Nikita's quill moved swiftly across the spell book, with rules and formulas flowing smoothly onto the blank pages.
She merely glanced at the commotion erupting in the restaurant, completely uninterested. For her, nothing was more important than the spell she was preparing.
Of course, if these young people became too restless, she wouldn't mind having a little snack.
"We haven't lost hope," Xiao Xiao spoke again, his tone now calm. "Since she didn't tear us to shreds immediately, it means we aren't her primary target—that's good news. Compared to attacking, we freshmen have more protective talismans on us—that's also good news."
"Combining these two pieces of good news, it seems to me that obeying this lady's decision will better ensure our safety than a crude struggle."
Low murmurs of agreement rose from the freshmen in the restaurant.
"Watch out!" the red-faced boy didn't argue, but instead shouted a warning.
"A very wise judgment." Nikita suddenly appeared beside Zheng Qing, clapping softly behind Xiao Xiao.
The Bologna-bound spell book floated beside her, flipping open, and wisps of blood-red light streamed from its pages, gurgling like a waterfall onto the floor, forming a blood-red hexagram.
Zheng Qing was so startled he nearly fainted.
He had no idea how the banshee had gotten next to him.
The spell book suddenly appeared right in front of him, almost touching his nose. Zheng Qing could even clearly see the tadpole-like spell formulas on the pages gurgling and squeezing out those blood-red light strands.
He stumbled back, putting distance between himself and the banshee.
Behind the sofa, Xiao Xiao turned around forcefully, his expression unchanged.
However, Zheng Qing noticed that the wide, black-rimmed glasses on his face were a bit crooked.
Little Monk Shiyuan forcefully pressed Li Meng's head behind the sofa, but didn't notice Poseidon's small head squeezing out from under his armpit.
The banshee smiled at Xiao Xiao:
"Well then, Mr. Wise, please go to the counter and get some olive oil for sister. As for the others..."
She looked up at the red-faced boy not far away, and the crimson in her eyes intensified.
As if in an instant, the entire restaurant fell into a heavy quagmire. Everyone's movements flashed slowly and clearly within Zheng Qing's pupils.
Xiao Xiao was stepping towards the counter, one foot lifted and not yet on the ground.
Behind the sofa, Poseidon's head poked out, his small mouth open, revealing tiny, sharp teeth. Zheng Qing saw the small creature's fluffy fur slowly bristling.
Not far away, several girls looked terrified, their mouths slightly agape, arms raised as if to block something. But time seemed to have solidified around them; their raised arms couldn't even cover their terrified faces.
Only the red-faced boy, a little further away, was still struggling to raise his fist.
He was the only living being still moving in Zheng Qing's field of vision.
"Ahhh..." A continuous, sharp shriek from a girl behind him abruptly shattered this solidified space-time.
It was the owner of the Cobra; this was Zheng Qing's last thought before losing consciousness. A familiar yet strange burst of intense pain violently shot into his head. He screamed, clutching his head, falling to the ground, and beginning to convulse.
Dazzling golden light burst around Xiao Xiao, and with a roar like a dragon and a turtle's cry, crackling sounds echoed incessantly. Other freshmen's talismans were also activated at this instant, and colorful protective shields flickered, adding many light and shadow effects to the entire restaurant.
Nikita snorted softly, the crimson in her eyes receding slightly.
"You can't even handle a little bit of pressure," she mocked, looking at the red-faced boy in the distance, who was panting heavily and kneeling on one leg. He stared stubbornly at the banshee.
Xiao Xiao quietly put away the black leather notebook in his arms, walked around the overturned sofa, and headed straight for the counter.
Zheng Qing was still on the ground, clutching his head and convulsing.
Li Meng was pressed behind the sofa by the Little Monk, stomping her feet in frustration. The Little Monk, however, unhurriedly lifted his robe and stuffed the little fox, who had poked its head out, back behind the sofa.
"Don't get excited, everyone. Just stay put and try to add a few more layers of protective spells to yourselves," Xiao Xiao instructed loudly, his back to the others.
"Sister only wants clean olive oil!" Nikita put away the spell book, which had finished spitting out the formation, and picked up her quill again. She looked at the short boy walking towards the counter and warned, "If the oil isn't clean, I'll use the blood of you little darlings instead."
The atmosphere in the restaurant became even more oppressive, with only the soft sobs of some girls and the Dongdong sound of Zheng Qing hitting his head against the ground.
"Crack!" A bolt of lightning streaked not far from the plane. Outside the window, rolling thunder approached from afar, shaking the sky.
The blood-red hexagram on the restaurant floor flickered on and off, disturbed by the thunder.
The banshee frowned, looking up at the Cobra, which was tied in a knot and motionless, not far away.
"Get over here!" she snapped at the Cobra.
The Cobra, which had been coiled up feigning death, immediately opened its eyes and frantically rolled to her feet.
"Do you have a snake stone yet?" The banshee lifted its tail and squeezed its belly.
The Cobra raised its head in terror, shaking it like a rattle-drum, its bright red tongue flicking about like a rubber band.
"Shut your mouth! Swallow your tongue!" The banshee scolded in disgust, "Don't move your head!"
The Cobra pitifully retracted its tongue, clamped its mouth shut, and held its neck still, not daring to move.
Nikita pulled out a small silver knife and lightly sliced the Cobra's cheek pouches on both sides of its head. A clear, viscous liquid slowly flowed from the two thin cuts, dripping into the blood-red formation on the floor.
The banshee frowned, finding the venom's flow a bit slow.
Before she could even raise her hand, the Cobra puffed out its cheeks, held its breath, and quickly sprayed the venom from its cheek pouches.
The injection of venom re-stabilized the formation, which had been flickering and swaying.
At the same time, Xiao Xiao walked to the formation holding a bowl of olive oil. He directly took out a thick brush, dipped it in the oil, and traced the hexagram formation on the floor.
The oiled formation concealed its bloody aura, appearing smoother and more natural.
"As expected of Mr. Wise." Nikita smiled as she watched Xiao Xiao finish drawing the magic circle, then waved her hand, signaling him to return to the freshmen.
"You get out too!" Watching the Cobra trembling beside her feet, the banshee kicked it away, laughing and scolding, "My formations never use you crawling insects as sacrifices."
After the ball of snakes rolled into the small garden in the center of the restaurant, it immediately uncoiled and darted behind the rockery.
"Sly creature," the banshee pouted, then looked up at the trembling freshmen not far away.
After being exposed, running away was the only option.
But this option had to be understood by the Captain.
So she had to bring back a gift of sufficient weight.
Nikita's gaze fell on Zheng Qing, who was clutching his head and convulsing.
