Talulah, I'm still a child.

"Liu Er, why are you in such a hurry? It's not good for the guests to see you like this. Tell us what's going on slowly."

"No... ha, it's really not that I'm in a hurry, it's a big deal, shopkeeper!"

After catching his breath, Liu Er looked extremely excited and couldn't help but gesticulate wildly as he spoke.

"When I came here, I saw a notice posted by the government. It said this year, this year..."

"What's wrong with you this year? Is a real dragon coming to celebrate the New Year? Is that something to get you so excited about?"

"Oh my, my dear young lady, she's not a real dragon, she's a fox spirit! The fox spirit is going to descend to the human world again this year! Her first stop is Shangshu! It's said that Lord Liang is already considering which inn to host her!"

With a clatter, the feather duster in Zheng Qingyue's hand fell to the ground. After only a moment's thought, he immediately decided to set off to find Liang Xun, the prefect of Shangshu. Putting everything else aside, he absolutely could not let another inn handle the task of entertaining the fox spirit!

This is no longer just a business matter. Back then, it was the fox spirit who helped them and guided them to open the Xingyu Inn. Now, the fox spirit has chosen Shangshu as the first stop in the human world. Isn't that a kind of hint?

After all, it's a new era now. The next moment, Du Yaoye and Zheng Qingyue both received an official announcement from the Shangshu Prefect. The announcement detailed that the news of the fox spirit coming to Shangshu was not false, and hoped that the public would not interfere too much with the fox spirit's visit to the human world, so as not to cause any negative impact on the fox spirit.

Everyone knew that the entire Shangshu was destined to be in an uproar starting today.

Meanwhile, a certain fox was still planning how to avoid being surrounded by crowds when he went home for the Chinese New Year this year. According to Lin Qingyan, the Fox Fairy's prestige in the Great Yan Dynasty was no less than that of the imperial court, and even more so in the hearts of ordinary people. This was because the Fox Fairy never interfered in any affairs of the Great Yan Dynasty, only fulfilling the duties of a guardian. Otherwise, the Great Yan Dynasty would have a headache about how to deal with an almost insurmountable enemy.

So if Mei Xue went to Da Yan openly and honestly, even if he had no money, he could just shout that he was hungry on the street and a bunch of people would come and feed him.

Or to put it more directly, I hope there will be fewer people kneeling and praying for good luck to Mei Xue, so as not to frighten the little fox.

"This year's Da Yan festival will be very lively. It would be terrible if it caused too much chaos."

Lin Qingyan had a headache, and Mei Xue sensibly reached out to massage her temples. Anyway, he had thought for a long time and couldn't think of any other way to avoid being surrounded except by staying home. He could only rely on Lin Qingyan and the others.

Is Mei Xue very popular in the Great Yan Dynasty?

Since they haven't been to Da Yan themselves, Ghost Shark and Viviana don't yet have an accurate grasp of the little fox's popularity in Da Yan.

"Let me put it this way, in the Great Yan, the two most common distinctions between people are those who believe in Mei Xue and those who don't, and only then are they divided into infected and non-infected."

For the people of Da Yan, whether they are infected or not is not important; what matters most is whether they believe in the fox spirit.

Even if you are infected, as long as you truly believe in the Fox Spirit, you are family. They will not only help you by going bankrupt, but they will also be generous in providing assistance in various ways. The Fox Spirit Cult will even help you apply for medicine to suppress Oripathy for infected individuals.

"That Mei Xue is really amazing."

Ghost Shark held the little fox in her arms, rubbing his head and scratching his waist, making Mei Xue laugh and roll around in her arms.

"Sister, please stop, it's so itchy."

Mei Xue couldn't stand the tickling. The little fox tossed and turned in Ghost Shark's arms, and the moment she let go, she quickly ran to Viviana's arms to hide, constantly swatting away Ghost Shark's hands that were trying to cause trouble with her tail.

Viviana cuddled the little fox, not jealous of Specter's teasing of Mei Xue, since Nearl had already trained her resilience well.

Besides, after Rhodes Island arrives at Kavaleria tomorrow, she will apply to become an operator. They will be colleagues from now on, and it's inevitable that they will greet each other. It's not that she can't beat Specter now. Well, it's definitely not because she can't beat Specter.

"By the way, Viviana, if you're going to Rhodes Island tomorrow, I suggest you take Mei Xue with you."

Out of a sense of duty as a best friend, Margaret gave Viviana her most important piece of advice, and sighed helplessly as she looked at her bewildered expression.

"You need to know that 90% of the women on Rhodes Island like Mei Xue just as much as you do."

Viviana immediately understood what kind of hellish place Rhodes Island was. Given her relationship with Mei Xue, who had secretly registered their marriage, she probably wouldn't even know how she died if she went to Rhodes Island alone.

