Bzzzz—
The white glow of the teleportation array flickered.
After completing three daily missions, Loserine returned to the guild.
The moment she stepped into the guild hall, she saw that Kurose Akira had already been waiting there.
"Following your instructions, all tasks have been completed successfully," Loserine reported in her usual expressionless tone, seemingly unaware that she had misunderstood the assignment Akira had given her.
"Cough, cough…"
Akira cleared his throat and explained,
"What I meant was that I hoped you would lead the guild members to complete the daily quests together, not go out and handle them all by yourself."
"Is that so?"
Loserine tilted her head slightly, her expression blank and somewhat stunned.
Seeing that reaction, Akira sighed helplessly.
It seemed he had overestimated the capacity of a skeleton's brain.
Meanwhile, as Akira and Loserine were talking, Lucia had been staring fixedly at Akira's tongue the entire time.
She still couldn't forget what she had seen last night.
That twenty-centimeter-long, incredibly flexible tongue continued to linger stubbornly in her mind.
"Lucia?"
"~~"
The sudden call startled her slightly, making her body tremble. She turned her head and saw Ivsha standing beside her.
"Is something the matter?" Lucia asked.
"You…" Ivsha smiled softly and said in a gentle voice,
"Would you like to have afternoon tea together? Viola prepared some special desserts unique to the forest."
Lucia snapped back to her senses and nodded lightly.
"Alright."
Seeing their relationship becoming friendlier, Akira felt somewhat relieved.
As for what had caused the change?
Naturally, it was that day when they prayed together under the Holy Light…
Ahem.
Akira quickly shifted his thoughts and submitted the three daily quests.
Then he began thinking about the afternoon's schedule.
Because of the three-day college entrance examination, he couldn't fully dedicate himself to the game during this period.
So he needed to prioritize tasks that were either easy to complete or could be paused midway.
After some careful selection, Akira finally chose one of the five C-rank commissions—a puzzle-solving mission.
These kinds of tasks were similar to the previous opportunity quests, focusing mainly on deciphering mysteries.
Commission Quest III (C Rank): Solve the Riddle of the Frozen Core (0/1)Reward: 10 Gold, 100,000 EXPSpecial Reward: Ice Crystal Potion ×1 (Epic)
"An Epic-grade potion?" Akira murmured.
Then he handed the quest over to Lucia and the others.
During the three days of his exams, the guild members could work on solving it.
"The riddle of the Frozen Core?"
Ivsha and the others looked confused after reading the quest description. None of them had ever heard of such a thing.
"The Frozen Kingdom," Lucia explained calmly, "was once a nation whose entire wealth was sealed beneath the ice magic of the Frostfield Witch. Only by breaking her spell can one claim the treasures buried within."
"So there are adventurers and merchants who specialize in searching the frozen wastelands for opportunities. The Frozen Core is likely a relic recovered from those expeditions."
"Mm."
Akira nodded.
"The client wants us to solve the riddle of the Frozen Core and discover what secret lies hidden inside."
"Fortunately, the task doesn't require us to travel anywhere. We can work on it right here in the guild."
He then retrieved the Frozen Core from his inventory.
It was a brilliant blue polyhedral crystal, perfectly clear and dazzling.
The moment it was placed on the table, a wave of chilling cold spread outward, causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.
"So this is it?" Alice stared at the Frozen Core without blinking, her eyes filled with curiosity and excitement.
"Yeah."
Akira continued,
"Our task is to solve its riddle. I'll leave that to you all—I'll be busy the next couple of days."
"Eh~ Flory doesn't understand this kind of thing~"
Bea Flory tilted her head with a puzzled look.
Intellectual puzzles were not exactly her strong suit… despite the fact that she was technically a mage.
"I'll handle this Frozen Core."
Lucia calmly reached out and lifted the crystal into her palm.
Akira asked curiously,
"You've studied the Frostfield Witch before?"
"Of course."
Lucia replied with a composed expression.
