Lin Qingyue met the concerned gazes of the two Beastman Big Sisters with a slight nod.
"Thank you for the warning, but we still want to try."
Before the words had even left her lips, she reached out with her slender, pale fingers and directly peeled off the vivid red bounty poster.
Rip—
The soft sound of the parchment detaching from the wooden board caused the entire noisy hall to fall into a momentary silence.
Over a hundred pairs of eyes, mixed with the stench of alcohol and sweat, swiveled toward them.
First came shock, then confusion, which finally melted into a pitying gaze, as if they were watching fools.
"Are they crazy? Where did these naive little girls come from?"
"Their equipment looks decent enough, but their brains clearly aren't working properly."
"Outlanders... they have no idea how terrifying the Silent Forest is. Just wait—if they're lucky, they'll come running back in tears."
"What a waste... each one is more beautiful than the last, especially that pink-haired one. She'll probably end up as flower fertilizer for the Elves' forest."
Ignoring the stares that threatened to pierce through them, Lin Qingyue clutched the bounty poster and led her three teammates, each wearing a different expression, toward an empty counter.
Behind the counter, a young woman with fluffy rabbit ears was buried in paperwork.
When the light was blocked, she instinctively looked up and immediately saw Lin Qingyue and the glaringly red parchment in her hand.
The rabbit-eared girl's eyes widened instantly.
"Ma... Madam, are you sure you want to accept this mission?" Her voice trembled, filled with sincere concern. "This mission is extremely, extremely dangerous..."
"Confirmed," Lin Qingyue replied, gently placing the bounty notice on the counter.
"But..." The rabbit-eared girl wanted to say more. She couldn't bear to see such beautiful young women rushing to their deaths. "The Elves of the Silent Forest... they..."
"No more 'buts'. Register us," Lin Qingyue interrupted, tapping the smooth wooden counter twice with her index finger.
Tap. Tap.
The crisp, soft sound carried an undeniable magical power that choked the rabbit-eared girl's remaining words in her throat.
She glanced at Lin Qingyue's calm, impassive face, then at the bounty notice that seemed to lead straight to hell. Finally, she let out a resigned sigh.
Picking up her quill pen, she began processing the registration.
"Please provide your team name and member information."
"Team name: Quantum Battleship." Lin Qingyue stated the outrageous name without a flicker of hesitation.
"Q... Quantum... Battleship?"
The rabbit-eared girl's pen paused, clearly unable to comprehend the combination of these otherworldly terms. Still, she obediently copied them onto the registry in her shaky, uneven handwriting.
"Captain: Lin Qingyue, Priest."
"Team member..."
The moment Captain Lin Qingyue uttered the word "Priest," not only the rabbit-eared girl but every eavesdropping adventurer in the vicinity felt like they'd been struck by a blunt hammer.
A Priest as Captain?
Leading a team into Elf territory?
Were they rushing to become arrow fodder for the Elves?
The onlookers' gazes shifted from "watching fools" to "watching lunatics."
Pity, mockery, curiosity—a tangle of complex emotions converged on the counter.
The rabbit-eared girl's hands trembled even more violently as she handed Lin Qingyue a dossier and a rudimentary map, as if passing off something scorching hot.
"Madam, this is Mentor Karula's dossier. The map roughly outlines the Silent Forest... W-we wish you good luck."
Lin Qingyue accepted the documents without a glance and stuffed them into her backpack.
"Thanks."
With just those two words, she turned and strode away, flanked by her three teammates who were nearly bursting from holding back their reactions. They faced the stunned stares of the entire hall as they departed.
The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind them, severing all gazes and hushed whispers.
"Sis!"
Lin Xiyue finally couldn't hold back any longer. She grabbed Lin Qingyue's arm, lowering her voice, her tone filled with confusion.
"Are you serious about this? That place must be incredibly dangerous! How can you be so sure this mission is tailor-made for us?"
Su Wan crossed her arms, her icy blue eyes fixed intently on Lin Qingyue.
"Their apprehension doesn't seem feigned. Risking antagonizing the local factions for such an uncertain objective goes against your usual cautious approach."
Even Xia Lian chimed in softly, "Yeah, Sister Qingyue, it sounds so dangerous... Those people's glares earlier made my legs go a little weak."
Lin Qingyue stopped walking, looking at her three teammates whose faces practically screamed "Why?" She suddenly smiled.
