Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Strange Pet

After the two of them parted, Lanser once again blocked the other’s path.

“You think I’ll still let you get away?”

“Hmph. Then I’d like to see how you plan to stop a crystal.”

With that, he reached for the crystal at his waist, intending to flee.

Clink.

The sound of the crystal striking the ground was sharp and jarring. At the same time, there was the astonishment that had flashed in the other’s eyes just before he was shattered into fragments.

“I can’t stop the crystal, but I can stop you from using it.”

Then he added, “In a real battle, the side that retreats is bound to lose.”

No one said a word as they stared at the snow in the center. Though the dead would indeed turn to fragments, everyone remained silently subdued.

“I did it! Wooo—”

Though he was lying on the ground laughing uncontrollably, the tears glistening at the corners of his eyes betrayed what he truly felt inside.

“All right, stop crying already. It’s not over yet.”

With that, he took out a crystal.

“This is the crystal paired with your weapons. As long as it is struck by the weapon in your hands, it will register the hit here. The duration is one month. Any objections?”

Everyone was already satisfied with the result this time. It could be said that the Grinning Coffin had never suffered such a devastating loss before; the three major leaders had all been buried, and the ones who escaped were nothing but small fry. One could say the Grinning Coffin was finished, and Lanser’s words had only kicked it further into the abyss.

A few captains then took the crystal from Lanser and began assigning tasks, while Lanser formally announced that the group event had come to an end.

After everyone left, Lanser used a return crystal to go straight back to his office, then set the room to sealed mode so that no one but himself could open it.

Silently, Lanser opened the ring and calmly took out a bundle of what looked like data.

“What the heck is this? A digital monster, or a Trojan virus, or—”

Just as Lanser was about to complain, a blinding flash of light swept over him.

“Waa~ waa~ Where’s the food?”

Before he even opened his eyes, Lanser heard a voice. His first reaction was: what in the world is going on? Weren’t they supposed to be giving him a pet?

“Master~ Master~ I’m hungry~”

Lanser waved a hand to steady his vision, and when he finally managed to open his eyes, a shadow had already pounced onto him.

“I’m so hungry!”

Lanser very calmly handed over all the food in his backpack, then began checking the other’s identity. She looked extremely familiar, but he had not revisited such things for years during his travels across different worlds. On top of that, endless battles had left him with no spare energy to recall it. So now he intended to look up the basic information and see whether it would jog his memory.

Name: Luo Tianyi

Race: Gourmet Clan

Age: 15

Height: 156 cm

Birthday: June 14

Zodiac: Gemini

Appearance: Gray hair, green eyes, jade ornament at the neck, Chinese knot at the waist.

Personality: Gentle, sensitive, introverted, occasionally airheaded, clumsy, innocent

Ability: Resonance

As a VOCALOID, Tianyi’s ability is to sense and read the “song in the heart” hidden within human beings—the emotion that burns most strongly at this very moment, the “important song” long drawn in the heart. Even if the person herself cannot fully express it, Tianyi can hear it, and sing that song for them.

Current songs:
1. Thousand-Year Recipe Ode — a commonly used song; through delicious food, it can pull allies out of negative states. Other effects are to be discovered by oneself.
Consequence after activation: food must be prepared in advance.

2. Tianyi Feeding Song — a commonly used song; by using Tianyi’s obsession with food, it can weaken an opponent’s willpower and strengthen allies to help them obtain food.
Consequence after activation: a large amount of food must be prepared.

Looking at the girl seated in his chair, eyes narrowed, Lanser could only calmly send a message to Aegil, asking him to help gather some tasty food.

“Master is a good person~~”

Right after Lanser finished typing, a soft voice came from behind him. He turned sharply and saw her bright green eyes fixed motionlessly on the message in front of him.

Meeting those vivid green eyes, Lanser awkwardly turned his head away.

“All right, now that you’re full, how about introducing yourself?”

Though it said she was fifteen, Lanser felt she was like a little child and couldn’t help but pat her gray hair.

“My name is Tianyi~ I’m five this year. As for why I came here? One day, while I was sleeping at home, an older sister asked whether I wanted to go out. I said I did, so she sent me here. But in exchange, I have to call the first person I see ‘Master,’ and she told me Master would give me lots and lots of delicious food~”

At the end, she smiled happily, eyes narrowing as she cupped her face.

“Home? What was it like?”

Lanser had already remembered the girl’s identity, but what he was most curious about now was what the home of a digital songstress was really like.

“What was it like? Dark, with lots of code flashing by. So lonely—”

By the end, the mouth that had been full of smiles had puffed up into a pout.

“The digital world?”

Just then, someone suddenly knocked at the door. Though the girl had only just appeared, Lanser did not want others to discover how different he was and then isolate him. So he couldn’t help asking, “Tianyi, do you have a way to make other people not see you? Or, for now, could you just go back—”

“No! No! Tianyi doesn’t want to go back!”

Hearing Lanser’s words, Tianyi immediately covered her ears, crouched down on the floor, and kept shaking her head.

“That’s not what I meant. Why would I ask Tianyi to go back? I just wanted to know if there was a way not to be discovered.”

Seeing Tianyi crouched there like she was trying to be adorable, Lanser explained helplessly.

“Really? I don’t have to go back?”

At his answer, Tianyi sprang up and flung herself against his chest. After seeing Lanser nod, she said, “Not let other people see me? I only know how to sing~”

Seeing how anxious he looked, she did not tease him any longer and went on, “But in this world, I’m practically all-powerful, you know!”

With that, she even straightened her chest proudly.

Only then did Lanser remember that her true form was indeed a digital songstress, and he understood. He then said to her, “All right, Tianyi, people are about to come in. Hide for now.”

“Okay~ But remember to buy me egg fried rice~”

Before Lanser could even answer, she slowly disappeared like drifting snowflakes.

Once Lanser had confirmed that she could no longer be seen, he lifted the room’s restrictions as well.

However, the person who entered was not the members of the Flame Brigade that Lanser had expected, but Asuna...

(Sa~ Happy holidays, everyone~ Hmm! I skipped the public class for today’s celebration! Handshake—law class A, hmm! Another handshake—well then, are you all happy on this holiday? As for me, I don’t have a girlfriend~ so if anyone has nothing better to do, you can come chat with me~)

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