Adventure World Online (AWO)

The answer that left both the listener and the eavesdroppers completely dumbfounded. Peach Blossom had to lift her wristwatch and shake it, thinking there was a communication signal issue that caused the other end to go silent.

"A guy?"

The two young men, Killer and Murder, stared at Jane without blinking, their eyes filled with utter shock and disbelief. No wonder Jane's scream when she was attacked by the jellyfish had sounded so off—it did not quite sound like a woman's voice.

"P... Peach Blossom!"

Jane's voice came faintly through the line, prompting Peach Blossom to stop shaking her wristwatch and listen more attentively.

"Hm?"

"That was supposed to be my top-secret. Who told you to blurt it out in front of so many people like this, huhhh!"

This time, it was Peach Blossom who had to pull the wristwatch away from her ear because Jane's piercing voice, amplified like eighteen megaphones, was so loud that even the older teammates who had spread out could hear it from afar—and all turned to look at Peach Blossom at once.

"Uh... Sorry. You must be with people who don't know your secret yet. No wonder you're freaking out this badly."

Peach Blossom apologized with guilt. She had only meant to tease a little and had not thought Jane would get this angry. Which only made Peach Blossom even more curious about the two men in black standing with Jane and Hero—who exactly were they?

"Hmph. It's not going to end with just a sorry, Peach Blossom. There's definitely going to be a sequel to this!"

Jane warned before cutting the call and stood silently, waiting for Peach Blossom's group to arrive.

…..

"Killer, Murder!"

Peach Blossom exclaimed with joy when she saw the twin assassins, who had now officially become bodyguards protecting her Master Chang. The two young men smiled brightly and greeted their old friends, who were all familiar faces—Siegfried, Draco, Rafael, Oliang, the Lidded Wet Trash Can, Aden, and Valentine.

"Where are brother Destiny and the guys, Mr. Siegfried?"

Killer asked, noticing that the newly arrived group consisted only of Siegfried's close companions.

"They'll probably show up soon enough. But where's Chang Long? Why is it just you guys here?"

Siegfried asked in return, causing the twin brothers to freeze with their mouths open before quickly turning toward King Island. In the distance, they could see Chang Long and her group ascending the stone stairway slope toward the island.

"Master Chang's already over there. That was just a moment ago."

Killer exclaimed and looked like he was about to run after them.

"Hold on. No need to rush like that. We're among the first to arrive anyway. Let's take our time and enjoy the natural scenery along the way."

Draco quickly interjected, seeing how overly anxious the two young men were. Since they had come to such a unique place, they should take their time to admire the beauty, absorb the atmosphere, and make lasting memories.

"I'm afraid we can't do that. There was a group of players who went up to King Island ahead of us."

Killer turned to respond.

"So what? Why are you two so worked up over those guys?"

Peach Blossom asked with confusion. It was just a group of players who had arrived first—nothing worth getting this flustered over. Unless these two had made it their mission to be the first to set foot in the White Castle.

"I don't know for sure, but it seems the leader of that group has it out for Master Chang. And Master Chang herself seems to hold a deep grudge against that person too."

Killer replied with a worried expression.

"With things the way they are, we definitely can't let Master Chang go up to the island alone with just the pets, even with Luther there."

As soon as Murder finished speaking, the twin brothers dashed straight toward the island, followed closely by the elven young man, who seemed even more anxious than anyone. His speed astonished many—given his main profession as a Knight, he should not have been able to move that swiftly, like a storm tearing through the air. It seemed he had enhanced his speed limit to be able to catch up with the girl he loved, so they could walk this path of adventure together.

"H... How did that guy even do that? And who the heck is that player whom Chang Long holds such a grudge against?!"

Oliang's jaw dropped. He had never seen Siegfried move at that speed before. It was a speed that made a level 86 Wandering Martial Artist like him flush with embarrassment.

"Must've been when he had gone off to train somewhere recently. I never thought Siegfried could raise his speed limit this much."

Even Draco could not help but be amazed at his friend's speed. For someone like him to move that quickly, he would have to ride Firetail—his mount—and nothing else.

"Hurry up and follow him. I think the one who made Lord Chang so angry must be Demos for sure."

Peach Blossom's face was also filled with worry as she picked up her pace to follow her older brother—even though she could not match even a fraction of his speed.

"Demos!"

Everyone shouted in unison before dashing off after Siegfried and the twin brothers. In the blink of an eye, only Peach Blossom, Jane, and Hero were left behind, still a bit baffled by everything that had just happened.

