Chapter 2368 Lucky Soul <TOC> Chapter 2370 Chain
Translator: SumTLMan
Nausica stood, transfixed by the scene before her.
Sunlight cascaded down, and there she was, clad in soft armor, standing at a city’s three-way crossroads. Directly ahead, a tall building loomed, its sign “Rosewater Pavilion” shimmering with light, with the illusion of rose petals falling.
To the left was a fountain, its secrets unknown, for the water that spurted out not only sparkled but also spiraled upwards like serpents, reaching for the glass walkways high above.
To the right stood a towering spiral staircase, offering passage to the aerial streets at various heights.
“Where is this?” Nausica frowned, surveying her surroundings.
Hadn’t Angel mentioned that a single crystal monocle served as a communicator? How then had its use transported her to such a bizarrely styled city?
Moreover, the city seemed populated. Nausica noticed figures moving along an overhead walkway and saw billowing smoke from a distant chimney, indicating someone was operating within.
She was utterly bewildered; everything here felt surreal.
Yet, the solid feel of the ground underfoot, the rhythmic sensation of breathing, and the warmth of the morning light on her skin all fed back to her, blurring the line between this place and reality.
As Nausica’s confusion deepened, someone suddenly called her name from behind.
“Are you Nausica?”
Turning, Nausica saw a young woman behind her, dressed in a bubble-sleeved, mint green court dress, holding a lace-edged folding fan. Upon seeing Nausica, the woman covered half her face with the fan in delighted surprise: “It really is you, Sister Nausica!”
Then, disregarding any semblance of ladylike demeanor, the young woman threw her arms wide and lunged at Nausica.
Instinctively, Nausica reached out and embraced the tender body.
“I’ve missed you so much~” The young woman not only hugged Nausica but also nuzzled her neck, speaking in a coquettish and melodramatic tone.
“Miru, weren’t you in the Mirror World? How come you’re here?” Nausica looked at the woman in her arms.
Continuing to nuzzle affectionately, Miru responded, “I am in the Mirror World. I’m here on a mission, of course, and also to scout for some… handsome and charming young men.”
“But don’t worry, even though I love men, I love you too~” Miru seemed concerned that Nausica might be jealous, so she quickly added another line.
Nausica: That’s not what I wanted to ask…
Just as Nausica was about to inquire further about their current location, Miru preempted her with, “After the Novastar Competition ended, I’ve been waiting for you to return. But you never did, and I was worried something had happened to you… Later, Mother told me that after the competition, contestants have the chance to enter the Endless Corridor for challenges. You must be undertaking those challenges, which is why you haven’t returned.”
Miru’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at Nausica, who initially had a question at the tip of her tongue but ultimately swallowed it back, vaguely nodding in agreement, “Mrs. Brin was right, I indeed embarked on a self-challenge, hence my return.”
“That’s exactly it! You have no idea how worried I was about you.” After Miru finished her clingy speech, she preempted Nausica’s attempt to inquire further, continuing, “By the way, what’s it like inside the Endless Corridor? I heard that after completing each level, you receive a reward?”
Nausica hadn’t entered the Endless Corridor, so she didn’t know how to respond, still vaguely saying, “When you become stronger, you’ll have the chance to go there, and then you’ll know. The question I wanted to ask you earlier…”
“To become stronger, I want that too, but my talent is too poor, still stuck at the late stage of a first level apprentice,” Miru interrupted again.
Nausica: “With Mrs. Brin’s guidance, you’ll definitely…”
Miru: “My mother is only a first level apprentice herself; she can’t teach me much. Besides, she prefers designing and tailoring clothes over teaching me.”
Nausica: “Mrs. Brin was once a Golden Flyer; she should quickly…”
Miru: “Let’s not talk about her. Every time I hear my mother’s name, it feels like a thousand frogs are croaking in my ears, nagging to death. It’s rare for us to reunite, let’s talk about something else.”
Nausica actually wanted to say that Mrs. Brin’s nagging might be like a thousand frogs, but as Mrs. Brin’s own daughter, you deserve to have a thousand frogs.
