“So many people bullying two girls, don’t you have any shame?”
A soft, delicate voice suddenly rang out at the entrance of the Alchemist’s Association, and at the same time, a figure stepped forward from the gathered crowd.
Clearly, the speaker was this petite figure.
However, upon casting their gazes, many couldn’t help but freeze.
Even though they had seen plenty of younger players, this was the first time they encountered a loli dressed in an adorable cat-like appearance.
Though this loli’s intentions seemed less than friendly, her exquisite, charming appearance was enough to transform her fierce demeanor into a spoiled, cute vibe.
The high level displayed above her head, rivaling the top-tier players, convinced them she was a willful young miss from a wealthy family, stepping forward out of a childish sense of justice.
“What’s this, a kid playing house?”
“Little sister, want some candy?”
Some members of the Blue Shadow guild couldn’t resist the urge to tease her.
Others turned to Falling Snow Maple Leaf and Moon Chang’an, “You two actually got a kid to help you? How embarrassing.”
“Isn’t it your behavior that’s so disgusting even a child can’t stand it?” Falling Snow Maple Leaf’s expression remained unchanged, her voice cold.
Beside her, Moon Chang’an reacted, her eyes tinged with worry.
“Cough cough, thank you, little sister, but we can handle this ourselves. No need to trouble you…”
“No way, these people are big bad guys, and I have to punish them properly.” I shook my head, crossing my arms and striking a righteous pose.
Though, in the eyes of others, it probably looked more like a magical girl ready to vanquish evil in the name of the moon, rather than some red-armored hero of justice.
But no matter what, the antagonists couldn’t hold back their anger at being mocked repeatedly. The warlock player spoke up, “Little sister, how do you know we’re the bad guys?”
“You’re all ganging up on two girls—how are you not bad guys? So shameless, bleh!” Seeing him take the bait, I couldn’t help but find it amusing, though I kept my expression serious and went along with his words.
The warlock player smirked, as if he’d expected this. “Heh, this woman wasted so many of our guild’s materials. We’re just here to rightfully demand compensation. Calling us bad guys for that doesn’t quite add up, does it?”
“…Even so, so many of you bullying two girls—don’t you think that’s too much?”
“You’re not saying anything about how she wasted all those precious materials or how she’s dragged out repaying us without giving a single coin back.”
Each argument saw the warlock player holding some degree of reason, while the other side clung to the excuse of being outnumbered, sounding like a child’s game of make-believe.
The onlookers had already pegged this little one as a spoiled, willful young miss. Even Misty Water, who initially thought she was a threat, lost interest. Falling Snow Maple Leaf sighed, somewhat helpless, while Moon Chang’an’s eyes grew even more worried.
At that moment, new developments arose between the two arguing sides.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh, you big bad guy!”
I acted like an indignant young miss, my cheeks flushed with mock frustration.
“I curse you, curse you to have no… no… uh, how does that phrase go?”
The warlock player clearly found my clumsy antics amusing. “You mean curse me to have no butt, little sister? Go study a few more years before coming to argue with big brother.”
Midway through, a sensitive word warning popped up on the warlock’s interface, but he didn’t care. After all, those warnings rarely led to real consequences—at least, he’d never seen one.
However, the moment his words fell, a squad of patrolling guards near the Alchemist’s Association suddenly turned back.
Before he could react, the lead captain ordered the guards to apprehend him.
“Adventurer, you have insulted a Centurion of the Alwyn Empire. According to imperial law, you will be detained for two hours.”
Everyone froze, dumbfounded, watching the guards escort the warlock player toward the imperial prison.
Only one female player—the first to speak out earlier—snapped back to reality, glaring at me fiercely. “What did you do?”
I shrugged, looking entirely unbothered and letting out a yawn. “I didn’t do anything. Don’t accuse people. And even if I did, what’s it to you?”
“You little brat, answer me honestly!”
