Chapter 25 The Goddess's Dispute (1) As for this Mr. Wolf, he...
Xia Ying arrived at the Wilderness Hall earlier than expected. Recalling the chase she had experienced last time, she looked around warily, on guard against the Index Sprite or something else that might rush at her at any moment...
Someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder. Xia Ying reacted violently, turned around and jumped away, looking at the person warily.
Then a pair of fluffy pink fox ears caught her eye. Perhaps because she had been staring at them for too long, the erect, pointed ears twitched and bent forward slightly.
“Miss Xia Ying, look here, I’m here.” The fox boy she had met once before waved to her. “Do you remember me? My name is Tamamo.”
"Ah, I remember you." Xia Ying's gaze shifted downwards, landing on the other person's face. "You wanted me to join your team... Did you complete your mission afterward?"
“No, we haven’t been able to find a suitable member. Abyssal creatures with certain special abilities are very popular in missions, like those with charm or something.” Tamamo smiled. “But I just came to apologize. I think I was a bit rude to you last time. I hope you can forgive us… Ah, my team members have arrived.”
Xia Ying followed the fox boy's gaze and indeed saw the red-faced one-horned demon and Jorogumo walking out of the crowd. Just then, someone suddenly hugged her from behind.
Xia Ying's heart skipped a beat, and just as she was about to react, the other person began to rub her cheek vigorously, but strangely, their tone remained calm: "Long time no see, Xia Ying."
"Miss Qiongqi, it's been a long time." Xia Ying said with difficulty after being roughly rubbed, "I'm a little out of breath, Miss Qiongqi..."
Qiongqi said matter-of-factly, "Who told you to be so cute!"
She suddenly felt her arms go empty. Qiongqi looked up dangerously and met the demon wolf's cold gaze.
When the eyes of the feline and canine collided, sparks flew everywhere.
Xia Ying, who had been rescued by Fenrir, peeked out from behind him and couldn't help but laugh when she saw the two of them arguing. "Kerr, Fenrir and Miss Qiongqi don't seem to get along very well."
Qiongqi: Dislikes dogs.
Fenrir: Dislikes cats and Cerberus.
Cerberus: Dislikes cats and other dogs, as well as all abyssal creatures within a hundred miles of Xia Ying.
Mentioning Ke'er, Qiongqi also began to notice something was amiss. She looked around but couldn't find the demonic hound that was always clinging to Xia Ying; instead, she only saw a smiling pink one...
Qiongqi glanced at the other's ears: It should be a canine, right?
"Is this your new dog? Have you finally decided to get rid of that Cerberus?" Qiongqi asked, a hint of resentment in his voice. "But does it have to be a dog?"
"Oh dear, no... you've misunderstood! This is Mr. Tamamo, whom I've only known for a short time! He's a fox!" Xia Ying quickly explained. "Besides, I didn't abandon Ker! It's just that I couldn't contact him for some reason after my internship in the Ring Domain started!"
Fenrir's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.
Xia Ying simply took this as Frostwolf's usual silence and took the initiative to ask, "My internship location is in the Crimson Crown Ring, what about you?"
Qiongqi said, "A wild banquet encircles."
Fenrir said, "Shadow Scale Ring."
Qiongqi and Fenrir's expressions simultaneously turned gloomy.
It seems that everyone's internship has its own hardships.
Xia Ying sighed inwardly and immediately changed the subject, saying, "Then why don't we start challenging Wilderness Mission No. 84 right away?"
Tamamo, who had been quietly listening to the three's conversation, suddenly spoke up: "Mission No. 84? [The Goddess's Conflict]?"
Xia Ying nodded: "Yes."
Tamamo glanced back at her teammates and suggested to Xia Ying and her group, "If you don't mind, how about we join this mission?"
"There's no limit to the number of people who can participate in Mission 84, so it's fine for me..." Xia Ying looked at Qiongqi and Fenrir with an inquiring gaze, and after receiving a definite response, she said to Tamamo, "No problem, let's go."
Just as the fox boy was about to introduce his companions, Xia Ying had already introduced them one by one in a lighthearted manner: "Tamamo has already been introduced. This is Unicorn, and this is Spider Woman. Although they are a bit quiet, they are all very reliable companions."
The red-faced demon, carrying a spiked club, scratched his head shyly. The Jorogumo's face was obscured by her straight black hair, so her expression was not visible, but she reached out her slender white hand and gently touched Xia Ying's head.
