School Trip

The silver pendant resembled a crescent moon, its edges engraved with mysterious patterns. Several arcane symbols shimmered in and out of view. Occasionally, an item could be seen appearing and disappearing within it, and in the distance, the vague silhouette of a person flickered into view. However, her face was obscured by mist, making it impossible to discern her features.

The glazed-colored cord tied to it was made of some unknown material. When light passed over it, it seemed to form hazy illusions of shadowy figures. Chu Lian didn't know what it was, but she couldn't shake the feeling that everything about it was connected to her in some inexplicable way—like a fated encounter with someone from a past life.

"Big Sis, are you still looking at that pendant?" Chu Chu, seated to her left and holding the spiritual form of Tina in her arms, looked at the pendant in Chu Lian's hand with curiosity and asked somewhat sulkily. She was in a bad mood—the two-person world she had planned for the trip had been ruined by an unexpected tag-along.

On Chu Lian's other side, Inori tilted her head, her gentle gaze resting on Chu Lian as she softly said, "Lian, I'm sorry for troubling you again. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't be in such a passive position right now." She was referring to how Chu Lian had used her connections to bring Inori along and even arranged for them to share the same room.

This kind of arrangement clearly violated school regulations, but Chu Lian had insisted. Even Li Mingxue had stepped in to handle it, forcing the school to relent. However, the condition was that they would cover all expenses themselves and not stray too far from the group.

The requirements weren't strict, but they definitely carried a punitive tone. After all, Chu Lian had disrupted school rules. If no consequence was shown, what would happen the next time someone else broke them? But the punishment couldn't be too harsh either—this was just a reminder not to repeat such behavior.

"The Key of Seven Illusions is indeed a strange artifact. I don't even know how it ended up around my neck." Chu Lian had been unconscious during that time, so she had no idea about the gentle woman's appearance. Both Chu Chu and Inori remained tight-lipped about it, never revealing a thing to her.

All she knew was that when she awoke, several new entries had appeared in her attribute panel. The Apocalypse Virus Core and Void Controller were among them—powers she could vaguely understand, as they were the abilities used by Mana Ouma and Shu Ouma in Guilty Crown. The names had been changed to fit the difference between anime and reality.

However, she was completely in the dark about the appearance of the Key of Seven Illusions and the Seven Illusions Bow. If the system hadn't told her that the Key of Seven Illusions was the crescent-shaped pendant on her chest, it might have taken her a long while to figure out where the change had occurred. She certainly wouldn't be holding it and studying it now.

After answering Chu Chu's question, Chu Lian no longer dwelled on the pendant's purpose. Since the system had specifically mentioned its danger, it was likely something beyond her current control. Aside from unlocking a special ability, the most useful outcome from last night's enhancement was the significant boost in her strength, agility, and constitution attributes.

It was an unexpected windfall. She had assumed her attributes couldn't rise drastically in an instant. Yet all three had broken past 20, with Strength even reaching D- level. Her overall power had stepped into the Spirit tier—an unprecedented advancement.

Though she didn't fully understand what the Spirit tier entailed, according to the system's explanation, she might already be beyond human. She couldn't leap across rooftops or pluck flowers to use as deadly weapons, but facing off against dozens of enemies? That might only take a few moves to settle.

Fortunately, she didn't have any leads yet regarding these matters, so she didn't dwell on them for long. Instead, she tucked them away in her mind, waiting until she had gathered enough information to make a proper decision. She stretched lazily, and as her hand dropped back down, it happened to land in Inori's. She looked up and gave her a gentle smile.

"There's no need to worry about this. They're just following their rules, but that doesn't mean they hold anything against us. There may be complaints, sure, but no one will actually be hostile. After all, no one in that kind of position is truly irrational."

She was comforting Inori, who was clearly feeling uneasy. Chu Lian understood—it was her sense of crisis acting up. In just these three short days, Inori had already brought Chu Lian a pile of trouble, disrupted her original plans, and now even made her run around on her behalf. It would be odd if she didn't feel guilty.

"Well, it did throw my plans off a bit, but you don't have to blame yourself. I mean, I swore I wouldn't enhance my abilities again, and yet last night I underwent a total transformation. I really can't keep my past words anymore. Still, it's fine. What needs to be done will get done, and what doesn't, won't necessarily change just because of this."

Chu Lian had always been easygoing about such things and wasn't the type to regret plans being disrupted—especially when it involved someone like Inori. She understood very well that with the unpredictable system in play, promises could be broken due to various circumstances.

Just like the sudden appearance of the Youth Literature Contest a few days ago—an event that completely contradicted her previous claim of staying out of the public eye for a few years. Even though it hadn't happened yet, the system had already scheduled it as a task, making it unavoidable.

Now she faced another problem: how would she explain it to her fans? After saying she'd lay low for years, she'd soon be popping up in a literary contest. Even the most loyal fans would grumble. She had even prepped an excuse: "I'm entering as a student, not performing in public..."

But Inori didn't know about any of that, so even though Chu Lian sounded casual, she still felt down. Yet Chu Lian saw this as a good thing. It meant Inori was beginning to learn how to express her emotions. Just that alone made all the effort worth it.

"Truly a pair of star-crossed lovers, huh..." muttered Chu Chu sourly from the side. Only after Chu Lian turned and glared at her did she finally shut her mouth. Why couldn't Big Sis treat her with the same tenderness and care she gave Inori? This blatant favoritism was just too much to bear. So annoying!

In a grumpy mood, Chu Chu squeezed Tina a little too hard, causing the spirit-formed Tina to squirm uncomfortably before suddenly leaping forward and biting her chest.

