Seeing the new quest notification, Argo didn't even bother to stash away the pouch before asking Nirrnir,
"Nirrnir, do you have any other requests we can help with?"
"Hmm… The follow-up task is going to be a bit troublesome. Are you sure you want to take it on?"
Nirrnir looked at Argo with a scrutinizing gaze.
Argo's eyes lit up, and she responded immediately,
"Ah, no problem at all! I've got four tools—err, four companions who can help me. They're all quite capable."
Seeing Argo accept without hesitation, Nirrnir let out a light chuckle, then sat up straight and said seriously,
"Since that so-called 'Rusty Ly Wild Hound' helped the Korloy family win once, they've gotten a taste of success. I'm certain they'll send that mutt out again tomorrow night."
"Huh? Aren't they worried about being exposed? And didn't that monster take quite a bit of damage in the last match?"
Asuna blinked in surprise.
"Hmph, they couldn't care less about that," Nirrnir scoffed coldly.
"As of today, that mutt's already fought four days in a row. As for the injuries, well, we do have methods to heal them."
"What?! It's already been four days? So you already suspected something was off with that monster before today's match, didn't you, Miss Nirrnir?"
Argo was clearly surprised.
"Hmph. Not just before today…"
Nirrnir slightly tilted her head, her tone turning a little smug.
"I started suspecting it three days ago—during its second match. It only dragged on until today because I hadn't found the right people to help me."
Kirito seemed to think of something and asked,
"Then why didn't you send out a higher-level monster from the start? Like a Virutia Rock Python or a Blazing Salamander or something?"
As one of the top-tier beta testers, Kirito clearly remembered the more troublesome monsters they had faced.
Nirrnir looked at Kirito as if he were a idiot and replied,
"Please, try using that shriveled brain of yours—what do you think would happen if those two monsters showed up in the arena? And the Korloy family isn't stupid enough to send low-level monsters just to be slaughtered by a high-tier one. We each assign ratings to our monsters for a reason."
"Uh…"
Kirito was left speechless by the blunt retort.
Indeed, the Rock Python was too large—its body wouldn't even fit through the arena's gate.
And the Blazing Salamander breathed fire—iron cages wouldn't be able to contain it at all.
The sharp-witted informant Argo was very interested in the ranking system that Nirrnir had mentioned, and immediately asked:
"May I ask how the ranking system in the arena is determined?"
Since this kind of information didn't really affect her, the proud Nirrnir shared it openly:
"First, the monster must have a fixed habitat on the seventh floor. Second, its body size must not cause major destruction to the arena. Monsters that meet these two conditions are classified into twelve ranks. Only monsters of the same rank are allowed to compete in the same match. For example, both the Super Bounce Bug Bouncy Ster and the Rusty Ly Wild Hound are classified as Rank 6."
"So that means… Korloy's side disguised a Rank 7 or higher monster as an Rusty Ly Wild Hound?" Argo said upon hearing this information.
Nirrnir nodded coldly and replied with a blank expression,
"In the past, no matter how fierce our families' competition got, it always stayed within the casino's rules. But this time, Bardun broke those rules over a bit of money. That really pisses me off. I can't let him get away with it."
Hearing Nirrnir speak with such killing intent, Yu Wenjun suddenly got excited for no apparent reason:
"Hm? So this mission you're about to give us is…? I've read stuff like this before! There's a line I really like—it goes, 'You can tell Uncle Dong about this. Uncle Dong is happy. But your tone isn't nice. Uncle Dong is not happy.' So cool."
He made a throat-slitting gesture, then started mimicking Uncle Dong's classic quotes in a strange falsetto.
After watching his performance, Nirrnir fell silent for a moment.
Then she lowered her voice and said to Argo,
"Argo, your efficiency pleases me… but is your companion mentally challenged?"
"Uh… ha, haha…" Argo gave an awkward laugh.
"Maybe, possibly, probably… yes?"
"Sigh…"
Nirrnir sighed, sounding a little tired, then said,
"I won't have you do anything like that. You're not skilled enough to break through Bardun's guards and slit his throat. If that ever becomes necessary, I'll handle it myself."
Her words left Yu Wenjun a bit disappointed.
However, the group was a little skeptical when she claimed she'd handle it herself.
After all, the one saying such cold and serious words was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl of about twelve.
It was hard to believe—she looked like a doll, and probably couldn't even lift a sword, right?
Nirrnir quickly composed herself again and said calmly,
"For this task, I want you, Argo, and your team to gather Narsos Tree fruit and Uruz Stone. When processed in a certain way, these two items can be made into a powerful decolorizing agent that removes all dyes."
Hearing that, Akimi said,
"You plan to remove the dye from that wild hound and expose Korloy's cheating in front of everyone? But wouldn't that damage the casino's reputation?"
"If you're still worried about the casino's reputation at this point, you're just a truly ignorant child," Nirrnir replied proudly.
"Right now, the best solution is to expose their cheating on the spot, apologize to all the guests, and return their bets."
"This doesn't sound like something a girl her age would say," the group couldn't help but think.
It was clear that children from noble families were more worldly than those from ordinary backgrounds.
If it were anyone else, they'd probably be thinking of settling things quietly and erasing all evidence.
Nirrnir continued,
"As for why I'm entrusting this task to you, there are two reasons. First, Uruz Stones are black and can only be seen in daylight. If my people are spotted by Korloy's men while searching for them, the whole plan will be exposed."
"And second, the Narsos Tree grows in the forest at the center of the seventh floor, known as Rockshimmer Grove. That territory belongs to the Dark Elves. If my people are discovered there by the elves, they won't make it back alive."
As she said this, Nirrnir glanced at Kirito—or more precisely, at the ring on his hand: the Recognition of Luthsila, a symbol of friendship with the Dark Elves, earned during the Elf War quest.
"You, the one called Kirito, have already gained the Dark Elves' friendship. If it's just collecting Narsos fruit in the forest, there should be no problem."
After explaining everything, Nirrnir paused, then looked intently at Argo and the others, and asked seriously,
"So… are you willing to accept my request?"
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