Chapter 148: I Am Simply Too Weak
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148: I Am Simply Too Weak
Atoris considered her current situation.
She was serving as both the Sword of the Empire and the Imperial Idol, while also managing the affairs of the Wheel of Fate branch, and now she had appeared with the Expedition Fleet...
Xie Bai suddenly felt that the other woman was perhaps overworking herself.
Thinking of this, she shook her head.
"Forget it. For the time being, I don't have anything that requires your intervention."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Just handle your own affairs, and remember to get some proper rest, okay?"
With that, Xie Bai departed from the Sword of Dawn.
Silence returned to the command deck.
Atoris stood rooted to the spot, gazing in the direction where Xie Bai had vanished, her mind replaying their conversation over and over.
"Just now... did my Master just call me cute?"
She looked down at the battle skirt she was wearing.
Xie Bai had seen this outfit long ago, and at this moment, Atoris felt it looked somewhat dull and monotonous.
She had originally been wearing a carefully selected set of casual clothes, but fearing they would get dirty when facing the Aberrant Archangel, she had temporarily changed into this battle skirt.
Xie Bai had arrived before she had the chance to change back.
If she had still been wearing that casual outfit...
Would she have looked... a little cuter?
Atoris shook her head, trying to toss these messy thoughts out of her mind.
"Forget it, how can I let myself get hung up on such things..."
She took a deep breath, forcing her thoughts back onto the right track.
Then, she remembered Xie Bai's final words before leaving.
“For the time being, I don't have anything that requires your intervention.”
Was it because... she wasn't qualified enough?
That she didn't have the ability to share her Master's burdens?
Was the reason the other woman left so quickly also because of this?
Thinking of this, Atoris slowly clenched her fists.
"No."
Her voice was low, yet carried a hint of stubbornness.
"So many people stronger than me have appeared under my Master's command now—beings capable of contending even with an Archangel. Yet I can only watch from below, and I even had to be protected by those two children close to my Master..."
She paused.
"I am simply too weak."
She then slowly relaxed her grip, her tone turning somewhat lost.
"But... what should I do?"
Having broken through to become a Demigod, she had only barely mastered a fraction of Void power; coating her weapons with it was already her limit.
Where should she go from here?
Just then, Atoris suddenly thought of someone.
Roland.
Back when she was still the Emperor, she had sought Roland's advice on many matters.
Although the current situation was different from back then, it shouldn't be too far off.
Besides, that fellow Roland had previously represented the Empire at the alliance ceremony in Northgard; he should know the inside story of this expedition plan.
With this in mind, Atoris decided to find Roland and get some clear answers.
She invoked the authority of the Crown of the Empire, attempting to sense Roland's location.
A second later, Atoris froze.
"Wait... why is he on that person's ship?"
In her perception, Roland's location pointed clearly toward the pitch-black Titan flagship outside the window.
The Void Dragon.
*
By now, Xie Bai had already returned to the Void Dragon.
Unlike before, she didn't intend to arrange any further matters with Thanatos.
She only wanted to find one key person right now.
Taro Ball.
The Reborn One who had been orchestrating schemes from the shadows.
Ever since the other party had managed to overturn his original plan and draft a new layout—one that even calculated her into the mix—despite her having already "viewed his memories," Xie Bai's attitude toward this Reborn One had changed.
Especially considering he dared to include her in his calculations while being fully aware of her strength.
She could not afford to underestimate such a person.
She hadn't pressed the matter before only because she wanted to settle the two little ones first, temporarily letting that strategic Reborn One enjoy his moment of triumph.
Now that the two little ones were settled, it was time for her to meet this Reborn One face-to-face.
*
On the other side.
Maomao had regained her composure and was fiddling with her livestream settings.
After a moment, she turned to Taro Ball and asked, "Um... is what you said true? The next part is really that important and can't be broadcast?"
Faced with Maomao's inquiry, Taro Ball nodded.
"Yes. We are about to enter an area that hasn't been opened to the public yet. If you don't close the livestream, the officials will very likely ban your closed beta account."
At this point, Taro Ball had not yet told Maomao the truth about this world.
She was, after all, a gaming streamer with tens of millions of fans. Before gaining enough trust, Taro Ball didn't want to reveal those secrets prematurely.
Faced with Taro Ball's answer, Maomao was a bit suspicious, but she eventually nodded.
"Even though it feels like you're brushing me off, you did help me join the Wheel of Fate. For the sake of that favor, I'll choose to believe you."
With that, Maomao said her goodbyes to the viewers in the livestream and shut it down.
"By the way, Taro Ball."
Maomao suddenly remembered something.
"I've been meaning to ask—how do you know so much insider information? Just coincidentally blending into the high-ranking circles of the Wheel of Fate shouldn't be enough to..."
She paused, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Taro Ball couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.
"I..."
"You wouldn't happen to be an internal tester from the game company, would you?"
As Maomao voiced her own interpretation, Taro Ball immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Facing Maomao's suspicion, Taro Ball spread his hands.
"Think whatever you like."
At that moment, Aisarakus approached them.
Since there were no outsiders around, she had finally let her dragon horns show and stretched out her tail.
"By the way, what were you two just talking about? What's a 'closed beta' or a 'ban'?"
In response to Aisarakus's question, Maomao crouched down.
"Oh, that. We were just discussing our next plans. There are some terms you probably haven't heard before, but it's nothing major."
As she spoke, Maomao instinctively patted the girl's head.
Facing this adorable little dragon girl who had brought her all sorts of gains, Maomao naturally treated her with great care.
Especially when she remembered that such a cute little dragon girl could transform into a majestic, thousand-meter-long dragon, Maomao found Aisarakus even more endearing.
She felt a sudden urge to just sponsor her—to give her endless money and treat her like a little goddess.
It was just a pity that this game didn't allow for top-ups.
Otherwise, with the wealth she had accumulated as a gaming streamer, and following her usual tactic of "paying to win" in previous games, Maomao could have definitely become a regional hegemon in a short time without relying on anyone.
But once the open beta starts, I can gather a huge crowd of fans. If I throw some money around then, it should work out just as well.
Thinking of this, Maomao couldn't help but pinch the girl's cheeks.
Taro Ball spoke up from the side.
"Alright, Yu Yunsheng and the others should be ready by now. If there are no issues, we'll leave."
Hearing this, Aisarakus hurriedly stood up.
"Wait! ...Can I come with you?"
Aisarakus wagged her tail gloomily.
At this point, both Maomao and Taro Ball could see exactly what she was thinking.
"Fine, you can follow us for a while to lie low..."
Just as the words left his mouth, Taro Ball's body suddenly stiffened.
Seeing the strange look in Taro Ball's eyes, Maomao instinctively looked back.
A petite and adorable white-haired loli was leaning against the wall, looking at Taro Ball with great interest.
Upon seeing her, Aisarakus was startled.
After a moment of thought, she lunged forward and hugged the girl, her tail wagging frantically behind her.
"Waaa... Human, you're finally back! Quickly, find a way to save me! If Brandon finds out about the massive commotion here, he'll never let me off!"
Caught off guard by Aisarakus's sudden hug, Xie Bai was momentarily stunned.
"Al-Alright, I'll help... Let go first..."
Seeing Xie Bai's arrival, Maomao's mind went completely blank.
She instinctively tried to pull up her livestream.
And then—
[Sorry, your livestream category is currently on cooldown. Please wait: 5h 59min]