Chapter 124: Unjust Disaster
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: Unjust Disaster
"Speaking of which, is there some kind of war event starting soon?"
"A war event? How long has the closed beta even been running? Barely a day, right? And didn't the war order just get lifted?"
"Well, think about it. They set up the Dual Emperor Alliance right at the start of the beta, and the Holy Church over at Heavenly Mountain has been acting like they're under martial law lately... It’s obvious something big is brewing!"
"So, it's foreshadowing for a major patch? The World Unification War?"
"Almost certainly! It’ll definitely be the core gameplay of the next phase. We need to grab a good spot early."
"Right! Once we collect the gold for this test run, let's go camp out at the Lightless Outpost!"
As the two players huddled together in hushed discussion, two crisp, youthful voices suddenly drifted from behind them.
"Um... what are you guys talking about?"
"A major version event? That sounds like fun!"
Startled, the two men froze and turned around simultaneously.
Standing behind them were two blue-haired girls, both less than 1.5 meters tall. They looked exactly alike; only the bracelets on their wrists offered any hint of a difference.
"Wait, these two should be NPCs, not players, right?"
"Duh, they’re definitely local kids. Probably attracted by the sound of the explosion and came to see the commotion."
Confirming that they weren't players eavesdropping on their plans, the two men relaxed, and their tone softened.
"Ahem, little sisters, did you get separated from your family? Do you need us to help find them?"
"Don't be scared, we're not bad guys."
Faced with the players' questions, the two little ones shook their heads in perfect, synchronized unison.
"No, we just saw a lot of people lining up to ride the train. We thought it looked fun, so we tried it too."
"It just wasn't very fun. The train started moving, but then it stopped..."
Hearing this, the two players exchanged a look, both seeing the utter shock in the other's eyes.
"You... you were on that test run just now?"
"And... you're completely fine?"
Before the two players could react, their conversation drew the attention of other players nearby.
Soon, more curious gazes shifted toward them.
"Whoa! Where did these twins come from? So cute!"
"Are you lost? How about big sister takes you to find the city guards?"
"They look exactly the same. Are they sisters?"
"Wait, why are there kids here? Did they come to watch the show after the explosion?"
Everyone instinctively assumed these two exceptionally beautiful girls were just ordinary children drawn to the accident. Almost no one connected them to the passengers on the ill-fated test train.
Surrounded by so many strangers for the first time, with questions being fired at them from all sides, the two little ones were clearly overwhelmed.
They huddled closer together, their small hands instinctively clutching each other's sleeves.
They hadn't expected that even after concealing their presence, they would still attract such a crowd.
With Xie Bai not by their side, the two little ones weren't quite sure how to deal with these people.
Just as the crowd grew larger and the two little ones were about to be submerged by the throng, a slightly weary voice called out.
"Alright, disperse. Don't crowd them."
Hearing the voice, the players turned to see the newcomer.
Upon realizing it was Edward, the players instinctively backed away a few steps.
Once the space cleared, Edward fixed his gaze on the two little ones.
Their aura is entirely that of ordinary human children... Could I really be overthinking this?
With that thought, Edward softened his tone as much as possible and leaned down to ask them, "Little sisters, an accident just happened here, and it's not very safe. If you're separated from your family, would you like me to send someone to help find them?"
Faced with Edward's inquiry, the two little ones remained silent, heads bowed.
Seeing this, the doubt in Edward's heart intensified.
Their clothes and temperament don't seem like those of local commoners. Could they be the family of nobles from the Western Continent? But why would they come here...
For some reason, the sense of unease in his heart had yet to dissipate.
While Edward was still lost in thought, a familiar surge of killing intent locked onto him without warning.
"Wait, this is—?!"
Before he could make any move to react, a crisp yet fury-filled cry sliced through the air.
"Edward! You brat, what do you think you're doing, trying to kidnap my Gamie?!"
BAM—!
The moment the words fell, a massive force slammed into Edward's side.
In an instant, he turned into a blurred shadow and was sent flying.
He crossed a distance of over ten meters before finally being embedded into a nearby earthen mound, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
The turn of events happened so fast that the alchemists and players on the scene were frozen in place, their minds going blank.
As the dust settled slightly, they saw that the spot where Edward had been standing was now occupied by a petite, white-haired girl.
It was Xie Bai, who had rushed over the moment she realized something was wrong.
"Sister Xiaobai!"
Seeing the familiar figure, the two little ones practically lunged at her, hugging Xie Bai tightly.
"You're finally here... so many people were surrounding us just now, we didn't know what to do..."
"Sorry... we ran over here without telling you..."
Seeing this, Xie Bai placed a hand on each of their heads and gently ruffled their hair.
"Alright, it's okay now. Just remember to tell me first next time."
As she spoke, Xie Bai's gaze swept over the scene.
"So, how exactly did you two end up here?"
The two little ones looked at each other, explaining in sheepish, low voices.
"We saw a lot of people lining up, saying we could experience the train ride and get gold coins... we were a little curious."
"But it wasn't very fun. The train moved for a bit, and then it suddenly blew up..."
Hearing this, Xie Bai's gaze moved past the crowd and landed on the charred crater in the distance.
She then glanced at Edward, who was just climbing out of the dirt mound, and immediately pieced together the cause and effect.
"You... you took Edward's train? And you were in an explosion?"
At the thought, Xie Bai's lip twitched slightly.
Fortunately, a mere explosion was nothing to the two little ones.
But why did Gamie and the other one have to run into Edward... Is he really a disaster magnet?
Thinking this, Xie Bai looked at the surrounding players.
Come to think of it, there are so many players gathered here... Did Edward recruit them for testing?
Because Xie Bai had disguised herself beforehand, not many players on the scene could recognize her.
At this moment, most of the players still had looks of confusion from the sudden turn of events.
"Forget it, better to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Xie Bai withdrew her gaze and took the two little ones by their hands.
"Gamie, Little Gamie, let's go."
At that moment, Little Gamie suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, Sister Xiaobai, can our next stop be that 'Lightless Outpost' place?"
Xie Bai paused, startled.
"The Lightless Outpost? Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"Well... I heard someone say there's some big event there. I'm a little curious and want to go see."
Facing Little Gamie's request, Xie Bai thought for a moment.
"Fine. I was going to take you to the Opera House, but we can go there later when we have time."
With that, Xie Bai led the two little ones away.
Before leaving, Xie Bai didn't forget to release a pulse of Void power, lightly disturbing the memories of everyone present.
Following a brief moment of daze, the players blinked, their faces clouded with a fleeting sense of confusion.