Are you kidding me?! The boss of the Hell Dungeon is a loli!

The first time the Shadow Binding Needle landed on the ground of the ancient castle, it stuck to a stone slab.

Elizabeth had already retreated to the lamp stand, her silvery fingertips lightly touching the ground at her feet. The shadow that Stella had aimed at when throwing the needle had long since changed position as she moved.

Jiang Luo sat by the practice field, the half-eaten cookie still in his mouth, his hands, which were about to clap, stopped in front of his chest.

This is different from last night.

Stella walked over, pulled out the needle, and checked the tip for wear before returning to the marked position.

The injury on the back of her hand had healed, and a clean cloth had been put on it. Her left wrist no longer hurt when she moved it, but Jiang Luo still reminded her not to use her full strength.

Elizabeth took only a short stick for practice, and her mechanical eyes showed no schadenfreude. Once she was steady, she moved again.

"Your needles are thinner than scissors, so you don't need to turn your whole shoulder when you strike. Otherwise, if I see your shoulder move, I'll know it's time to dodge."

Stella did not refute.

She remembered that the frozen corpse last night was being pulled by the wire and couldn't change the direction it was lunging at on its own. Boss He was forced out of cover by our master, and someone prepared two opportunities for her.

The opponent hasn't been forced into a corner yet.

Stella switched the needle to her fingertips, slightly opened the giant scissors in her right hand, and pressed the tips of the scissors against the side where Elizabeth could back away.

The needle fell from beneath the sleeve.

Elizabeth didn't completely dodge this time. She paused for a moment, then immediately used the short stick in her hand to flip the lamp stand, turning the copper shade hanging below in a different direction.

The shadow cast on the ground was stretched, and a small patch of darkness at the edge of the needle quietly slipped away.

She lifted her foot and left, leaving only the black needle stuck forlornly in the ground.

Jiang Luo put down the half-eaten cookie, jumped off the chair, and walked around the lamp.

"You sure know how to pick your targets. Why don't you just have Lolo hold the lamp up and see where you can flick it now?"

Elizabeth glanced at her outstretched hand but did not take the lamp down.

"Master, I really dare not touch the lamp you are holding, but she can't always wait for you to light the way for her."

Jiang Luo slowly pulled her hand back into her sleeve.

(￣_￣|||)

I just wanted to let the needle hit me once so I could watch them fight properly. Why does it sound like Lolo is a biased referee?

Stella had retrieved the needle, looked up, and gave her a gentle smile.

"My lord, you can just watch from the side. This time I will remember the location of the lamp as well, so that you won't have bought this needle for nothing."

Jiang Luo had no choice but to sit back down in her chair, stuff the cookie into her mouth, and suppress the pile of praise she had prepared under her tongue.

In their third encounter, she finally shut her mouth and stopped interrupting.

Stella didn't rush to throw the needle; instead, she approached with the giant scissors. Elizabeth moved along the wall, striking the outside of the scissors with her short stick each time to avoid being caught by the two heavy blades.

The mechanical body turned quickly, the hem of her clothes brushing against the lamplight on the wall, and the blackness beneath her feet kept overlapping. Stella raised her left hand several times but never pulled out the needle.

Jiang Luo finally understood; she was waiting.

It's not just about focusing on how big the shadow is under your feet; you also need to prevent your opponent from changing positions in time.

The giant scissors suddenly slammed down at an angle. Elizabeth stepped back, but behind her was the lamp stand that she had just knocked askew. She instinctively sidestepped around it, and the short stick moved a little slower than before.

The black needle then pinned down the shadow of her front foot.

Stella maintained her elusive power with her left hand, while her right hand immediately followed with a giant pair of scissors, aiming to strike the exposed side of her wrist above the short stick.

Jiang Luo sat up straight, her eyes sparkling, and finally clapped her hands together.

(✧ω✧)

"That's it! Quickly take her stick away."

Stella's lips curved into a smile, and her gaze involuntarily drifted towards her master.

Only for a moment.

Elizabeth didn't try to wrestle with her. Instead, she supported the short stick with her other hand and used the end of the stick to press the joint of the scissors, tilting the still-open blade by half an inch.

Then she lowered her knees, pressed her arms to the ground, and pulled out the black needle that was pinning her down.

The giant shears grazed her outer armor, shaving off a piece of wood from the short stick, but ultimately failed to take the weapon.

Jiang Luo's smile froze.

She looked at the needle that had been returned, and slowly placed her two hands, which she had just raised, on her knees.

(｡ŏ_ŏ)

It seems like Luo Luo started the argument.

Elizabeth placed the broken stick aside, indicating that she needed to rest, and did not press her further based on this mistake.

Stella walked up to Jiang Luo first, squatted down slightly, and lowered her gaze to about the same height as Jiang Luo.

"My lord, please don't praise me yet. I can't help but want to see you when I hear you are happy."

The way he said it so frankly left Jiang Luo unsure of where to look.

