Go out and explore
"Are you alone?"
Ruixia was surprised, but her expression and tone revealed obvious disapproval.
Ximu nodded slightly, and then looked at the information, drawings and documents spread out beside Ruixia.
"These things will take some time to sort out, right? We've been so busy before that we haven't had time to sort out and analyze many things... I don't understand these things and can't help. Why don't we divide the work among ourselves?"
Ruixia is a mechanic with a meticulous mind, and is good at analyzing various anomalies that are invisible to the naked eye. Instead of running around with the team, it is better for her to stay here and concentrate on establishing a formal database and intelligence network, and directly coordinate their actions from the rear.
She was good at sneaking and hiding, so staying behind would only help. It would be better for her to take this opportunity to travel alone, which would allow her to come and go more freely than with companions.
From the perspective of efficiency, it is indeed more time-saving if everyone does their own job rather than going in and out together - but Ruixia pondered for a long time and still looked like she didn't quite agree.
Rationally speaking, in a place with unknown risks like this, it would be easier for everyone to look after each other together, covering each other in both battle and retreat, and...
As someone who had seen how little Xi Mu cared about herself in the past, he really felt uneasy if he didn't keep her within sight all the time.
"...Actually, if we're going to build a base, I can stay alone. You can take Morina with you."
"Hey, what's with your nonchalant tone of voice, like 'Just take this healing potion with you'! Ximu clearly said she wanted to go out exploring, and you insisted I couldn't help!"
Morina, who was suddenly mentioned, was shocked, and the mumbling in her stomach immediately turned into magma and erupted.
"After all, it was just a short stopover, and the commission at hand wasn't completed yet, so I didn't want to cause any more trouble. But Ximu is right. Now that we're here, we do need to go to different places to build our intelligence network... I'll stay here alone, and I'll feel more at ease if you two can keep me company."
After he said that, Ximu was no longer willing to do it.
She was reluctant to bring her teammates along, not only for her own convenience, but also for Ruixia's safety.
Although according to their previous experience, as long as the door is closed, the twisted magicians passing by the corridor will not break in and attack...but what if?
The battles that took place before were basically forced fights when they met on a narrow road. At present, Ximu is not sure how these monsters find their enemies.
What if after they leave, these monsters have a certain degree of intelligence and specifically come around to attack Ruixia who is alone?
"Morina is our only priestess. We can't take any risks. Let me go out and get a general idea of the situation before taking her with me."
"no."
Ruixia has always been easygoing and rarely shows such a tough attitude: "Either you take her with you, or you all wait for me, and then the three of us go out together."
"Hello..."
The red-haired priest tried to protest, but no one paid any attention to her.
Ximu was not good at speaking, and after being rejected so clearly, she didn't know what to do for a moment.
Why is he so persistent?
Morina stayed here to ensure her own safety and also to provide him with support.
It's such a simple truth, how could he not understand it?
Or was it that Ruixia misjudged her own strength due to the limitations of the previous hidden injury?
That shouldn't be the case. There were battles on the way back and forth before, and she was obviously very stable... It seems that she needs to use more stealth techniques next time so that he can have more confidence in his ability to avoid danger.
The two men stood facing each other, one seemed a little angry for some reason, while the other had a blank expression and no one knew what he was thinking. The situation suddenly became deadlocked.
"Oh, all right."
In the end, it was Molina who stood up and raised her hand to break the deadlock: "Stop arguing, I'll go with you."
These words were spoken to Ximu. Just as Ximu was about to speak, she narrowed her eyes, raised her hand to stop him, and then glanced at Ruixia opposite her.
"I know. You must be annoyed by my slowness, so you want to go alone. But if you don't take me with you today, I'm afraid Brother Ruixia won't let you out of this door... What's the matter? Are you planning to go up and hit him like you did to me before?"
Although it was a joke, Ximu's face changed and he immediately shook his head.
That wouldn't work... She couldn't figure out why Ruixia was angry in the first place. If she used force directly, she couldn't imagine what would happen when he woke up.
"Right! Okay, don't worry, just keep going forward, I'll take care of you. Just don't forget to come back and save me if anything happens—Okay, don't be so sullen, you scared me so much that I'm stunned."
The latter sentence was directed at Ruixia, and he hit him intentionally or unintentionally, obviously trying to make peace.
In fact, every time there was such a dispute, it was Ruixia who insisted unilaterally. Seeing that Ximu did not object anymore, the boy calmed down very consciously, turned around and started fiddling with his bag, not knowing whether he felt a little embarrassed.
"Since you are going out, bring some more things with you."
As she spoke, Ruixia took out several bottles of potion and coolly stuffed them into Morina's small bag.
"Bring some extra mana potions, oh, and some healing scrolls. Keep them safe and don't break them along the way."