"Ah..." The unexpected tickle snapped Chu Chu back to her senses. She pouted, scooped up the feisty Tina, and hugged her tightly before slipping on an eye mask and curling up to sleep.

Out of sight, out of mind. If she didn't want to watch Big Sis being lovey-dovey with someone else, then she'd just sleep. Hmph. One day, I'll make Big Sis my bride—and then I'll flaunt our love in front of all these people! Hmph! With that bizarre thought in her head, Chu Chu quickly drifted off.

Chu Lian shrugged and glanced around. Aside from the people blocked by the tall seatbacks, everyone she could see had already been asleep for a while. After all, the morning had been spent gathering and packing, and they had waited at the airport all afternoon. They only boarded the plane in the evening, so naturally everyone was exhausted.

It was already past 9 PM. Under normal circumstances, they would all be in bed fast asleep by now. Chu Lian remained awake only because her physique had improved significantly, reducing her need for rest. She could endure a bit longer. Chu Chu, on the other hand, had long been used to her usual schedule and had dozed off first.

Moreover, if everyone around them hadn't fallen asleep, Chu Lian and Inori wouldn't have brought up this topic. Thankfully, not long after Chu Chu drifted off, Inori also succumbed to a strong wave of sleepiness and gently dozed off against Chu Lian. Left alone, Chu Lian quietly stroked Inori's silky hair, lost in thought.

Time ticked by as Chu Lian gazed out the plane window, doing nothing else. The view beyond grew clearer. A brightly lit city slowly emerged below. From Sucheng, they had taken a chartered vehicle to the Magic City, then boarded a flight from Pudong Airport. After a journey of over three hours, they had arrived in Jiuzhaigou.

Soon, the teachers stood and began gently waking the sleeping students, reminding them it was time to disembark. This was tough on students who usually followed strict rest routines. One by one, they rubbed their eyes, visibly groggy. Still, it was probably for the best—they needed the rest.

Ning Zhiyuan was the teacher responsible for waking the students near Chu Lian. When she walked over and saw Chu Lian smiling calmly at her, she was surprised by how energetic she looked. Her gaze shifted to Inori, still resting on Chu Lian's lap, and after a slight nod, she pointed at the others and walked away.

"Inori, time to wake up..." Chu Lian leaned down, her lips close to Inori's ear, whispering gently. At the same time, her hand reached over and gave Chu Chu's chest a firm squeeze.

"Ah..." Startled by the sudden ticklish sensation, Chu Chu jerked upright, yanked off her eye mask, and pouted furiously at Chu Lian's soft handling of Inori, her eyes full of indignation.

"Mm, Lian... have we arrived?" Hearing Chu Lian's voice, Inori sat up, rubbed her eyes, and glanced at the dazzling nightscape outside the window.

"Mm, we've arrived. Time to get off. Chu Chu, don't forget your luggage again. We can't afford delays this time."

Unfastening her seatbelt, Chu Lian walked to the outermost seat and gently pinched Li Xiu'er's cheek. "Xiu'er, Xiu'er, wake up, we're in Jiuzhaigou. Didn't you always dream of seeing this earthly paradise? If you keep sleeping, we'll leave you behind."

"Mmm~" Li Xiu'er had heavy sleep inertia. Even awake, she kept rubbing her eyes, looking adorably dazed. Then, out of nowhere, she opened her arms and said, "Lian, I want a hug... I want a hug..." Her sudden request startled Chu Lian, but she smiled softly and embraced her.

"Alright, I'm hugging you now. Time to really wake up, okay?" Chu Lian placed a light kiss on her forehead, jolting Li Xiu'er to full awareness. Her face turned crimson as she stammered, "Lian... I was just half-asleep. I didn't mean anything by it, really. Don't get the wrong idea."

Trying not to laugh, Chu Lian nodded seriously. "I didn't misunderstand. You have serious sleep inertia—I noticed that the time we napped on the rooftop. So don't worry about it. Still, your sleepy look is surprisingly adorable."

"I-I-I'm going to wash my face..." Flustered, Li Xiu'er glanced aside and saw a sulky Chu Chu and a blankly staring Inori. Realizing there was no way to explain herself, she let out a quiet "Eep!" and stumbled off toward the restroom, clearly mortified.

"I thought she wasn't a rival, but turns out she's another little vixen. Ugh, so annoying..." Chu Chu's resentment surged again. Her grip tightened involuntarily, finally irritating the spirit cat to her limit. Despite her weakened strength in spirit form, Tina clawed furiously at Chu Chu's hand.

As Tina's master, Chu Lian could clearly see her current state. She sighed and said, "Tina, stay with me later. And Chu Chu, cut it out. If you keep this up, I'll toss you into the bath alone tonight."

That threat silenced both girl and cat instantly. They exchanged a glance and drooped their heads in tandem, sighing in unison. Tina mourned the loss of her comfy... chesty sleeping spot; Chu Chu mourned that no matter how much she fussed, Chu Lian still refused to give her the promised cuddles.

Rolling her eyes, Chu Lian reached out and held Inori's hand, then waved at Li Xiu'er, who had just returned from washing up. She picked up both her and Inori's luggage—a small travel bag that looked like it could only fit a few clothes and a laptop, no larger than 30×30 cm. But for Chu Lian, it was enough.

As the scene outside the window grew clearer, the plane trembled slightly as it touched down. The chartered flight carrying dozens of elite students landed at Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Airport in Sichuan.

In the future, this plane would carry them to seven more countries and eleven more cities. This was only the beginning.

Chu Lian was the first to rise. Grabbing Inori's hand, she headed out. She had been suppressed for far too long. The hidden-job missions of the Spacetime Traveling Merchant and the Daughter of Fate would begin or end on this journey. She was looking forward to that moment—and to a beautiful new beginning.