It’s hard enough to ask for help, but it’s even harder when you try to help someone proactively. With nothing but pure intentions and zero self-interest, I wanted to help Anelas, yet I had to use every persuasive word, even offering gifts and payment, just for her to accept it. Doesn't this make me feel utterly pathetic?

Back when I was with the Bracer Guild, Lin Luo hadn't felt this way much, but now, clearing minor monsters and watching shimmering crystal fragments drop like rain while listening to the Leek-Spinning Song, he couldn't help but feel wronged.

No wonder why there are fewer Lei Fengs and more shocking incidents these days. There has to be a reason for it.

“Waaah, so cute, MIKKU-chan!” Ever since getting the Hatsune Miku figurine, Anelas hadn’t paused for a second. She seemed to have completely forgotten the monsters inside the Amber Tower, constantly rubbing the figure against her face and emitting sounds of pure adoration.

Undoubtedly, Hatsune had gained another devoted fan.

Originally, she was supposed to be the bodyguard for the mission, but the reality was that Lin Luo had become the "Pretty-Flower Protector." Of course, the monsters they encountered along the way were all weaklings, offering absolutely no resistance.

Not long after, the group finally arrived at the Amber Tower. Anelas was a true Bracer, after all. While she couldn't resist cute things, she was quite serious when facing real danger… probably. At the very least, she had turned off the Leek-Spinning Song. Holding the Miku figurine close, her face adopted a solemn expression: “We should encounter those monsters here. Be careful; they specialize in ambushes. Let’s advance steadily and cautiously.”

Yes, advance boldly and explicitly, Lin Luo muttered inwardly. He had only seen the Amber Tower in games before, but experiencing it firsthand now was unexpectedly interesting. An urge to open treasure chests welled up inside him; he still remembered scoring so much great equipment in the Four Wheels Tower.

However, by the time they reached the second floor, he abandoned that ambition. Games and reality are ultimately different!

Swish!

Just then, a black shadow shot out from a corner with startling speed, hurtling towards the six of them.

“Watch out!” Anelas had been fully alert, and her expression immediately shifted. But even before she could react, Huang Quan, standing beside her, stepped forward. Without any visible drawing motion, a blinding flash of sword light, swift as lightning, sliced through the air, instantly cleaving a flying monster in half, which dropped to the ground.

“Th-That was amazing!” Huang Quan had shown no mercy, yet she hadn't used her full strength either. She had only exerted enough power to kill that single monster, but even so, Anelas was left utterly stunned. She had only ever witnessed sword speeds so fast they were invisible when facing the Sword Saint Cassius.

Could this person be on the same level as Cassius? Thinking this, Anelas was profoundly shocked. Cassius was her grandfather’s disciple, one of the strongest on the continent—arguably the strongest man alive. And this girl, who looked about her own age, was on par with Cassius?!

N-No, that can't be right! It must be an illusion!

In reality, Huang Quan was indeed not on the same level as Cassius; she was far beyond him... even though Cassius held a god-like status in the Trails series.

Shaking off the doubt in her mind, Anelas crouched down to examine the dead flying monster closely, frowning. “Is this that strange kind of monster? I’ve never seen one before.”

Yeah, I’ve never seen this monster in the game either, Lin Luo grumbled internally. But after a moment, a sliver of suspicion arose in his heart. He felt that this wasn't a monster at all; it felt more like a yokai?!

A short while later, the group composed themselves and continued upward. Along the way, they were naturally greeted warmly by more monsters. Lin Luo, wanting to show off in front of the beautiful ladies, took the lead, unleashing his 'Turtle Aura' while hacking down all the attacking monsters. Although these monsters were powerful, facing the even more abnormal Lin Luo and his group was pure suicide for them.

Anelas was becoming numb to it all. She had witnessed power in Lin Luo that was in no way inferior to Cassius’s, finally understanding why they were so confident. If she had been alone, facing this siege of monsters would have been a near-certain death sentence. However, she couldn’t fathom where such a powerful group led by Lin Luo had come from; how had she never heard of them before?

If only she knew that Lin Luo was only using a fraction of his strength, she would have been even more astounded.

Even so, the way Anelas looked at Lin Luo now held a measure of reverence. After all, she was a bit of a fangirl, though beyond respect for strength, she held no other intentions.

And Lin Luo? He had initially just wanted to show off, but gradually, he became certain of his earlier thought: the monsters here weren't monsters; they were yokai!

But how could there be yokai in this world of swords and magic?