Although she wanted to say it, Nausica still didn’t voice it out, partly for fear of hurting the girl’s feelings and partly because there was simply no chance to speak. Miru always had a topic ready, jumping from one to another, making it hard for anyone else to get a word in.
Just like now, Miru had leaped to a new topic.
The origin of the topic was a flower rain that started somewhere in the Sky Corridor.
“Ah, it’s the Blue Water Corridor! Today is the Flower Rain Day, and only two apprentices are scheduled for routine maintenance. They alternate appearances on regular days, one is Hinoha, and the other is Jero! I hope it’s Jero; I haven’t seen him in a long time, seeing him once could energize me for a whole week of work!”
After saying this, Miru pulled Nausica towards a nearby spiral staircase: “Let’s go see, it has to be Jero!”
Before Nausica could react, Miru had already dragged her to the Blue Water Corridor, twenty meters high.
Upon reaching the corridor, Miru saw a male apprentice not far away, performing maintenance.
Even though the young man was facing away from Miru, showing only a sliver of his face, Miru still performed a gesture of ‘gasping in astonishment.’
“It’s Jero! It really is Jero!” Miru whispered excitedly in Nausica’s ear.
“Today must be my lucky day, to have met you and seen Jero! Could it be that the god of luck has favored me?”
Nausica was all too familiar with Miru, after all, during their time in Apprentice Town, she lived next door to Mrs. Brin and her daughter Miru.
Throughout the years, due to her close relationship with Mrs. Brin, she naturally witnessed Miru’s transformation from a little girl to a young lady.
Since reaching the blooming age, Miru’s youthful heart began to flutter with excitement.
Her greatest daily pleasure was admiring the beauty of handsome members of the opposite sex.
To what extent? Just like the “Lucky God” she would often mention. While the world speaks of a Lucky Goddess, associating luck with the goddess to express one’s fortune, Miru uniquely revered a Lucky God, for in her eyes, goddesses couldn’t make her heart bloom with joy, only a god could.
Sometimes, Nausica found Mrs. Brin’s concerns headache-inducing.
“Shall we go flirt a bit?” After saying this, Miru shyly twirled around: “Do you think what I’m wearing today might be a bit inappropriate?”
Such large puff sleeves, such a voluminously flared skirt, it wasn’t about being inappropriate; it was excessive.
Of course, these thoughts Nausica kept to herself. Seizing a rare moment of Miru’s quietness, and having sufficiently absorbed the surroundings and her own experiences, she prepared to steer the conversation back on track.
Nausica: “Whether it’s appropriate or not, we can discuss later. I have something very important to deal with, extremely important, a matter of life and death.”
Although Miru was often thoughtless, seeing Nausica’s serious demeanor made her restrain herself a bit, voicing her confusion: “What happened?”
Nausica: “Answer my question first.”
Miru obediently nodded.
“Where is this? How did you come to be here? I mean, this city, this world.”
Miru, filled with doubts, thought this place could only be accessed through a login device. Nausica had arrived here, yet didn’t know where it was?
“Didn’t the staff at the mission hall tell you about this place when you took on the mission?”
Nausica shook her head: “I didn’t take any missions, nor have I been to the mission hall.”
Miru’s expression grew even more suspicious. Without visiting the mission hall, how could one use the login device? The apprentices’ login devices were kept in a special room in the mission hall and couldn’t be taken away under normal circumstances.
Only formal wizards possessed their own login devices, which they could freely take with them.
Despite her confusion, Miru explained: “This is New City, a temporary name. It’s said it will be changed once the construction is completed. Also, this place can only be accessed using a login device.”
“A login device? You mean, a monocle?”
“Yes, the login devices we apprentices use for missions are mostly monocles. But I’ve seen other types of login devices. A wizard in the mission hall had a ring as his login device.”
Nausica: “So, a login device is required to enter this world? What exactly is this world?”
Miru shook her head: “I don’t know the specifics of this world either.”
Nausica felt a tinge of regret upon receiving the answer she sought. However, at that moment, a voice emerged from beside her, providing the answer to her question, “This is the Wilderness of Dreams, a crevice between reality and illusion.”
