
“No. Enemies.”
The Three-Eyed Crow System detected a group of people heading straight for the cave entrance. Among them, a priest in a slim-fit black robe with a purple belt—a cleric’s uniform—was particularly conspicuous.
It was the Church!