This confusion was only resolved when Lin Luo reached the tower's summit. Since most of the monsters inside the tower had been eliminated, the girls were in high spirits, gathering at the top to enjoy the view and chat. Lin Luo took the opportunity to investigate the surroundings, finally discovering a shattered jewel fragment within an ancient device on the peak.

Lin Luo picked up the fragment. Judging by the breakage marks, it appeared to be only a quarter of the original. Incredibly, he could sense the power of a soul emanating from it.

“Is this broken jade fragment what turned the monsters into yokai? Did the fragment’s energy influence and alter their souls, or perhaps—” Lin Luo frowned, instinctively glancing around. When his gaze fell upon a stone pillar nearby, he froze.

Engraved on it was this line: So annoying! I finally found a clue here, but I got interrupted by that guy. I have no interest in fighting that lunatic. What a shame that even the true Jewel of Four Souls is shattered. Oh well, this thing isn't related to my abilities anyway. Whoever can read this, just take it. BY Hatsune Miku.

“What the—” Lin Luo almost bit his tongue off upon seeing the inscription. What made it worse was a chibi illustration of Hatsune below the text, grinning widely while holding a leek.

He felt, perhaps mistakenly, that the Leek Girl was mocking him.

Damn it, wherever something strange happens, that girl shows up! She almost broke the Maho Shojo world and isn't satisfied? Now she’s coming to ruin the Slayers world too? Does she have nothing better to do?!

Since Hatsune had visited this world, Lin Luo wasn't surprised why this place had become the Trails world. After all, her ability was to merge multiple worlds together… probably.

If Hatsune came here before the nascent Slayers world had fully developed and merged the Trails world into it, then it made sense that as time passed, this place would transform into the Trails world he was familiar with. The question remained: what clue was Hatsune looking for? And who was the lunatic who interrupted her?

“Huh! Isn't this the script of the Goddess?” As Lin Luo pondered, a girl's voice suddenly reached his ear. He turned to see Anelas standing behind him, half-crouching, her eyes wide as she stared at the writing on the pillar, exclaiming in surprise.

“What did you say?” Lin Luo blinked, feeling his brain momentarily short-circuit.

Anelas, assuming he hadn't heard clearly, enthusiastically explained, “When I was still a probationary Bracer, I helped the Septian Church with a few missions and was fortunate enough to see one of the Goddess’s scripts. It looks exactly like this! But nobody could read it. I never thought I’d see it here too.”

As she finished, she sounded faintly excited.

No! Don't say that! My worldview is going to collapse!

Lin Luo lamented internally. His worldview shattered in an instant. That legendary Goddess of the Blue Sky who saved the suffering, that legendary kind and loving Goddess of the Blue Sky, that legendary Goddess who could bring happiness to everyone in the world—God! Stop playing with me!

Hatsune Miku is just a mischievous, wandering girl who jumps between dimensions!

She is definitely not the Goddess of the Blue Sky! Absolutely not!

“Aiya, Little Linzi, look! Doesn't the image below the text on the pillar look a lot like the doll I’m holding? Did you perhaps create this doll in the image of the Goddess of the Blue Sky?”

Anelas’s eyesight wasn't the sharpest, but she could clearly see the image beneath the text, and she gasped again.

Lin Luo looked at her excited expression and felt a strange sadness. These people in this world were truly pitiful, but faith was blind, so he couldn't blame them. Alas!

Although Anelas had brutally destroyed his worldview, Lin Luo only felt sympathy for her and couldn't bring himself to seek revenge. If he shattered her worldview too, it would surely be an act that incurred the wrath of both gods and men. So, he reached out and wiped the inscription and the image on the pillar completely clean, saying coolly, “You’re overthinking it. I drew this when I was bored. Also, don’t call me Little Linzi. You have permission to call me Iku.”

“That’s true. How could this be the Goddess of the Blue Sky? Though she is quite cute,” Anelas replied easily, though her tone held a hint of disappointment. She then asked curiously, “What is Iku? Is it cute?”

Lin Luo nodded. “Very cute. It would sound incredibly cute if you said it.”

A moment later, the group departed the Amber Tower. Since Lin Luo had taken the fragment of the Jewel of Four Souls, no more yokai would manifest. Lin Luo didn't tell Anelas the truth but informed her of the result. The girl instantly relaxed and began fangirling over the Hatsune figurine again.

On the way back, Huang Quan approached Lin Luo and whispered softly, “That’s strange. Even though this is our original world, neither I nor Finaresse can sense any trace of the Black and White Witches. Have they not been born?”

Lin Luo sighed internally and replied irritably, “They’ve been messed up by the Leek Girl; what’s left to be born?!”