The dust settled, revealing a silver-white suit of armor standing between the two parties. Its arms were extended, effortlessly blocking the attacks of both Luo Lin and the giant spider.
"Who are you?! Are you trying to save them?!"
Seeing the giant spider's assault halted, the man in black robes barked viciously at the silver figure below. He loathed variables in his plans above all else. He was certain he could have eliminated at least one of them, but now everything turned into an unknown.
"I told you, I'm here to ask for directions. Where is this place?"
Ignoring the interrogation, Firefly simply repeated her initial query.
Ye Yunzhi was the first to snap back to reality. This strange individual caught the strikes of both Luo Lin and an A-rank beast with such ease; their strength must be immense. She quickly answered Firefly's question.
"This is one of the outermost cities of the Europa Empire. The city is called Greenshade Source. We're currently just outside its borders."
"I see. It seems I didn't end up in another world after all."
Hearing the answer, Firefly released her grip on Luo Lin's blade and the giant spider's leg. She turned fully toward Ye Yunzhi and continued, "Then, do you know of the United States of Pacific?"
"Yes, yes!"
Ye Yunzhi nodded frantically. She wanted this person to keep asking questions; the longer they stalled, the better their chances.
"That country is a rather extreme place. There are no individual cities, just three major sectors: the Cloud District, the Hive District, and the Pit Bottom District. In those places..."
"Enough." Firefly waved a hand to cut her off. "I know all of that. I just want to ask, if I wanted to return there from here, how far is the distance?"
"How far..."
Stunned for a moment by the question, Ye Yunzhi began to calculate the distance mentally. After about ten seconds, she shook her head with a look of disappointment.
"I'm not sure. I've never specifically looked into the United States of Pacific before, so I don't know exactly how far we are from there."
However, she quickly looked up at Firefly with a spark of hope. "But I have a world map at home. Once I get back and check it, I can definitely give you an answer."
Firefly found the gaze Ye Yunzhi gave her—a mix of nervous anxiety and a sliver of expectation—quite amusing. She couldn't tell if the girl was genuinely ignorant of the distance or just lying, but she was certain of one thing.
Ye Yunzhi knew that her presence made the man in black robes wary. If Firefly agreed to accompany them, the robed man wouldn't dare act rashly. They would be saved.
So, would Firefly, who already saw through the truth, fall for it?
"Fine. Lead the way. Call your companion over as well."
Of course she would! After all, this was exactly what she intended from the start.
It took only a second after those four consecutive explosions for her to reach the scene. She had been hiding nearby, listening to their dialogue and watching their actions like she was enjoying a movie at the cinema. Only when it looked like the duo couldn't hold out any longer did she step in to stop the spider.
"Great! Please follow me!"
Ye Yunzhi's eyes lit up instantly. she jogged over to pull Luo Lin, who was still standing there dazed by the sudden turn of events, toward them.
"Wait a moment!" Just as they prepared to leave, the man atop the spider spoke up. "Excellency, these two were already my prey. Isn't it a bit disrespectful to simply take them away without a word?"
"The beast beneath me is at least A-rank. My organization, the Mutant Cult, possesses formidable strength, with members reaching at least A+ rank. Are you certain you wish to make an enemy of us?!"
"Make an enemy of you? I don't care." Firefly turned her gaze toward him. "The only thing you need to consider is this: if you choose to be my enemy, be prepared for the total annihilation of your organization."
Muffled by the Sam armor, Firefly's voice sounded calm and chilling, sending a shiver down Ye Yunzhi's spine.
"You!" The man's hand clenched into a trembling fist beneath his robes. He never suffered such a blatant insult. He opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out. Finally, he could only spit out a hollow threat.
"No matter how strong you are, you cannot stand against the entire Mutant Cult! Since you're so arrogant, prepare yourself for our wrath!"
With that, he commanded the giant spider to retreat into the depths of the forest.
Watching the retreating figure, Firefly turned back, no longer concerned with the beast.
Phew. Is this the confidence that comes with planetary-level strength? This feels amazing!
I don't even have to worry about the consequences of causing trouble, because I am the truth! Trouble is just a seasoning for life!
Seeing the man's frustration at being unable to kill her was exhilarating. No one could guess that inside this cold, silver-white suit of Sam armor was actually a girl going through a bit of a chuunibyou phase, just trying to look cool.
"Let's go."
Firefly quickly composed herself and spoke to the two girls.
"O-Okay..."
Ye Yunzhi swallowed hard and quickly agreed, pulling Luo Lin along toward the city. This powerful person seemed so difficult to get along with; she hoped she hadn't just jumped from the wolf's den into the tiger's maw.
Please, let that not be the case!
★ ★ ★
"By the way." Halfway through their walk, Firefly suddenly remembered something. "Do you know the fastest way to earn Credits?"
"Credits?"
Ye Yunzhi stopped and pulled a badge from her bag.
"The Mercenary Association is the fastest place to get Credits. We belong to it."
"The rewards for missions range from dozens to hundreds of thousands of Credits. As long as you have the strength, the association is the quickest way to make money."
She turned and pointed back toward the direction they had just come from.
"For example, that A-rank giant spider. If you bring back the Xenocrystal from its skull, it would sell for at least a million Credits. If the body remains mostly intact, the price is even higher."
"..."
"Um? Is something wrong?"
Seeing the silver armor suddenly freeze in place, Ye Yunzhi asked cautiously.
"It's nothing. I just remembered something very important I forgot to do. I'll be right back."
With that, Firefly turned toward the forest. She exerted force through her legs, causing the ground to crack instantly. With a powerful shockwave and a burst of scorching fire, her silhouette vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.