"Huh?" Xia Lian blinked, momentarily unable to grasp Lin Qingyue's wildly imaginative idea.
Lin Xiyue, however, instantly lit up with excitement.
With a graceful flourish, she stowed her shield, her raven-black ponytail swinging in a sharp arc.
"Yay! I'm great at acting! But, Sis, why are we doing this?"
Lin Qingyue calmly explained, a hint of amusement in her voice:
"Simple: to maintain our cover."
"The Elven Race is notoriously xenophobic and aloof. If we swagger in and emerge unscathed, word will spread, causing unnecessary trouble for Iris and the others."
As she spoke, she began taking action.
Grabbing a dry branch, she slashed at her cloth robe several times, the sound of tearing fabric crisp and sharp.
Then, she casually smeared fresh mud from the ground onto the tattered remains.
"So, we need to play the part of 'pitiful wretches who failed to challenge the Silent Forest and were ignominiously driven out by the elves.'"
"This aligns better with expectations and avoids unnecessary scrutiny."
"I see!"
Lin Xiyue exclaimed in sudden understanding, immediately throwing an arm around Su Wan.
Her bright, dark eyes roamed over Su Wan's flawless, porcelain-white face, her smile carrying a hint of mischief.
"If we're supposed to look wretched, we can't stay this clean. We need to rough ourselves up!"
Xia Lian instantly understood. As a professional Ranger, she was intimately familiar with the art of disguise.
She pulled a worn-out arrow with a blunted tip from her quiver and used it to slash a few jagged tears across her leather armor, the marks perfectly mimicking scratches from a frantic escape through thorny undergrowth.
Only Su Wan, eyeing her pristine mage robes, frowned slightly.
She had a mild case of mysophobia.
Deliberately getting herself dirty would be almost as difficult as publicly admitting that Karula's Magic-Martial Arts were both fascinating and practical.
"Come here, Little Wan, don't move. I'll help you."
Lin Xiyue's voice carried a hint of mischievous tenderness.
She dipped a finger in the dust on the ground and, with a lightning-fast motion, gently smeared a streak of grime across Su Wan's flawless cheek.
Su Wan's body froze instantly.
The cold, gritty sensation on her cheek froze her solid.
The Mage's instinct screamed to conjure an ice spike and repel the meddling hand, but reason clamped down hard on the impulse, reminding her this was all an act, a necessary disguise.
Worse still, under the Truth rule's influence, she found herself utterly unable to utter words of refusal like "No" or "Take that away."
Lin Xiyue's warm breath brushed against her ear, carrying a hint of amusement.
The warm air made Su Wan's already stiff body even more unresponsive.
The longing for closeness with Lin Xiyue ultimately outweighed her aversion to being dirty.
In the end, the myriad disgust and embarrassment surging within her chest coalesced into a barely audible groan.
She tilted her head slightly, a delicate blush creeping up her pale neck, tacitly acknowledging this excessively intimate "disguise."
Ooh~ The high-altitude flower has been completely tamed by her little wolfhound! This scene is so satisfying!
Lin Qingyue watched from the sidelines, her amusement bubbling over.
"Just being dusty isn't professional enough," she declared. "We need some battle damage effects!"
With that, a faint strand of Holy Light flickered at her fingertips.
With astonishing precision, she condensed a tiny "Sunlight Spear" and gently grazed Xia Lian's leather shoulder guard.
Sizzle!
A charred scratch instantly seared into the leather, still steaming at the edges and reeking of burnt leather.
"Now for some wounds."
Lin Qingyue lightly tapped Lin Xiyue's arm.
The "Sunlight Spear" conjured a wound that simulated the aftermath of a magical arrow piercing through, hastily sealed with emergency healing. The wound looked gruesome, but hadn't even broken the skin.
"Done! Professional team, one-stop service!"
Lin Qingyue clapped her hands, beaming with pride at her masterpiece.
Xia Lian and Lin Xiyue stared in stunned silence.
Su Wan, however, shot her a "You're completely insane!" glare and silently edged away.
Under Lin Qingyue's skilled hand as the "battle damage effects artist," the four formerly radiant girls were soon transformed into grimy, disheveled figures.
Their clothes now bore several remarkably realistic "arrow wounds," making them look like survivors who had barely escaped a crushing defeat.
The four exchanged glances at their bedraggled and comical appearances, and finally, they couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into a fit of laughter.
The excitement of learning a new skill and the pressure of facing formidable opponents vanished in that moment, dissipating with their laughter.
"Alright, rein it in," Lin Qingyue said, rubbing her sore cheeks from laughing. "We need to sell this performance."
She took the lead, adopting a dejected posture, staggering with unsteady steps, and limping toward the forest's edge.
The other three immediately caught on, plastering "miserable" expressions on their faces as they followed suit.
When their figures reappeared at the forest's edge and stepped into the bustling Beastman Camp, they instantly became the center of attention.
A hush fell over the camp.