She touched the tip of her nose, then looked at the three small holes nailed into the ground, and finally solemnly moved the dessert plate to her mouth.

"Luo Luo, eat first, and we'll talk after you're done fighting. That last time doesn't count, go try again."

Stella agreed, and as she stood up, she brushed the cookie crumbs that had fallen onto Stella's collar before returning to the field with the needle.

Before standing still, Elizabeth pointed to the empty space next to Jiang Luo and asked her if, when removing the needles, another strange creature lunged at the main seat from the side, she should remove the needles first or try to stop the creature.

Stella didn't hesitate. She left the needle on the ground and retreated to a position that could block the path to the main seat. She also changed the direction of the giant scissors in her hand.

She was willing to let go of the gift she had just received at that moment, and when Jiang Luo saw this, he didn't mention the words he had originally wanted her to cherish the new thing.

The needle is still in sight and won't grow legs and run away on its own. There's no need to give up your position to your opponent just to be the first to retrieve it.

Elizabeth picked up the needle and handed it back to her, then replaced it with an undamaged short stick. This time, she no longer kept circling around the lamp.

The two started over.

The two mechanical maids near the fence moved the empty targets aside, giving them a wider stretch of stone ground. Stella also moved the needle box to her wrist so that her dress wouldn't obscure the direction of her attacks.

Jiang Luo didn't say anything this time. She even quickly pulled her toes away from the chair leg. Only when she saw the scissors about to catch up with the opponent did she squeeze the soft pad on her knee.

The black needle will still miss.

On one occasion, Stella didn't even have time to draw her needle before Elizabeth pinned her shoulder with a short stick. Another time, the needle pinned the shadow, but Stella was too close, and her opponent pressed down on the scissors with her arm, preventing her from closing the blades.

But later on, she stopped rushing to finish the job as soon as she heard the needle fall to the ground.

When Elizabeth tried to pull out the needle, the giant scissors first blocked the downward-reaching hand. Only when the other party changed to step back did she use the handle of the scissors to knock away the short stick, so that the blade stopped steadily on the side of her wrist.

This time, she didn't look back at Jiang Luo.

The short stick slipped from between the metal fingers, rolled twice on the ground.

Elizabeth stopped, signaling the end of this round. Stella then withdrew her magical powers, pulled out the needle, and neither of them continued to pursue.

Jiang Luo put down the plate and was about to clap when Stella was still looking down at the needle tip.

She waited a while, then moved closer to the chair and deliberately cleared her throat.

The head maid then turned around, her eyes still showing a seriousness that had not yet faded.

(￢_￢)

I told you not to look while you were playing.

After we're done playing, we can at least check on Lolo.

Jiang Luo reached out his hand and waited for Stella to approach. He first took down her small box, put the needles away, and then took out the narrow satin ribbon that he had been asked to cut from the fabric the night before.

The ribbon had been sewn along the edges so it wouldn't fray after being tied. Jiang Luo put in some effort to thread it through the small buckle on the side of the box and fasten it to the head maid's outstretched left wrist.

The knot she tied wasn't very nice.

The lengths left on both sides were different, but Stella didn't reach out to re-tie it. She just looked down at the dark purple ribbon and touched it lightly with her fingertips.

"Using this to carry the needle case is at least more convenient than reaching into your bag every time. As for how to store the needles, we'll figure that out after the merchant replies."

Stella raised her wrist to her chest, smiled, and said she remembered. Then she closed the box lid, no longer hiding the knot in her sleeve for fear of it looking bad.

Elizabeth had already bent down to pick up the broken stick.

Jiang Luo saw this, called her over, and handed her another untouched plate of snacks, telling her to sit for a while and not to go clean up the place for others right after she finished playing.

The mechanical maid glanced at the tray, then at the lamp stand that hadn't been put back in its place. Finally, she placed the tray on the bench, moved the lamp herself, and then returned to sit down.

"I've already secured the light; you can't expect me to move it to the same spot next time."

She was referring to Stella.

The head maid smiled gently, casually turning the needle case to the inside of her wrist, promising to change the position next time and never think that her opponent could only dodge in that way just because she won once.

Jiang Luo stood between the two women, listening to them make plans for the next time. He felt even more satisfied than if he had only seen how useful the needle was.

(￣ ▽ ￣)

That's more like it.

From now on, when Lolo is sitting in the courtyard drinking tea, anyone who tries to touch her purse while the maid is away should think twice before trying to take both hands with them.

Just then, the crow walked in.

She didn't bring the thick treasury; instead, she carried a small, tightly wrapped wooden box with Tao Shun's shop stamp on it and a newly delivered reply underneath.

Jiang Luo looked at the box and first asked if she had paid for the items.

"No, he said it was just a sample he borrowed to show you. If you don't like it, you can just have the original car take it back."

Jiang Luo slowly relaxed her furrowed brows and stretched out her hand, which was about to be put back into her pocket.

Just look, don't pay.

This business sounds like it would be a good fit for Lolo right now.