"Hey. You crazy guys. Why'd you run off without taking your little sis with you, huh!"

Peach Blossom yelled after them, left plodding alone on the sandy beach.

"No need to worry, Miss Peach Blossom. I'm still here too—I haven't gone anywhere."

The voice of Kimhant made the girl breathe a sigh of relief. She had not been entirely left behind. And she did not feel too bad being left with him either—Kimhant had become much more dependable than he used to be. Not to mention his pet, Felon, whose finishing skills could inflict devastating damage on enemies. So Peach Blossom continued on at her usual leisurely pace, unconcerned.

"Hey! Didn't you say you were so worried about Chang Long that you had to rush over? What's with this beauty pageant strut now?"

Jane asked as she came to walk beside Peach Blossom, with Hero and Kimhant following behind.

"Of course I'm worried, but with Killer, Murder, and all the others rushing after her like that, I feel better already. And then there's Luther—just that kid alone could destroy the whole island, if he felt like it."

Peach Blossom replied casually, as if everything she had done earlier—including dropping Demos's name—was merely a calculated move to stir everyone into running off to help Chang Long, while she herself just planned to show up for credit at the end.

"Is that so? Then let's get back to the matter between you and me. We haven't settled the score over you blurting out my secret in front of Killer and Murder."

The gunner girl spoke in a cold voice. Peach Blossom froze in her tracks, face turning pale. This was one of those times where running might be the only option. And sure enough, when she turned to glance at the one beside her, the girl had her gun trained directly at her—clearly ready to shoot to kill.

"Eeek. Jane, don't. I told you I didn't mean to—I didn't know you were with people who didn't know your secret."

Peach Blossom screamed and bolted.

Bang!

Screeeeeam!

Jane deliberately missed, but it scared the poor girl half to death. She ran off, shrieking the whole way, leaving the two young men speechless.

…..

The island's landscape felt faintly surreal—like it had been crafted with meticulous care, yet somehow remained astonishingly natural. A single narrow path stretched far across the terrain, paved with multicolored pebbles. One either side, bricks were adorned with seashells and starfish. Most of the trees belonged to the palm and fern families, varied in color and size, scattered freely across King Island.

The stretch of land before reaching the city was dotted with rocky outcrops and clear streams. Strange creatures roamed freely—seahorses that did not live in water, rays gliding through the sky, and pufferfish perched on the branches of stone-like trees. These trees spread their limbs wide but bore no leaves or flowers. When Chang Long reached out and poked one of the pufferfish, it puffed up into a spiky ball and rolled off to the ground, drawing laughter from the nearby pets.

Along the way, there was no shortage of strange wondrous sights. The tension from encountering Demos had eased considerably; now, everyone's attention was drawn to the surroundings—things they had never seen on any of the four main islands. Most curious of all was a drifting sweet, beautiful singing voice. Despite their best efforts, Chang Long and the other could not locate its source. So, they turned it into a game, each guessing what kind of creature the mysterious singer might be.

"Is that it? That little one standing on the rock over there—it looks like it's performing a show or something."

Anya whispered, calling everyone's attention to a tiny creature no larger than a palm, standing on a rock beneath the shade of a tree, striking poses as if it were putting on a concert.

"Let me see—what kind of creature is that—living inside a shell—maybe a snail?"

Flatear squeezed in for a look and, judging by the creature's appearance, guessed that it was a snail.

"A snail living in a pearl shell—have you even seen a real snail before?"

Luther sneered, making the kirin grit his teeth in frustration.

"Huh? If it's not a snail, then what is it? Don't tell me it's a hermit crab."

The young kirin turned to Luther with a challenging look, prompting Luther to look visibly stunned by the question.

"Hmph… Hahaha. I don't know exactly what that thing is either, but one thing's for sure—it's definitely not a hermit crab!"

The little demon replied with exasperation, shooting a look at Flatear that clearly said, "You're still just a rookie."

"Why, you—!"

"Enough already. You're going to scare it off again."

Chang Long scolded when she saw that Flatear was about to shout. Previously, they had tried to track and observe this kind of creature two or three times, but each time, the group made too much noise—either from excitement or from bragging about spotting it first. As a result, they had yet to learn what exactly the creature resembling a tiny human living in a shell—with long hair flowing like seaweed—really was.

"If we get a little closer, will it run away again?"

Kitsune asked curiously.

"Lamia, go take a closer look and ask it what it is. You're small too, so it probably won't be scared and run off."

