“Bullshit! What kind of nonsense A-rank mission is this?”
He didn’t want to go.
He had chosen this school for three reasons: first, the pressure of the Gaokao in China was overwhelming, and a foreign degree with free tuition was a good deal; second, he wanted the chance to see what his unreliable parents were actually up to; and third, he wanted to confirm if certain events from his childhood were real.
Now that he had mostly achieved his goals, things like saving the world or fighting Gods had nothing to do with him.
Since there was a handsome guy who looked just like Leonardo DiCaprio eager to participate in this A-rank mission, he might as well let him go.
Hearing this, Lin Yu couldn’t help but laugh.
A hero who saves the world, huh?
How impressive.
It was actually quite reasonable that they were too busy to care about him.
Hearing the nonchalance in his laughter, Carl spoke up.
“If you drop out now, it will be very troublesome. The School might wipe your memory. Since you’re a student from China, you’d have to repeat a year of study to take your exams again.”
“Besides, you haven’t seen your parents in a long time, have you? Aren’t you curious about what they’re really doing? Give it a try.”
“I’m cold.”
‘No shit. It’s 3 degrees below zero today, and you’re wearing that for cosplay. It’d be weird if you weren’t cold.’
“And I’m hungry.”
Lin Yu finally understood what the girl meant.
Was she actually robbing him?
“Can you help me?”
‘You’ve got a blade to my neck and you’re asking for help? Just call it a robbery.’
“I have no money, only my life.”
‘What is this? Is she acting cute? Though she actually is quite cute.’
She crouched back down under the utility pole.
Perhaps out of pity, he brought her something.
The girl was indeed still crouching there.
“Hey, do you want some instant noodles?”
“Is this… edible?”
‘What a pain. Eat it or don’t.’
He rolled his eyes at her.
He saw her hesitate as if she wanted to say something.
“It’s not poisoned. Are you going to eat it or not?”
“Believe me now? It’s not poisoned.”
“What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”
“I’m lost.”
“Where do you live?”
“The Sacred Land. Head north along the Slanted Dragon Valley, go through the Heavenly Ladder, and that’s my home.”
“What a coincidence. My home is in the M78 Nebula. We’re practically neighbors,” Lin Yu joked.
“M78… Nebula? I’ve never heard of that place.”
“Heh, stop it. You’re speaking Chinese, girl. I don’t have time for this nonsense. If you’re not going to be honest, I’m leaving.”
His debt on his credit account was already eighty-five yuan.
He could barely afford his own food, yet he had treated this girl to a cup of noodles.
He felt like he was being kind enough to go to heaven.
“I’m not lying to you. This sword—it has the engravings of the Sacred Land.”
This sword had just stabbed straight into the utility pole earlier; it was definitely the real deal.
“What are ‘Holy Marks’?”
“You don’t know… the engravings?”
“Friend, can you speak like a normal human?”
“Then where is this?”
“You’re speaking Chinese, girl. If you’re going to act out a ‘transmigration’ story, at least use some Martian slang or something.”
“Chinese? I’m speaking the Vath language.”
“What even is Vath? I’m speaking Teyvatian. Teyvat is awesome!”
“Anyway, about your Holy Sword…”
“Lin Yu!”
“Aunt Lin?”
“Young Xu, I’ve already packed your things. Don’t blame me; you still owe last month’s rent. I know your situation, so I won’t ask for the money, but come pick your things up tomorrow.”
Well, now…
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m lost too.”
“Do you know how far this is from the Sacred Land?”
“Look, lady, I don’t know anything about that.”
“What about… the M78 Nebula?”
The girl ignored him and walked away without looking back.
‘You’re actually asking about that?’
“Is your home really in the Sacred Land?”
Fine, fine.
If this was some kind of prank show, he’d just accept it.
He pulled out his phone and started searching for “Sacred Land” on Baidu.
The girl saw him.
“Is that some kind of Divine Artifact?”
“Divine Artifact? What do you think a Divine Artifact is?”
“You…”
“Can your Divine Artifact cut through a utility pole?”
“In one strike.”
“Wait, don’t actually cut it! Crap, that’s a crime!”
Sparks flew on the street corner.
‘Wow, webnovels didn’t lie to me. When a person’s luck hits rock bottom, a door really does open. I’ve actually picked up a beautiful girl from another world.’
But where could they go?
His room had been taken back.
Was he supposed to wander the streets with an otherworldly beauty?
“Can you use magic?”
“Magic… what is that?”
“So, do you have any other Divine Artifacts?”
“No. I’m only responsible for escorting the Divine Artifact. I have to return it, otherwise…”
“Otherwise the Great Demon King will destroy the world?”
“Otherwise… I won’t have the commission money to support myself.”
“So you’ve never been to the Sacred Land?”
“You’re a good person.”
‘Wow, the first “Good Person” card of my life came from a beautiful girl from another world.’
“Yes, yes, I’m a good person.”
“Oh, I see.”
‘Just “oh”? Buddy, isn’t this like driving without a license…’
Christina, Carl, and the others around him didn’t show a hint of surprise.