"Who are you looking down on by letting a priest carry a healing scroll? And is it really necessary to carry so many potions? They're so heavy and inconvenient!" Morina wailed in protest. "If you're so worried, why not just give me your whole backpack?"
Ruixia actually thought about it, but finally sighed.
"...That really won't work. There are a lot of things in here that I'll need later, and sorting them all out will take too much time. Besides, there's a technique to taking things out of this bag. If you're not used to it, it'll be troublesome if you can't get things out at a critical moment."
"Don't listen to her, take the bag yourself."
That contained all the resources Ruixia brought with her on this trip, and there must be some cards that could save her life. How could they take them away at will?
Knowing that Morina was just speaking her mind and had no ill intentions, Ximu didn't say much and simply declined politely.
Seeing Ruixia raise her hand and take out several bottles of potion, Molina put on a mask of pain, clutched her small shoulder bag tightly, and quickly retreated behind Ximu.
"Brother, we're out to investigate, not to fight the Demon King! No Demon King would live in the dormitory, so don't worry!"
"Don't say such unlucky things. What if there really is some formidable monster locked in here?!"
Seeing Ruixia really starting to get nervous again, Ximu was afraid that he would change his mind, so he quickly stepped forward and said, "It's okay, I'm very sensitive to danger and I won't take any risks."
"……Really?"
Ruixia looked at her, a little surprised and seemed a little happy.
"Then let's make a deal. If we encounter danger, we will retreat immediately. Safety is our top priority. Do you understand?"
Ximu nodded and was about to respond when Molina poked her head out from behind her with a wicked smile on her face, pretending to be sad: "Ah, as long as Ximu is okay, it doesn't matter to me. I just need to be the one to shine between you two, right?"
"...You are fine too, and you should be careful too, okay!"
Ximu was confused and didn't know why the two of them started quarreling again.
Fortunately, Morina was just joking, Ruixia didn't respond, and didn't lose sight of the main task. After groping around on her body, she took out a spherical object shaped like a bush flower from a pocket somewhere and handed it to Ximu.
"This is?"
Ruixia didn't explain, but just pressed lightly on one of the flowers with her fingers.
The center of the flower opened with a "click" and a familiar little fly crawled out, flapping its wings and buzzing, landing on Ruixia's fingertips.
I see, it's a container for housing the mechanic bugs.
Looking at the small flower that changed color after the insect flew out, Ximu understood and hung the small ball with a chain on her belt.
"Wouldn't it be faster to let them fly away and disperse? Why do we have to release them one by one?" Morina was puzzled.
"Because we currently know nothing about the situation in the academy. If there are interferences here that can cause the mechanical insects to malfunction, the losses will be too great if we release them all at once," Ruixia explained.
During the previous journey, the "Insect Swarm" had already experienced some losses. It is estimated that the number of mechanical insects that Ruixia can still use is not as abundant as at the beginning. Under the premise that it will be difficult to replenish them later, it really should not be wasted.
Ximu expressed her understanding and began to pack her clothes and equipment.
After confirming that everything was correct, she said no more. After looking at Ruixia and nodding, she turned and walked towards the door.
"Ximu."
A calling voice came from behind. Xi Mu turned her head slightly and saw that although the young man was standing still, his eyes seemed to have followed her for a long distance.
“…Be careful on the road.”
Because of the angle, Ximu didn't see Molina rolling her eyes beside her - facing Ruixia's repeated worries and reluctance, her first reaction was not helplessness, but a little guilt.
She insisted on going out to explore, and she had some thoughts of her own, which she didn't intend to tell them. Whether Morina was there or not didn't affect her much, and she could easily get rid of her if she wanted to.
But in this case, Ruixia will have to stay here alone.
Could it be that he is...actually a little scared?
When they first met, her miserable and weak state must have left some shadow on him... That's why he was always afraid that she would get hurt or die.
She was his first ally, and it was normal for him to be afraid of losing her.
"I'll be back soon."
By the time I reacted, the promise had already come out of my mouth.
After saying that, Ximu no longer looked at the young man behind him. After opening the door, he moved out quickly.
Molina waited for a while, and after Ximu signaled "nothing", she came out of the room and closed the door.
"...Ximu, I think you seem a little different."
There was nothing unusual in the corridor, so Molina was quite relaxed. She walked over to Ximu, who was standing in front of the door next door, looking up and down, probably thinking about how to break in.
In fact, Ximu herself also felt this way.
But she still didn't know exactly where the change had occurred.
"Yeah?"
She responded casually, not pursuing the topic any further. Instead, she focused her attention on something more important: "Most of the rooms on this floor are sealed. Breaking in rashly would be too risky. Let's start downstairs."
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