Then, an unrestrained chorus of mocking laughter erupted, punctuated by gloating whistles and jeers.
"Ha ha ha! Look at those human chicks! I told you they'd get their asses kicked!"
"Tsk, tsk, look at that sorry state! They must have fled with their tails between their legs after being peppered with Elf arrows!"
"Just being alive after that is a miracle! Those pointy-eared bastards aren't to be trifled with!"
The burly Bear Race uncle who had kindly warned them earlier sighed heavily as he surveyed their miserable condition.
With his massive, fan-like hand, he picked up a sizzling, still-dripping roasted dire wolf leg and offered it to them.
"Sigh, I warned you. Here, eat something and get out of here quick."
Lin Xiyue immediately channeled her inner drama queen, adopting a look of tearful gratitude mixed with stubborn defiance.
She accepted the hunk of meat—larger than her face—with a forceful nod, perfectly portraying the image of someone "suffering in silence, but baby won't complain."
Just then, an aggressively imposing figure blocked their path.
It was the Leopard-woman who had flirted with Lin Xiyue earlier, her arms crossed and her furry tail swishing smugly behind her.
"Ooh, little beauty, what happened to you? Looking a bit rough, aren't we?"
Her voice dripped with mockery as her golden, vertical pupils lingered rudely over Lin Xiyue's athletic physique.
"Did those pointy-ears reject you? Told you they weren't into that type. Why don't you hang with me instead? Sis promises you'll live the high life!"
Su Wan's mood had already been soured by the smudges on her face, and this blatant flirtation sent her temper plummeting.
Just as she was about to snap, a hand gently pressed down on her shoulder.
It was Lin Qingyue, who gave Su Wan an almost imperceptible shake of her head.
Lin Xiyue, ever cooperative, puffed out her chest and shielded Su Wan behind her, glaring fiercely at the Leopard-woman.
This protective display only made the Leopard-woman laugh harder, her whole body shaking with malicious amusement.
The entire camp buzzed with jovial energy. Watching the four outsiders fail had become the perfect after-dinner entertainment.
Amidst the clamor and ridicule, steady footsteps approached from the distance.
Kali the One-eyed Wolf-woman had materialized on the periphery of the crowd, unnoticed until now.
She didn't join in the mocking, merely crossed her arms and silently observed the spectacle.
Then, she strode deliberately toward Lin Qingyue, ignoring everyone else. Her single eye, sharp as a hook, bore into Lin Qingyue with a gaze so intense it felt almost tangible, as if it could dissect a person alive.
Without a word, she leaned in close, her nostrils twitching slightly.
This gesture set alarm bells ringing in Lin Qingyue's mind.
Troublesome woman.
Kali took a deep sniff, then straightened up, her single eye sweeping over the disturbingly realistic "wounds" on their bodies.
"The scent on you is wrong," she said in a low, raspy voice. "There's the clear, woody fragrance of the Ancient Tree of Life, mixed with the faint bitterness of Laurel Leaf... This isn't something you could pick up from the magical plants on the periphery."
Her words gradually silenced the surrounding laughter.
Kali's gaze settled on the charred "wound" on Lin Xiyue's arm, a flicker of surprise crossing her single eye.
"This isn't an ordinary arrow wound—it's the mark of high-level magical scorching. You... you actually provoked an Elven Mage to intervene?"
Kali's lips stretched into a wide grin, revealing a row of bone-white teeth. Her smile carried a predatory scrutiny and a hint of incredulous admiration.
"Intriguing. Your story must be far more compelling than it appears."
Lin Qingyue felt her carefully crafted facade being peeled away, layer by layer.
This woman's sense of smell and eyesight are absurdly sharp.
Yet she maintained her composure, even forcing a weary, bitter smile.
"We barely escaped with our lives. We nearly didn't make it out alive."
Her performance was flawless, her tone perfectly conveying a mix of lingering fear and feigned weakness.
Kali stared at her intently for a few seconds, a hint of amusement flickering in her wide grin.
"Is that so? I hope your 'good fortune' continues to hold."
She didn't press further, but her lone eye lingered on Lin Qingyue with renewed interest, sweeping over her once more.
With a graceful turn, Kali pushed through the crowd and strode away, leaving behind only her imposing silhouette.
Lin Qingyue secretly exhaled in relief, only then realizing her back was drenched in sweat.
Thank goodness she didn't expose me in front of everyone.
Having passed through the Beastman Camp without incident, the four dared not linger for a moment longer. They quickened their pace, swiftly exiting the perilous Silent Forest.
Only when they caught sight of the towering, fortified walls of Blackrock Stronghold in the distance did their taut nerves finally begin to relax.
Yet upon entering the city, the atmosphere ahead felt unsettlingly off.
The iconic Adventurers' Guild building was now surrounded by layers upon layers of people.
A cacophony of shouts and heated arguments drifted toward them, amidst the chaotic curses, the distinct clang of metal could be faintly heard.
Clearly, a disturbance was underway, and the situation was rapidly spiraling out of control.