Chapter 32

Chapter 32

At the border between the rainforest and the Gobi Desert, towering cliffs formed a perilous canyon, its terrain narrow and treacherous, with only one gap for passage. It was as if a giant had struck the undulating, dragon-like mountain range with an axe, cleaving a sliver of sky into its depths.

Streams murmured as they flowed from mountain springs and underground sources in the rainforest, down into the valley. There, upon meeting the scorching sun of the Gobi, they instantly evaporated, vanishing into the golden-red sea of sand.

This was a dangerous pass, blocking passage between the two regions, yet also the fastest route from the rainforest to the Gobi.

The sun had not yet fully set when a group emerged from the depths of the lush, misty forest, their bodies damp.

It was the unfortunate Cavendish family squad that had drawn the rainforest region.

As they approached the canyon entrance, they gradually came to a halt.

Someone was already waiting in the canyon.

Ten slender figures, some sitting, some standing, men and women alike, all shared the same features: hair as pale as moonlight, eyes shimmering like rippling blue waves, and strikingly handsome faces, as if a group of idols had stepped out onto the street.

—All were members of the Medici family.

The leader of the Cavendish squad nervously swallowed. Although he had anticipated an ambush before setting out, and the young lady had taught him how to handle it, being surrounded by ten rivals from the opposing family... the psychological pressure was still immense!

If this were a ball on the capital planet, being surrounded by ten Medici family members would be a visual feast. But in this highly oppressive setting, the squad leader felt as if these idols had been given a terrifying killer makeover.

The wind rustled, chilling the hearts of everyone in the Cavendish squad.

The girl at the forefront stood on a large rock by the stream, her silver hair tied into a high ponytail, a gentle smile curling at the corners of her lips. It was Eve.

Relying on the information Dick had passed along, they had successfully rendezvoused with another Medici squad in the canyon. The two teams hit it off immediately and decided to trap their opponents here.

After striking a pose, Eve figured she had applied enough psychological pressure. She leaped down from the rock and said to the Cavendish squad with a laugh, "This road was opened by me, these trees were planted by me. If you wish to pass through, leave your points behind—draw your sword! I challenge you!"

The squad leader glanced at the light saber hanging at her waist, which cost a thousand points to exchange: "......"

After a moment of silence, he said tactfully, "Friend, robbing us is less worthwhile than applying to the system to exchange that light saber back for points."

The total points of their entire team weren't even worth the price of that one sword. What was the point of robbing them? The squad leader was baffled.

Before setting out, the young lady had told him there was no need to accumulate points in the rainforest region, as any points they gathered would be plundered by the Medici family.

Yes, they couldn't resist—seeing other teams' points soaring, they had secretly killed some Zerg. But when they saw the ambushing Medici squad, their hearts finally sank.

It wasn't out of fear of being robbed, but out of frustration at the vast disparity between them.

Every one of these Medici family members was equipped with weapons exchanged for points, any one of which was worth more than their entire team's points.

"Even a mosquito is still meat. To be honest, we've already spent all our points. Isn't this a timely opportunity to meet some point donors?"

Eve drew her light saber and tossed it to the squad leader, who fumbled to catch it. She then casually drew another light saber from the waist of a nearby companion, twirled it elegantly, and performed a courteous fencing salute to the squad leader before her. Her left hand was folded behind her back, her right hand held the sword upright with the tip pointing skyward, showing full respect to the "benefactors" about to donate their points.

"Your mecha is an ordinary one, but mine is a Mythological Mecha. Using mecha for a duel would be too unfair, so let's settle this with the simplest close combat," she said politely. "Just the two squad leaders will do. After all, your team can't beat mine anyway, so it's better to have one less person getting beaten up."

Squad leader: "...Can I just forfeit?"

Did he really want to take a beating for nothing?

Obviously not. The rules didn't allow it—not even refusing the duel was permitted.

With no other choice, the squad leader took a deep breath. He gripped the sword hilt, his gaze gradually growing steady and determined. As someone selected to lead the team and participate in the practical project alongside the young lady, his strength was not to be underestimated.

Three minutes later.

The two teams' wrist devices connected with a "buzz."

The principle of conservation of energy once stated that points do not disappear—they only transfer.

Under the watchful eyes of the other Medici members, the Cavendish family team passed through the canyon with gloomy expressions, shook off the moisture from their bodies, and stepped onto the loose, warm sand of the Gobi Desert.

"Aren't we going to follow them?" Cecil asked, nudging his chin in their direction.

Unconsciously, he had also started treating Eve as the group's opinion leader.

Eve looked up at the sky, pondered for a moment, and said, "But our team isn't fully assembled yet. There's still a four-person squad in the rainforest region."

"Dick," she turned and called out, "are you sure you notified everyone?"

"I'm sure. I visited every squad before the practice started."

Dick scratched his head, clearly also thinking it was unusual for them to be this late. He hesitated, "Could it be that their landing spot was in the core of the rainforest region, farther away from here?"

Eve fell silent for a moment. Another reason she wanted to move to the Gobi Desert was that while staying in the rainforest region, she had felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort lingering in her heart.

Her consciousness had sensed some loathsome presence before her body could, like a bird flying over the rainforest—the revulsion always came before the crisis warning, urging it to fly far away upon smelling the rot of carnivorous flowers.