Though the female player was quick to react, she didn’t realize the real reason lay in something specific—or rather, something she was doing.
Soon, the returning guards apprehended her as well, citing the same reason, leaving her bewildered.
In an instant, two opponents were dealt with.
The surrounding crowd, whether Blue Shadow members like Misty Water or Falling Snow Maple Leaf and Moon Chang’an, stared in shock at the seemingly delicate loli before them.
Anyone who still didn’t understand what had happened could only be called a fool. Clearly, they had underestimated this little one.
Her cute appearance was undeniably deceptive, and she had definitely been acting to some extent.
Having dealt with the troublemakers, I clapped my hands cheerfully, ignoring what others thought. My gaze swept the crowd and quickly locked onto my target.
“Now, can we talk, mister?” I walked up to the Blue Shadow executive, clapping my hands with a slight smile.
“I’m not that old, am I?”
Misty Water gave a wry smile, but quickly grew serious, his gaze cautious. “What do you want, little sister?”
Clearly, he had shed his initial dismissive attitude and was now forced to take me seriously, even feeling some pressure.
“Simple. How much for the materials this big sister wasted and the equipment on that other big sister? I’ll buy it all.”
Misty Water studied the petite figure before him, pausing before answering, “Thirty silver coins.”
A reasonable figure. At this stage, materials for beginner alchemists couldn’t be outrageously expensive.
He had also noticed the Black Martyr Set on Falling Snow Maple Leaf, one of the top warrior sets currently, plus her likely rare warrior skills. The price seemed fair.
I’d expected him to overcharge, but Misty Water’s response made me respect him a bit more. “Here’s one gold coin. Keep the change, and don’t bother them again.”
“Come with me, big sisters.”
As the three of us left, especially that petite figure, Misty Water couldn’t help but open his mouth, his eyes still filled with astonishment.
His original goal was to use Moon Chang’an to keep Falling Snow Maple Leaf, a high-end combat asset, tied to Blue Shadow.
He hadn’t intended for either to leave, but things had spiraled out of his expectations time and again.
What shocked him most was that he’d slightly raised the price to deter her, only for this little one to casually toss out a gold coin without a hint of care.
No matter how you looked at it, even a guild leader would feel a pinch, right?
Misty Water couldn’t help but think.
He had deliberately caused a scene to draw other players and build momentum, but the unexpected twists had turned it into a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
“Who is that kid?”
After pondering without answers, he sighed, waved to dismiss the Blue Shadow members, and headed into the Alchemist’s Association to report to the guild’s higher-ups.
Misty Water’s departure didn’t quell the crowd’s discussions; if anything, they grew louder.
“Who do you think that little sister is?”
“Cat ears and loli? Don’t say more, I’m already head over heels.”
“She just tossed out a gold coin and didn’t care about losing a few dozen silver coins. Definitely some rich family’s young miss.”
“Loli sugar mama! What do I do? I want to be kept!”
“Count me in! I’ll be her leg accessory!”
“No chance. You think you can out-lick me? Black stockings, white stockings, or bare feet—I’d lick until she breaks!”
“You guys are such perverts. Maybe she’s into pretty big sisters. Didn’t you see her step up to help those two girls?”
“Add a yuri vibe? Oh no, I’m running out of tissues.”
Only a few noticed what the guards had said earlier. “Don’t you find it weird? What’s with that Centurion thing?”
Centurion.
The third-tier military rank in the Alwyn Empire, two levels above the lowest soldier rank. In my past life, it was easy to obtain.
But at this stage, it’s among the highest honors, enough to have ordinary players—who aren’t even soldiers—temporarily jailed for disrespect.
I never imagined I’d earn such a rank so early in the game. Even the player who discovered this hidden quest in my past life probably didn’t know it came with such a reward.
After all, no matter how you look at it, before that quest was found, no one could’ve had thousands of players “indirectly” helping gather and submit countless quest materials like I did.
It kind of feels like running an illegal pyramid scheme…