Chapter 17 [Bai E] Joins the Party "...Nothing heavy..."

"...There were no serious injuries, mostly just falls and abrasions."

Feng Jin carefully examined your entire body and gently comforted you, "Falling from such a great height, you only have such minor injuries. The sky is very kind to you."

The girl applied some medicine and bandaged you up, then took out a piece of paper and wrote down some precautions on it.

"Alright, apply the medicine on time these next few days and try to avoid getting it wet. The baths in Ohmma are very famous, but Grey, you'd better wait a while before going to experience them."

You nodded, your movements a little stiff. The reason was simple: Bai E's gaze was fixed on you from behind, making you feel uneasy and uncomfortable no matter how you tried to move. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it just felt strange.

Seeing that you were reserved, Feng Jin thoughtfully put Little Ika—that chubby little Pegasus—into your arms, saying that if you felt pain while applying the medicine, you could rub its head, as it felt very nice.

You and little Ika in your arms exchange a glance.

Little Ika looks up at you with its neck tilted back—well, it barely has a neck anymore, relying entirely on that flexible bone in its neck to move around.

You can't help but want to laugh, but you're bothered by the little Pegasus's round, beady eyes staring at you, as if to say: Human, what's so funny? This pony has a temper too!

...Oh no, it's even cuter now that I think about it this way.

You straightened your expression and glanced back at Bai E in the corner. He was leaning against the corner wall with his lips pursed, arms crossed, looking at you with concern. When he saw you turn your head, he gave you a silly smile, the shoulder armor on his right shoulder gleaming golden in the sunlight.

Her curly hair, as sweet as ice cream, cascaded down as she covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Lord Bai'e was very worried about you. In my opinion, in addition to the great love for the world, the small love for humanity is also very important for the [Savior], and now it can be said that he has achieved some fulfillment."

"Dudu?" Little Ika tilted her head, not understanding what she meant, but since her master laughed, it must be a good thing. "Dudu dudu dudu dudu—!"

Seeing that you seemed to have finished, Bai E stepped forward and asked Feng Jin if there was anything else she wanted to say.

—Just as they were talking, your phone vibrated again.

You glanced down and saw that it seemed Huahuo and Sangbo had something to say. Remembering that they had specifically told you not to tell the locals of Onfaros about the existence of the [Baier Simulator], you quickly put your phone in your pocket, smiled apologetically at Bai'er and Feng Jin, and retreated into a deserted alley.

[How have you been these past few days, Little Gray Fur?]

You type: [I didn't see either of you in Onphalus.]

[Hanabi-sama never said we were on that horrible planet~ She only said we could communicate with you. You weren't frantically searching for us everywhere, were you? Poor thing, all that effort for nothing—hehe.]

[…Fireworks, as expected of you. What's the medium through which you communicate with me? There's clearly no internet here.]

[Silly boy, still don't understand? It must be some powerful being, no less powerful than the three Star Gods, who temporarily caused this game software to break free from system control~]

[...] You thought of some eccentric, mysterious mask. [So you can see what I'm doing anytime, anywhere?]

[Oh dear, Uncle Cold Legs would love to, but unfortunately neither he nor I can see the details, only some major events—don't worry, I'm not here to fool you this time. In this play, we're on the same side, aren't you touched?]

[...Tsk, the signal's unstable. After all, it's not all of His power... Little Grey, that kid Bai'er is very important. Besides being the mascot, he also shoulders a great mission. Here's a piece of advice: you absolutely must protect him. He'll be of great help to your trip to Onpharos...]

The signal flashed, and the game system went offline.

"Who are you chatting with? You look so furrowed." Bai E walked over. "Want to go for another stroll? Or go back and rest? It's up to you."

You glanced behind him and saw that Feng Jin and Xiao Yika had already rushed back to the Dim Light Courtyard to help other patients.

"...Let's go for a walk."

*

As expected, you're a natural-born master of the land-shoveling game. Even without deliberately engaging in land-shoveling, quests will come to you on their own.

Bai'er is buying you some small cakes. After browsing in front of the display case for a while, you seriously pointed to the one with strawberries on it, as if it were something of utmost importance, "I want the strawberry one!"

Bai E chuckled to himself.

He coughed, making a fist with one hand and placing it to his lips, as if he couldn't bear it any longer. "Really... okay, I'll have the strawberry one."

However, just as he finished paying and was about to take you for a walk in front, you saw a young woman with a blue exclamation mark on her forehead anxiously looking around at the twelve o'clock position.

You knew something was wrong, and your outstretched right foot suddenly changed direction. You grabbed Bai E beside you and left.

"What happened?"

Bai E was jolted off balance by your pull, but thankfully his excellent physical instincts allowed him to regain his balance and lift the cake high, narrowly avoiding spilling it. He became alert, thinking there might be an enemy attack, and scanned his surroundings, but found nothing.

