"Welcome, all four of you, to the Treasure Map Secret Realm: Star Raft's Forgotten Letter. Guided by the river of stars and sealed by the passage of time, may you uncover the most precious treasures within this realm!
Before the adventure begins, each of you must carry a Soul Ribbon. At midnight every night, this ribbon will reveal a color, and you must loudly declare it. However, only your three companions can see its true hue. Should the color you declare differ from the ribbon's actual shade, alas, your soul shall scatter within these woods.
The realm is treacherous, fraught with peril. Venturing alone may lead to dire straits. We urge you to unite in heart and purpose—like inseparable companions or sworn siblings—for only through flawless teamwork can you break the seal of time, unveil the secrets of the stars, and claim the ultimate treasure together, returning in glory!"
Jinwen Xingmang Yue kicked a pebble in irritation. "Can't they just speak normally? Ugh, all that gibberish—who can even understand it?"
Xie Shaoning's expression was equally unimpressed. The rapid announcement made it hard to grasp every detail. Had it been displayed in text, context might have helped, but now...
The group turned their eyes to Qi Xu, who smirked. "Guess I'm the scholar now."
"Let Milk Cap explain. You understood it, didn’t you?"
Xie Shaoning nearly blurted out, "She’s just a fangirl who skipped school half the time, stalked my schedules, and never even took the college entrance exams. Where would she pick this up?"
"Wow, impressive," Qi Xu remarked, her gaze lingering pointedly on Cheese Milk Cap, 80% Sugar.
Cheese Milk Cap, 80% Sugar pinched her temples, suddenly regretting her alliance with that idiot. Now that her goal of entering the Treasure Map was achieved, she saw no reason to keep up the act.
Her voice dropped its saccharine sweetness as she frowned and explained, "The key point is this: Each of us must wear a Soul Ribbon. At midnight every night, we have to shout out the color of our ribbon. Only the other three can see its true color. If you get it wrong, you die. The rest is just fluff—something about teamwork and shared treasure."
Xie Shaoning was narcissistic, not stupid. Staring at Cheese Milk Cap, now articulate and free of her usual simpering act, he let out a bitter laugh. He nodded sharply three times, hands on his hips as he heaved furious breaths, his gaze darting between the three women. Fine. If I ever team up with women again, I’m a damn dog.
Too angry to speak, he seethed inwardly. So much for having an ally—she’d just been using him too.
The Soul Ribbons materialized after the announcement, translucent and seemingly colorless at first glance. Each tied one around their wrist, and instantly, the colors on the others' ribbons became visible. They exchanged wary looks.
Qi Xu took the lead. "Let’s not waste time on trivialities. I’ll call out names, and everyone will simultaneously shout the color of that person’s ribbon. Any objections?"
"None."
The other three visibly relaxed. With lives at stake, caution was paramount.
The method wasn’t hard to figure out—someone else would’ve suggested it if Qi Xu hadn’t. Her real goal was to naturally assume the role of "name-caller" from the very first day.
Without hesitation, she began:
"Happyending."
"Yellow!"
"Invincible Black Whirlwind."
"Pink!"
"Jinwen Xingmang Yue."
"Green!"
"Cheese foam milk tea, 80% sugar."
"Black!"
Before even asking the questions, Qi Xu had already crushed the [Truth Grass] in her palm. The lack of a burning sensation confirmed that the three were telling the truth.
With a temporary truce of mutual trust established, the group finally set off, leaving the protective barrier of the starting point behind.
The treasure map was in Xie Shaoning's hands. Once inside, it automatically revealed the correct route, updating in real-time like a navigation system—intelligent and precise.
While Xie Shaoning was still studying the map, his Mountain Crusher Tiger, seemingly thrilled by the environment, bolted ahead in excitement before he could stop it.
Unable to call it back, Xie Shaoning cleared his throat to save face. "Just don’t go too far. Let it have its fun."
"Try-hard, is your pet’s affinity even above 60? Don’t get yourself backstabbed by it."
Xie Shaoning ignored Jinwen Xingmangyue entirely.
The group had assumed this would be a straightforward treasure hunt through the dense forest, already mentally mapping routes and staying alert—until a deafening roar shook the ground. Withered branches burst from fissures, twisting and weaving into the colossal silhouette of a humanoid figure.
The Mountain Crusher Tiger, which had dashed ahead earlier, let out a pained howl as thorn-covered vines erupted from below, coiling around it in a vice grip. Within moments, its fur was drenched crimson.
Qi Xu dodged the splitting earth beneath her feet, while Xiaoqi moved in perfect sync beside her, requiring no instruction.
But the barbed vines seemed sentient. The thick main stem split into four tendrils, hissing through the air as they lashed toward the four of them.
Simultaneously, an eerie scraping echoed from below as countless thinner vines surged from the soil like a black tide, spreading wildly.
They tangled and coiled, layering upon themselves, cutting off all escape routes. Qi Xu drew her twin blades in a flash, slashing open a gap. "Xiaoqi!"
The moment the words left her lips, Xiaoqi lunged through the opening, then whirled back to tear into the vines. Qi Xu followed up with a swift [Scarlet Assault], countering in tandem.
The vines didn’t press further—once Qi Xu broke free, they simply retreated.
Only then did Qi Xu spare a glance at the others. Contrary to expectations, the "try-hard" Xie Shaoning held his own, wielding a lightsaber-like weapon with practiced ease.
But... he made no move to save his Mountain Crusher Tiger, even though the beast was entangled in the vine’s main body—where the attacks were fiercest.
Cheese Foam Milk Tea wielded a whip, using it to latch onto an outer vine and swing herself airborne. An electromagnetic dagger hummed in her grip as she drove it into the thickest node, breaking free.
Only Jinwen Xingmangyue struggled—his longbow and poison attacks useless against the vines. He could only frantically bat away encroaching tendrils with his bow, visibly flustered.
Cheese Foam Milk Tea moved to assist him, while Qi Xu hesitated briefly before charging toward the Mountain Crusher Tiger.
Xie Shaoning shot her a surprised look. He hadn’t pegged her as the soft-hearted, meddlesome type.
He didn’t rush forward immediately, instead pausing briefly to observe. Seeing that Qi Xu had fully captured the attention of the main trunk tree demon, he then raised his sword and advanced.
But it was already a step too late...