After ruling out several possibilities, Eve guessed this premonition was likely related to the Advanced Zerg in the rainforest region.

An unfamiliar rove beetle. She thought of the bugs in the rainforest, which generally possessed higher intelligence than others of their rank, and felt a throbbing at her temples.

One person in the team had a Spiritual State Ability related to tracking. Eve asked her to use her Spiritual State to follow the Cavendish family squad first, then said, "Let's wait a little longer. If the last squad hasn't reached the canyon by dark, we'll leave first."

"We should leave as early as possible. The rainforest region doesn't feel right to me," Luo Lin frowned. Alchemists were always more sensitive to their environment than ordinary people. She said gravely, "The remaining people can use their wrist devices to request rescue. We can't jeopardize everyone's safety just to wait for one squad."

Since both the squad leader and the young lady had spoken, no one else objected. So Eve used her points to exchange for food and potions, distributing them as dinner. She planned not to leave a single point unused before finding Isabella—if she lost, Isabella wouldn't get any advantage from her.

Such was her meticulously calculating, stingy style.

After finishing the compressed biscuits and drinking the replenishing potion, the girl who had sent out her Spiritual State focused for a moment, then said with some confusion, "My Spiritual State tracking is almost at its limit."

"They're moving that fast?" Eve was also surprised, but then she realized.

They were probably in a hurry to escape them and join the main force led by Isabella, traveling in their mechas.

She snorted lightly, glanced at her wrist device, and decided not to waste any more time. Standing up, she said, "Let's not wait for them. We'll follow the Cavendish family team first."

As soon as the squad leader spoke, silvery mechas appeared on the spot, and Spiritual States adept at migration were summoned. The soil beneath their feet vibrated as a vibrant green vine emerged from the ground, then split into four branches, each wrapping around the waists of Luo Lin, Eve, Grace, and Dick.

The vine was gentle, stirring ethereal clouds of mist as it moved. A Luna Butterfly also appeared, alighting on a small white flower specially bloomed for it by the green vine. A phantom image of a full moon emerged, providing buffs to the Lunar Spiritual States present.

Cecil's gaze sharpened as he recognized the cloud patterns on the vine. He scrutinized Luo Lin for a moment before asking, "When did your Spiritual State upgrade to an S-class Mist Cloud Vine?"

"Not long ago," Luo Lin replied, her face as expressionless as ever, meeting her biological brother's gaze fearlessly.

The night breeze seemed to freeze as it passed between them.

After a moment, Cecil looked away first and sneered, "Quite adept at hiding your weaknesses."

With that, he summoned his Mythological Mecha, leaping into the pale golden Jason. The front cover closed, completely obscuring Cecil's expression.

"He won't let you off now," Eve remarked objectively from the side. She had already known that Luo Lin's Spiritual State had recovered to the Mist Cloud Vine from the original work, but she hadn't expected her to reveal it at such a critical moment. "I thought you would hide it a while longer."

Luo Lin shook her head and said, "It was hard to hide something like this anyway, and you... I get the sense there might be other unexpected changes during this practical project. The Cavendish family released two Advanced Zerg—even if they’re just larvae, it’s too risky. If any other chaos breaks out, that would be my best opportunity to prove myself."

Eve trusted that she knew what she was doing, so after leaving a remark, "Whatever you decide, just make sure to stay safe," she didn’t say anything more.

Their cooperative relationship was close but not overly intrusive—Luo Lin wouldn’t interfere with when Eve chose to leave the Medici family, and Eve wouldn’t pry into when exactly she would reveal her new Spiritual State.

Moreover, Luo Lin’s unexplained drop in Spiritual State to A-rank was indeed related to the hidden poison consistently administered by the Fourth Steward, and the one pulling the strings was Cecil. This was precisely one of the reasons Luo Lin insisted on revealing it in front of Cecil.

Nothing freaks out a culprit more than seeing their victim return unscathed.

The other youths of the Medici family weren’t aware of the complicated dynamics between these individuals. After discovering that the young lady’s Spiritual State had evolved into the Mist Cloud Vine, they were first astonished, then overjoyed.

"The young lady has also awakened the Mist Cloud Vine! Does that mean our generation has successfully awakened all three Sacred Moon Saints?"

"Are you blind? The gathering of the three saints is complete—the Medici comeback is about to happen!"

"Since when has our family ever declined? Why use the word 'revival'?"

"Why are you nitpicking?" The one who mentioned "revival" made a face at Dick and said discontentedly, "It’s just an inside joke."

Dick stole a glance at the composed Luo Lin and said sheepishly, "I just hate when you talk trash about our family."

Eve: "..."

Grace remarked in a barely audible whisper, "Could he be any more obvious?"

"Let him be," Eve whispered reassuringly, "It’s not like Luo Lin likes him anyway."

"Ouch, that story is just too cruel."

Under the night sky, this group of similar-aged youths from the same roots bantered and jostled each other as they hurried deeper into the Gobi Desert.

How else could shared adventure experiences best enhance relationships?

In such a lively atmosphere, even the moon in the sky couldn't help but peek out from behind the clouds, curiously observing this group of high-spirited youths.