When it was Qi Xu's turn to choose who to ask, she hesitated slightly before finally selecting Emberkiss Starmoon. She could sense that this woman had her own pride; having been given the correct answer, she wouldn't lie.
Qi Xu was more inclined to believe that none of the three would lie to her. She had known Xie Shaoning the longest. Although he was pretentious, foolish, and arrogant, he hadn't been too out of line along the way... and he was reliable when it mattered.
The only point that made Qi Xu deeply wary was his treatment of his pet—too calculating and cruel. A person like that, combined with his unusual upbringing, destined him to have a very selfish, self-centered character.
As for Cheese Milk Cap Eight Sugars, she was an actress. Who knew if she was deliberately playing weak, feigning closeness to gain trust?
During their first meeting at the tea house, this girl had completely fooled Xie Shaoning, making him look like an idiot.
Although Xie Shaoning was inherently quite dumb, he wasn't the type to trust others easily. Cheese Milk Cap Eight Sugars definitely had some skills.
Unexpectedly, after Qi Xu answered "purple" as Emberkiss Starmoon had said, her palm quickly grew hot. The Truth Herb actually judged this as a lie again!
Qi Xu was stunned, completely unprepared for this result! She looked in surprise at the hazy figure of Emberkiss Starmoon outside the ribbon—her expression appeared completely normal...
Qi Xu could only force herself to calm down quickly.
[Make your choice swiftly!]
As the countdown began, Qi Xu frantically analyzed every detail. The timer was only 10 seconds. If she failed to answer within 10 seconds, it would be automatically judged as incorrect.
In the end, Qi Xu decided to gamble. "Purple!"
Emberkiss Starmoon had no reason to deceive her. Qi Xu trusted her own judgment.
[Congratulations to player Invincible Black Whirlwind for successfully clearing the 'Treasure Map: Star Raft's Lost Letter'! You have obtained the world's most precious treasure!]
Qi Xu heaved a huge sigh of relief, but before she could finish relaxing, hearing "the world's most precious treasure" made her tremble with rage...
"This is too much. What do you mean by 'the world's most precious treasure'? It can't be what I'm thinking, right?"
Qi Xu couldn't even maintain a basic polite expression.
[The camaraderie between you all, the friendship built on mutual trust—is that not the most precious treasure in this world?]
Qi Xu gritted her teeth, wanting to curse someone out. But as she emerged from the "ribbon," she noticed the other three had clearly odd expressions, looking as sorrowful as if they'd lost their wallets.
"What's going on? You didn't trust me?"
The three looked even more heartbroken, which made Qi Xu laugh in exasperation.
Xie Shaoning tried to defend himself. "I definitely trusted you! Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen to ask you. But after I gave my answer, it said my choice was wrong and told me to answer again. I had no choice."
"He's brainless, so I won't say more. What about you two?" Qi Xu asked, puzzled, turning to Emberkiss Starmoon and Cheese Milk Cap Eight Sugars.
"Mine had an extra step compared to him. The second time, I still firmly answered the color you told me, but it said my choice failed and that you could obtain my treasure. Then it said if I paid 500 Survival Coins myself, I could get the correct answer."
Emberkiss Starmoon was also speechless. Mainly, the time was too tight. Given a few more seconds, she might have figured out the trick.
But that countdown voice just then was like a death knell... They were all people who hadn't known each other long, still in a competitive relationship of interests. It was truly impossible to achieve wholehearted trust.
Cheese Milk Cap Eight Sugars said flatly, "500 Survival Coins? Mine was 1000!"
Emberkiss Starmoon wailed, "I only had 500 left... If it had said 1000, I would've just given up."
Hearing this comparison, Xie Shaoning suddenly felt he hadn't done so badly. Although he held out for less time, at least he had no extra losses.
He immediately started gloating again. "What's the use? You guys are worse off than me."
Qi Xu asked, confused, "But that doesn't add up. If the colors you all said were wrong, why did you successfully get out? Did you break a protective item?"
"No. It just told me the answer was wrong and said something all flowery and literary. What was it? I didn't remember."
Cheese Milk Cap Eight Sugars chimed in, "'May passing this trial teach you trust.'"
"Right, that was it for me too. Whatever, wrong is wrong. At least there's no punishment, and even if someone wins, there's no reward either."
Xie Shaoning's smug, annoying look earned him a full-force punch from the server's number one ranked player. He instantly covered his half-numb face and learned to shut up.
The three girls were somewhat dejected, still finding it hard to believe that this Treasure Map secret realm could be so pointless, truly having no treasure at all.
Qi Xu was currently so irritable that she wanted to throw a treasure-possessed rage fit, while Xie Shaoning positioned himself directly in the corner farthest from her, afraid of becoming a target for her venting.
By comparison, he didn't feel too disappointed. Being carefree by nature, realizing he hadn't suffered a major loss actually gave him some psychological comfort, and he perked up again.
His show-off, stinky attitude made Emberkiss Starmoon want to battle him right then and there. What an adventure journey—losing the lady and breaking the troops.
The three continued forward along the "Starlight Avenue" and soon encountered a rusted bronze door identical to the one they entered through.
They were once again reminded of the terrifying scene of being robbed of Survival Coins upon entry. Fortunately, this bronze door didn't talk.
But on it was placed a combination lock—an old-fashioned four-digit number lock. No attempt limit, but also absolutely no hints whatsoever. Clearly, it was testing your luck. At least there were no English letters, making it not overly complex.
"This is insane. I really regret coming here. No loot at all, just a bunch of bullshit setups."
"What's the use of saying that now? Weren't you the one shamelessly chasing me across multiple zones begging for a spot?"
"Shut the hell up! I'm pissed right now!"
"You're pissed? So am I!"
Emberkiss Starmoon and Xie Shaoning started bickering again, one sentence each.
Even Cheese Milk Cap Eight Sugars, with her good temper, was finding it hard to keep up the act. "Oh, for goodness' sake! You're both pissed, and all you do when faced with a problem is complain. Look at what Boss Whirlwind is doing!"
Cheese Milk Cap Eight Sugars couldn't stop thinking to herself, how did I end up with such idiots as allies? Disband! Disband right here, right now. There's absolutely no need to consider it further.
Emberkiss Starmoon and Xie Shaoning looked at Qi Xu and saw she was trying the combinations one by one.
"How long are you going to try that?"
"Seriously, giving no hints at all. This Treasure Map secret realm is total garbage. How are we supposed to try all these combinations?"
........