"Then I'll have to trouble Meixue to protect me tomorrow, mua~"

Viviana leaned down and kissed the little fox on the cheek. Suddenly, she became curious about what life was like on Rhodes Island. With so many people who liked Mei Xue gathered together, it must be very lively, right? She guessed that they must have gotten along quite a bit physically.

"I don't know what the older sisters are talking about, but I'll leave it to them!"

Although he didn't understand why he still needed protection once he arrived at Rhodes Island, the little fox confidently patted his chest. Even if Viviana hadn't said anything, he planned to show her around Rhodes Island and meet everyone there. He was so lovesick from not seeing her for so long.

Of course, what the little fox is most looking forward to is Talulah, who is on her way. However, he also misses Doctor, Chen Huijie, Kal'tsit, Lily of the Valley, Rosemary, Exusiai, Texas... He even gets tired of sending good morning messages to everyone every morning, not to mention good night messages.

"I always feel like time is passing slowly."

The little fox nestled gently against Viviana's chest, wondering if she should just sleep until tomorrow so she wouldn't have to wait.

Meanwhile, on the deck of Rhodes Island, Cecilia sang softly, looking in the direction of Casimir. The wind was strong, and Surtr gently placed his hand on her shoulder, a warm current coaxing her body.

Cecilia is basically pampered by everyone on Rhodes Island. Although she likes Mei Xue, it hasn't turned into the kind of love that most people have. It's just admiration and dependence. Besides, she's not old enough to be a threat. Everyone doesn't mind paying more attention to her.

"Thank you... um, thank you, Sister Surtr~ Your horns are beautiful."

For the Sarkaz, the horns are a very important part, and praise for them usually makes them feel very good. Surtr is no exception, but she is rather arrogant, so she just slightly raised the corners of her mouth and gently rubbed Cecilia's head.

"It's cold on the deck, so wear more clothes if you don't want to catch a cold."

"I just came to see if I could see that city; this is my first time visiting another city."

For Cecilia, who had been strictly disciplined since childhood, foreign cities were always full of curiosity. Of course, what she looked forward to most was seeing Meixue again. She also felt uncomfortable when the little fox was not around, as if a piece of her heart was missing.

"Actually, you still want to see Mei Xue as soon as possible, right?"

"Yes, I miss Brother Meixue very much."

Making no attempt to hide her longing, Cecilia nodded firmly, then looked up at the higher deck where Lily of the Valley stood.

“Sister Lily of the Valley must be too.”

"Her..."

Looking at Lily of the Valley standing on the deck, Surtr had an indescribable strange feeling. She seemed to see the shadow of a familiar person in Lily of the Valley, but the feeling was too ethereal to grasp, let alone be sure of.

(Rhodes Island, I never thought anyone would dig this up.)

"Does your sister know about Rhodes Island?"

(Of course I know. Although I've never seen how it was built, many of the materials here were provided by Mei Xue. This ship is probably tens of thousands of years old.)

Su Xue'er seemed to be reminiscing about something, but her memory was incomplete, and she couldn't recall any more details.

"I thought Rhodes Island was only created in recent years."

(It's likely that the people who excavated it did some maintenance; at least the outer layers are all new. After all, tens of thousands of years have passed, and some parts would need to be replaced.)

"That's true... Oh right, sister, do you know who that person was yesterday? She was another Sarkaz sister inside Amiya's body."

When it comes to Theresa, Suzuran had only heard that Amiya had another personality inside her until yesterday when she actually saw it. With Su Xueer's help, she could even see what Theresa's soul looked like. Although it was illusory, it was indeed a very likable woman.

“I don’t know her, but I know another person who is connected to her. Her condition is also very interesting. Mei Xue separated her soul, but taking into account the little rabbit’s tolerance, she only taught her the gentlest part.”

It wouldn't be difficult for Su Xueer to see Amiya's problem, but what truly surprised her was not Mei Xue's ability to do it, but the method Mei Xue used.

As twins, Su Xueer and Mei Xue were born directly from an unspeakable being that split them in two, precisely dividing them into the two most extreme aspects.

The method Mei Xue used on Theresa was exactly the same as the method He used when they were born. It seems that her younger brother has really grown a lot in the years she has been gone.

However, this has led to a problem.

Since the gentlest Theresa is inside Amiya's body, where did the rest go?

Chapter 357 Liz is finally not a loser anymore

As dusk fell and the moon and stars became scarce, Talulah thought that the weather had been sunny for the past few days, without any heavy rain or much trouble. She believed this was probably thanks to Mei Xue's blessing; the little fox's luck was truly terrifying.

However, traveling overnight was not feasible, so Talulah found a relatively safe place to set up camp. She was currently on the border near Victoria, which used to be Gaul territory. However, since the War of the Four Emperors, Gaul had been divided up, and the ownership of the border area had always been disputed. It was said to be Victoria's border, but Casimir and Letania regarded it as their own territory.