He had known these guys were unusual when he agreed to join them, but now it seemed they were even weirder than he had thought.
After three days, Lin Yu finally saw Kobayashi Mirai.
As Xiaoye had said, she looked very haggard.
“Kobayashi Mirai!”
Lin Yu called out to her, turning on his translator.
“I found that thing.”
“Go back to the school.”
Their voices rang out almost simultaneously.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m tired. I don’t really want to look for that thing anymore, and I don’t want to go back to the school.”
“Why say that all of a sudden?”
‘What happened to you?’
Lin Yu wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come out.
The train arrived at the platform, and people bustled past.
“Mirai!”
A shout broke the silence between them.
It was Kobayashi Ryuji.
Kobayashi Ryuji hugged her gently and patted her back.
“What happened? Did you find the one who attacked Xiaoye?”
Without a doubt, that thing was Susanoo.
If cut open, inside should be the legendary sword, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
According to Xiaoye’s roommate… wait, where was Xiaoye?
We still can’t find anything.
To find such a thing, we still have to rely on Thanatos’s Spinning Wheel of Fate.
Just as he was searching for the Gods, the Gods were already prepared, waiting for him to fall into their trap.
***
Carl saw a girl who was as pure as the white winter snow.
He offered her a KFC meal.
The girl seemed somewhat afraid.
“What is your name?”
Carl asked.
The girl didn’t seem to understand his language; she just trembled in fear.
Looking at her, she didn’t seem to belong to the modern world.
She had no shoes or socks, standing barefoot on the snow.
She didn’t reply, only watching him warily.
He tried English, Latin, and even Chinese.
Finally, when he used French, the girl seemed to understand and shook her head, saying she didn’t know.
‘Strange. How could a woman in rags appear here? And speaking French…’
“Locus.”
“Where is this?”
“This is the USA.”
“Where are you from?”
“Don’t be afraid. I’m a good person. I’ll help you, okay?”
Carl tried to comfort her, but the girl remained cautious.
‘A woman in the snow, wearing thirteenth-century classical clothes and speaking French, appearing right in front of his house?’
‘This is likely another girl his parents are trying to introduce to him. But what kind of act is this? A tragedy?’
Regardless, letting a girl stay out in the dead of winter was not the act of a gentleman.
Even if it was a ploy, it was a successful one.
Whether she was acting or not, Carl would invite her inside, give her a cup of hot tea, provide her with winter clothes, and then politely ask her to leave once everything was settled.
But the girl refused.
She just stood in the heavy snow, looking around in confusion.
“Who are you?”
“Carl. Carl Cogash.”
His phone rang.
The girl seemed startled by the sound and bolted.
In the blink of an eye, she was nowhere to be seen.
Late at night, by the fireplace, the girl appeared again.
Lep was barking loudly.
Lep was the dog he raised.
Driven by curiosity… and given Lep’s intelligence… it was definitely the girl from earlier.
Her hands were already frozen stiff.
Carl quickly carried her into the house and started a fire.
At the same time, he massaged her stiff body.
After an unknown amount of time, her body gradually warmed up.
Carl breathed a sigh of relief and fell asleep by the fireplace.
In the morning, Carl opened his eyes to see a pair of blue eyes staring at him.
It was the girl.
Seeing Carl wake up, she remained silent, just watching him.
Even the sound of the phone or the microwave seemed to scare her.
His French was truly not very good.
He wasn’t sure if she understood him, so he pointed to the heated bread and then to his mouth before taking a bite himself.
The girl finally moved.
She took a bite of the bread.
Perhaps she was starving, because she began to devour it ravenously.
“Thank you.”
Carl froze for a moment.
“You’re welcome. Do you want more?”
“Your name is Locus, right?”
The girl nodded.
“Are you lost?”
The girl nodded again.
“I’ll take you home. Where is your home?”
“Cassel.”
“Which country is that?”
The girl only shook her head.
“How did you get here? Do you have a phone number for your family?”
This time, the girl didn’t even shake her head; she just stared at him blankly.
Recalling how the phone sound had scared her away yesterday, he asked, “Do you know what a phone is?”
As expected, the girl shook her head.
Carl looked at her thoughtfully.
‘Who wouldn’t know what a phone is in this day and age? Unless she isn’t from this era at all.’
“Do you know what year it is?”
The girl shook her head.
Carl prepared a room for her.
“What a hassle. But don’t worry, I’ll help you.”
He gently patted her head.
The girl nodded while eating her bread.
“Thank you.”
After all, he didn’t have any women’s clothing, so he gave her his oversized clothes.
The girl seemed to have a very good figure; even through his baggy clothes, her curves were faintly visible.
Carl took out his laptop and searched Google for the place name.
Locus watched the computer with a mix of curiosity and fear.
“What is… this?”
“A computer.”
“I’m using it to help find your home.”
‘She’ll definitely get sick if she stays like this.’
‘Who are you, really?’
The girl just sat there.
‘How should I handle this?’
‘She gives me a feeling that’s different from anyone else.’