Chapter 162: Interlude
The girl sighed softly, the curve of her lips gradually fading, her voice devoid of emotion: "If I'm not mistaken, Brother, besides these irrelevant words, you must have something else you want to tell me, right?"
"Heh heh, my dear sister, you..."
"For example~" Bai Fujin gently interrupted him, asking indifferently: "A new round of transactions?"
The mocking laughter on the other end of the phone stopped abruptly.
After a strange silence, Bai Fuxi, who had just been officially confirmed as the heir, replied coldly: "Yes, I do have a few suggestions I'd like to discuss with you."
"I'll consider it. I'll contact you later." The girl didn't even ask what his 'suggestions' were before casually hanging up the phone. Then, she slowly stood up and looked up at the sky. The sky, unadorned by Prosperity Stars, was not beautiful, but it was fitting for the occasion.
Her body, wrapped in a snow-colored trench coat, appeared somewhat thin in the night. That slender back always gave the illusion that she might collapse at any moment, but upon closer inspection, it remained proud and straight.
Everything she had painstakingly managed was destroyed in an instant. The girl, who had initially thought she would be unable to bear it, was surprised to find herself maintaining an unprecedented calmness.
This should have confused her, but the moment the question arose, she reflexively found the answer.
"Sure enough, is it because I had already anticipated such an outcome...?"
Bai Fujin murmured softly, somewhat lost in thought, like someone just awakening from a long dream.
Of course, she had guessed that her brother would not honestly keep his promise to publicize her contributions and achievements, letting everyone know that 'Bai Fujin' was not just a pretty vase.
Of course, she had seen through Bai Fuxi's sordid thoughts and his increasing apprehension and vigilance towards her. She had long anticipated that he would never allow her any opportunity to demonstrate her worth, especially since, if they were truly to compare 'worth,' she was far superior to him from every perspective.
Historically, too many bridges that carried people across rivers were ultimately dismantled, and too many close relatives slaughtered each other until they were utterly devastated.
This completely unoriginal development was so boring it was almost sleep-inducing.
"Why?"
Bai Fujin questioned herself in her heart. Since she had already guessed everything, why had she never taken any countermeasures, only walking to this day as if completely unaware?
"Couldn't she handle it?"
The moment this thought appeared in the girl's mind, she dismissed it. What a joke. Even if she only controlled limited resources, manpower, and material wealth as a 'shadow,' that would still be enough to toy with a certain mediocre pseudo-conspiracy theorist. Not to mention she had long seen through Bai Fuxi's intentions; even if she was only given those ten minutes of operation time, this girl had countless ways to make the situation escape her brother's control.
In fact, even now, Bai Fujin could make her ambitious brother suffer eternal damnation within three phone calls.
So the answer was already very clear.
She was just too naive. Although in most situations, Bai Fujin was a meticulous, ruthless 'bad person' who preferred to nip trouble in the bud, she still had a soft spot in her heart.
There resided her family, her dreams, her principles, and all her beautiful things.
Therefore, Bai Fujin chose naivety, chose to believe, chose inaction, chose a path that was almost foolish, and she did so even with the 'knowledge' of its foolishness.
Perhaps she just wanted to give herself an excuse, an excuse to erase her true nature and willingly accept her fate.
It was also a gamble, a nearly absurd gamble that Bai Fujin had never taken in her life, with a success rate of less than one in ten.
Win, prove her self-worth, and assist her father and brother in serving the Bai to the best of her ability.
Lose, completely abandon her obsession, and try to enjoy this life with a different mindset.
And uphold her principles, refraining from any targeting, deception, or aggressive behavior towards her brother.
Not harming her family was one of Bai Fujin's few bottom lines.
And so, Bai Fujin lost as expected. Bai Fuxi, officially confirmed as the heir, kicked her aside without hesitation, claiming all the achievements made by his shadow, sister, and strategist over the years.
Logically, this absurd, far-fetched, and illogical farce should have ended at this point.
However...
"Perhaps I should reconfirm my thoughts."
Looking up at the Prosperity Stars in the night sky, feeling the slight chill in the air, Bai Fujin, who, like everyone else, had never truly faced herself, suddenly murmured softly. A subtle, imperceptible twist surged deep within her calm and elegant gaze.
She had made her choice based on her 'heart,' but having truly reached this point, Bai Fujin found that she was not at peace.
No one acknowledged, no one understood, no one cared, no one valued, no one cherished her worth. And at this very moment, even she herself was about to deny herself for an absurd reason, then pretend to be at peace and live out her life.
"I'm really terrible..."
Draining the already cold black tea in her hand, the confusion and hesitation in the girl's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a kind of near-mad obsession.
Until now, Bai Fujin had never wanted to gain or demand anything, nor had she ever had any excessive desires.
To prove herself and gain recognition.
For this seemingly laughable reason alone, the girl had already sacrificed too much.
She sighed softly and turned to return to the warm room.
In that fleeting, almost illusory glimpse, Bai Fujin seemed to have found some kind of answer within her soul.
"A Qing, don't let anyone disturb me recently," Bai Fujin instructed the girl who stood quietly nearby. The latter had evidently not obediently gone off to play games by herself but had waited there until now.
"Yes, Miss."
"I might go a bit crazy playing recently, taking a complete vacation for myself." Bai Fujin smiled affectionately at A Qing, then passed by her, carrying a lingering chill, and slowly walked towards her room.
A Qing involuntarily shivered, but it didn't seem to be due to the slightly cold temperature of the other person.
As if sensing A Qing's slight concern, Bai Fujin suddenly stopped. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly: "Don't worry, I just need to figure some things out..."
...
Time returns to the present.
The girl named Gawen in the game gave a self-deprecating laugh. For the first time, she somewhat disliked this overly realistic game, and she also began to dislike herself for wanting to come back here to catch her breath.
