Webmaster: "Just good luck."
He didn’t say that the fragment was given to him directly by its holder in Sakura Prayer. The other person probably wouldn’t have believed him anyway.
Primordial Man: "Is that so. Shadow has 3 pieces now, and I have 2. Hmm... Although I’d love to get those 3 pieces, Shadow definitely won’t give them up, right?"
Webmaster: "That’s right."
Primordial Man: "Then I’ll contact the person with the authority over the fragments later. They’ll probably propose some conditions."
Webmaster: "Have you given up on collecting them?"
Primordial Man: "Well, Shadow got Fragment 5 first. If the score was 3:2 in my favor, I might still have fought for it. But now that it’s 2:3, I can’t be bothered to go through the trouble. Besides, if Shadow puts it all together and gets any new information, you’ll tell me, right? I think we can be considered friends by now."
Webmaster: "I suppose so."
Guan Tong didn’t mind. He thought the guy’s personality was pretty decent. Their communications had been smooth so far, and being online friends wouldn’t be a problem.
Primordial Man: "Then tell Shadow to wait for my message~"
...
「Meanwhile, at the Leming Island Shrine in Sakura Prayer.」
When Mu Tian City learned that Baqizi had given the fragment to Shadow, he was completely stunned.
He looked at the person before him in disbelief and said, aghast, "You... Baqizi... Why would you do that?"
Baqizi’s two teammates and subordinates, Moon Fate and Wuyan Clan, were also quite surprised. But after exchanging a glance, they lowered their eyes, as if they could understand.
"I didn’t want him to kill people on the island," Baqizi said.
Mu Tian City said frantically, "Are you crazy? This island is our territory! The garrison has hundreds of soldiers! Even if most couldn’t fight because of the Five Senses Elimination rule, with you, Moon Fate, and Wuyan Clan, plus the soldiers who could fight, you were still afraid of one lone Shadow?!"
Baqizi shook her head slightly. "We couldn’t have stopped him."
"You..." A look of anger appeared on Mu Tian City’s face. "With such a defeatist mentality, how do you expect to claim the throne of world’s number one!"
Baqizi retorted, "Is being number one in the world that important?"
"Of course! It’s the symbol of our Sakura Prayer becoming the strongest nation in the world!" Mu Tian City said excitedly. "We never had this chance in the past, but now that we’ve entered the era of the Apocalypse Rules, anything is possible. If we play our cards right, Sakura Prayer can completely surpass Soloma and North Star to become the world’s number one power!"
Compared to Mu Tian City’s fanaticism, Baqizi was completely expressionless.
Mu Tian City gradually calmed down. He looked at Baqizi and said in a low voice, "Fine. Let’s say you have no interest in becoming number one. But have you ever considered if an act like this repays the grace Lord Divine Son has shown you?"
"I haven’t."
"...Forget it! I will report this matter exactly as it happened. Baqizi, don’t think your special bloodline allows you to act willfully. If Lord Divine Son becomes enraged, he can have you replaced at any time!"
"I can accept that."
"You... Hmph!"
Mu Tian City angrily flung his hand and left. Moon Fate and Wuyan Clan exchanged a look, and the former said, "Team Leader, the instructor might be too angry to see it right now, but we know you did it to protect everyone."
Wuyan Clan also said, "For Shadow to dare cross the sea to this island alone, he must be supremely confident in his own strength. If you hadn’t given him the fragment, Team Leader, he would have killed many people on the island."
Baqizi knew her two team members were trying to make excuses for her. She said, "Do you two also think being number one in the world is important?"
Moon Fate shook her head. "I think survival is what’s most important."
Wuyan Clan, however, said, "For me, regardless of the outcome, I’m content just to be able to fight alongside you, Team Leader."
"If..."
Baqizi didn’t continue, just shaking her head.
"We’ll talk about this later."