Chapter 149: Everything Under Control
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 149: Everything Under Control
"Wha... what?"
Maomao stared at the system prompt that had just popped up, frozen in place.
She had followed Taro Ball’s advice and shut down her livestream, only to once again miss the perfect opportunity to capture Xie Bai on camera.
At the thought, Maomao’s eyes dimmed. She flopped onto the ground with a dull thud and turned her head slowly toward Taro Ball.
Her gaze was practically screaming with grievance and accusation.
Seeing this, Taro Ball’s stiff body twitched slightly, and he instinctively turned away to avoid her eyes.
Right now, Taro Ball was facing two entirely different sources of pressure at once.
Even as a Reborn One who had lived through a previous life, he found the current situation difficult to handle.
At that moment, Xie Bai had just pulled away from Aisarakus’s embrace.
"There, there. I’ll protect you. But first, you have to promise to listen to me."
"Mhm, mhm! Okay!"
After soothing Aisarakus, Xie Bai looked over at Maomao sitting on the ground, and her heart skipped a beat.
Right, I almost forgot there’s a player here who can livestream.
Was that scene just now captured by her stream?
Thinking of this, Xie Bai instinctively adjusted her posture, a faint smile gracing her lips.
"Hehe~ Hello there."
Her voice was light and soft.
"It looks like... you’re members of the Wheel of Fate?"
After a moment’s thought, Xie Bai suppressed the urge to open the forums and check Maomao’s livestream.
This was essentially her first formal interaction with players; she had to leave a good impression.
If nothing else, she had to maintain a cute image.
And while she was at it... she could flesh out her persona among the player base.
Faced with Xie Bai’s sudden greeting, Maomao was momentarily stunned.
She quickly snapped out of her immense grief over the missed streaming opportunity and looked at Xie Bai with excitement.
"U-um... Hello!"
She spoke rapidly, her excitement impossible to hide.
"Um... I’m Maomao! I just joined the Wheel of Fate! And you are...?"
Faced with Maomao’s inquiry, Xie Bai let out a soft chuckle.
"Me?"
She tilted her head slightly, her crimson eyes curving into a crescent.
"I’m just a minor combatant within the Wheel of Fate. I heard a group of Unfated newcomers had joined us, so I wanted to come take a look."
As she spoke, she narrowed her eyes at Taro Ball standing behind Maomao, her gaze meaningful.
"It seems this young man is the strongest among this batch of Unfated newcomers."
"Care to introduce yourself?"
Seeing Xie Bai’s half-smile, Taro Ball felt a surge of panic.
The memory of his soul being searched was still fresh in his mind; she absolutely knew his true identity.
As for her showing up here and specifically asking about him...
He didn't need a brain to know she was here to settle accounts.
The only reason she hadn't caused trouble for him immediately was likely because she had more pressing matters to attend to.
Now that she had come back specifically for him...
Taro Ball knew very well that if he gave even one wrong answer now, his future prospects would be grim.
With that thought, Taro Ball’s mind began to race.
The fact that she was greeting him as if they were strangers meant she probably didn't want to expose his identity in front of others.
He glanced at Maomao, who was still sitting on the ground, struggling to scramble back up.
Come to think of it, she seemed to be aware of the livestreaming feature and knew that Maomao could start a broadcast.
Could she be acting so friendly because she was concerned about her image on the stream?
Cold sweat began to bead on Taro Ball’s back.
Crap...
This is bad, very bad.
If he remembered correctly, Maomao’s livestream... was currently on cooldown.
At this very moment, Xie Bai wasn't being filmed at all...
If she found out, he was probably dead meat.
However... this might also be a silver lining.
She didn't seem to know about the livestream cooldown yet, which meant he could play along with her charade.
As long as he stayed close to Maomao and made sure she didn't reveal anything about the stream's status, he would be in a relatively safe position.
Having worked it all out, Taro Ball steadied his breathing and spoke to Xie Bai.
"Um, hello, Senior."
His tone was respectful and restrained.
"We are indeed newcomers who recently joined the Wheel of Fate. As for me, I’m just a lucky individual who happened to catch the eye of another senior. There’s no need for an introduction."
"In contrast, I am deeply grateful for Senior’s intervention just now, and I admire your humility. Based on that battle, I know for a fact that Senior is definitely not just some 'minor combatant.'"
Hearing Taro Ball’s words, the corners of Xie Bai’s mouth curled up slightly.
"Oh, it was nothing. Just a trivial matter, no need to exaggerate."
A hint of amusement flickered in her eyes.
Very good.
It seemed this Reborn One knew how to play the game.
In that case, she could delay holding him accountable for a while.
But she couldn't let him leave just yet.
To be honest, Xie Bai was quite curious about Taro Ball’s next move.
She might as well use this polite exchange as an excuse to hang out with them for a bit and get involved in his plans.
It was also a perfect chance to refresh her image in front of the players.
If the players knew that the mysterious and powerful "Bai" was actually as kind and cute in private as she looked, her popularity would surely skyrocket.
Yes... perfect. Let's go with that!
Xie Bai felt another wave of satisfaction, as if she had achieved some kind of spiritual fulfillment.
Aisarakus, caught between Xie Bai and Taro Ball, suddenly felt the atmosphere turn bizarre.
As a member of the Dragon Race—a peak Mythical species—Aisarakus was born with perceptions far sharper than ordinary races.
She could clearly feel that something was off about the vibe.
But she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was.
It felt like watching a fine needle balanced on the tip of another needle, spinning slowly in a perfect, precarious equilibrium.
If any external force interfered, that needle would fall and pierce the eye of whoever was watching.
Gulp...
Aisarakus swallowed quietly.
Her intuition told her it was best to stay silent.
And so, the scene fell into a strange, peaceful silence.
Until Maomao finally snapped out of it completely.
"Um! Senior Bai!"
She jumped up, her eyes shining with terrifying intensity.
"Actually, I’ve heard of your great fame before and have always admired you! I’m just so excited to finally meet you... I’m so sorry if I’m bothering you!"
She took a deep breath and summoned her courage.
"Um... I was wondering if Senior Bai could do us a favor!"
Startled by Maomao’s sudden outburst, Xie Bai blinked, but she quickly regained her smiling mask.
"I can certainly grant a request from a newcomer."
Her voice was soft and approachable.
"What is it, exactly?"
Seeing Xie Bai agree, Maomao was overjoyed and immediately continued.
"Well... we’re heading to a rather dangerous place next, and we’re a bit weak..."
She paused, her eyes full of hope.
"So, we were wondering if we could invite you to travel with us. Would that be okay?"
Xie Bai narrowed her eyes at the request.
"Of course. Protecting newcomers is a small matter; I don't mind at all."
Hmph~
Just as I thought.
The girl must have seen her arrive and wanted to find an excuse to latch onto her so she wouldn't leave, all to drive traffic to her livestream.
But that suited Xie Bai’s plans perfectly.