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Chapter 26
🕑 Added 2023-11-08 03:00:02 +0000 UTCTentative release schedule: release each day until there are 10 more chapters than the public chapters.
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Something was amiss. It felt so off! Why did favorability points increase by 10 just from a single denial?! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ Gaining favorability this easily...?! Seriously, you relax just from a casual question, is that really okay?! This is the Dark World! The trait of being [easily deceived] is practically written on one's face!
"Why would you ask such a bizarre question?" Lynne stared in bewilderment but couldn't resist asking.
Click—
The Dark Moth Fairy adjusted her fallen mask, revealing serious eyes as she said, "Before our migration, the elder specifically warned us. The creatures of this world are wicked. Many of our kin have been easily duped by evil races and kept as playthings! So, the elder told us always to be on guard when facing outsiders, to prevent deceit!"
Lynne blinked in confusion, "Uh..."
"So, are you a deceiver koli?" she narrowed her eyes, asking dangerously.
Lynne replied, "I'm not."
"That's good to know."
The Dark Moth Fairy sighed in relief, pulled a flask from her robes, and took a few hearty gulps, relaxing once more.
[Ding! Trust level of the Dark Moth Fairy +10]
Lynne: "???!" (・□・;)
So trust is given just like that?! Didn't your elder warn you to be cautious?! Just one question and you easily trust a stranger! Is this really okay?!
"You mentioned that your race is migrating?" Lynne asked, puzzled.
The Dark Moth Fairy glanced at him, "The elder has said, secrets like these shouldn't be shared with any hostile beings, lest we be hunted. Are you a hostile being?"
Lynne replied, "I am very friendly."
The fairy nodded, "Hmm, that's good. If you're friendly, there's no harm in telling you."
"We are indeed migrating, heading to the mountains north of the Hellfire Plains. There are water sources and food there, enough for our tribe to thrive. It's a wonderful place koli."
"..."
Alright then. Lynne held his forehead. He'd found the way to quickly infiltrate this race's inner circle or easily destroy them. Such cheap trust! If this trait spanned their entire race, their survival in this world was nothing short of a miracle.
Lynne massaged his temples in discomfort and began, "So, you are..."
The Dark Moth Fairy took a few sips of water, wiped her mouth, and suddenly stood up, declaring with both seriousness and pride: "I am a powerful knight of the fairy clan, the first fairy to pass the trials and become a grand knight. You may address me as Yoyo. Where my blade points, that is the direction my clan shall follow!"
With a crisp sound, she drew a miniature blade from her waist and pointed forward, exclaiming, "Trailblazer of the fairy clan! Pathfinder of the great territories! The beacon of hope in the Dark World! The vanguard of long migrations! The great Yoyo Sama! I will lead my people to a bright future!"
"..."
"..."
An awkward atmosphere engulfed the space.
The Dark Moth Fairy climbed down from the table and sat upright in a chair, sheathing her blade, and said with closed eyes, "My apologies. I got carried away."
Lynne was speechless. He realized that not only was this fairy gullible, she seemed a bit... simple-minded. The fact that she'd lived up to now was quite a wonder.
"Yet, I'm puzzled,"
As Lynne cleaned the blood from her wounded arm, he inquired earnestly, "The Hellfire Plains are to the north, right? Why have you come to the southern Wandering Soul Lane? The plains you mentioned are, at the very least, several hundred kilometers from here, aren't they?"
From Vision, Lynne had garnered a little understanding of the geographical surroundings of the Wandering Soul Lane.
Yoyo, eyes closed, clutching her flask, said, "Do not utter strange words so casually. This vanguard has always headed north and will soon find the new domain for our fairy clan!"
Lynne stroked his chin, pondering before asking hesitantly, "Which way is north?"
Yoyo stretched out her hand, pointing straight ahead and said with closed eyes, "There, in the direction of my finger."
"..."
"..."
Lynne said blankly, "Are you sure? But the direction you're pointing to is south! Are you certain you haven't been going the wrong way?!"
Lifting the visor of her knight helmet with a snap, Yoyo narrowed her eyes, "Do not doubt the vanguard's sense of direction koli! I've traveled two thousand li over mountains and through valleys. Do you think I could possibly lose my way? My intuition has always been spot on."
"Do your people navigate solely based on intuition?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"..."