"Relax," she said, blinking casually, her tone as light as if she were simply dropping by a neighbor's house. "Don't imagine the place as some dragon's den or tiger's lair."
She reached up and gently touched the soft-glowing Moonlight's Embrace earring on her earlobe.
"Remember the last Dungeon? I made friends with the Elf Queen, right?"
"Well, this little trinket she gave me... might just serve as a VIP pass in there?"
That's exactly the effect we want. Everyone will think we're crazy fools rushing to our deaths, so no one will bother to pay attention. When we return with people or intelligence, the contrast will be absolutely stunning. And then... Heh heh heh.
[Ding! Host has successfully cultivated the "Foolhardy" persona by making an astonishing, counterintuitive decision in full public view, and has foreseen tremendous future amusement. Elation Value +888!]
Hearing the melodious notification in her mind, Lin Qingyue's mood soared.
"Alright, stop grinning. Let's find a place to stay first, review the data, and set off for the Silent Forest tomorrow morning."
They found a clean, unassuming inn near the guild called "The Anvil and Wheat."
The innkeeper, a burly human woman, lit up at the sight of the four young and beautiful girls. She enthusiastically recommended the best two adjacent rooms on the second floor.
"It's safer for four young ladies to stay together," the landlady said with a warm smile.
Lin Xiyue instinctively began to say, "Then I'll stay with Sis..."
"I'll share a room with Lin Xiyue," Su Wan interrupted, her voice still cold but firm as a stone.
Her words stunned the other three into silence, even Lin Xiyue herself swallowed the rest of her sentence.
As if seeking justification for her actions, Su Wan, compelled by the rules of "Truth," added the most genuine thought in her heart:
"Her sleeping posture is terrible. I need to keep an eye on her."
"To prevent her from rolling off the bed in the middle of the night... or being dragged away by someone's tail."
Lin Xiyue: "???"
My sleeping posture is terrible?
How did I not know this?
And how do you know?
I've always slept with my sister since childhood. Why has she never mentioned it?
She instinctively turned to Lin Qingyue, her eyes pleading for confirmation.
Lin Qingyue, barely suppressing her laughter, nodded solemnly. "Hmm, you do toss and turn quite a bit when you're asleep, like a spinning wheel of fire. Su Wan watching over you is for your own good."
Lin Xiyue instantly wilted, like a cat drained of energy, radiating an aura of utter dejection.
Xia Lian watched in dumbfounded silence, feeling like she understood something yet nothing at all. She could only sense an inexplicable strangeness in Young Mistress Su Wan's behavior today.
Only Lin Qingyue's mind was as clear as a mirror.
Oh, so you're already stalking her? Afraid your little knight might sneak out to find a vixen tonight?
You claim to be disgusted, but your body betrays your true feelings.
She watched Su Wan's face, which strained to maintain composure but whose ears were already flushed a faint pink, and found another source of amusement.
After collecting their room keys, the four went their separate ways.
The moment Lin Xiyue entered her room, she found Su Wan meticulously inspecting the door and window locks. Her methodical approach made it seem less like settling into a hotel room and more like setting up a last-stand defense line.
"Su Wan, what are you doing?" Lin Xiyue asked curiously.
"Checking for security risks," Su Wan replied without turning around. "This place is crowded and full of prying eyes. It's always better to be cautious."
Lin Xiyue nodded vaguely, plopped onto the bed, and bounced hard.
"What's for dinner tonight? I smell barbecue from downstairs—it smells amazing!"
"Let's review the intel first."
Su Wan closed the window, unrolled the information scroll Lin Qingyue had given her, and spread it out on the table.
"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never lose a battle."
Reluctantly, Lin Xiyue shuffled over to join her.
In the other room, Lin Qingyue had just set down her backpack when Xia Lian sidled up to her, whispering, "Sister Qingyue, you mentioned on the way here that you had a date tonight. Is that true?"
Lin Qingyue smiled at Xia Lian's wide, curious eyes. Under the "Truth" rule, she couldn't lie, but she could choose to answer selectively. "Yes, it's true."
"Who is it with?" Xia Lian pressed, her curiosity piqued.
"A very distant friend." Lin Qingyue blinked, a hint of mystery in her smile. "We've promised to meet every night."
"Oh," Xia Lian murmured, still intrigued but sensing Lin Qingyue's reluctance to elaborate, she didn't press further.
Yet, she couldn't help but wonder: What kind of person could make Sister Qingyue look forward to "meeting" them every night?