After finishing breakfast, Mu Bai took their two tin cans to wash them.
Across the System Interface, Ye Yuan’s lips curled into a faint smile.
With everything prepared, the two of them were in high spirits.
The announcement sounded right on time.
[The Train is about to arrive at the station. This destination is a Trial Station. Station Type: Weirdness Type. Difficulty Level 3.]
[Stop Time: ??]
[Trial Mission: Reach the Ancestral Temple before dark and survive inside the Ancestral Temple until the following day.]
[If you do not enter the Station within five minutes after The Train stops, The Train will self-destruct immediately. You may only return to The Train after completing the trial mission. If the mission fails, you will remain in the Station forever.]
The confident smile Mu Bai had been wearing vanished instantly, and Ye Yuan’s brow furrowed deep.
To think that the first station they encountered after the Newbie Protection was canceled would be a Trial Station—and the most difficult Weirdness Type at that.
Mu Bai felt numb.
It felt like she and Ye Yuan were being targeted by the Weird Station.
It was Difficulty Level 3 every single time, as if the stations would keep haunting them until they successfully explored one.
Moreover, there was a so-called trial mission this time.
If they didn’t complete it, they couldn’t return to The Train.
The only good news was that they had obtained five Little Spirit Flame Talismans from the previous Extreme Cold Apocalypse station.
This gave her and Ye Yuan a basic ability to fight against ghosts and monsters.
Specifically, against a Spirit Body.
A Little Spirit Flame Talisman could instantly kill a Remnant Soul… were the school-uniform ghosts in the cafeteria Weird Station that Ye Yuan entered before considered Remnant Souls?
If they were all Fierce Ghosts, then the Treasure obtained from a Difficulty Level 3 station would only be able to damage a Fierce Ghost rather than kill it outright.
Given how many there were, the difficulty would be far too unbalanced.
Mu Bai figured that a Fierce Ghost was likely equivalent to a final boss, while the ones seen everywhere were just Remnant Souls.
“Little Mu Bai, give me your Special Dagger for a moment.”
Ye Yuan reached out and rubbed the girl’s white hair, wanting to soothe her.
“…”
If she wanted the Special Dagger, she should just ask for the Special Dagger.
Why rub her head?
Mu Bai grumbled inwardly, but given the impending danger, she didn’t say anything.
She pulled out the Special Dagger she had tucked under her skirt, mimicking Ye Yuan’s storage method.
She handed it over.
Ye Yuan took the Special Dagger, drew the blade from its sheath, and slapped a Little Spirit Flame Talisman onto it.
The Talisman instantly turned to ash, and an orange-red incantation surfaced on the blade.
“Do not let go of the Special Dagger once we are inside. If there is danger, use it immediately. Keep these two Talismans and apply them whenever needed.”
Ye Yuan handed the Special Dagger back and included two more Little Spirit Flame Talismans.
“No, just give me one more.”
Mu Bai shook her head and returned one of the Talismans.
Ye Yuan was the powerhouse of the team.
A Little Spirit Flame Talisman was more useful in her hands than in Mu Bai’s.
Mu Bai only needed to keep one as a backup for basic self-preservation.
Staring at the returned Little Spirit Flame Talisman, Ye Yuan opened her mouth to say something several times before finally taking it back and storing it.
“Ask me if you run out,”
Ye Yuan said at last.
“I know,”
Mu Bai said with a laugh.
There were only five Little Spirit Flame Talismans in total.
Since she and Ye Yuan were bound together, they basically wouldn’t separate.
If she used up all her Talismans, Ye Yuan wouldn’t have any left either.
When that happened, Ye Yuan might actually have to come to her for more.
However, since the other woman meant well, Mu Bai didn’t actually laugh out loud, though her eyes were full of mirth.
Even though they were about to face unprecedented danger, the white-haired girl—who looked so fragile—could still smile.
It broke the slightly stagnant atmosphere.