For a moment, Lynne was at a loss for words, then asked, "How far is your new domain from your tribe?"
Yoyo closed her eyes and raised five fingers, "Approximately five hundred kilometers koli."
Lynne tapped the table, "Then, may I ask, if it's only a distance of five hundred li, why have you traveled two thousand li and still not arrived?"
Yoyo stiffened. Her raised fingers froze in place.
"..."
A bizarre silence enveloped the surroundings. It was as if she suddenly realized something she'd been overlooking all this time.
After what felt like an eternity, the fairy Yoyo muttered blankly, "Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit odd..."
"..."
Of course, it's odd! Just how oblivious do you have to be to travel two thousand li from home and not realize you've gone the wrong way?! Her making it this far was nothing short of a mockery to divine will and disrespect to this world!
"Look."
Lynne took a deep breath. He pulled a compass from beneath the counter and set it in front of her.
"Consider this a gesture of sympathy from a kind soul. 200 skull coins, a friendly price for you. With this, I believe you won't get lost again."
Holding up her knight's visor, Yoyo gazed curiously at the small instrument, "This is..."
Lynne, eyes closed, explained, "A compass. An enigmatic device that can help you find your way in the Dark World. I usually sell it for 1000 skull coins, but for you, only 200. Call it pity."
"Hmm!" Yoyo, with a curious look, took the compass and started toying with it. "How do I use it?"
Lynne pointed to the needle, "See this pointer? Whichever direction it points to is south. If you want to head north, just go in the opposite direction of the pointer. Simple, right?"
"Hmm!"
Yoyo exclaimed with astonishment, "(✪ω✪) Wow, it's truly magical, both simple and useful!"
"Do you want to purchase it?"
"Yes."
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for triggering the achievement: Hundredfold Profit. Congratulations on gaining 200 experience points.]
[Hundredfold Profit: Special achievement. Successfully sell any item at over 100 times its cost to achieve. Permanent bonus: Intelligence +2, Morality -1.]
The fairy Yoyo, cradling the compass, sincerely said to Lynne, "Boss, you truly are a kind-hearted outsider. You're the first person I've encountered who hasn't thought of drugging me and taking advantage. I consider you a dear friend!"
[Ding! Trust level of Yoyo +30]
[Ding! Favorability level of Yoyo +30.]
Lynne: "…"
For some reason, hearing those notifications didn't make him happy. Instead, a sense of guilt welled up within him. Indeed, he might be morally corrupted.
Lynne massaged his temple, saying, "Since we're such dear friends, let me kindly remind you: those who claim they're not bad people might not necessarily be good. Those who say they won't deceive you might not be trustworthy. Don't eat anything given by strangers, never turn your back on them, and don't go home with them. Remember these rules, and you'll fare well on your journey."
Click—
Yoyo adjusted her knight's helmet, responding earnestly, "Your advice is genuine, I'll remember it koli."
[Ding! Trust level of Yoyo +10]
[Ding! Favorability level of Yoyo +20.]
Lynne: "…"
Clearly, she hadn't taken it to heart. But considering she traveled two thousand li without dying, she must have her own means of survival. Enough of this. Their fleeting encounter was just that. His goodwill had its limits.
Lynne's gaze returned to her arm. Once the blood was cleaned off, the gruesome, torn wound was evident. It looked as though some creature had bitten off her entire arm. Horrifying.
"How did you get this injury?" Lynne inquired curiously.
Yoyo, with closed eyes, replied, "During my adventure, I encountered a massive giant. I approached to ask for directions, but the giant tried to bite me. If not for my swift dodge, it wouldn't have been just my arm; it would've been my head. He's a creature far more powerful than I am. I stood no chance against him koli."
Click—
The visor of her knight's helmet dropped again, covering her face.
Lynne was rendered speechless.
"Alright then." Lynne closed his eyes, donning his mask and gloves, remarking, "Judging by your wound, you've administered preliminary first aid. However, to prevent infections, further wound cleaning is essential. First, remove your armor. I need to conduct a brief clinical check."
Click—
Yoyo raised her knight's visor, firmly stating, "Refuse. A knight never removes her armor koli!"
Lynne shrugged, "Alright, suit yourself. Do you want an anesthetic? Just a heads-up, it's going to be excruciating without it."
