When Luo Ya was wandering around Deep Blue, she suddenly saw a figure flash past the corner.
‘That figure, how does it look so much like Zhi Zi?’
Ever since Zhi Zi suddenly ran off from the Grand Library that day, Luo Ya hadn’t seen her for three days.
Luo Ya wanted to properly thank Zhi Zi, because thanks to her, she could stay openly by Lord Xia An’s side.
Luo Ya quickened her pace and followed, but the figure that looked like Zhi Zi seemed to notice her too. She sped up, as if trying to shake Luo Ya off.
At first, they were only walking fast, but later both of them started sprinting through the crowded corridors.
Along the way, Luo Ya accidentally bumped into many passing apprentices.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Luo Ya turned back to apologize, then continued running.
After a corner, Zhi Zi disappeared directly into a dead end.
Luo Ya was dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Luo Ya searched everywhere and finally found a ventilation duct on the ceiling with the cover moved aside.
Well, that.
Luo Ya remembered that day when Zhi Zi had also suddenly appeared in the Central Garden.
Zhi Zi must be very familiar with Deep Blue’s various structures, so she could always come and go from many strange places.
Without hesitation, Luo Ya climbed into the ventilation duct as well.
“This machine’s design is clearly flawed. The energy core configuration in that section isn’t up to par, and the power output can’t keep up. It’s top-heavy—I think it needs a complete rework.”
Xia An was discussing Dai Anna’s latest alchemical design with her when he suddenly sensed something, and his expression turned strange.
After injecting his Mana Source into Luo Ya’s pendant, he and Luo Ya had named it [Tear of the Moon God].
Cutting off a portion of one’s Mana Source was like cutting off a part of one’s soul.
So Xia An was able to sense Luo Ya’s general whereabouts.
This morning, Luo Ya had gone out to play, and everything was fine all morning. But now, why had she suddenly run off to the mechanical structure layer of Deep Blue?
Xia An was a little worried. Please don’t let anything happen.
***
Luo Ya got lost in the winding ducts.
These ducts were like a maze, leading in all directions. At first, Luo Ya could still hear faint footsteps on metal ahead, but then those footsteps disappeared too.
All around her was only the roar of machines running.
Silence enveloped Luo Ya.
What should she do?
After hesitating again and again, Luo Ya finally decided to throw caution to the wind. She raised her voice and shouted.
“Zhi Zi!”
“Are you there?”
Luo Ya’s voice echoed back and forth through the ducts, traveling far, far away.
After a long while, a familiar sigh sounded.
“What are you following me for?”
“It really is you!”
“You shouldn’t have followed me.”
“Why? Didn’t you say you wanted me to help you? But instead, I haven’t seen you for days.”
“……Don’t take it seriously. I was just messing with you.”
Zhi Zi’s voice came from not far ahead.
“Keep crawling forward. I’ll guide you.”
“So you’ve been nearby all along. Were you deliberately trying to watch me make a fool of myself?”
Luo Ya pouted.
Following Zhi Zi’s instructions, she crawled through more twists and turns, and soon her field of vision suddenly opened up.
Luo Ya arrived at a huge place that looked like a sewer pipe.
On the “riverbank” was a small campsite. A kerosene lamp was lit, and beside it was a shabby bed.
Zhi Zi was sitting lazily on the bed, waving at Luo Ya.
“You… live in a place like this?”
Luo Ya looked around, swallowing the words “like a homeless person living in a sewer.”
“This is just one of my many hideouts, okay?”
Zhi Zi shrugged.
“Come live with me. I’ll talk to Lord Xia An. As long as I explain it clearly, he’ll definitely agree. He’s a really good person.”
Luo Ya said.
“You absolutely cannot tell Master Xia An that you saw me.”
Zhi Zi shook her head.
‘Can’t tell me?’
Xia An, through the [Tear of the Moon God], heard the conversation between Luo Ya and Zhi Zi.
‘Why can’t you tell me?’
‘I have to see what’s going on.’
“Why?”
Luo Ya frowned.
“I said no, and that’s that. Don’t ask so many whys.”
“But you helped me a lot. I want to thank you.”
“……Thank you.”
Zhi Zi’s expression softened for a moment as she said it lightly.
“Hey, why are you thanking me?”
“But it’s still no.”
“Hey, are you even listening to me?”
“Fine.”
Luo Ya was exasperated.
“Are you going to live in a place like this forever?”
“I told you, it’s just a temporary stop.”
Zhi Zi felt a headache coming on.
‘Why is this person so stubborn?’
“That won’t do. You’re my friend. I can’t let you suffer.”
“Since when did we become friends?”
“What? You don’t want to?”
“Fine, whatever you say.”
Zhi Zi sighed.
Luo Ya grabbed Zhi Zi’s hand and walked along the “riverbank” of the huge pipe.
“How did you find a place like this?”
“This is one of Deep Blue’s wastewater treatment centers. The waste liquid from a lot of magical machinery flows through here. Also, this is a place outside the monitoring range of Deep Blue’s surveillance system.”
Zhi Zi whispered softly in Luo Ya’s ear.
“Also, it’s the birthplace of many of Deep Blue’s urban legends…”
“For example, experimental subjects that live in the pipes and feed on rotting flesh.”
“Whenever night falls, they crawl out of the pipes and search everywhere for anything they can gnaw on…”
“Eek!”
Luo Ya’s face turned pale with fear.
“What, are you scared of ghosts?”
“Aren’t you an experimental subject yourself!”
Luo Ya said angrily.
Zhi Zi laughed as if she had succeeded in some scheme.
“Alright, if you go out through that door over there, you’ll reach a normal floor.”
Zhi Zi pointed to a small door ahead.
“I’m telling you, I’m pretty rich now. If you call me something nice, I might treat you to something delicious.”
Luo Ya’s eyebrows danced as she pushed open the heavy metal door.
Clang!
The heavy metal door slammed shut behind Luo Ya with a loud bang.
Huh?
Luo Ya turned around in disbelief.
What was this? What was she doing?
***
On the other side of the door, Zhi Zi leaned against the metal door and smiled bitterly.
‘We are friends?’
‘Doesn’t sound bad.’
Behind her came Luo Ya’s banging on the door.
“Hey! What are you doing! Open the door!”
‘Little Luo Ya, stay away from me.’
Zhi Zi didn’t make a sound, letting Luo Ya shout on the other side.
‘A thing like me…’
“Did something happen between you and Luo Ya?”
Suddenly, a pleasant voice came from the darkness.
Zhi Zi’s eyes widened.
Why was he here!
“Ma, Master, M-Master Xia An…”
Zhi Zi stammered, as if she had done something wrong.
“I heard from Luo Ya that you helped her a lot.”
Xia An said.
“I think I should thank you.”
‘He… he knows everything? About me framing him… Is he testing me? Saying the opposite intentionally?’
Zhi Zi automatically misinterpreted Xia An’s meaning in her mind.
“I understand. I know what I have to do. Master Xia An…”
Zhi Zi’s voice dropped.
‘Wait, no. What do you understand?’
Xia An was full of question marks.
Before Xia An could ask for an explanation, Zhi Zi suddenly turned around and ran into the darkness behind her.