School Trip

The silver pendant was like a crescent moon, with mysterious patterns engraved on its edges. Several profound characters appeared intermittently, and occasionally an item would emerge from it before disappearing again. In the distance, one could vaguely see a person's figure, but their face was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to discern their features.

The string it hung on was a translucent, glass-like thread made of an unknown material. Under the light, it seemed to project hazy silhouettes. Chu Lian didn't know what it was, but she felt an inexplicable connection to it, as if it was fate, as if she had known these people before.

"Sister, are you still looking at that pendant?" Chu Chu sat on her left, holding Tina in her spirit form, and looked curiously at the pendant in Chu Lian's hand, somewhat sullenly. She was in a bad mood because her planned duo journey was disrupted by an unexpected addition.

On Chu Lian's other side, Inori tilted her head, gazing at her with soft eyes, and gently said, "Lian, I'm sorry for causing you trouble again. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't be in this situation." Inori was referring to how Chu Lian had used her connections to have Inori accompany her and arranged for them to stay in the same room, which violated school rules.

This clearly violated school regulations, but Chu Lian insisted, and Li Mingxue intervened, forcing the school to agree. However, the condition was that they had to cover their own expenses and couldn't stray too far from the group.

The conditions were not harsh but served as a form of punishment. After all, Chu Lian's request broke school rules, and without some form of repercussion, it would set a bad precedent. Yet, the punishment couldn't be too severe, so this method was chosen to remind her not to repeat such actions.

"The Key of Seven Illusions is indeed a peculiar treasure. I don't know how it ended up around my neck." Chu Lian was unconscious during that time and didn't witness the appearance of the gentle woman. Both Chu Chu and Inori kept this incident secret, revealing nothing to Chu Lian.

Thus, she only knew that after waking up, her attributes had changed significantly. She understood that the Mother of the Apocalypse Virus and Void Controller were powers used by Mana Ouma and Shu Ouma from "Guilty Crown," with names altered to fit the real-world context.

But the appearance of the Key of Seven Illusions and Seven Illusions's Bow puzzled her. If the system hadn't told her that the Key of Seven Illusions was the crescent-shaped pendant she wore, it would have taken her much longer to figure out what had changed. Now, she was studying the pendant.

Having answered Chu Chu's question, Chu Lian decided not to worry about the pendant's use for now. Since the system had specifically mentioned its danger, it was likely something she couldn't control at her current level. Besides the activation of special abilities, the most significant benefit from last night's enhancement was the substantial increase in her strength, agility, and stamina attributes.

This unexpected delight surprised her. She thought her attributes wouldn't grow much in one go, but all three had exceeded 20, with her strength reaching D- level, elevating her overall power to Spirit level, an unprecedented leap.

Although she wasn't sure what being at Spirit level entailed, the system's description suggested she had surpassed human limits. While she might not be able to perform feats like flying or using flowers as weapons, she could easily handle dozens of attackers with a few moves.

Not dwelling on these matters for long, she decided to keep them in mind and revisit them when she had more information. She stretched, and in doing so, she seemingly accidentally grasped Inori's hand, then looked up at her with a smile.

"There's no need to worry about these things. They are just following their rules, which doesn't mean they're against us. There may be complaints, but no hostility. Those in their positions aren't irrational."

Chu Lian comforted Inori, understanding her anxiety. She knew Inori felt guilty for causing disruptions and making her plans go awry, now needing Chu Lian to go to such lengths for her.

"Well, although it disrupted my plans, you don't need to feel guilty. I did say I wouldn't enhance my abilities, but here we are. It's fine, some things won't change no matter what."

Chu Lian took these disruptions lightly and didn't regret them, especially since it involved Inori. She understood that with the system's unpredictable nature, promises could be broken due to various circumstances.

Just like the sudden announcement of the Youth Literature Competition a few days ago, which broke her previous promise to stay out of the public eye for a few years. Although it hadn't happened yet, the system's task arrangements made it inevitable. So, even if she didn't want to participate, she had no choice.

This raised another issue: how should she explain it to her fans? She had just promised to stay low-key for a few years, but now she would be participating in a literature competition. Even the most loyal fans would have complaints. She had even prepared an excuse in advance: "I'm participating as a student, not as a performer..."

However, Inori didn't understand this aspect, so no matter how lightly Chu Lian spoke of it, she still felt a bit down. But Chu Lian saw this as a good thing, as it showed that Inori was slowly learning to express her emotions. For her to get better, Chu Lian's efforts were certainly not in vain.

"So sweet together..." Chu Chu muttered sourly. When she saw Chu Lian turn around and glare at her, she closed her mouth. When will my sister treat me as gently and thoughtfully as she does Inori? I don't want to see this biased affection, it's so annoying.

Chu Chu's bad mood made her grip Tina a bit too hard, causing Tina to fidget and then pounce on her, biting down hard on her ample chest. "Ah..." The sudden tickling sensation brought Chu Chu back to her senses. She pouted, cradled the agitated Tina back into her arms, and then put on her eye mask, deciding to go to sleep.