He looked down at you blankly, "Partner?"

You didn't speak, but just kept walking faster and faster. The market was peaceful and serene, however—

"——Lord Bai E!"

The anxious female voice called out to you.

...Damn it, what a rare holiday, what a rare chance to go out shopping!

You sighed, resignedly turned around, and there stood the young woman with the blue exclamation mark above her head, just like before.

...Hopefully, it won't be as long as the book next door, so long that it leaves you feeling hopeless.

The young woman had a distinctive head of short, flaxen hair, shorter than her chin, with the ends sticking out in a fluffy, uneven fashion. From a distance, she looked just like a little lion with its mane standing on end.

The woman was so anxious she could barely breathe, “…My…my ring! My wedding ring is lost in the abyss of fate!”

You and Bai E exchanged a glance.

Bai E comforted him, "Don't be anxious. Have some water and tell me slowly."

You then learned that the woman's name was Triss, that she was originally from Janusapolis, that she was a staff member of the Temple of Fate, and that she was one of the refugees that Bai'er and Tipo had rescued a few days ago.

Her fiancé, Lucien, is a local from Ohma, and the two are getting married in three days.

They were deeply in love. Triss often exchanged letters with her lover, expressing her longing and affection, and dreaming of a wonderful future together. However, tragedy struck faster than happiness. After the [Conflict] extended its reach to the temple, she was forced to become a wanderer. She finally received help from the Golden Clan, but was attacked by monsters and, in her panic, dropped her ring into the bottomless abyss.

"If it were just an ordinary ring, I certainly wouldn't have troubled you heroes!"

Triss choked back tears, "But...but that's what Lucien spent most of his life savings to design and commission craftsmen to make...! I really don't know what to do...!"

"Please!" she said. "I know this request is rude—but please help me!"

Although you don't want your holiday to be interrupted, the woman in front of you clearly has an urgent matter, so you can't just sit idly by.

Since the boundary anchor has already been set, going to the Abyss of Destiny again is just a matter of convenience for you.

In the blink of an eye, you had made your decision. Looking up, you saw Bai E staring at you, his eyes questioning.

You know he's asking for your opinion. If you're willing to go, that would be wonderful; perhaps your first time fighting side-by-side will happen here. If you're not willing, he won't force you. After all, he's the kind of man who can decisively break through Ji Yun's defenses the moment they meet, so going alone isn't a big deal—besides, he can't ignore the people in need.

“Don’t worry, Triss,” you say. “We’ll go get it for you. Do you remember where it is?”

Triss was so grateful that tears streamed down her face. She almost worshipped them like Titans. "Thank you so much! Thank you, two great heroes! You must be in the upper part of the temple. I was reading there... When you two return, I will do my best to thank you both...!"

Fortunately, there is still plenty of time left today. If we set off now, we will definitely be able to make it to her wedding in three days.

After Triss left, you dragged Bai Er to a corner.

"Partner? Shouldn't we be looking for the Earth Beast now?"

Bai Er was confused. He was still holding the cake, but it seemed they wouldn't be able to eat it today. You beckoned to him to hand it over, and he obediently placed the cake in your hand.

With a few light taps of your finger on the cake box, it vanishes in a flash and reappears in your interdimensional backpack.

Bai E, who had never seen anything like it before, gaped with astonishment, "...Is this also a gift from [the pioneers]?"

Logically speaking, apart from yourself, your domain anchor can only transport friends that you've drawn from the gacha pool—that's how the [Team Formation] system works, right? When you teleport to different places, different friends will have different reactions.

You open a map in the void that only you can see, intending to first observe the terrain of the Abyss of Fate, and then go with Bai E to find the Earth Beast.

However, when you clicked on the boundary anchor of [Changmeng Chenfei], you overlooked the terrifying extent of habitual actions... You clicked on [Teleport].

Suddenly everything went black.

A few seconds later, listening to the howling wind and the monster's increasingly rampant howls, you rubbed your forehead.

Never mind, I'll just teleport back to Ohm – I hope Bai'er won't be frightened by your sudden disappearance...

"...It seems that [Exploration] can not only fold space, but also travel a thousand miles a day."

A familiar voice beside me exclaimed, "What a breathtaking power! I almost want to become an anonymous visitor."

Oh, so it's Bai E... Bai E!?

You stiffly turn your head and see Bai E resting his chin on his hand, observing his surroundings with curiosity in his eyes.

"Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?" He tilted his head. "Are you worried that I'm not used to using this [Domain Anchor] for the first time? Don't worry, my body..."

"What are you doing here?!"

You grabbed his arms on both sides and shook him in shock.

"I didn't hit you!!!"

A note from the author:

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