“…They like you very much.” A look of surprise flashed across Tamamo’s eyes, then he smiled. “I think it’s not just because you’re a succubus.”
Qiongqi immediately perked up and became proud: "Right? This child is super cute!"
Although Xia Ying didn't quite understand where Qiongqi's sense of closeness came from, as long as they could get along well, everything would be fine... right?
Xia Ying followed the newly formed strategy team towards the giant silver tree in the center of the hall when suddenly someone gently tugged at her sleeve.
She turned around and whispered, "What's wrong, Fenrir?"
Fenrir gazed at her, then slowly released her hand: "...It's nothing."
"Are you worried that the challenge won't go well? Or are you not used to being with so many abyssal creatures?" Xia Ying squeezed his hand back. "It's okay, Fenrir, I'm here anyway."
Frost Wolf nodded slightly, and Xia Ying felt her fingers being gripped even tighter.
In short, the group of six finally arrived at the quest giveaway point in front of the giant silver tree, where they were greeted by a relatively young goblin administrator.
Xia Ying curiously leaned over the counter and asked, "Isn't the old lady here today?"
The light emitted by Data Cloud No. 84 on the giant silver tree enveloped the mission participants, and a notification sound immediately rang out.
"Wilderness Mission #84: [The Goddess's Conflict] has officially begun."
Challengers: Xia Ying, Qiongqi, Fenrir, Tamamo, Unicorn, Spider Woman.
######
"Beep! Wilderness Mission #84: [The Goddess's Dispute]: Instigated by Eris, the goddess of discord, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite have a dispute over the ownership of the golden apple inscribed with 'The Most Powerful Goddess.' Please make a fair judgment for them."
This time, Xia Ying didn't fall into any strange place upon entering the mission scene; instead, she was sitting comfortably at a long table. The table was laden with delicious food and wine, and the surrounding area was bustling with activity. The banquet was in full swing, and no one had yet foreseen the impending conflict.
Xia Ying looked around and confirmed the positions of her companions one by one at the long table. Then she turned her gaze to the main table in the distance, where the three goddesses who were about to start a conflict were located.
The fox-like boy sitting next to her leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Xia Ying, do you know anything about Mission 84?"
"Hmm, I roughly know some of the mission details," Xia Ying said. "[The Goddess's Conflict] isn't very difficult, and there are many ways to complete it. However, the rewards vary depending on the difficulty of the method of completion."
“That’s right,” Tamamo agreed. “The simplest solution is to obtain the Golden Apple before being forced into battle and give it to one of the goddesses. But you can also choose to defeat the goddess’s avatar after the conflict begins to clear the level… Xia Ying, which one do you choose?”
The two exchanged a glance.
Xia Ying narrowed her eyes: "Tamamo, if we're going to take a reward, let's take the best one. We're going to defeat all the goddesses."
Tamamo blinked her fox-like eyes gently: "I completely agree."
Then, the strange event finally occurred at the banquet. The golden apple caused a dispute among the three goddesses, and mist rose behind them. The mist continued to expand and grow, eventually transforming into three colossal incarnations.
The giants' bodies were entirely composed of white mist, and the weapons in their hands gleamed with a cold light, their inlaid with dazzling colored gems.
Tamamo shouted, "Spider Woman! Now!"
In a flash, Jorogumo flicked out her spider silk, which deftly weaved through the gaps in the crowd, bypassed numerous obstacles, and landed with unparalleled precision on the golden apple.
The Spider Woman abruptly retracted her silk, and the golden apple was stolen right under the noses of the three goddesses. The giant's weapons fell one after another, but the silk had already returned to the long table where the conqueror was. The golden apple was tossed high into the air and landed steadily in the fox boy's hands.
The banquet was completely disrupted as the three giants were chasing after them. Amidst the chaos and noise, Tamamo calmly asked, "My team doesn't have any members with particularly outstanding mobility. What about you, Xia Ying?"
Xia Ying thought for a moment: "It's probably me."
"Okay, then you can keep the golden apple safe. Just don't get caught."
Tamamo tossed the golden apple into Xia Ying's arms, then turned to face the three enormous enemies.
"The goddess's incarnations are immune to all damage; they can only be defeated by shattering the gems on their respective weapons. Unicorn and Spider Woman, you two go and confront Hera first."