Out of sight, out of mind. If she didn't want to see her sister being affectionate with others, she might as well sleep. Hmph, one day I'll make my sister my bride, and then I'll show off in front of all of you every day. With this inexplicable mindset, Chu Chu soon fell asleep.

Chu Lian shrugged, glanced around, and saw that everyone she could see, except those blocked by the tall seats, had been asleep for a while. After all, they had spent a lot of time gathering and packing in the morning, waited a long time for their flight in the afternoon, and had only boarded the plane near dusk. They were all a bit tired.

It was already past nine in the evening. Normally, they would be in bed by now. Chu Lian wasn't sleeping because her physical condition had suddenly improved significantly, reducing her need for sleep, so she could stay up a bit longer. But Chu Chu was already used to it and had fallen asleep first.

Moreover, if everyone around hadn't been asleep, Chu Lian and Inori wouldn't have discussed these issues. Fortunately, shortly after Chu Chu fell asleep, Inori couldn't resist the strong drowsiness either, and she too slowly fell asleep with her head resting on Chu Lian. This left Chu Lian alone, gently stroking Inori's hair, lost in thought.

Time ticked by, and Chu Lian kept looking out the airplane window without doing much else. The scenery outside became clearer, revealing a brightly lit city below. From Suchen City, they took a special car to Shanghai, then flew from Pudong Airport. After a flight of over three hours, they finally reached Jiuzhaigou.

Soon, a teacher stood up and began waking the students, reminding them it was time to get off the plane. This was tough on the students, who usually had regular sleeping schedules. They rubbed their eyes and looked drowsy, still in a state of rest. But this was probably good for them.

Ning Zhiyuan was the teacher responsible for waking up the students in Chu Lian's section. When she approached, she saw Chu Lian smiling at her, surprisingly energetic. She glanced at Inori sleeping on Chu Lian's lap, nodded slightly, and then moved on to wake the other students.

"Inori, it's time to wake up..." Chu Lian whispered softly in her ear, while gently squeezing Chu Chu's chest, causing her to sit up with a start. Chu Chu pulled off her eye mask and glared at Chu Lian, who was treating Inori so gently, with eyes full of dissatisfaction.

"Hmm, Lian, have we arrived?" Inori sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked at the slowly brightening night scenery outside the window. "Yes, we've arrived, so it's time to get off the plane. Chu Chu, remember to take your luggage. Don't forget again, we can't afford any delays this time."

Chu Lian unbuckled her seatbelt, walked to the aisle seat, and gently pinched Li Xiuer's cheek. "Xiuer, wake up, we've arrived at Jiuzhaigou. You've always wanted to see this fairyland, haven't you? If you keep sleeping, we'll have to leave you here."

"Hmm~" Li Xiuer, who had a hard time waking up, kept rubbing her eyes, looking adorably dazed. Suddenly, she opened her arms and said, "Lian, I want a hug... I want a hug..." Her actions stunned Chu Lian for a moment, but then she smiled softly and embraced her.

"Alright, I'm hugging you. It's time to wake up." Chu Lian kissed Li Xiuer's forehead lightly, which seemed to snap her out of her daze. Realizing what she had just done, Li Xiuer's face turned bright red. "Lian... I was just half asleep, I didn't mean anything else, don't misunderstand..."

Chu Lian tried not to laugh and nodded seriously. "I understand. You have a hard time waking up. I realized that when we napped on the rooftop last time. So don't worry, I won't misunderstand. But I must say, you're adorably cute when you're groggy."

"I... I... I'll go wash my face..." Embarrassed, Li Xiuer glanced at Chu Chu, who looked annoyed, and Inori, who was staring at her blankly. Realizing there was no way to explain herself, she whimpered and stumbled toward the bathroom, clearly mortified.

"I thought she wasn't a rival, but she's another fox spirit. Annoying, annoying, annoying..." Chu Chu's resentment surged again, and she tightened her grip, further annoying Tina, who scratched her hand in retaliation, even in its weakened state.

Seeing Tina's struggle, Chu Lian sighed and said, "Tina, stay with me for now. Chu Chu, stop making trouble. Otherwise, I'll throw you in the bathroom to sleep alone tonight."

Her words made both Chu Chu and Tina stop. They exchanged a glance and sighed simultaneously. Tina was lamenting the loss of her comfortable resting place, while Chu Chu was upset that no matter how much she pouted, she still didn't get the attention she wanted from her sister.

With a glance at them, Chu Lian reached out to pull Inori along. She waved to Li Xiuer, who had just washed her face, then picked up her and Inori's luggage—just a small bag each, containing a few clothes and a laptop.

As the scenery outside became clearer, the plane landed with a slight tremor. The plane, carrying dozens of top students, landed at Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Airport in Sichuan. In the future, it would take these students to seven other countries and eleven cities. This was just the beginning.

Chu Lian stood up first, taking Inori's hand and walking out. She had been feeling too constrained lately. The hidden tasks of the "Time and Space Traveling Merchant" and "Daughter of Destiny" would begin or end during this journey. She looked forward to that moment and to a new and beautiful start.