Pull and test
Upon hearing this, Xi Mu looked at him from a distance. The former was self-righteous, while the latter looked provocative. Although neither side said a word, the tension between them was growing, as if it was about to explode.
"My fellow assassin has no sense of security. Your Excellency immediately risked his life. She had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure just to be on the safe side."
Ruixia calmly sat forward a little, blocking the line of sight between them and forcing Zhui's attention to herself.
He was indeed not as kind to this desperado as he had been to Sorens before.
Although the team really needs another member with strong fighting ability to share Ximu's pressure...but if this person is really capricious, uncooperative, and difficult to control, for the safety of other teammates, he is not the kind of person who hesitates and is unable to take action.
"...Can I see your hand?"
Unexpectedly, Ruixia would suddenly make such a request. Zhuiren sat up straight with a vigilant look in her eyes. But when the words of refusal slipped to her lips, Ximu immediately gave her a warning look, which naturally revealed the threatening meaning of "You'd better not be ungrateful."
Tsk... a husband and wife team.
Seeing that he remained silent, Ruixia took it as his agreement and stood up and walked over naturally.
Everyone's eyes followed the black-haired boy, but he himself was completely unaware. He even grabbed Zhui's mechanic hand familiarly, with a gleam in his eyes.
"Oh? The craftsmanship on this hand is quite good. This design feels like the southern continent's style... Was it made for you by the machinist from Lusit City?"
Zhui Neng looked at the mechanic's hand that had been with her for many years, shrugged and smiled nonchalantly.
"I really don't know. He saved my life and even gave me a hand when we met by chance. I can't just chase after him and ask him all sorts of questions. That would be so ignorant... But from what you said, you can repair it?"
"That's natural."
Reluctantly putting down the exquisitely crafted mechanic's hand, Ruixia returned to her seat and said sternly, "I can repair your hand and provide you with weapons and supplies. In exchange, how about you stay with us until we leave this place?"
For a bounty hunter like Zhui Ning who is used to the bloody and violent world, sweet words are of no use. Only a real exchange of interests can guarantee the feasibility of cooperation.
Although Ximu could threaten him with the death curse, obedience gained under coercion was often unstable.
Someone like Zhui Nin is alone in his own business and doesn't seem to have any relatives to tie him down. If they suppress him blindly, and if he is eventually pushed to extremes and fights back against them regardless of his life or death, it will be counterproductive.
To be honest, these conditions were much better than what Zhui Neng had originally expected. The main reason why she didn't agree to it immediately was that she didn't want them to think that she was too easy to control.
He was indeed reckless this time.
If the relationship hadn't been so awkward from the beginning, it wouldn't be so awkward now...
"Tell me about the situation here first."
Although he already had an idea in mind, Zhui'en still didn't give in immediately. He changed the subject, both to understand the situation and to soften his attitude, indicating that the matter could still be discussed.
Ruixia already had experience in similar explanation work, so she briefly described and summarized what they had seen and heard along the way and various analyses and inferences.
Upon hearing the speculation that "this place might be a fantasy world that is independent of the laws of the world and is a mixture of reality and illusion", Shiori took a barely perceptible breath, and it was obvious that she had no expectations for such a magical development.
"If that's the case, this is really troublesome..."
It is indeed not appropriate to stay in such a strange place for a long time. After getting a general understanding of the situation, the swordsman felt that the time was right, so he agreed to Ruixia's conditions.
"Alright, then, let's do as you say—but I have to make it clear in advance that we're each responsible for our own lives. I'll only do what I should do, so don't expect too much of me."
"Yes, but... without endangering your own safety, you cannot allow the team to be reduced in number. You must provide assistance to the best of your ability. This is also our bottom line." Ruixia detailed the conditions and did not make excessive concessions.
"OK."
The man waved his hand to show that he understood.
These young men were surprisingly reasonable. They could have threatened him with the killing curse to get him to cooperate, but they still insisted on negotiating terms with him. It can only be said that these young adventurers still have some dignity. If they were those shameless bandits, who knows how this matter would have ended today.
Looking at these kids whose average age was probably less than 20 years old, Zhuiren didn't know what she was thinking, but suddenly she wanted to tease them.
The silver-haired girl's fighting power was too high, and the priest and magician were sitting too far away from her...
Then let him see why this black-haired boy who is closest to him has become the core of this team!
"But then again... since the curse on that guy over there can be broken, can you give me a definite answer about this on my neck?"
"He was able to solve it because he proved himself with his actions." Molina was speechless. "You haven't done anything yet."
"Really? Then I'll... do something first!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhui Neng suddenly jumped up and stretched out her hand to grab Ruixia in front of her!
Ximu's face changed when she saw this, and she immediately drew her sword and stood up - but Ruixia, who was a beat slower than her, reacted and stopped her. Then she slowly turned her head and looked calmly at the man in the bamboo hat whose face suddenly changed.