Nausica’s body stiffened not because of the answer, but because the voice was familiar to her.
Slowly turning her head, as expected, she saw her ultimate goal of this peculiar journey——Angel.
With his blonde hair, Angel leaned against the corridor’s railing, the sunlight illuminating his upturned lips.
“It’s been a while,” he said.
Nausica paused, then lowered her head with a gentle smile, “Does it count as a long time? It’s only been a few days since the Novastar Competition.”
“Indeed.” Angel, understanding Nausica’s independent and somewhat stubborn nature, didn’t indulge in sentimentality. Smiling, he got straight to the point, “When I gave you the login device, I thought you wouldn’t use it before returning to the Savage Grottoes.”
Angel knew Nausica well; her independence was so pronounced that she rarely sought help from others, even in life-or-death situations. Thus, he genuinely believed she wouldn’t use the device, considering it merely a keepsake. This belief was so strong that Angel himself had forgotten he had given it to her.
Facing Angel’s teasing, Nausica responded with a smile, “I still have many questions about this place, but given the urgency, I won’t ask now.”
As her smile faded, Nausica spoke earnestly, “I’ve come here hoping you could help me save someone.”
Angel didn’t reply immediately but turned to look at Miru on the other side.
Miru, cheeks flushed, was gazing at Angel with heart-shaped eyes.
When Angel looked her way, Miru snapped back to reality, her heart skipping a beat… Had she just openly admired a formal wizard? Although she had admired formal wizards in secret before, this was the first time she had done so openly.
Oh no! Such behavior was incredibly rude and surely offended Lord Pat! Would he punish me?
As Miru panicked, Angel, with a smile, said, “It seems Jero over there has something for you?”
Miru: “Eh?”
Turning her head, Miru saw Jero, who had been stealthily looking their way, also stunned by Angel’s words. He was supposed to be maintaining the corridor; how could he suddenly have something for her, especially when he didn’t even know her?
Though Jero thought this, he dared not say “no.” He quickly stood up, approached Miru, and said, “Lord said it’s true, I indeed have something for Mi…”
Miru: “Miru. My name is Miru.”
“Yes, I have something for Miru.”
Angel remarked, “Then I won’t disturb your interaction.”
Jero nodded quickly, signaling to Miru to follow him.
After they had left, Nausica finally spoke, “This Jero, he’s not suitable for Miru. If it was just about getting her away, I could have told her myself. You shouldn’t have let her go with him; I’m afraid she might be deceived.”
Angel responded, “Do you really think Miru is that naive?”
Nausica paused, looking in the direction of the two, only to see Miru and Jero had already separated, heading in different directions.
Observing this, Nausica whispered with a smile, “It seems Miru has grown quite a bit.”
Angel clarified, “It’s not about growth. The reality is Jero isn’t interested in Miru. Although Miru can be a bit infatuated, she maintains her self-respect in the face of rejection from the opposite sex, no matter how much she admires them.”
Without waiting for a response, Angel continued the previous topic, “Now you can tell me, who do you want me to save? Is it Reynolds?”
Nausica was about to speak when suddenly, two people hurriedly ran up the nearby spiral staircase.
“Why did you say Nausica was at the Rosewater Pavilion, and now she’s here?” The speaker was Nisi.
Not long ago, Angel and Nisi had entered the Wilderness of Dreams, where Angel had set the coordinates for Nausica’s entry to be at the entrance of the Rosewater Pavilion.
However, upon entering the Wilderness of Dreams, they couldn’t find Nausica anywhere.
Nisi then went inside the Rosewater Pavilion to check if Nausica had gone in there. But turning around, he found that Angel had disappeared.
After searching for a while, he saw Angel heading towards the Sky Corridor.
Thus, he hurried over.
“Something happened, she was pulled up here by someone else,” Angel casually replied.
Nisi also noticed Nausica in her form-fitting armor, admiring her well-proportioned figure.
However, Nausica’s gaze didn’t rest on Nisi but passed over him, looking behind him.
Following Nisi was someone Nausica hadn’t expected to see there.
Reynolds.