Chapter 81: Xiao Xiao
The dormitory door was gently pushed open, and a petite figure appeared in the doorway. The girl had long, glossy raven-black hair tied back with a simple ribbon, a few stray strands falling playfully beside her ears. She wore a pale green dress, its hem embroidered with delicate cloud patterns—elegant yet lively.
"Hello, I'm Xiao Xiao." The girl offered a sweet smile, her eyes curving into crescent moons, her voice crisp and pleasant.
Furina immediately returned a warm smile. "Hello. I'm Furina. I take it you're my roommate?" Inwardly, she felt a quiet surge of delight. She hadn't expected to encounter Xiao Xiao—one of the future Shrek Seven Monsters from the original story. This girl, who played such an important role in the early plot, was definitely someone worth paying attention to.
Yet Furina's thoughts soon drifted to certain baffling actions Xiao Xiao had taken in the original story. Though clearly of distinguished background and a rare twin martial soul possessor, she had once rashly attached a soul ring to her second martial soul right before the freshman assessment—a wasteful, almost reckless squandering of her innate gifts. Even more incomprehensible was that the academy's teachers had done nothing to stop it. It was a clear sign of Shrek's deficiencies in student cultivation.
What nagged at Furina most of all was this: in the original story, Xiao Xiao had actually been goaded by a simple, low-level taunt into wagering her own leg. Wasting one's talent could still be remedied—but severed limbs were not so easily restored. Though Furina now possessed a soul skill capable of achieving just that, she far preferred that Xiao Xiao never make such a mistake in the first place.
At this moment, Xiao Xiao naturally had no inkling of the thoughts turning in Furina's mind. She merely nodded shyly. "Yes, it looks like we'll be spending the coming academy life together." Her gaze was quickly drawn to the three special beings at Furina's side. "Oh—are those three your pets?" She pointed curiously at Lord Usher, Madame Hevmayer, and Mademoiselle Chevaleyda.
Furina let out a soft laugh and reached out to gently stroke one of Lord Usher's tendrils. "They're not pets. They're my martial soul—and also my closest companions."
"There's actually a martial soul like that?" Xiao Xiao's eyes widened in astonishment. "Does that mean you have three martial souls?"
"Close—but unfortunately, they all belong to a single martial soul." Furina turned with elegant poise and retrieved an exquisitely bound manual from her storage ring. "Please accept this as a first-meeting gift. The Phoenix Chant Tome—this cultivation technique should suit you perfectly. Not only will it dramatically increase your cultivation speed and spiritual power, it also comes with a full set of complementary combat techniques. Even an auxiliary-type soul master, after training in it, can obtain quite respectable fighting strength."
Xiao Xiao froze, her face a canvas of pure disbelief. To gift such a precious cultivation technique upon their very first meeting—this utterly surpassed anything she could comprehend. Furina's casual, offhanded manner, as if she were handing over nothing more than an ordinary piece of fruit, left Xiao Xiao even more flustered.
"Th-this is far too valuable. I can't possibly accept..." Xiao Xiao waved her hands in a panic, her voice trembling slightly.
But Furina pressed the manual firmly into her hands without room for argument, then produced two pills shimmering with a faint blue luminescence. "And these two Profound Water Pills—take them as well. Don't worry. These things don't mean much to me. I simply want to be friends with you."
Xiao Xiao held the manual and the pills, her hands trembling faintly. "Is this really alright? These things are far too precious. Am I... am I really worth being treated this way?" Her voice was tinged with the bewildered unease of someone overwhelmed by unexpected favor.
Furina waved a dismissive hand. "Perhaps my self-introduction was a bit incomplete. I am Furina—Pope of the Church of the Water God, and also the Water God herself." She lifted her chin slightly, her voice carrying just the right note of pride. "I am a twin martial soul master. My first martial soul is Cake—rank forty-seven food-type support soul master. My second martial soul is what you see here—the Salon Solitaire."
She introduced each of her three companions in turn. "This is Lord Usher. This is Madame Hevmayer. And this is Mademoiselle Chevaleyda."
"Rank forty-seven food-type support soul master?!" Xiao Xiao's jaw dropped so wide she could have fit an apple inside. "And a twin martial soul, too!"
She did a rapid mental calculation. She herself possessed twin martial souls, yet was still only a two-ringed soul master. Meanwhile, Furina—as a food-type soul master, whose cultivation was typically slower—had somehow already reached rank forty-seven. Only the legendary innate full soul power of twenty ranks could possibly explain this.
Furina inclined her head slightly, confirming Xiao Xiao's unspoken guess. In truth, she was still holding back—strictly speaking, she should be considered a triple martial soul possessor, but Neuvillette was currently handling church affairs and couldn't exactly be displayed.
"But I still don't think someone as important as you would need to recruit someone like me," Xiao Xiao lowered her head, her voice gradually fading. "Though I haven't heard of the Church of the Water God before, it must be a powerful sect. It shouldn't lack for people like me, should it?" A note of self-deprecation crept into her tone.
Furina laughed softly and shook her head. "You're mistaken. The Church of the Water God is a newly risen organization. While its scale is not small, its strength still needs considerable growth. I came to Shrek Academy in my capacity as Pope precisely to find geniuses like you." A light of sharp intelligence gleamed in her eyes. "Using a few elixirs and cultivation techniques to recruit talented individuals from all across the land—isn't that a very worthwhile trade? What do you think?"
"This..." Xiao Xiao was completely unable to keep pace with Furina's rhythm. She could only feel that the manual and pills in her hands had suddenly become impossibly heavy.
Just then, Lord Usher lightly hopped onto Furina's shoulder, his tendrils dancing with elegant grace. Madame Hevmayer blew out a string of crystalline bubbles that refracted rainbow light beneath the sun. Mademoiselle Chevaleyda stood with steady, solid poise at Furina's feet, a faint luster flowing across her carapace.
Furina looked at the still-hesitating Xiao Xiao, her voice softening even further. "You don't need to decide right now. These gifts are simply a token of my goodwill. Whether or not you join the Church of the Water God—we're already friends, aren't we?"
She walked toward the window, newly cleaned until it sparkled. "Shrek Academy is indeed a fine place—a gathering ground for geniuses. But sometimes, the path truly suited to oneself requires stepping beyond the established framework to find."
Xiao Xiao gazed at Furina's silhouette, then lowered her head to look once more at the Phoenix Chant Tome and the Profound Water Pills in her hands. This roommate who had appeared so suddenly radiated an aura of quiet reassurance, making her want to trust her almost involuntarily.
"I... I'll give it serious thought," Xiao Xiao finally said softly, a sweet smile blooming anew on her face. "No matter what—thank you for the gifts. And thank you... for wanting to be my friend."
Furina turned back with a smile, the light in her eyes warmer even than the sunlight. "That's more like it. Now come—let me help you settle in. After that, we can have a proper chat."
The three water-element companions also swirled around with cheerful, welcoming energy, as if greeting the arrival of a new friend. The dormitory was instantly filled with a warm, pleasant atmosphere, heralding the beginning of a most unusual friendship.