"But... Dottore probably anticipated this situation from the start,"
Young-tore continued whispering to Su Yuan,
"so he only promised Cloud Retainer the blueprints for the Time Mechanism, not the actual finished product..."
"That means... maybe all we need to do is hand her some random blueprint, and we can walk away freely..."
"After all, crafting such a mechanism takes time. Cloud Retainer won’t be able to build it anytime soon, so she won’t be able to verify whether it’s real or not. By the time she realizes the blueprint is fake—we’ll already be long gone."
Hearing Young-tore say that, Su Yuan fell into deep thought...
Was he really going to escape with Young-tore?
So many of his companions had already been killed—it was the perfect time to activate his death-rewind ability...
Even though this attempt to talk Cloud Retainer down had failed, they had gained a huge amount of intel, which would greatly increase the chances of success next time...
And the longer he delayed activating the rewind, the more variables would arise...
Once the world progressed to a new save point, everyone who had died now—would truly be gone forever...
Young-tore seemed to notice Su Yuan’s expression—his hesitation and inner conflict—and couldn’t help but speak:
"Big Brother Su Yuan, what’s that look for? Are you seriously reluctant to leave your comrades behind? You want to die with them too?"
"Only the living have hope. If you die with them, then it’s all over!"
"Dottore, what are you dawdling for?!"
Cloud Retainer glanced at Dottore, visibly growing impatient:
"Hurry up and leave what you promised, then get out of Mt. Aocang!"
But just then, Cloud Retainer suddenly received a message from her disciple Shuyu, who was guarding the foot of the mountain:
"Master, bad news! There’s someone I don’t recognize—he’s forcing his way up the mountain!"
"He’s wearing blue clothing, has long pale hair, and wields Hydro power. I couldn’t stop him at all..."
Hearing Shuyu’s voice, Su Yuan thought to himself: So Shuyu is on Cloud Retainer’s side after all...
That means our group’s ascent up the mountain must have been known to Cloud Retainer from the beginning...
And from Shuyu’s description, Su Yuan immediately thought of one person—Neuvillette.
Sure enough, just moments later, Su Yuan heard that familiar voice, and saw that familiar figure...
Neuvillette spotted the unconscious Furina and rushed to her side, asking Su Yuan anxiously:
"Su Yuan, what happened? Is Furina all right?"
"Furina isn’t seriously hurt. She’s probably just passed out..." Su Yuan began to explain.
But before he could finish, Neuvillette suddenly summoned Hydro power, forming a powerful water cannon—and fired it straight at Dottore!
"Dottore! This has to be your doing! Take this!!"
Su Yuan had just opened his mouth to try and explain, when he suddenly noticed fierce winds whipping around, dark clouds gathering overhead—the unmistakable signs of an impending storm...
"Neuvillette, what are you doing?! I just told you Furina’s fine—why are you crying?!"
Su Yuan quickly called out:
"And listen, even though I don’t have time to explain everything right now—this Dottore isn’t our enemy!"
"Hahahaha, Su Yuan... that’s not Neuvillette crying."
"Cloud Retainer" suddenly burst into laughter:
"Haha... My title is ’Cloud Retainer Who Borrows the Wind,’ so of course I can summon the wind and call forth the rain..."
"As long as I make the rain fall, I can force Neuvillette into an Eerie state!"
"Hmph... how naïve of you."
Neuvillette let out a cold snort and spoke calmly:
"Now that I have become the True and Complete Dragon, all Hydro elemental power is under my control..."
"If I don’t permit the rain to fall—do you really think it can rain?"
In the next instant, Neuvillette unleashed the authority of the ancient dragon, commanding the Hydro element.
In a flash, he dispelled all the dark clouds and rain, and the sky instantly cleared!
"Neuvillette... Just as Dottore predicted," Cloud Retainer said with no surprise in her voice,
"Ordinary wind-and-rain summoning is completely useless against you..."
"I had prepared a second plan to deal with you..."
"But now I suddenly realize—Dottore’s goal and my goal have already been achieved, so there’s really no need to use you anymore..."
"Useless as you are, it’s better to just kill you outright!"
"Then I can use your body as material to refine into a mechanized construct..."
"A powerful body like that of an elemental dragon—when fused into mechanized constructs, what kind of fascinating reactions will it produce? I’m truly looking forward to it!"
"Neuvillette, you’ve miscalculated after all!!!"
"Even if you wield the full authority of the ancient dragon, do you really think you can compete with me—who commands the Eerie power?!"
In the next instant, Neuvillette felt his body being restrained by a surge of Eerie force, and Cloud Retainer struck with that very power—aimed straight at him!
Su Yuan’s heart sank.
Right... even someone as powerful as Neuvillette would still be instantly overwhelmed when facing the fully Eerie-transformed Cloud Retainer...
"Neuvillette, cry!!" Su Yuan shouted.
"Hurry and enter your Eerie state—only Eerie can fight against Eerie!"
However, in the next moment... nothing changed.
Neuvillette’s body didn’t react at all.
Cloud Retainer’s Eerie-infused hand pierced straight through Neuvillette’s chest.
Meanwhile, far away in Fontaine, Wriothesley looked up at the dark, cloudy sky that was about to rain and sighed emotionally:
"Ah... it’s finally going to rain in Fontaine after all these days..."
"Neuvillette went off to look for Furina... I wonder if he’s found her yet..."
"Hmm... That’s actually a viable method. Fontaine can’t go without rain forever. As long as Neuvillette regularly leaves Fontaine’s borders, then rainfall won’t trigger his Eerie transformation..."
"But pity me—how am I supposed to enjoy tea now?"
"How about this... starting tomorrow, I’ll have Chief Nurse Sigewinne add a bit of anesthetic into my first cup of hot tea every morning?"
"Then, based on how much I sweat and the drug’s duration, I can determine whether I’ve been infected or controlled by the Eerie..."
After thinking for a moment, Wriothesley clapped his hands, his face lighting up with excitement:
"Hmm? That actually sounds doable! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?"
"Once I figure out which unpredictable day of the week it happens, I’ll be free to enjoy delicious tea on all the other days..." Read complete version only at novelFɪre.net
"Wonderful! I can finally drink tea again!"
Exclusive access : 400+ch on paetron
Join now : *com/DeCakraWnloverz