The broken mechanic's hand seemed to have developed a will of its own, and was now struggling madly with its master's other good hand, trying to break the master's neck directly.
"I'm a machinist, Mr. Shiiwa."
Ruixia still kept smiling, but there was a rare coldness in her eyes.
"Anything I touch will bear some trace of my presence, more or less. Besides—don't you know that the best time to challenge a machinist is when he's not fully prepared?"
Even Ximu had never seen such a sharp Ruixia before.
The mechanism made a "click" sound, and Zhui's chair suddenly sank and fixed. The ground nearby suddenly opened up, and several long straps with a material similar to that of the mechanical puppet's arms shot out. They quickly tied the man who was having difficulty breathing back to the chair, and the straps were tied so densely and tightly.
The mechanic's hand that was pinching her throat also regained control at this time. After a flash of astonishment, Zhui'en showed that annoying smile again, coughed for a long time, and finally caught his breath.
"Ahem, haha...hahaha, good fellow! So you're the one who got this divination! You seem so polite, but I didn't expect you to be waiting for me here from the beginning!"
This was the second time he had ended up in such a mess, yet he didn't get angry or embarrassed at all. His mentality was excellent.
"Treating others with sincerity is my attitude, and making early preparations is my method. There's no contradiction between the two, right?"
Ruixia took it for granted, and even comforted Ximu beside her, whispering that it was okay and to put the knife down first.
Facing the murderous intent that was almost tangible from Xi Mu, he looked at Ruixia with a smirk on his face, explaining and submissive: "I am just like this. Strength is everything. As long as you are stronger than me, everything is negotiable. There are really many talented young people nowadays. Today I have really opened my eyes - okay, it's my fault, spare me, spare me."
In fact, if we only talk about fists and feet, Zhui'en's strength is naturally far superior to Ruixia's.
But in such a fortress built by Ruixia herself, it is a bit arrogant to want to challenge the leader here unarmed.
And Ruixia also knew that Zhuiren might just be in a whim and simply wanted to test him.
It's very normal. Those guys who think they are powerful will always look down on and play with their fellows who seem weak. He has encountered this before.
If Zhuiren really wanted to take action, she definitely wouldn't be this quick, and she wouldn't be in front of so many people—
So he wasn't really angry. He showed his strength a little to show that he was not someone who could be easily bullied. After giving him a verbal warning, he let him go again.
Now that the biggest destabilizing factor was no longer causing trouble, the subsequent meeting process seemed much easier.
Morina dumped the raw ore she brought back onto the table with a clinking sound. Ruixia put them in different categories. When she saw the different types of magic crystal ores, she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.
"With these, it won't be a problem for each of us to have a small magic crystal cannon!"
The young man raised his head, unable to hide his joy. Ximu and Molina looked at each other and were also very happy.
Because they were afraid of running out of money, they were stingy and frugal along the way, hiding here and there while exploring, and could only turn around and run away when they encountered a strong enemy... If these magic crystals could be used normally, then they would now be able to enjoy the fruits of their hard work.
With the mechanical skills Ruixia has demonstrated so far, as long as he is given enough materials and energy, it is not impossible that in time, he will gradually control not only the dormitory area, but the entire college!
But... their ultimate goal is not to dominate the academy, but to leave safely from this place that seems real and fake.
At this point, they don't seem to have made much progress.
Ximu picked out a piece of Nixi gold of better quality from a pile of raw ore, pushed it in front of Ruixia, and said softly: "This is the one you are looking for."
"Um."
The young man responded, put down the magic crystal he was holding so tightly, and held the piece of metal with a strange and warm texture under the light to examine it carefully.
"If I were just making a ring, this should be enough. But I don't have any suitable tools... Sorens?"
"Why."
The brown-haired boy who was suddenly called turned around.
"There should be a workbench in the workshop that can polish metal, right?"
"Yes, but the finished product processing area is on the second floor. To get there..." Sorens hesitated, glancing at Ximu and Molina along the way, meaning "you know what I mean," and "you have to pass through that 'bloody corridor'."
"Is that so... As expected, the most urgent task is to eliminate as many of these monsters as possible."
Ruixia lowered her head and pondered, as if she had already started thinking about how to deploy firepower.
"Is repairing that ring such a high priority?" Xi Mu was puzzled.
In her opinion, broken things are worthless, and taking risks just for such a side quest seems to be putting the cart before the horse.
"The ring itself is nothing special, but I always feel..."
Ruixia smiled, and a thoughtful gleam flashed in her golden-red eyes.
"Mr. Horan deliberately gave it to us and mentioned Her Highness Milliana's name. Perhaps... this will be a very important token in our future interactions with her."
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