I wasn’t aware there was such a small interlude at the Duelist Association.
After leaving, Sonia hurried home.
On the way back, Sonia skipped along, looking very happy.
Money, money, so much money!
I’m rich!
“You shouldn’t be this excited.”
Seeing Sonia’s joyful expression, Yide was a little helpless and a little amused: “To be honest, the association’s reward is just for comfort. Even if you add up the thirteen-point reward for the card effects, it won’t make you worry-free.”
“You were a former noble, you shouldn’t have never seen this much money.”
“How can that be the same!”
Sonia’s cheerful steps didn’t stop: “No matter how much that money is, it’s money my parents left me, and I can’t spend it recklessly.”
“You can’t spend this money recklessly either,” Yide quickly added.
“Just for today, to celebrate, Mr. Yide.”
“I’ve given up on you.”
Yide sighed, but said nothing more.
He knew this girl wouldn’t really spend money carelessly, so he just reminded her and didn’t insist.
“Speaking of which, it really is something to celebrate.”
“After all, all the components for your second Fire-attribute deck are now complete. When you encounter stronger opponents in the next few days at the Throne of Heaven Duel Arena, you can use it.”
Although that deck is theoretically still for D-rank duelists, its super-expansion is completely beyond what a D-rank duelist can handle.
If it’s a first-strike kill, it’s not a problem to overwhelm a C-rank duelist.
As for the Water-attribute deck, because it’s being printed from scratch, the progress has been much slower, and it’s basically still in the “newly constructed deck” state.
“Ugh, that deck… I still don’t understand how it’s supposed to win.”
“But, praise Mr. Yide!”
Seeing Yide no longer object, Sonia cheered.
Returning home, the girl excitedly pushed open the door.
“Tivia, let’s have barbecue today!”
But no one in the house responded.
Looking at the dark house, with no lights on, Sonia felt a little strange.
“Huh? Tivia isn’t back yet?”
The girl pattered to open the doors of various rooms.
“Tivia!”
“Tivia! Are you there?”
“Strange, she really isn’t here.”
Sonia returned to the living room, a little worried: “Tivia shouldn’t be back so late.”
Yide thought of a possibility: “Could it be that something happened in the upper district or at her home, so she’s delayed? She might be back later tonight, or not come at all if it’s too late?”
“No, Tivia isn’t that kind of person!”
Sonia shook her head vigorously: “It’s been more than twenty minutes past her usual return time. If something had delayed her, she would definitely have notified me in advance.”
“You really trust Tivia.”
Yide couldn’t help but marvel at the friendship between the two girls, then his expression suddenly became serious.
“If Tivia is really as you say, then there’s only one possibility for her now.”
“She was delayed by something on her way back.”
Sonia immediately remembered the rumor she had just heard this afternoon, and her face changed.
“Oh no, Tivia’s in danger!”
Without further hesitation, Sonia closed the door and ran at full speed towards the upper district.
A little earlier.
Walking on the empty, streetlit road, Tivia sighed.
She thought she might find some clues, but in the end, she found nothing.
Today was another wasted effort.
Not only that, but by the time she snapped out of it, the sky had unconsciously darkened.
This time… she could probably still make it back on time.
She needed to pick up her pace.
Thinking this, Tivia’s steps quickened.
But just as she passed an alleyway.
An indescribable chill spread from her limbs throughout her body.
“What was that!”
Tivia shivered and quickly jumped away in the opposite direction of the alley.
Then, she looked at the alley that had given her that chilling sensation.
She had passed this alley several times in the past few days and had some impression of it.
But the alley she remembered, usually bustling with lights at night, was now shrouded in deep darkness, like a man-eating monster in the night.
The air blowing from the alley also carried a damp scent, a fishy smell she, a girl living inland, had never encountered, reminding her of the magic movie she and Sonia watched a few days ago.
At that time, she was still wondering what it would be like to see the sea.
But now, she only felt endless danger.
Run!
Tivia didn’t hesitate and took off running.
But just as she turned her head to look forward, a muscular giant appeared in the middle of the road out of nowhere.
“Tivia Hilo.”
The giant called out her name, but Tivia had made up her mind not to heed anything he said.
In this world, duelists are protected by life barriers and cannot engage in physical conflict; the only permitted form of conflict is a duel.
As long as she didn’t agree to his duel, even if he was that big, he couldn’t cause her any harm!
“—Is Sonia Seth’s good friends planning to flee from battle like this?”
Tivia stopped dead in her tracks.
She looked up at the giant: “You just… said Xiaoya’s name?”
“Ha, who would have thought that the only daughter of the Oberon Hilo family in the upper district, the future fated one of the Ancient Tree Forest, would have such a deep friendship with a silly girl who’s fallen to the lower district.”
Seeing the red-haired girl’s reaction, the giant couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
At the same time, inside the alley she had just passed, a mysterious figure in a black robe slowly emerged, also emitting a sinister laugh.
“If it weren’t for such deep friendship, we wouldn’t have caught her here.”
“However, Miss Tivia’s perception is truly sharp. We almost succeeded just now. Is it because she has a faint trace of elf blood?”
Tivia looked back and forth at the two people who had appeared in front and behind her: “You even know about the Ancient Tree Forest. Who exactly are you?”
The giant revealed a fierce smile: “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gris El, leader of the Mad Heart Group.”
“Mad Heart Group?”
Tivia’s expression changed, as if facing a formidable enemy.
If she remembered correctly, the leader of the Mad Heart Group was a C-rank duelist!
“So you’re the ones trying to drive Xiaoya out of Ring City!”
She had originally thought that their appearance together meant they were both from the Mad Heart Group.
But unexpectedly, the cloaked figure behind her quickly waved his hand: “No, no, you’re mistaken.”
“Including me in the Mad Heart Group would make Lord Gris angry.”
“After all, no faction would want to be associated with a rat like me, who usually has to hide in the sewers.”
“You…”
Tivia frowned.
Why was this person’s tone so strange?
It sounded as if he was mocking Gris El.
Weren’t they working together?
“Allow me to introduce myself,”
The cloaked figure bowed, then pulled back his hood, revealing a face Tivia had never seen before.
“I am Andral, entrusted to deal with Sonia Seth.”
“Of course, there’s now an additional task, which is to personally deal with you.”
“So, I am actually responsible for taking action against you, not the esteemed leader over there.”
Tivia frowned: “I won’t let you succeed.”
She wanted to protect Sonia, but she wasn’t reckless.
If she stayed here, Sonia would surely worry and come looking for her, getting caught off guard, which would play right into their hands.
What she needed to do now was quickly inform Sonia, then find an opportunity to tell the butler…
Tivia thought of this, turned around, and was about to flee.
But her plan had no time to be put into action.
Buzz!
Boundless darkness seemed to sweep across the entire world.
The streetlights, the buildings on both sides, the reflections that should have been beside Tivia—everything was instantly swallowed by the darkness, even light couldn’t escape.
“Dark Duel!”
Tivia’s expression immediately turned grim.