Chapter 116

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Chapter 116: “The Mistress of the Bridesmaid”

A few days later,

The air was particularly fresh today. There was no fog or rain, just the soft glow of sunlight warming the people below.

Pedestrians were walking back and forth on the Tatsumi City Bridge near the artificial beach.

The sea breeze gently brushed through the area.

This bridge, with its long history, had become a cherished memory for many of the city’s residents. From here, one could gaze out at the vast expanse of the ocean.

Tatsumi City is a coastal city, which makes sense given the “sea” in its name.

Maryse stood by the bridge, dressed in a chestnut-red high-neck hooded velvet vest, black leather shoes, and looking like an elegant figure in autumn attire.

With her hands covering her face, she calmly stared at the sparkling sea, awaiting the arrival of the person she had arranged to meet.

Maryse frowned as she pulled out a pink phone from her pocket, its back decorated with a small bear design.

“It’s already five minutes past the scheduled time. What could have happened? Could something be wrong?”

Her fingers tapped on the phone a few times before she sent a private message.

“Psychic Dancer: Still not here?”

“Nightsaber: Apologies, something came up.”

Maryse furrowed her brow. The “Nightsaber” she knew wasn’t the type to be late.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

A somewhat cold voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see the white-haired girl in the black windbreaker standing next to her.

Mu Ling was slightly out of breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her face showing a clear expression of regret.

She had clearly rushed here, possibly even using “Deep Blue World” to get here faster.

“Why do you always wear this outfit? Don’t you have anything new?”

Maryse frowned and said, “Also, don’t you think you should get a bigger one for this part? It looks suffocating. Don’t you care about your appearance?”

Mu Ling paused for a second and mumbled, “I haven’t paid much attention to that recently… But the binding helps with mobility in battle. It’s not like I bought a small one on purpose.”

“Oh no!”

The concept of a corset was too alien to someone like Maryse, who didn’t need such things at all.

Maryse stared for a moment before shaking her head and saying, “Let me introduce myself again. I’m Maryse, an aristocratic elf maiden.”

“I’m Mu Ling, a crime-hunter.”

Mu Ling’s voice was neutral, but she smiled slightly, as if glad to see Maryse.

“I’m also the Hound of Babel Tower,” she added.

Maryse immediately recalled her father’s face upon hearing those words.

Every time she was manipulated by the “Savior”, Maryse felt a lingering sense of fear.

It was as if the “Savior” and her father were the same—both enslaving her.

She sneered bitterly, “Ha, you seem to really enjoy this role. Do you want to be collared? Like a dog, always trying to please someone.”

Mu Ling froze for a moment.

Her tone grew serious as she asked, “Why did you insult me?”

Maryse paused, realizing she had gone too far.

“Sorry.”

She apologized quickly, a hint of panic in her voice. She lowered her head and added, “I just… I didn’t want you to feel too… in fact, He’s using us, isn’t He?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Mu Ling shook her head and looked out at the sea. “The Savior is great, but not because of His power. It’s because He wants to save all living beings. I don’t think being ‘manipulated’ by someone with such a heart is a bad thing. It’s not exploitation, as you said.”

“I understand that you’re still young, and there are things you might not fully grasp… and the way your family treated you might have caused you to misunderstand the Savior.”

Maryse knew they saw things differently, but didn’t argue further. She turned her gaze toward the sea.

“Actually, I’m of legal age.”

Mu Ling was taken aback. “Huh? But you’re not an elf…”

“I have a quarter human blood, and according to half-elf aging standards, I’m already of legal age—at least psychologically and legally.”

Maryse murmured, “Besides, little sister, don’t think physical maturity is everything. Maybe someone prefers someone like me.”

Hmph, and my “shelf life” is even longer!

Mu Ling was caught off guard by Maryse’s teasing. She opened her mouth but didn’t know how to respond.

Hmm, so she really cares about that?

Mu Ling lowered her head slightly before lifting it again, saying, “Why did you call me out today?”

“Nothing special, it’s just that… I feel lonely being by myself.”

The sea breeze gently tousled her hair as Maryse spoke without hesitation, “I’ve been feeling lonely. After leaving my family, the new environment is unsettling.”