Ye Yuan felt as if those purple eyes could draw in a person’s entire attention.
Even her tense nerves relaxed quite a bit.
“You should enchant that short sword in advance too… Come to think of it, I wonder if the crossbow bolts can be enchanted.”
Mu Bai fell into thought.
The item description said it dealt direct damage to a Spirit Body.
Did it have to make physical contact?
In that case, the bolts should be enchantable, but enchanting the Compound Crossbow itself would be useless.
Mu Bai shared her thoughts, and Ye Yuan nodded.
***
The Train came to a stop.
The two of them stepped off the carriage one after another.
Immediately after Mu Bai disembarked, The Train vanished, giving them both a fright.
Remembering the station description mentioned that they needed to complete the mission to leave, she realized The Train would likely only reappear after the mission was finished.
This allowed her to settle down.
Looking around in all four directions, they were at the edge of a forest.
About one or two kilometers outside the forest sat a village.
Further away was a hill on the edge of her vision, its silhouette only a blur.
The mission description said they had to reach the Ancestral Temple before dark.
There was a time limit.
Mu Bai looked up at the sky.
The sun wasn’t very low yet.
It should be around three or four in the afternoon.
Judging by the forest, it seemed to be autumn.
There were still two or three hours before it became completely dark.
Time was of the essence…
“Look behind us.”
Ye Yuan suddenly tugged at Mu Bai’s clothes.
“Hmm?”
Mu Bai turned around in confusion.
Her eyes widened instantly.
Two figures slowly emerged from the forest.
Judging by their attire, they should be another survival team from this Trial Station.
However, what surprised Mu Bai was one of the individuals…
She had never met this person face-to-face, but she could be considered very familiar with her.
The woman wore a white training suit with the sleeves and cuffs fastened tight.
Silk ribbons bound her brocade trousers at the waist, making her look very capable.
Her pink hair reached her waist, its color like vibrant cherry blossoms with a faint luster, flowing smoothly like a waterfall.
Her face was elegant and her skin was like cream.
Perhaps because her lips often held a slight smile, her appearance seemed very gentle and sweet, yet her temperament contained a sharp edge that could not be ignored.
The most striking feature was a pair of Golden Pupils that never seemed to go out…
Cough, rather, they were a pair of bright yellow eyes, sparkling with spirit, shining with a golden light under the sun.
Based on clothing alone, Mu Bai wouldn’t have recognized her, but she could never forget that ethereal face.
Tang Shifu!
Her business partner, who had been trying to sell her that handgun not too long ago.
As for the girl beside her, she was likely her teammate.
She wore a tea-colored casual dress and had an elegant temperament.
Her long hair was ink-green, and her appearance was more mature than Tang Shifu’s.
Her blue-green eyes made it difficult to read her emotions.
She didn’t seem as energetic or vibrant as Tang Shifu, but she possessed an elegant beauty.
“Are you Mu Bai?”
Tang Shifu’s eyes lit up.
The creamy little cake was something she couldn’t forget.
Compared to a strange team, she was much more willing to see an acquaintance.
“It’s me…”
Because of the strange feeling of “meeting an online friend in person,” Mu Bai tried to make her voice sound firm.
She didn’t want to sound soft; she wanted to maintain her presence.
As it turned out, this attempt to force herself to stand tall only made her seem softer.
“My teammate, Mo Cha~”
Tang Shifu stepped closer and introduced her.
Mo Cha followed slightly behind Tang Shifu, smiling as she met Mu Bai’s gaze.
The two had intended to walk right up to Mu Bai, but a sharp, undeniable aura of aggression caused them both to stop in unison.
They halted about two or three steps away from Mu Bai.
“I am Ye Yuan… You two know each other?”
After coldly delivering the first half of the sentence, Ye Yuan turned and asked Mu Bai softly.
Tang Shifu and Mo Cha exchanged a knowing look.
There was an expert here.