"As one of the most powerful witches within the Witch Church, she's an object of study for every nation."
"It's said that she once received the Blessing of the Goddess of Snow, and the level of that blessing was quite high."
"The Goddess of Snow's blessing…"
Akira repeated quietly, his curiosity about the Frostfield Witch growing stronger.
He nodded thoughtfully.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Lucia."
Lucia nodded with confidence.
"Mm."
Of course, she had no intention of solving the puzzle herself.
Instead, she planned to hand the Frozen Core to one of the Seven Holy Maidens.
That particular maiden had come from the nation once frozen by the Frostfield Witch—and in her pursuit of revenge, she had studied the witch extensively.
After assigning the task, Akira temporarily logged out of the game to focus on his exam preparation.
Time flew by like a fleeting horse.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed, and the college entrance examination finally came to an end.
During these two days, the guild had been managed jointly by Lucia and Loserine.
As for the riddle of the Frozen Core, no definitive result had been obtained yet.
When the final exam bell rang, Akira walked out of the testing hall with relaxed steps.
The exam hadn't been difficult for him.
In fact, the questions were much easier than he had expected.
Although the final scores had yet to be released, he already felt confident.
Getting into Zhehai University should be no problem.
As one of the top three universities in the country, Zhehai University had always been the dream of countless students.
"Su—Akira!"
Just as he was about to head home, the class monitor ran toward him in a hurry.
"Akira, wait!"
Akira turned around.
"What's up?"
The class monitor adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and explained,
"You haven't been coming to school much lately, and I couldn't add you on WeChat, so some announcements didn't reach you in time."
"Tomorrow our class is having a graduation gathering at XXXX. All the students and teachers will be there."
"You'll come too, right?"
"…"
Akira hesitated for a moment before answering,
"Yeah. I'll go."
"Great! It's 200 yuan per person. We'll settle the difference later if needed."
The class monitor extended his hand with a grin.
"There will be other activities afterward—but the teachers are just joining us for dinner."
"…."
Akira said nothing.
He simply handed over the two hundred yuan.
He had never been particularly enthusiastic about class reunions.
Since the worldline disturbance had altered his background, many of the classmates he used to be close with now felt strangely distant.
Combined with his busy part-time work schedule, his interactions with classmates had become minimal.
Still…
Considering this might be their last gathering as high school classmates, he decided to attend.
At most, he would eat dinner.
He had no interest in the rest of the activities.
"Tomorrow at noon. Don't be late."
The class monitor pocketed the money and hurried off.
Not long after he left, Liu Xue quietly appeared beside Akira.
"Did the class monitor invite you too?" she asked softly.
Akira nodded.
"Yeah."
Liu Xue brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, occasionally glancing at him.
"I only got the message today as well. He even told the girls to dress nicely."
She hesitated slightly before continuing.
"So… don't just leave me there and run off, alright?"
"?"
Akira blinked.
"You're planning to escape after dinner too?"
"I heard they're going to a bar afterward. I don't like places like that," Liu Xue explained.
"I'd rather go home and play games."
"So when the time comes… let's sneak out together. Okay?"
"Sure."
Akira smiled.
"Sounds like a plan."
After returning home, Akira didn't immediately log into the game.
He glanced at his savings.
Only five or six thousand yuan remained.
He needed to find a place to live before the semester began.
The exam results would be released in about ten days, but based on how the tests went, Akira was confident he would get into Zhehai University.
"Running a bit low on money… I wonder when Xu Feiyan will finish her work."
He muttered to himself, hoping for assistance from the wealthy lady.
Right now he urgently needed funds to rent a place near Zhehai University.
Otherwise, his belongings would have to stay in a storage warehouse temporarily.
As for Liu Xue's earlier suggestion—that he move into the apartment her sister Liu Ling was renting—
That was absolutely impossible.
Living together with two girls would make him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Alright… time to log in."
Akira entered the game again.
When he arrived at the guild, he saw everyone gathered in the hall.
Soft white light illuminated their faces.
