"When I handed over the Root of Dreams, I also left a little marker in it. As soon as the Astral and the spiritual domain started to connect, I could temporarily strip the Root of Dreams away, then rush over in ti to catch the two of you."
"So whether you dissolve the pact or not, the outco for you two is the sa. At most, the difference is just the order you get caught in. In the end, I still win."
"..."x2
"Enough, answer my question."
Flicking her finger at the Master of Ten Thousand Spirits, who still seed to want to say sothing, completely shattering him into the most basic spiritual power, Fredri rummaged through the countless Spiritual Bodies that dropped after the Master of Ten Thousand Spirits "died," while urging:
"I’ve already told you why I’m interested in Leon. Now it’s your turn to tell what you know about him."
"No can do."
After glancing at the many Spiritual Bodies left behind by the Master of Ten Thousand Spirits’ death, the Fun Donkey shook his head and refused:
"You didn’t tell the truth, so our deal doesn’t count."
"?"
Hearing this, Fredri’s hand paused slightly. She turned back to look at the Master of Hanging Stars and frowned:
"Everything I said was true."
"I never said you were lying."
Knowing he had no way to escape, the Fun Donkey lifted a hoof and tapped on the star fragnts beneath him:
"Everything you said is true, but you didn’t finish. The reason you’re interested in that kid isn’t just because he’s the biggest obstacle, there must be sothing else... Number One, tell honestly!"
Stomping down and crushing the star fragnt under his hoof, releasing "Native No. 2," the two donkey-eyes of Escapist No. 2 stared deathly at Fredri, as he asked expectantly:
"What’s the deal with this Leon anyway? Don’t tell he’s also an escapist like , who slipped over from another tiline while you weren’t looking?"
"..."
So you don’t know either? You were just trying to trick intel out of just now?
Looking at the Master of Hanging Stars who had just asked the question she herself most wanted to ask, Fredri couldn’t help but frown, then raised her right hand without hesitation and clenched it viciously toward the Fun Donkey.
And just before she made her move, the native donkey that had been forcibly imprisoned by the Escapist Donkey had finally managed to struggle out of the starry prison. Tilting his neck back, he let out a roar of sheer rage.
"Uwah—uwah— (Damn you! You actually locked up for so long! You... wait, no?!)"
Feeling the Astral Root rapidly draining from his body, seeing the Astral and the spiritual domain around him already linked, and looking at the slightly annoyed expression on Fredri’s face not far away, the unlucky native donkey fell silent for a mont, then couldn’t help turning in disbelief to look at the other him.
"You??? I finally got out, haven’t even watched a single bit of fun yet, and now I’m about to be taken out by Number One? You fuck..."
"Look at you, what are you panicking for?"
As if worried the native donkey would pounce on him in a suicidal rage, the Escapist Donkey hurriedly backed away a little, then cheerfully promised:
"You and I are basically the sa person, you know , don’t you? If I promised you fun, there’ll definitely be fun... Number One, I’ll tell you what Leon in the other tilines is up to. Can you spare my life?"
As if afraid Fredri would refuse, the Escapist Donkey hastily added:
"Don’t worry, you can still take the Root and all that, every last bit of Astral Root is yours. You don’t even have to give him any freedom—just keep him around to watch the fun... How about that deal?"
"Deal."
After pondering briefly, Fredri nodded. Then, under the native donkey’s utterly baffled gaze, she waved a hand and slapped his body apart, turning him into countless dazzling starlights. Right after, she pinched out a clearly defined dream and flicked it at the native donkey’s will.
"Pop."
With a soft sound like a soap bubble bursting, the native donkey who’d just been killed in a daze was, supported by that little clump of dream, resurrected in just as much confusion, and then a rope that had suddenly appeared in Fredri’s hand looped around him and dragged him to her side.
"Wait... this is the ’fun’ you promised ?"
The two donkeys’ eyes t briefly in the middle. After seeing the rope tied through his own nose, the native donkey turned his head to look at the other him, speechless:
"You’re the one who said there’d definitely be big fun to watch, that’s why I didn’t choose to go down with you back then, and let myself get locked up to wait for it.
And your so-called big fun is using my identity to screw around, dragging down to get caught and killed by Number One, then resurrecting as her mount?
Also, I am a donkey, okay? Number One, this nose ring is for cattle, yeah? It doesn’t even fit right, does it? Are you... mmmph?"
"Enough, talk."
Fredri lifted a hand and sealed the native donkey’s incessant chatter. Then she looked toward the Escapist Donkey, whose Root had drained away ninety-nine percent and only had a tiny bit left, and urged:
"Tell , what’s Leon like in the other tilines? Why didn’t they disguise themselves as No. 3?"
"I dunno."
"???"
"I’ve only wandered through a bit over a hundred different tilines, and I never ran into him in any of them. I only learned of his existence for the first ti after I got here."
Spreading his... hoofs at Fredri, the Escapist Donkey said cheerfully:
"You know, I’m an escapist! If you, the one guarding Ring Ti Mountain, caught , I’d definitely get deported back to that boring original world. So I never stayed in any world for long—just looked for fun, grabbed so Root, and ran.
The only reason I thought about sticking around in your place was because I saw a fake No. 3 and figured there’d be so new fun to watch. Otherwise I’d have been long gone!"
"..."
"But don’t be mad. Even though I don’t know what Leon is like in other tilines, I did see sothing interesting when I was climbing out of your Ring Ti Mountain."
Having successfully played a trick on Fredri and gotten a bit of petty revenge, the delighted Fun Donkey lifted a hoof and added with a grin:
"Did you know? I am not the first escapist in your place... When I was climbing up, I found traces of previous climbing along Ring Ti Mountain, which ans before there was already soone else who climbed out from your world. Guess who it was?"
"My guess is..."
Looking at the Fun Donkey’s mysterious expression, Fredri fell silent for a mont, then replied:
"My guess is you don’t know who it was either."
"Tch... you got it."
The showboating Master of Hanging Stars’ donkey face drooped, and he nodded in utter dissatisfaction.
"After I caught this world’s version of myself, I spent quite a long ti searching everywhere, but still couldn’t find out who the other escapist was. But I think that kid is the most suspicious."
"Leon?"
"Exactly."
The Fun Donkey snorted:
"I never saw him in any other tiline, yet he exists only in this one. In other tilines, No. 3 is always soone else, but in this tiline No. 3 got impersonated by him. Of course he’s the pri suspect... Isn’t that what you think too?"
Raising a hoof to point at the Spiritual Bodies that "burst" out of the Master of Ten Thousand Spirits, the Fun Donkey said regretfully:
"If I’m not mistaken, you were planning to find the ’Deer Spirit’ among them, then have the Deer Spirit go to the mortal world and report that this world’s and No. 12 were captured by you, to trick that kid—who doesn’t know about the relationship between the Deer Spirit and the Master of Ten Thousand Spirits—into coming over.
As for where you’d lure him to... Ring Ti Mountain, right?"
"That was indeed my plan."
After picking through the more than ten thousand Spiritual Bodies, Fredri grabbed the Deer Spirit that had been disguised as the Master of Ten Thousand Spirits and answered:
"Only soone bearing a Root can climb out of Ring Ti Mountain. If Leon really is an escapist, then I can’t just wipe him out directly. I’d have to send him and the Root he carries back, to ensure that the other can successfully complete her mission...
All right, No. 2, you’ve been rambling and stalling for this long; you must have sothing else in mind. So what exactly are you waiting for? Don’t tell you’re waiting for Leon and No. 4 to co save you?"
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