“After thinking for a while, I realized that you’re probably the only friend I can remember right now.”

Mu Ling fell into deep thought.

She knew that after betraying her family, Maryse had lost everything.

“Maryse, you don’t have to feel lonely. Babel Tower will be there for you.”

Maryse murmured, “I’ve noticed you like to categorize people. Are the members of your family and organization all just your siblings and friends? Or is this some form of collectivism?”

“I’ve noticed you enjoy contradicting yourself.”

Mu Ling shook her head, understanding that this person had many psychological scars and was a little neurotic.

Maryse stayed silent and then asked, “How do you see the other new recruits in Babel Tower?”

After a long pause, Mu Ling responded, “Mysterious Magic is cautious and uses complex strategies in battle. Cybertyrant seems intelligent and has leadership potential.”

“They are all candidates chosen by the Savior.”

Maryse narrowed her eyes. “Be careful around Cybertyrant. Something about her makes me uneasy… ugh, mostly because your blind trust in ‘one of our own’ bothers me!”

Maryse suddenly reached out to pinch Mu Ling’s face, but the attempt was easily avoided.

Mu Ling smiled faintly, not particularly fond of physical contact, and her face was not one that anyone could casually touch.

Except for her future spouse… even if it’s the ‘Savior’… they wouldn’t share that kind of intimacy, but a different bond instead.

“Hmph, how stingy!”

Maryse pouted, clearly more upset.

Meanwhile,

Bai Yan sat inside Babel Tower, eating freshly made seafood hotpot while watching the live stream on his phone.

He listened to the entire conversation between the two girls.

“What a vivid contrast.”

Bai Yan shook his head and plucked a large shrimp from the hotpot.

“However, Psychic Dancer definitely has this type of personality—she naturally resents the Dominator. She could never fully submit to the Savior.”

Of course, he didn’t need her complete submission… this wasn’t an R18 anime or game.

He understood why Mu Ling had been late. On her way here, she had passed a scene where a fire had broken out, and she had helped rescue several people.

The two girls on the live stream were still talking.

“Excuse me, have you heard of the ‘Equality’ Health Spa? It works wonders for beauty and anti-aging!”

A passerby appeared, handing out flyers that read “A balanced body leads to better health.”

“Get lost! I command you, hop away like a frog!”

Maryse suddenly snapped, activating her psychic powers, leaving Mu Ling confused.

“Did he offend you?”

“He offended me in spirit! It made me so angry! Never mind. Mu Ling, would you come with me today? I haven’t gone out with friends in twenty years.”

Maryse’s words made Bai Yan pause in front of his phone. He sighed.

She seemed to have had a rough time. Bai Yan remembered there was even a possibility of her being the “Bird in a Cage” skin in another timeline, which would have been far worse.

“Okay, I’ll come with you.”

Soon, the two girls left the bridge and went to a nearby pedestrian street to have some fun.

They ate ice cream, bought new clothes, and Maryse played a prank on someone with her extraordinary powers, while Mu Ling didn’t stop her.

Bai Yan could tell that the two had become quite close, possibly even best friends.

“So, as their ‘Savior’, now I am also the ‘Mistress of the Bridesmaid’ in their circle, right?”

He muttered to himself:

“Such moments will become fewer and farther between… so I should cherish them.”

Bai Yan ended the livestream and switched to the game screen for “Babel Tower.”

After the last profit settlement, “Babel Tower” had gained more fame, and more importantly, had successfully recruited a number of cultists as “logistical workers.”

A new Relic had also been discovered.

Though not a Civilization-level Relic, it was a versatile and powerful item.

“Stone of Resurrection: A stone-shaped necklace that allows the user to summon rock giants at the cost of increasing fatigue the longer they remain summoned.”

Bai Yan hadn’t decided yet who to give it to.

It had been several days since the “Mr. Mystery fake death incident.”

During this time, things seemed to have quieted down, and Black Star Faction’s influence appeared to have been completely wiped out.

But he knew it wasn’t over. “Mr. Mystery” was waiting for his chance to strike back in a big way.

Bai Yan glanced at the upper left corner of his phone.

After confirming that he had accumulated another five hundred Source Energy Points, Bai Yan took a deep breath and clicked to summon.

“Start!”