Chapter 185: Will You Go Easy on Me?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 185: Will You Go Easy on Me?
As Xie Bai spoke those words, Ivy, who had been busy packing her bags, froze in her tracks.
She looked at Xie Bai, her expression one of utter disbelief. "You?"
"What? Is there a problem?"
"Uh... it’s not that there’s a problem, it’s just..." Ivy lowered her head, her eyes darting around nervously. "Will you go easy on them?"
Faced with Ivy’s question, Xie Bai gave it some serious thought. "Hmm... I’ll try my best."
Having received Xie Bai’s answer, Ivy stood up from the floor. "Alright then. It just so happens that the end of the school year is approaching. There’s usually a Year-End Competition to adjust the academy rankings."
She stole a glance at Xie Bai. "If you want to participate, I can sign you up. You do have the status of a student right now, after all."
"I just wonder what kind of face that brat Kairos will make when he sees your name on the challenge list."
...
A moment later, Ivy left the area alone, hauling her luggage.
Xie Bai sat inside the high tower Ivy had left to her, making a few minor adjustments to the building's decor. For the time being, this tower would serve as her residence, so she decided to keep it.
Through Ivy’s explanation, she had gained a rough understanding of the so-called Year-End Competition. It was essentially like a final exam, except the assessment was conducted in a dueling arena format.
There weren't many rules to worry about. Most of the time, the Year-End Competition served as a stage for the top-tier experts to show off their skills.
As for the average students, since the competition results only accounted for forty percent of their final grade, most didn't care much about their ranking as long as their total score was passing. There was even a tacit understanding that students with high overall grades would "leak water"—intentionally going easy—on those with lower grades.
Consequently, aside from the high-level showdowns or matches involving one's own friends, very few people bothered to watch the other events.
Xie Bai lay back on the bed, reflecting on recent events.
Her business at Dome Academy could be considered temporarily settled. Aside from the academy, she had other matters to attend to here in the Eastern Alliance.
"Will the Western Continent's Wheel of Fate be nearby?" Xie Bai pondered, her mind feeling a bit weary.
Taking on missions at Dome Academy was merely a side task for her. Her true objective was to find the local branch of the Wheel of Fate. As long as they remained unaddressed, she wouldn't feel at ease. Sooner or later, her own Wheel of Fate would expand to the Western Continent and collide with the so-called "orthodox" version.
During her time in the Eastern Alliance, she had spent most of her energy looking for clues regarding the Wheel of Fate, but she had come up empty-handed. It had reached the point where she was starting to doubt if the intelligence she had gathered was fake.
"Come to think of it, Ivy is the Witch of Fate. Could she be connected to the Wheel of Fate?" Xie Bai stared at the ceiling, her limbs spread out limply.
She had taken the time to ask Ivy about it before, but the answer she received was that Ivy had never even heard of it. It struck Xie Bai as strange that someone like Roland from the Eastern Continent knew of their existence, yet Ivy, a Witch of Fate, did not.
Perhaps it was a concealment method used by the Wheel of Fate itself; after all, this was their home turf. In the end, Xie Bai didn't press Ivy further. From what she had observed, Ivy was a bit too simple-minded. Aside from looking for ways to improve her quality of life or tinkering with things in her room, she never displayed any complex ulterior motives.
Furthermore, since Ivy wasn't a Child of Fate, Xie Bai had no intention of pestering her further.
"I remember there’s also a Witch in the Northern Territory. Come to think of it, what exactly are Witches?"
Judging by the Cult Leader of Chaos's obsession with targeting them, they likely weren't simple existences.
"I can't exactly go and ask the Cult Leader of Chaos directly, can I?" Xie Bai pulled a corner of the quilt over herself and rolled onto her stomach.
In her mind, the Cult Leader of Chaos had always been a rather mysterious figure. His origins were unknown, his appearance a mystery, his methods were vast, and his influence spanned the globe... No matter the situation, he always seemed to have a hand in it.
Xie Bai could even sense that there was a high probability his shadow would appear during the upcoming Year-End Competition.
"Actually, I recall the Cult Leader of Chaos also knows about the Wheel of Fate. I wonder if I can use him to flush them out."
Thinking of this, Xie Bai flipped over again.
"If I’d known, I would have brought someone smarter with me. Thinking about all these things is so tiring and troublesome."
"It would be great if all these problems could just be solved at once."
With that thought, Xie Bai pulled the quilt over her head. For now, she would just have to deal with things as they came, one by one, and procrastinate whenever possible.
Just then, two petite figures suddenly entered the tower.
"Sister Xiaobai, so this is where you were!"
"We finished touring the place with Brother Kairos and the others!"
"But I feel like they aren't very welcome here. Every time we went somewhere new, a bunch of people would jump out to challenge them, saying they wanted to 'rescue' us from them."
"But Brother Kairos was super fierce! He could swing those challengers around with one hand and slam them into the ground."
"Too bad that Dean guy eventually caught them and the challengers and took them all away. We had no choice but to come back and find you."
Listening to the Two Little Ones share their experiences in the academy, Xie Bai’s expression grew increasingly amused.
"It seems you two are quite popular as well." She looked toward the space beside the two girls. "By the way, didn't Nephili stay with you?"
In response to Xie Bai’s question, the Two Little Ones scratched their heads.
"Her? Apparently, someone said she was 'tiny and cute,' and she suddenly got angry. She grabbed the person, beat them up, and even stepped on them to humiliate them."
"But for some reason, that just made more people interested. They specifically came to fight her, and she knocked them all flat. In the end, she was taken away by the Dean even before Kairos and the others."
After hearing their explanation, Xie Bai didn't know what to say. Was the academic atmosphere here always this... primitive?
Thinking of this, Xie Bai got out of bed. "In that case, you two should stay with me for now."
"It just so happens that I learned a recreational way to play with Fate Cards from some books in the library."
As she spoke, Xie Bai took out the cards she had received as a mission reward.
[Curio - The World's First Fate Card]
There were two sets in total. Xie Bai handed one set to the Two Little Ones and kept one for herself to demonstrate how to play. Within moments, the two girls understood the rules.
"Mm, it seems pretty simple!"
"Since you’re the one who suggested it, Sister Xiaobai, we won't go easy on you!"
With that, the Two Little Ones formed a team, laid out their Fate Cards, and squared off against Xie Bai.
Seeing their confident expressions, Xie Bai gave a faint smile. "Alright then. Let’s agree now—don't go losing every single round to me."
As she set up her Fate Cards, her eyes caught the panel description floating to the side.
[As the world's first set of Fate Cards, each card is infused with the aura of the corresponding True God's power and enjoys the favoritism of Fate.]
[Upon Gaining Recognition: You may freely manipulate these Fate Cards and ignore the restrictions of Fate. This operation will be viewed as a 'correct' usage, triggering effects related to the Fate Cards.]
[Usage Requirements: Must possess a Fate or Fate-derivative Godhead, and have mastered at least one Level 13 Fate Faction skill (Requirement Ignored).]