Of course, with Ursus and Victoria at war, these two have surprisingly quieted down and haven't rushed to claim ownership.

But because of this war, Talulah needs to get through this area as soon as possible to avoid getting entangled. If her identity as Drak is discovered, things could get complicated. Although not everyone knows the leader of the Reunion Movement, there are always a few generals in Victoria who recognize him.

"Still thinking about Mei Xue...who?"

A flame erupted from behind Talulah, rushing toward the dark figure at a speed too fast for the naked eye to react to. However, the opponent was clearly no ordinary person, and realizing that the flame could not be withstood head-on, it decisively dodged to the side.

Seeing such a large rock melt into magma, Bagpipe couldn't help but swallow hard. This level of Originium Arts was simply too terrifying.

"A Victorian standard-issue siege spear, are you a soldier?"

Talulah frowned slightly, which meant that the other party was definitely not acting alone, which was somewhat troublesome. Although Mei Xue's protection gave her confidence that she would not encounter the main force, if they were to get entangled along the way, it would delay their arrival in Kazimierz.

Sure enough, several more figures soon emerged from the darkness. There weren't many of them, but they were clearly a special operations force. They were well-equipped and highly trained, and their casual steps hinted at an intention to surround Talulah.

Who are you?

Horn raised an eyebrow. Not many people dare to cross the border during such a special period, especially one who is alone. Could he be a spy? No, that face looks familiar, and he even has Originium Arts. Ordinary spies don't have this ability.

Do I need to answer?

Talulah picked up her greatsword. It was just a special assault team. Two years ago, she might have lost, but now she only needed to consider whether she needed to keep them all. Drak was a born king. His Oripathy disease made Talulah's already outstanding Originium Arts talent even better. Just like the nickname the Ursus Empire gave her, she was a "tyrant" in terms of destructive power.

(We can't make too much noise. I should have asked Mei Xue to boost my luck beforehand. How could I have run into Victoria's soldiers at a time like this?)

Although Drak and Vaiva are two different races, they look very similar. Therefore, most of the Reunion Movement members initially thought that Talulah was a Vaiva, as did Bagpipe and others. After all, no one would have expected to encounter a member of the royal bloodline of the former Victorian dynasty in the wilderness.

However, Talulah's powerful aura made everyone feel a little suffocated. After thinking for a moment, Horn chose to put down his weapon.

"We meant no harm; we just saw a fire here and were worried it might be an enemy spy."

At least on the surface, this reason was acceptable. Talulah toned down her aura a bit. She didn't want to cause any conflict. It was better to avoid trouble if possible, otherwise it would be difficult to clear her name. She didn't have Mei Xue's untainted constitution.

However, she never put down her sword. One should always be wary of others. She had considered that the firelight might attract wild animals or scavengers, but she never expected it would draw such an elite squad.

"I'm just a traveler, I'll be leaving soon."

"...It doesn't look like it."

The intense heat that could easily melt rocks, the greatsword in her hand, and the racial characteristics of this race—the captain, Horn, had more or less guessed Talulah's identity. But that was precisely why he dared not act rashly. According to the information Victoria had received, Talulah even had the record of single-handedly destroying an entire elite Ursus vanguard squad. If a real battle broke out, not to mention whether they could capture her, the losses on their side would certainly be considerable. There was no need to put everyone at risk.

"When you're out and about, you always need some means to protect yourself."

Talulah didn't argue further. She simply sat back down by the fire and started eating her dinner. She decided to leave after she finished eating to avoid any further complications.

But at that moment, her communicator rang. She picked up the phone and saw that it was Mei Xue. On the one hand, she was surprised that Mei Xue could call her from Kazimierz. On the other hand, Talulah answered the call without hesitation.

"Sister~ Where are we?"

The sweet voice coming from the other end of the phone warmed Talulah's heart, and all the gloom she felt from meeting Bagpipe and the others vanished. Sure enough, Mei Xue brought her good mood.

Upon hearing this voice, Qinliu, who had just relaxed a little, looked at Talulah in utter astonishment. Although Meixue was speaking in the Great Yan language, she couldn't possibly mistake this voice.

"I'm already in Victoria, and I'll be there soon. Wait for me there for a few more days; I have a surprise for you."

Talulah smiled, but with others around, it wasn't appropriate to talk too much, so she quickly hung up the phone and would talk to Meixue later.

"Alright, I still have to travel later, so I'll try to see you as soon as possible."

"Hey~ I also want to see you soon, sister, but safety first, sister, please be careful, mua~"

After saying that, Mei Xue hung up the phone to avoid making Talulah reluctant. She wanted to laugh even more arrogantly, but after all, there were so many strangers watching.