Chapter 160: "Lust" Expresses Anticipation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: "Lust" Expresses Anticipation
Buzz—!
Before Taro Ball could even react, a spatial rift swallowed him whole.
Snap...
As the rift sealed shut, Xie Bai slowly put away Funeral Rites.
If the coordinates were correct, he should have been sent to the Land of Distortion.
In Xie Bai’s memory, Falcant should still be a lonely little ginger cat at this point in time. Originally, she had only instructed the cat to wait there for a while, intending for the Two Little Ones to return and help him take over the Land of Distortion shortly after.
But now, the Two Little Ones had obtained World Tree Bracelets that allowed them to remain active outside for long periods, and the time elapsed had far exceeded what she had promised Falcant.
The thought of that tiny ginger cat keeping watch all alone, holding out even longer than agreed upon, stirred a faint, inexplicable sense of guilt in Xie Bai’s heart.
It just so happened that Taro Ball, a Reborn One in need of training, lacked a destination. Xie Bai had simply sent him along to serve as Falcant’s assistant.
Surely a Reborn One would have the skills to survive in the Land of Distortion.
"I'll summon him back when the time is right. I'll need someone to help me manage those players eventually, anyway."
With that thought, Xie Bai turned her gaze toward White Robe and his group.
"Is there anything else you need help with?"
Hearing Xie Bai’s inquiry, White Robe hurriedly supported Elise in his arms.
"That... please, save her. I am willing to—"
Before he could finish, Xie Bai had already channeled a wisp of Void power, gently lifting Elise into the air.
"Hmm... it’s nothing serious. Just a Coma Curse."
As she spoke, Xie Bai lowered Elise back into White Robe’s arms.
"I’ve just cleared out the Chaos Residue inside her. Find a Priest to dispel the coma once you get back."
With that, Xie Bai departed.
She left White Robe and Elise standing alone in the snow.
"I..."
White Robe stared at the spot where Xie Bai had vanished, falling silent for a long time.
"Understood..."
*
After leaving the Land of Storms, Xie Bai returned to the World Tree.
The Diviner who once guarded this place was dead, and the World Tree now seemed exceptionally docile. It even went as far as to proactively sever a Rule Branch that had only recently healed.
That severed Rule Branch happened to contain the Alchemist shackles that Roland had originally planned to deal with.
Upon seeing Xie Bai’s return, Thanatos, who had been guarding the tree, immediately approached her and bowed slightly.
"My Lord, everything in our current plan has been completed. Do you have any further instructions?"
In response to Thanatos’s question, Xie Bai glanced at the World Tree behind him.
The current World Tree didn't even dare to hiss in Xie Bai’s presence anymore.
"Very good. It seems you’re quite willing to cooperate."
Though the World Tree didn't understand the praise, it swayed its massive canopy in a gesture of submission.
Satisfied, Xie Bai nodded and turned to Thanatos.
"Thanatos, from now on, this place will serve as the trial grounds for our Wheel of Fate—specifically for the Unfated we recruit in the future."
Thanatos bowed his head. "As you wish, My Lord."
He then looked up and slowly produced a page shimmering with golden light.
[A Page from the Book of Truth]
Xie Bai blinked in surprise at the sight of the fragment.
"Is this... the one Roland had?"
"Yes, My Lord. He asked me to deliver it to you. Brandon played a part in this as well."
Xie Bai nodded at the explanation.
In her memory, the second fragment of the Book of Truth she knew of was the one she had seen on Roland. She had originally planned to wait until her subordinates' affairs were settled before demanding it from him.
But Thanatos had brought it to her ahead of schedule.
"So Brandon helped too? It seems that boy is thinking about quite a lot."
After tucking away the fragment, Xie Bai looked back at Thanatos.
"By the way, is there anything else?"
Thanatos pondered for a moment.
"Not long ago, Taro Ball recruited a batch of Unfated for the Wheel of Fate. It is the perfect time to push your plan forward, My Lord. I shall call him over to assist you shortly."
Xie Bai let out a few light coughs.
"Ahem... about that. Taro Ball just went off to another location for some 'training.' I can find someone else for you, though."
Thanatos bowed again. "Is that so? Then I shall trouble you, My Lord."
He then stood quietly to the side.
Seeing that Thanatos didn't have much of an opinion on Taro Ball’s departure, Xie Bai put the matter out of her mind.
She found a comfortable spot on one of the World Tree’s branches and sat down, opening the player forum to browse.
In her memory, aside from Taro Ball, there was only one other person with significant influence over the player base.
[Cat Fur Hat Maomao]
As the most famous game streamer currently in the Wheel of Fate, Xie Bai felt she would be the perfect candidate to replace Taro Ball in managing the players.
Besides, Maomao had zero resistance against her.
A simple request would likely have the girl working her heart out for her.
The thought brought a flicker of amusement to Xie Bai’s mind.
Once the World Tree and the players were settled, she planned to start dealing with the Angel Race. After all, she had promised the Two Little Ones.
Before officially arranging for Maomao to work here, Xie Bai decided to check her account on the forum.
If things went as expected, Maomao’s forum account should still have the VODs of her recent livestreams.
Xie Bai was confident that, given Maomao’s adoration for her, the streamer would have definitely captured her grand entrance the moment she appeared.
Thinking of this, Xie Bai’s small feet, dangling off the edge of the branch, began to swing gently.
Would the players praise her strength more, or her cuteness?
Xie Bai was quite looking forward to it.
Influenced by her mood, the Ring of Seven Curses on her finger opened its eye, emitting a faint pink glow.
["Lust" expresses anticipation.]
Xie Bai instinctively ignored the ring’s movement and clicked on Maomao’s livestream replay.
"Hmph... let's see how these players, who are obsessed with lolis all day, will praise me..."
Her voice trailed off.
Xie Bai froze.
In Maomao’s livestream replay, she couldn't see herself at all.
To be precise, the replay was abruptly cut off the very moment Sacred Light made his appearance.
However, Xie Bai soon discovered a short clip attached at the end.
With a sense of trepidation, she clicked on the video.
[Wait... are you serious? What happens next is that important? It can't be broadcast?]
[Yes. Where we’re going next is an unreleased area. If you don't turn off the stream, the devs will likely ban your closed beta account.]
[I feel like you're just giving me the runaround, but you did get me into the Wheel of Fate. For the sake of our friendship, I'll trust you this once.]
The video ended.
Xie Bai fell into a heavy silence.
The faint pink glow from the Ring of Seven Curses vanished instantly.
In its place, an intensely violent red light erupted.
["Lust" has yielded to "Wrath" and expresses its support.]
"Taro Ball..."