Liam shot Colin a sharp glance, then said irritably, “I’m not being pessimistic, I’m being cautious! Thinking this way now is far better than discovering later that there’s no way to change back and ending up completely crushed! At least this way, I have some mental preparation. What’s wrong with that?”
After hearing Liam’s words, Colin understood her current mindset.
But he was still a little puzzled—this kind of thinking didn’t fit Liam’s usual behavior. She must have some other reason.
Liam did have her own reasons. She had been genuinely happy when she first found a clue about turning back.
But soon after, a question arose in her heart: Did she really want to turn back?
Liam knew it was strange to think this way—she had been so eager to change back before, but now she hesitated.
This didn’t align with her previous thoughts. Why was she thinking like this now?
Was it because she preferred how she was now? Or because of the pretty clothes she had secretly bought? Or… Liam sneaked a glance at Colin, then quickly looked away.
Could this also be an effect of the magic circle?
Liam didn’t know. She could only put those thoughts aside for now. After all, there was only a clue so far—no one knew if this “Yiqiu” was really what she was looking for.
Liam reassured Colin that she was just a little tired and would feel better after some rest.
Seeing this, Colin stopped asking and let Liam rest.
But Liam had barely taken a few steps when a swaying figure came down from upstairs—it was Hephny, just waking up.
“You’re awake? Are you feeling alright? Don’t push yourself so hard.”
Liam asked with concern as Hephny descended the stairs.
Hephny waved her hand and, still a little stiff, sat down on the sofa. She looked exhausted, like she hadn’t slept well at all.
“Uh… all of you, come here, before I fall asleep again… I need to tell you the most important parts from the book…”
Hearing this, Liam frowned. “No need to be in such a rush, right? You can tell us after you wake up tomorrow.”
Hephny gave her a surprised look, puzzled. “Weren’t you really eager to turn back before? Why aren’t you in a hurry now? If you’re really not in a rush, I can wait until tomorrow.”
“…No, never mind. Just tell us now.”
Liam hesitated for a few seconds but finally decided it was better to listen right away.
Colin muttered a few incantations, and an invisible transparent barrier rose around the three of them, blocking outside sound.
“…There’s no need for this, it’s not like it’s something secret… uh, well, maybe it is a little secret? No, what exactly counts as secret?”
Hephny had barely finished the first half of her sentence when she started contradicting herself. It seemed her mind wasn’t fully awake yet, probably struggling between left and right brain.
“Are you really okay?” Colin asked with concern.
“Ahem, just an accident earlier. Now, listen carefully.”
Hephny coughed a few times, focusing Liam and Colin’s attention, then began recounting the most important information from the book.
“…Anyway, this is what I saw in the book. I only read this part in the rush. I know where ‘Yiqiu’ is located, but I don’t know what dangers are inside, nor if there’s a way for Liam to turn back.”
Hephny shared everything she remembered. Colin lowered his head thoughtfully, while Liam was surprised that Hephny could remember so much in just a minute or two.
But after hearing Hephny’s words, a surge of excitement rose again in Liam’s heart. She felt she was getting closer to turning back. Although there had been hesitation before, now excitement fully took over.
Seeing Liam’s renewed enthusiasm, Hephny closed her eyes in relief and peacefully fell asleep.
But Liam didn’t give her the chance to rest. She pulled out the Blossoming Stone Orb and held it in front of Hephny.
“This is a magical item I got from a previous mission. It seems connected to ‘Yiqiu’. It can directly teleport someone into a labyrinth. Maybe that’s where ‘Yiqiu’ is. When you have time later, please study it.”
With that, Liam ignored Hephny’s response and stuffed the orb into her hand.
Hephny seemed about to say something but couldn’t resist and fell into a deep sleep, though she didn’t look like she’d have good dreams.
Liam exhaled deeply. Luckily, Hephny was this tired, or else she’d have been lectured for sure.
Just then, Colin suddenly looked up and said, “Liam, let’s not get involved with ‘Yiqiu’ for now.”
Liam was stunned and asked why.
“From what we’ve seen before, ‘Yiqiu’ as a labyrinth is definitely not simple. It wouldn’t be wise for us to explore it in our current state. Don’t worry, I’ll contact trustworthy people and ask them to explore the labyrinth and find a way for you to turn back.”
Liam understood—Colin felt continuing would be dangerous and didn’t want her to face those dangers. So he planned to have others help, and she only needed to wait.
Thinking this over, Liam’s feelings became complicated. Colin treated her like this, yet she still had the mission to assassinate him… wait? The mission to assassinate Colin?!
Crap! She forgot that tonight was the deadline to report the mission progress to the guild leader!
What time was it now? Had the deadline passed?
Liam glanced at the clock secretly and saw there was still some time left, which made her breathe a little easier.
But after thinking this through, the complicated feelings she had about Colin calmed down. Instead of letting her spiral, she came up with a good idea.
“Is that so? Fine then. You’re the team leader, and I’m a team member. As a member, I should obey the leader’s arrangements. Since you said so, I’ll do it.”
Liam agreed to Colin’s plan, easing his mind a bit. But her next words made his heart leap again.
“However, since I’m being so obedient, shouldn’t the leader grant the member’s request as well?”
Colin felt a bad premonition but asked with a puzzled expression, “What do you want?”
Liam smiled sweetly, glanced casually at the clock, and said, “Since we’re not getting involved with things later, you must have a lot of free time. How about going for a walk with me afterward?”
Before Colin could react, Liam’s footsteps quickly faded as she left the mansion, telling him she had to make a routine report and to not follow her.
Colin stood there dumbfounded.