Lifting her visor earnestly, Yoyo said, "Refuse! Anesthetics will only impair a knight's reaction time. Plus, my pain tolerance is at its maximum! It's the result of a knight's rigorous training koli!"
Lynne remarked, "Impressive! You're the second bravest person I've encountered."
...
A few minutes later. In front of the operating table.
The fairy Yoyo lay flat, intently watching Lynne who held two scalpels in hand.
"Ready when you are! I am now at your mercy!"
Lynne rubbed his temple in exasperation. This fairy had a knack for making serious, yet odd statements. His expression grew stern, warning, "If you can't bear it, shout. Don't bite your tongue off. I'm making the incision now!"
Ding—
A cold gleam flashed from Lynne's scalpel.
Yoyo, with eyes closed, declared, "As I've said, my pain tolerance is maxed out! My resilience attribute is fully leveled up. I won't..."
Shiink—
"Kooooooli!!!"
With a single cut, Yoyo's pupils dilated, and she let out a sudden, ear-piercing scream.
Shiink—
"Ouch! Ouch!"
The fairy named Yoyo immediately sat upright. Tears streamed down from beneath her knight's helmet. Holding half her body, she (≧口≦) swayed and wailed, "Why does your incision hurt so much more than others?! Did you use some weird tool that adds extra pain?!"
Lynne sighed, "Let's use the anesthetic."
"Refuse." Yoyo lay down again, tears still streaming, biting her lip, "My pain resistance is maxed out. Knights possess the quality of endurance. I won't..."
Shiink—
"Ow!"
Shiink—
"Yame! Yame!"
Shiink—
"Ouch! Gentle! You're pressing too hard! Koli!"
[Knife Skill +1]
[Knife Skill +1]
"You said your pain resistance was maxed, right?! Don't squirm! If you do, I might cut elsewhere!"
"But, but! Even though my resistance is maxed, every cut breaks the threshold of pain!"
Shiink—
"Ahhhhh! I'm tearing apart! Yoyo's tearing apart o(≧口≦)o! I'm breaking!"
"Don't make such weird noises (*｀皿´*)ﾉ! It's just a few scrapes!"
[Knife Skill +1]
[Knife Skill +1]
"Yada yada yada! You hurt me! The great knight is going to die from pain! Help! Help! I'm being torn apart! I want to go home! I don't want this anymore! Wah! I'll bite you! I'll bite you koli!"
Yoyo screamed, baring her sharp teeth, preparing to fiercely bite down on Lynne's arm. Evidently, under such intense pain, even the mighty knight commander was on the verge of losing her sanity.
Lynne was getting desperate. While trying to hold down Yoyo's head, which was snapping wildly with her teeth, he continued cleaning her wound with the other hand. Finally, to complete the last part of the treatment...
Lynne quickly grabbed a rolling pin from nearby and, in the instant that the fairy named Yoyo opened her mouth,
Shiink—
He shoved it in, effectively blocking those sharp teeth.
"Mmph—~~"
Yoyo, with widened eyes full of surprise, struggled vehemently.
"(`皿′) Bite down on it, just hold on a bit longer! We're almost done! Hang in there!"
…
Ten minutes later.
[Ding! Your knife skill has successfully reached the intermediate level, granting you 300 experience.]
[Ding! Your surgical skill has reached the intermediate level, granting you 300 experience.]
Yoyo lay on the operating table with a buzzing head, her dark eyes staring blankly. She was completely drained, her whole body wet from the sweat caused by the intense pain.
Thump—
Lynne removed the rolling pin, which had been placed in her mouth to prevent her from biting off her tongue.
He took off his gloves with satisfaction, "The initial wound cleaning is done. You can get up now. We can proceed to the next step."
Yoyo slowly sat up, her gaze empty. She shook her head, still wearing her knight's helmet, rubbing her eyes, "It felt like a nightmare... I was close to... breaking..."
Lynne, cleaning up the spilled blood, said, "That's a normal reaction."
Staring at the freshly cleaned wound on her shoulder, Yoyo shook her head and looked intently at Lynne, pointing at him, "You're the first man to hurt me this much. You've made quite an impression on me."
[Ding! Yoyo's Favorability towards you +20]
Lynne: "???"
She stepped off the operating table, squinting, and picked up the thick rolling pin. Observing the teeth marks on it, she said with a sly grin, "You're also the first man to shove something so large into my mouth!"
