The man seed to pause for a mont, then bent down, his pale face slowly approaching Heita.
He took a light breath, as if slling her scent or examining his prey.
"Any price...?"
His light laugh carried a hint of amusent.
"I'm a monster who loves eating people, and you have no right to bargain with . But for soone so young to dare co here, you certainly have courage."
"Hmm... Helping you isn't impossible, provided you're truly willing to pay any price."
The girl looked up, confirming again: "I am, as long as it's sothing I have."
"Good... Do you rember your na?"
"Heita."
"I'm Qi Zhimu, and I know so very powerful magic. So, you can call Mr. Magician. Co with ."
"Aren't you going to send back?"
"Wishful thinking. I never run errands for others. If you want to save Azure Star, you'll have to take the thing back yourself. And..."
At this point, Qi Zhimu pointed to his own eyes.
"... I don't see very well. In this Labyrinth Zone, I'm at a disadvantage. You'll have to be my eyes. After you deliver the thing back..."
He stuck out his tongue, licking the corner of his mouth, lowering his voice like a demon's whisper.
"—I'll eat you!"
An ordinary girl would probably cry upon hearing this.
But Heita just looked at him quietly, her eyes dimd by exhaustion showing no fear.
As long as she could deliver the data back, being eaten didn't matter.
"Fine, I accept."
Heita nodded, her voice unnervingly calm for a fifteen-year-old.
Qi Zhimu flicked the wizard hat on his head with a finger and turned around.
"Hold onto the hem of my clothes, kid. If you get lost and a monster snatches you away, I'll be heartbroken to lose a good al."
"Understood." Heita extended her small hand, gripping Qi Zhimu's clothes sowhat loosely... In a world shrouded in mory substance mist, two figures, one large and one small, slowly made their way.
"Kid, I think I've heard your na sowhere before. They say you're Azure Star's youngest Spatial Studies genius, with so knowledge of Chronology too."
"If Azure Star can't be saved, it's all aningless." Heita's tone remained calm.
"Let's set that aside for now. The rumored genius girl is said to be arrogant, self-centered, and unreasonable—"
Qi Zhimu rubbed his chin, tilting his head to examine the girl beside him.
"But the kid who made a deal with has a kind of fearless calmness, a bit of a stoic, expressionless vibe. I say, your character setting doesn't quite match."
"...Does my character setting affect my taste?" Heita whispered.
"Of course, cheerful kids are tastier. at like yours is bitter. But I can understand, given you've fallen to the point of begging strangers."
"And hey, kid, do you know where you've fallen into?"
Qi Zhimu, lacking any magician's decorum, slung his staff over his shoulder.
"I've fallen into the mory Substance Maze World. I have a na, Heita, not 'kid'." Heita followed closely beside Qi Zhimu, her small face calm as she answered.
"Alright, alright, Heita kid. Let tell you, this is the deepest Labyrinth Zone within the Materia Void."
"What's the difference?" Heita tilted her head.
"The deepest part of the Labyrinth Zone has plenty of troubleso beings. Ha, human imagination becoming one of the causes of humanity's destruction—now that's entertaining."
"Don't you know magic?"
"I do, so?"
"So your magic can't defeat those troubleso beings?"
At these words, Qi Zhimu bristled like a cat whose Tail had been stepped on.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm the most powerful magician here. None of those beings are a match for . One Forbidden Spell, and the entire Labyrinth Zone would be turned upside down."
"Rember this established fact, got it?"
"Got it."
Heita nodded her chin, then changed the subject.
"But I have no impression of you. What work did you originate from as a Virtual Substance Lifeform?"
"Don't know. I just know I love little ones like you the most—they taste delicious."
"..."
Heita felt neither disgust nor fear at the magician's undisguised craving.
This wasn't a nightmare; she had no right to be afraid.
Disgust wouldn't change the fact that she was in a desperate situation, forced to rely on a Virtual Substance Lifeform.
"Whoever created you must have had a twisted sense of humor. I've never heard of a human magician in any work who likes eating people." The girl remarked expressionlessly.
"Huh? You think I'm human?"
"You look like it. Are you actually an animal in your true form?"
Qi Zhimu rolled his eyes: "Fine, but little Heita, you need to know one thing—"
"What?"
"Art imitates life. Why is my setting an evil magician who likes eating people, not a righteous one? Twisted humor? I doubt it."
Heita fell silent.
She was young, but she understood so of the dark, unspeakable truths hidden beneath the surface.
"Ouch, how co there's a pothole in this damn place? Bad eyesight is such a pain. Kid, why didn't you warn ?"
"My na is Heita. The fog is thick; I can't see either."
"...I shouldn't have agreed to your request just for fun. Should've gobbled you up on sight."
"There's a fire-breathing snake ahead, blocking the path." Heita tightened her grip on his clothes.
As soon as she spoke, Qi Zhimu's ears twitched slightly, and in the next mont, two bolts of thunder struck down, piercing the giant snake's head.
The snake's body turned charred black, then dissipated into mist.
"Kill and finish it off in one go. Impressive, right?"
"Yes, impressive."
"Such a lifeless complint, tsk... Hurry up and point the way. Which direction is faster from here?"
Heita analyzed the current spatial curvature to determine the general direction.
"Left."
The fog didn't clear; instead, it grew thicker.
The environnt was damp, cold, heavy, and filled with an uncomfortable aura.
Heita felt that every ti her lungs expanded, they had to overco imnse resistance.
Each breath felt like swallowing coarse sand, scraping her windpipe painfully.
She suddenly stopped.
"Why'd you stop, ergency rations?"
"...I'm out of strength."
"What a hassle. Get on!"
Qi Zhimu took off his wizard hat and placed it on Heita's small head, then bent down to carry her on his back.
"Hold on tight. If sothing by the roadside swallows you whole, I'd be very troubled."
"After all, you're my ergency rations. If anyone's going to eat you, it should be ."
Heita couldn't see his expression, but she could imagine the wicked curve at the corner of his mouth.
"I will." She wrapped her arms around Qi Zhimu's neck.
Mr. Magician's scent wasn't pleasant—it carried a faint, bloody sll, as if from eating people.
But at least it brought a slight sense of security.
"Which way now?"
"Right ahead."
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