Luther turned to instruct his Spanish demon puppet warrior, who stood there with mouth agape, stunned to be assigned the role of goodwill ambassador to an unknown beast.

"Oh, please. Lamia's totally useless for this. As inexperienced as he is, just taking a single step would scare off all the beasts around here."

Fluffy Head-chan said derisively, making Lamia—though secretly relieved he did not have to go—feel like his warrior's pride had been smashed to pieces.

"Then is there anyone more suited for the job than Lamia?"

Luther asked casually, unbothered that his demon puppet had been insulted.

"Brownie, of course."

Anya answered in place of Fluffy Head-chan, and the latter nodded in confident agreement.

"Why don't we send one of the ghosts who can go invisible to scout ahead first? They move around silently anyway. What do you think, Hisa-chan, Devi-chan?"

Chang Long offered another suggestion, turning to her two ghost companions—but only Hisa-chan was present. There was no sign of Devi-chan at all.

"Master."

Seeing the grim expression on Hisa-chan's face, Chang Long immediately sensed something was wrong. As someone with a spirit-related profession, she could normally see spirits even when they were invisible. But now, no matter which direction she turned, there was no trace of the former Pirate King's spirit. And telepathic communication was not working either. Devi-chan had vanished.

…..

Chang Long's group split up to search the island for Devi-chan, which took a considerable amount of time to explore completely. But even then, no one had found the spirit of the former Pirate King. This made the reaper girl extremely anxious. But it seemed time was no longer on her side—she could not keep searching. Everyone was growing tired and wanted to rest. Orange light stretched across the horizon, signaling that the sun would soon disappear completely. The atmosphere turned gloomy and melancholic. The reaper girl's heart sank, struck by the thought that Devi-chan might have already passed on to the afterlife without even saying goodbye.

"Master, travelers are steadily arriving on the island now."

Kitsune called out when he saw that Chang Long had gone completely still.

"Mm. In that case, let's head into the city."

The reaper girl said before leading the way toward the city gate, where some familiar-looking faces were pacing anxiously. When they saw Chang Long approaching, they looked visibly relieved and hurried over to her.

"Chang!"

A familiar voice called out, prompting Chang Long—who had been walking with her eyes downcast, watching the gravel and sand beneath her feet—to lift her head. She saw Valentine running toward her and then throwing her arms around her in an affectionate hug.

"Mi?"

Chang Long looked quite surprised to see her best friend's face again, but she broke into a smile and returned the hug.

"Chang, you've been on the island for so long already—why haven't you gone into the city yet? Do you know how worried we've all been?"

Once they let go of each other, Valentine—also known as Emy—immediately began scolding her, leaving Chang Long looking utterly puzzled, not understanding what the ninja girl was talking about.

"What are you talking about, Mi? Why would you be worried about me? What happened?"

"You're still asking that? Didn't Killer and Murder say that back on the beach, you ran into that guy Demos—your sworn enemy?"

Valentine took Chang Long's hand and began leading her into the city, reminding the reaper girl of what had happened. Her pets and remaining spirits followed a short distance behind.

Luther frowned at the ninja girl in suspicion. He had never met Valentine before and did not understand why she seemed so close to his big brother—close enough to hug her without the slightest hesitation. First, there had been the elf guy, then his shrill-lunged little sister. Who else was going to show up claiming to know his brother now?

"What are you so curious about, Luther? Ah, right—you don't know Lady Valentine."

Anya turned around and caught Luther's expression, which showed both suspicion and a bit of jealousy. She could not help but smile.

"Valentine—that's her name?"

Luther immediately turned to Anya with interest.

"Yep. Her name's Valentine. She's Master Chang's closest friend."

"Closest friend. There was someone earlier who acted even closer than her—walking arm in arm, clinging to her constantly, calling her Chang dearest, Chang darling. Is't that girl even a closer friend?"

Luther asked with doubt. If they were to compare the two, Peach Blossom seemed way more intimate with Chang Long than Valentine did.

"Ahahaha. Lady Peach Blossom? To say she's obsessed with our master—would be more accurate. She sticks to her like glue every chance she gets. It's been that way since I first started following master."

Anya explained with a laugh, clearly amused. And as if on cue, she had not even finished speaking when a familiar, piercing voice reached their ears from afar.

"Lord Changgg~"

"Didn't even get to finish my sentence…"

Luther made a weary face immediately. He did not even need to turn to know exactly whose voice that was. Anya burst into laughter again at the jaded expression on the precocious little demon's face.