Chase Game

Mandala left the door, went around to the backyard, and came to a clear pond.

This is called the "Fallen Flower Pond," which is said to have the ability to communicate with "Heaven, Earth, Man, and Gods," and is a unique communication facility in the "Flower Garden."

There are also several clumps of irises beside the pond.

In Greek mythology, the iris flower is named after the rainbow goddess Iris.

She is the messenger of the gods, responsible for transmitting information between heaven and earth, and between gods and men.

Mandala stood by the pool, the clear water reflecting the warm sunlight and her cool, aloof face.

This face looks exactly like a girl named "Bai Ya".

That's Datura... no, it's Baihuan's older sister.

After Bai Ya's accident, Bai Huan would have the same question every time she looked in the mirror:

Is that me?

Even she herself found it inexplicable; why would this happen?

Even now, the face reflected in the pool ripples with the gentle breeze, like the rhythm of life.

But was that really me?

Bai Huan's breath hitched. She abruptly closed her eyes, regulated her disordered breathing, and cleared her mind of distracting thoughts.

She told herself that she was no longer the White Ring, but the Mandala, and that she still had a mission.

So Mandala turned around, plucked an iris petal, engraved the unique mark left by the Tibetan mastiff on the petal, and then threw it into the pond.

The combination of the Fallen Flower Pond and the Iris will allow the Tibetan Mastiff to respond as soon as it receives the message.

But now, something unusual has occurred.

The petals sinking into the pool signifies successful message delivery, yet at this moment they float on the surface.

Mandala frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then turned and left.

A few minutes later, Furong also learned about the situation.

Frowning seemed contagious, spreading from Mandala's brow to Hibiscus's.

The butterfly was also puzzled, as she knew some of the principles behind the [Falling Flower Pond].

There are three possibilities for a petal to remain suspended without sinking:

First, the Tibetan Mastiff refused to accept it.

Second, Tibetan mastiffs are present in the game.

Third, the Tibetan Mastiff is dead.

Butterfly pondered, "He shouldn't refuse...maybe he's already in the game?"

Hibiscus gently shook her head and made a decision: "Let's stop guessing and just use [Flower Divination]."

As she spoke, she walked into the room, and when she came out again, she was carrying a rectangular wooden box.

Butterfly was somewhat surprised and said, "Isn't that unnecessary? He's at least a second-tier cultivator."

Furong opened the wooden box as she explained.

"Just because he's a Tier 2 player, he doesn't even need to enter the game to deal with a newbie. If he does, it means something unexpected has happened."

In the other two scenarios, the probability of him dying is greater than the probability of him refusing to accept the goods.

"Okay... so what question do you want to have read?"

Furong did not answer, but continued to disassemble the wooden box. Finally, a marguerite flower was revealed to everyone.

This little flower has petals that resemble a ballerina's skirt, arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern around the flower head.

Its most famous function is "love divination". Legend has it that a girl holds a marguerite, plucks the petals one by one, and chants "like, dislike, like, dislike..."

Until the very last petal, one can divine the lover's feelings.

However, the marguerite flower in Hibiscus's hand has more than just the power to predict love.

She took out Margaret, and Bai Huan handed her an iris petal engraved with the unique mark of a Tibetan Mastiff.

Hibiscus wrapped the iris petals around the marguerite stem, then, holding the stem, pressed the pale yellow flower head at the center against her brow.

She closed her eyes and whispered, "Please divine his fate."

The petals fell one by one until only the pale yellow flower disc in the center remained.

Furong slowly opened her eyes, her expression becoming somewhat solemn.

Although butterflies and datura flowers can also see petals falling, they do not know whether the first petal represents life or death.

Until Furong said:

"The Tibetan Mastiff is dead."

Although butterflies and datura flowers have different expressions, they have one thing in common—surprise.

"How...how is this possible?"

Furong knew what the butterfly referred to: a second-tier player dying so quickly and silently.

Was it a powerful figure in real life who intervened, or was he defeated in the game and his life taken away?

If Li Fang's failure was merely a gust of wind that rattled a wind chime, then the Tibetan Mastiff's failure is a stark warning.

"It just so happens to be this time... the Lord's grand plan is about to be implemented..."

The entire [Heavenly Court of the Mind] is busy with the plan for the Outer Heaven and is in a sensitive period.

The changing attitudes of various factions, the sudden appearance of unfamiliar players... every variable requires them to consider more.

Compared to the obstacles in the overall plan, Ling Yi was merely a ripple before a tsunami.

They had already adopted the attitude of "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut," but even so, they still miscalculated.

"Has the Crow side reached a crucial step as well?"

"That's right, once they get past that hurdle, the outcome will be decided."

After thinking for a while, Furong finally decided, "In that case, let's wait for the results from Crow's side before making any decisions."

Meanwhile, the association is also discussing this matter.

The Tibetan mastiff's carcass was covered with a white sheet, and Wang Xiangyu and Chen Yuquan stood to the side.

Wang Xiangyu examined the report in the Tibetan Mastiff's hand and pondered, "Should I say something...? The [Heavenly Court Outside the Mind] has been a bit too presumptuous lately."

Chen Yuquan shook his head. "It's not that they're being presumptuous, it's that they're too 'sensitive,' so they have to stand up and check things out at the slightest sign of trouble."

After hearing this, Wang Xiangyu looked at Chen Yuquan with surprise and said awkwardly, "Old Chairman, it seems like you know more than I do..."

"Heh... 'Even a broken ship has three pounds of iron,' that's all."

Chen Yuquan chuckled, but Wang Xiangyu dared not chuckle. Although the old chairman had stepped down from his position, his status and power had not changed much.

Once the president retires, he shouldn't stay in the association anymore, nor should he participate in the discussion and decision-making of these matters.

Chen Yuquan was different; the Beiguan City branch was essentially his personal branch.

More than half of the current management team were trained by Chen Yuquan, so it's no exaggeration for Wang Xiangyu to respectfully call him "teacher".

Chen Yuquan placed his hands on the ends of his cane and said in a deep voice:

"Qi Bai has entered the dungeon too, right?"

This person is the leader of "Qi Bai Group 1", whose full name is Song Qi Bai. He also has another identity - the director of the action department of the Beiguan branch.

Wang Xiangyu nodded slightly, "Yes, it was in yesterday."

"Hmm... Let's wait for Yaoling to come back and bring back headquarters' attitude. Then we'll see what happens."

"What about Ling Yi? Should we protect her?"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Yuquan finally said, "I remember his sister is in Beiguan, right?"

"Then we can look after his sister; after all, we don't have many people to help."

Wang Xiangyu also thought it made sense, so he agreed.

P.S.: Only one chapter today. I still owe one chapter, I'll make it up after the holiday!