"?"
Akira walked over and asked curiously,
"What's going on?"
"Master~!"
Alice turned around excitedly.
"Big Sister Lucia has successfully solved the mystery of the Frozen Core!"
As she spoke, the girls stepped aside, clearing Akira's line of sight.
His gaze landed on the blue crystal that had once been sealed in ice.
Now it had thawed completely.
Revealing its true form.
It was a statue of a woman, carved from flawless ice crystal and radiating intense cold.
Akira didn't recognize the woman depicted, but the craftsmanship was exquisite—clearly a rare treasure.
Statue of the Goddess of Snow (Epic)A statue of the Goddess of Snow.Has a certain probability of establishing communication with the Goddess of Snow.Chance: 0.0001%
"A statue of the Goddess of Snow…"
Akira examined it carefully.
He hadn't expected the Frozen Core to contain something like this.
As for the statue's effect—
A chance to communicate with the Goddess of Snow…
But 0.0001% was absurdly low.
"You just solved the riddle?" Akira asked Lucia curiously.
"Mm."
Lucia simply nodded, revealing little emotion.
But inside, she felt a trace of tension.
Because the one who had actually solved the puzzle was the Frost Spirit Holy Maiden, not her.
"Lucia really is brilliant," Akira praised sincerely.
Then he prepared to submit the statue as the quest item.
But just then—
A Flame-Silver Phoenix Butterfly fluttered down and landed lightly on the statue.
"Chirp chirp~"
It flapped its wings happily, as if trying to communicate with Akira.
Of course, only Viola could understand it.
"You mean… the Snow Porpoise Egg needs this statue?" she translated.
"Chirp chirp chirp~!"
The butterfly responded enthusiastically.
"?"
Akira's expression turned complicated.
He looked toward the Snow Porpoise Egg resting quietly in a glass display case.
He couldn't understand why the egg would want the Statue of the Goddess of Snow.
Normally, only followers of the Snow Goddess would care about something like this.
And besides—
The statue was currently a quest item.
It couldn't be casually given away.
After thinking for a moment, Akira asked the butterfly again,
"You're sure the little one inside the egg needs this statue?"
The butterfly nodded vigorously, chirping with absolute certainty.
"Alright."
Akira sighed lightly.
"Then I'll ask the client about it."
Even though the statue was a quest item, if one of his guild members needed it, he would naturally try to negotiate.
Even if that member…
Was just an egg that hadn't hatched yet.
"Chirp chirp chirp~!"
Hearing his agreement, the butterfly immediately flew close and rubbed its tiny head against Akira's cheek, expressing its delight.
"Hey—hey, that tickles."
Akira laughed and gently pushed the little creature away.
Then he contacted the quest's client to discuss the matter of the statue.
Not long afterward, he received a reply.
But when he read the message—
Akira froze.
[ ? ]: Su—Kurose Akira? You want to buy the Statue of the Goddess of Snow? Interesting. I'll send you a location. Come find me.
They know me?
Akira frowned.
And when he saw the location the other party had sent—
His brows knitted tightly.
"The Royal Palace of the Star Kingdom…?"
He muttered to himself.
Why would the meeting place be the royal palace?
And that tone…
Why did it feel strangely familiar?
"Lucia, come with me."
Akira stood up, preparing to travel to the Star Kingdom's palace.
Lucia said nothing and followed him into the teleportation array.
But the moment they arrived at the Star Kingdom's Royal Palace, Akira fell silent.
Because the one waiting for him—
Was Idis.
"You're the client?" Akira asked in confusion.
"Of course… not~"
Idis smiled sweetly.
"Come with me. I'll take you to meet the real client."
"?"
Still confused, Akira followed her.
But instead of a noble hall or office—
Idis led him to a special prison.
And the prisoner held inside…
Was someone Akira knew very well.
The Ice Knight who had once served Princess Vivian—
Iceblue.
"There~"
Idis flicked her finger lightly, opening the prison door.
"She's your client."