Did she really want to save the Prince's life?
No, Gawen knew very well that she merely wanted to find some solace in this virtual world; it was just a meaningless self-gratification.
And ironically, even this act, which she considered an escape, had no effect whatsoever.
Let alone being affirmed, the other party didn't even give her a chance to say a second word.
The madly whispering voice deep in her soul began to roar again, desperately urging her to unleash her 'true' self.
She was inevitably shaken.
Then...
A muffled groan came from outside, followed by several sudden hurricanes that howled from all directions. Gawen instinctively curled up her body, then felt her body suddenly lighten. In an instant, she was fiercely thrown against the wall by a huge force. An unreal pain spread from her limbs and bones; this was the first time she had felt pain in this world.
Just the aftershock of a single attack caused 70% of her health to instantly disappear.
She gritted her teeth against the soreness and raised her head from behind a pile of rubble. She immediately saw Luther King, the High-Ranking Arcane Mage said to be a God of Law's apprentice, swaying precariously in the center of the hall. Large patches of blood seeped from his rather ornate mage robe, and the two magical barriers shimmering with colorful light in front of him were mostly torn, seemingly having had no effect whatsoever.
And Konda Bohe, with one arm broken, stood behind Luther, his face pale. He clutched his wound tightly with his other hand, his face filled with fear and anger.
Gawen narrowed her eyes slightly, held her breath, and quietly crouched down.
"Garros!"
Prince Kangda's roar exploded from nearby: "Bart Gallos! So this was all your doing?"
Gawen lay on the ground, cautiously glancing outside. She saw the middle-aged man at the doorway, dressed in a dark green mage robe with a refined face, wink at Konda: "Long time no see, Your Royal Highness."
"Answer my question, Duke!" Konda stared intently at him, shouting sharply: "Are you truly the instigator of all this?"
Two constantly rotating purple hexagrams suddenly appeared beside the Prince. At the same time, an illusory green halo stopped his bleeding; that was the High-Rank Arcane magic that Fara's apprentice, Luther, had finally cast silently.
But Garros did not answer Konda's question. Instead, he smiled and clapped his hands at Luther, praising: "To silently cast two High-Rank spells, 【Stacked Twin Stars】 and 【Life Circuit】, without causing any magical interference, Mr. Luther King's attainments in the arcane arts are indeed well-deserved."
"You flatter me, Duke," Luther replied indifferently. He then waved his hand in front of him, and five oval Arcane Missiles, wreathed in red, blue, and purple light, instantly appeared around him, soaring up and down like dazzling, brilliant meteors: "May I ask if you could first answer His Royal Highness's question?"
Garros then shifted his gaze to Konda, who was glaring behind Luther, and belatedly offered a chest-salute: "You are mistaken, Your Highness. I am not the so-called 'instigator' you speak of."
His gentle demeanor, impeccable etiquette – if the Duke hadn't casually conjured a hurricane to sever Konda's arm a minute ago, the latter wouldn't even have noticed any difference between him and the former Duke Garros.
"Could it be Marshal Galahad...?" Konda knew that the other party had no reason to lie to him at this moment, so he didn't question Garros's recent answer, merely offering another guess.
"No."
A disquieting chill quietly descended. The wooden door behind Garros was gently pushed open from the outside. Konda, Luther, and Gawen, hidden in the shadows, all looked towards it...
It was a young man in black, sitting in a wheelchair. He wore a black mask covering the upper half of his face. His dark eyes, like an abyss, revealed no emotions or information. His pale, somewhat sickly complexion seemed a bit haggard, and a faint smile played on his lips.
Pushing the wheelchair behind him was a Dark Elf girl of the same race as Gawen. She wore an unremarkable black leather armor, her long silver hair simply tied back. Her cold and beautiful face was expressionless, exuding an aura that warned others to keep their distance from head to toe.
Luther's expression was puzzled and wary. This reclusive High-Ranking Mage had no impression of the two people before him.
But Konda immediately recognized the two uninvited guests. He glared fiercely at the young man in the wheelchair, a hint of realization in his eyes, and slowly spoke: "Sin Duke..."
"It is I." Mo nodded slightly.
"Could it be that the instigator of all this is actually..."
"It is I."
"Was it also you who murdered Grandfather Ossis and framed him for treason?"
"It is I."
Konda gritted his teeth, trembling: "I should have guessed. Your timing was too clever, and that previous volunteering was also..."
"You couldn't have guessed." Mo gently interrupted him, laughing: "If I hadn't appeared before you in this manner, you wouldn't have guessed it was me, Your Royal Highness. Those remarks just now were merely your belated realization."
Konda snorted disdainfully, his right hand quietly moving to his collar.
At the same time, the five Arcane Missiles circling Luther also vanished instantly, reappearing the next second behind Garros, Mo, and Ji Xiaodao.
"Wind of Rejection." Garros, however, merely snapped his fingers, and four of the highly compressed composite Arcane Missiles were deflected by a seemingly thin wind barrier.
The one stray missile that attacked Ji Xiaodao was instantly shattered in mid-air by two longswords. The paired swords, 【night rain】 and 【silent return】, carrying the pseudo-elements of Shadowflame and Shadowfrost, twirled several sword flowers in the air before being returned to their sheaths by the expressionless Dark Elf girl, showing the former's significant progress during this period.
"One each." Mo casually ordered the two: "End it quickly."
Figures flickered. As countless magical scythes woven from wind elements appeared before Luther, the girl, who had just merged into the shadows a second ago, abruptly appeared behind Konda.
Luther's two layers of magic shields instantly shattered with a roar.
"Yes."
One of the 【Stacked Twin Stars】 was also pierced through its magic core by a single sword in an instant.
"Understood."
Chapter 159: End
