Chapter 47: She Really Winked at Me!
“She moved?”
Serene’s brows drew together in confusion at Bai Xuan’s words.
She, too, had been watching the Pope intently, not daring to blink. She was certain she hadn’t seen even the slightest movement.
“Master, are you sure you didn’t imagine it?” she asked softly. “‘World Freeze’ is a supreme spell, cast by the Pope and the other demigods together. It’s powerful enough to halt even time itself. In theory, no one—not even the casters—should be able to move once it’s active.”
“But I really saw it happen!”
Bai Xuan’s tone was steady and assured.
He was absolutely certain he’d seen the Pope of Light blink—
No, not just blink. She’d distinctly closed her left eye.
A wink?
There was no way he could have mistaken it.
Serene, hearing the conviction in his voice, found herself wavering.
“Your Holiness?” she called out cautiously.
No response.
But with time itself frozen, neither of them could approach the Pope to check. There was simply no way to verify what Bai Xuan had seen.
“Maybe I really was seeing things.” Bai Xuan let out a quiet sigh. “I’m a bit tired, Serene. Let’s head back.”
Since there was no way to prove it, he didn’t want to dwell on it.
“Mm.” Serene nodded gently.
Bai Xuan activated the Teleportation Array. With a flash of golden light, the two vanished from the World of Aeria.
—
Back home, Bai Xuan immediately began reviewing the spoils of his journey to the other world.
First off, it was clear that everything in that world was locked in stasis—completely untouchable and unchangeable for now.
Except for the mission area.
The mission required him to defeat two Phantom Angels. Both were D+ rank, sharing Serene’s holy Attribute. Worse still, they fought in perfect unison, their teamwork creating a synergy where one plus one was greater than two.
“At the very least, I’ll need to tie one of them down for Serene,” Bai Xuan mused to himself.
If he could keep one busy, Serene might be able to win the fight.
“There’s no rush. I can take some time to get stronger before challenging them again.”
But…
That image of the Pope of Light, seated atop the Solar Throne, flashed through Bai Xuan’s mind again. He might have told Serene he’d imagined it, but deep down, he was absolutely certain he hadn’t been mistaken.
The Pope of Light had moved!
But why? He had no idea.
Maybe she was trying to send him a message.
Or perhaps she wanted to entrust him with some special mission.
He didn’t know yet. But as Serene’s Character Mission progressed, perhaps the truth would come to light.
—
“Late again?”
It was deep into the night when Li Hongyou, sensing a disturbance at the school, rushed to the scene at once.
But when she saw the devastation in the classroom building, her brows creased in a frown.
“Little Hongyou, you’re a step behind again, huh?”
Behind her, space itself rippled—like folding glass.
A moment later, Liu Mufei stepped out from a mirror, heels clicking, and offered a friendly smile.
“If it weren’t for you!” Li Hongyou shot her a glare. “You said you had urgent intel, so I left my post! Otherwise, I would’ve been watching our target the whole time!”
“But the intel really was important~”
Liu Mufei shrugged her fragrant shoulders and smiled sweetly. “Didn’t we finally track down the ‘Plum Blossom Three’?”
“Tch!”
Li Hongyou rolled her eyes, then scanned the area, muttering, “But the target wasn’t harmed. Someone else got here first and saved her.”
“Who do you think it was, Little Hongyou?” Liu Mufei clasped her hands over her chest, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Who else could it be?” Li Hongyou replied irritably. “In Ninghang City, there’s no one but that kid in the Slime Mask. And… judging by the scene, it looks like he and the target arranged to meet here. They might’ve even struck some kind of deal.”
“That little guy in the Slime Mask again?” Liu Mufei pictured the cutesy mask in her mind.
Hmm… It really is pretty adorable.
“Hmph! The Extremist Organization’s trash always waits until I’m not around to make their move—cowards, the lot of them!” Li Hongyou snorted angrily.
“Well, what do you expect~? You’re the star rookie Investigator~”
Liu Mufei tapped her cheek with a finger, lips curling into a sly smile. “Little Hongyou, I have a little idea. Want to hear it?”
“What is it?”
“It’s just…”
“?”
Li Hongyou blinked, then retorted, “Don’t you still have a mountain of messes to clean up back in Baihai City? Why are you meddling here?”
“Hmph~”
Liu Mufei straightened with a hint of pride, her chest bouncing ever-so-slightly. “Don’t underestimate me, Little Hongyou.”
“I’ve never stopped working. In fact—even now—I’m still sitting in my office.”
“?” Li Hongyou squinted, then realization dawned. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re—”
“Shh—”
Liu Mufei pressed a finger to her lips, a wicked little smile playing there. “That’s our little secret, okay? Don’t spill—I’d hate for both of ‘me’ to get stuck working overtime.”
—
The next day.
Bai Xuan woke from a deep sleep and, while brushing his teeth, noticed the class group chat was blowing up.
Turns out, the teaching building had somehow gotten a six-story hole blasted right through it. Emergency repairs were underway.
Luckily, it wasn’t a total disaster. With this world’s insane infrastructure speed, everything would be back to normal in about a week.
Still, classes weren’t canceled. The whole student body was just shuffled to other locations.
Bai Xuan didn’t care much—stuff like this was just part of daily life here.
He grabbed a couple of cookies and hurried out the door.
Since his usual classroom was out of commission, he had to head for the school’s main auditorium.
The hall was big enough for two thousand people, but barely anyone had arrived yet.
He found a quiet corner and sat down, activating his Legendary Perspective.
Through Serene’s eyes, he saw her sitting in meditation. Mare Alera, meanwhile, was faithfully guarding Su Yue as instructed.
Of course, Su Yue hadn’t come to school today. For safety’s sake, she was staying at her family’s Lakeside Villa.
From Mare’s perspective, Bai Xuan also noticed members of the Security Bureau and Investigation Bureau standing guard outside the villa.
“Probably Su Yue’s family called them in…” he guessed.
Just then, as he focused on the Legendary Perspective, a voice suddenly piped up beside him:
“Hey, kid. Mind if I sit here?”
Bai Xuan turned, surprised to see Li Hongyou.
If her target was Su Yue, why was she at the school?
Shouldn’t she be watching the villa?
“Sit wherever you want.” Bai Xuan nodded, pulling out his phone and pretending to scroll through videos—gotta play the part of a normal student to avoid suspicion.
Li Hongyou sat down and glanced over at him. “What are you watching?”
“Fishing videos.”
“Fishing? Aren’t boys your age supposed to be watching dance clips or hot girls or something?”
“?”
Bai Xuan blinked, then shot back, “Where’d you hear that?”
“Everyone online says so.”