Qiongqi scanned the weapons in the hands of the three goddesses and finally chose the goddess of war and wisdom, who held a sword and shield: "Then I choose Athena."
Fenrir, who always kept to himself, flew silently to meet Aphrodite.
Xia Ying suddenly realized that she seemed to be idling around, so she said, "Then I'll choose..."
"Don't rush, Xia Ying, you have a more important task." Yu Zao pulled her back. "In the wilderness missions that divide the battlefield, the role of observing the battle situation is indispensable."
She flew into the air, and the three giants and their respective battlefields came into clear view.
Tamamo quickly joined her companions in the battle against Hera's avatar. Xia Ying couldn't hear their conversation, but she could clearly see that Tamamo was playing a commanding role.
The three first formed an inverted triangle formation, with Tamamo at the rear, carefully maintaining a distance from the enemy to avoid being killed in one hit as much as possible.
But the giant immediately raised his staff, and the malachite embedded in the staff head unleashed a ranged attack spell. His attack range was quite large, rendering the front and back rows ineffective in defense, so the three immediately changed positions and dispersed around the giant.
Tamamo seemed to say something to her companions, and the unicorn was the first to move. The spiked club he was swinging attracted the attention of Hera's avatar. The moment the giant god turned to face the unicorn, Tamamo fired two arrows in succession with the Demon-Slaying Bow. The Spider Woman pierced out spider silk and tightly wrapped it around the arrows.
Arrows wrapped in spider silk flew upwards, spiraling around the staff in an intertwined pattern, causing the silk to tighten around the staff layer by layer. When they reached the top, they suddenly fell, the arrows embedding themselves firmly into the ground. The spider web suddenly opened, fixing Hera's staff in place.
The magic projected by the staff went astray, the unicorn used the spider silk to bounce high into the air, and the spiked club struck the malachite, hammering out a crack.
"Is this the legendary teamwork?" Xia Ying exclaimed, turning to look at her two teammates who preferred to fight alone.
On the battlefield where Athena was an incarnation, Qiongqi was still fiercely fighting. When the giant god's long sword came slashing down, Qiongqi used the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow to meet it. The swords clashed, and the fighting spirit was overwhelming.
Completely absorbed in the joy of Tata, Lady Qiongqi could not hear the cries in her heart. Xia Ying could only temporarily shift her gaze to the battle between Aphrodite and Fenrir.
The embodiment of the god of love and beauty held a mirror in one hand and grasped the body of the frost wolf in the other, while the latter lowered its head and showed no sign of resistance.
What's going on here?
Xia Ying immediately rushed down, and as she got close to the giant god, she took out the golden apple from her bosom and smashed it hard at the hand that was holding Fenrir.
The golden apple flicked against the back of the giant's hand and fell to the ground. As expected, Aphrodite's avatar was drawn to it, dropping the frost wolf in its hand and bending down to pick up the golden apple.
Xia Ying activated her magical artifacts, Persephone's Spring and Wind God's Earring, simultaneously pushing her speed to the limit. Like a small hurricane, she swept away the Golden Apple and returned to Fenrir's side to check on his condition.
Fenrir...?
When she touched him, Fenrir opened his eyes. The pinkish-purple magical light dimmed, and his icy blue pupils gradually regained their clarity.
“It’s enchantment magic,” Fenrir said. “Don’t look directly into that mirror.”
Xia Ying turned her head and glanced at it, confirming, "It doesn't seem to be working for me... Fenrir, I have an idea."
She whispered a few words in Fenrir's ear, and Fenrir then transformed into a white wolf. Xia Ying jumped onto the wolf's back, skillfully lowered her body, and hugged the wolf's head.
“Fenrir, no matter what happens, don’t open your eyes,” she said. “Just follow my instructions.”
The white wolf let out a low howl and closed its eyes.
At this moment, Aphrodite's avatar was also approaching, her enormous and oppressive body pressing down on the two of them, and the bewitching magic mirror reflected their figures.
However, nothing happened.
"I'm sorry, my goddess, I don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now."
Xia Ying looked up at the giant god and gave him a smug smile.
"As for this Mr. Wolf, it seems he already has someone he likes."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Other strategy teams: perfect command, tacit understanding, and teamwork.
Summer Firefly's Strategy Team (if Cerberus is present): The three abyssal creatures are mutually disliked.
Leading a team is really difficult.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
