Ann's inexplicable statement caught Mu Yang's attention.
Moreover, she really forgot it right after saying it—it didn't seem like acting at all.
Mu Yang noted this down to exchange information with Lumine later.
On Lumine's side, after separating Jacques and Al, she first listened to Al's intelligence.
Regarding the tower in front of them, the demonic dragon Narcissus was temporarily unable to conquer it.
For now, the princess was still safe.
Back when everything was almost beyond salvation, Princess Lyris entrusted her most precious treasure to the Narcissus Cross Adventure Team.
That treasure was her [time].
Lumine was confused. "She entrusted what to you? Time?"
Al's tone was very certain. "Yes, after losing time, Princess Lyris, along with the high tower she lived in, fell into a motionless slumber without dreams."
"We remember her and call the fallen kingdom the Place of Slumber."
Because it was completely stagnant, even Narcissus couldn't touch the things inside the tower.
That was roughly the current situation.
Paimon crossed her arms. "What do you mean by 'roughly'... How can a person give their own time to someone else?"
Little Cabbage jumped out—she wanted to prove it for her brother and the princess.
They really had received the time distributed by the princess.
"Um... for example, Brother Al normally can only hit a bad guy once at a time. But with more [time], he can hit four or five times at once!"
"A vivid example. Thank you for your explanation, dear Little Cabbage."
Lumine inwardly complained—it was indeed a vivid example, yes, but it still didn't explain how time was given to others.
She took several deep breaths. If she got angry with a few pure water creations, only she would suffer.
Just treat these as the settings of the adventure.
Anyway, once they found the princess, she should be able to explain it clearly.
So, Lumine told Al that she fully understood the matter of [time stagnation].
And she asked Al in return, "Does that mean Narcissus is absent now because he's searching for a way to break the time stasis?"
Al was somewhat surprised—compared to Jacques, Lumine was both smart and didn't argue unnecessarily.
"Yes, over the long years, the demonic dragon Narcissus has been searching for the princess's treasure. Only the power of the treasure can make time in the high tower flow again and open the sealed gates."
Narcissus summoned water filled with malice to flood the kingdom.
He also created countless minions and evil magical mechanisms. All of this was to hunt down the members of the Narcissus Cross Adventure Team.
"Because the treasure should be in our hands."
"You said 'should'?"
Little Cabbage explained.
They used to have a big brother named Ney.
On that very terrifying day, he took the treasure and escaped with the members of the Narcissus Cross Adventure Team.
But to cover everyone's retreat, he was dissolved into the water.
— — — — — —
Hearing this statement,
Guinaifen's analytical soul burned fiercely.
"Dissolved in water—isn't that exactly what we encountered in the previous main quest?"
"In my opinion, this story is definitely a metaphor. These pure water spirits were once living people!"
[Such a cool analysis—I thought the streamer would have to watch a guide to figure this out]
[The streamer has improved—she's actually using her brain now]
[@Silver Wolf, come learn how to make analysis videos]
"Fine, fine, you all understand, right? Then you explain it."
The barrage actually didn't understand much either—the current situation wasn't clear yet.
But this Ann obviously had issues.
Was it related to Mary-Ann from the previous quest?
And why did she mention Rene, then remember nothing?
All of this made people eager for the plot to advance…
— — — — — —
When it came to Ney, everyone missed him very much…
After a while, Lumine broke the atmosphere. "I'm sorry you lost a very important friend…"
"But if that's the case, how do we save Princess Lyris?"
"According to what you just said, the treasure is already…"
On this point, Al and Little Cabbage looked toward Jacques.
It seemed the clue was with him.
Jacques did indeed have a clue about the treasure.
Before Ney was dissolved, he used his last strength to purify a small patch of water at the dome.
And hid the treasure within it.
At this point, Jacques spoke again in his sarcastic tone.
"How ironic. It seems Narcissus is used to looking down on his tiny subjects and doesn't have the habit of looking up. Over the long years, the treasure has been hidden there all along."
They had a clue to the treasure, but how to get up there?
Ann, who had calmed down nearby, flew over. "To get up... there's a small fountain filled with magic. There should be a way there."
Under Ann's guidance, Mu Yang and Lumine quickly dealt with the fountain guardians and activated the mechanism.
At that moment, a deep voice echoed around them. "Well done, soldiers—assemble!"
The group walked toward the source of the voice—it was a squirrel.
The squirrel asked with concern, "Ann, it seems you're safe and sound—good. These people are reinforcements?"
"Yes, they are…"
"Stop! I don't want to know the soldiers' names." The squirrel shouted loudly to interrupt.
"In cruel battles, everyone could turn into bursting bubbles or scattering splashes at any moment. Knowing soldiers' names would only cast a shadow over the final victory."
[Really full of personality]
[With a team like this, it's a miracle they don't argue more]
"Alright, you can now proceed to suppress the remaining water cannon positions."
Paimon told him that the positions had already been cleared.
"What?! Why didn't you say so earlier!"
"We've been wanting to tell you—who told you not to listen to us!"
Now it was the little squirrel's turn to be embarrassed.
"Uh... hahaha... Then it's fine. It's great that everyone is safe and sound! Um, Ann, you just said these soldiers' names were…"
[I still prefer your previous style—go back to that]
[This is called being flexible]
[A great man born between heaven and earth should be able to bend and stretch]
After some introductions, the squirrel Kate happily announced.
"I'm glad the Kate Resistance Front has new blood joining. Let's work together for Princess Lyris and the restoration of our homeland!"
[Now with five water elementals, there are already three group names—I don't even want to think about later]
[That's why this adventure team is unreliable]
Lumine didn't plan to delve into their team's internal issues.
As long as everyone's goal was the same, it was fine.
With the threat of the water cannon positions gone,
Colonel Kate hopped away cheerfully.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to say a few heroic words.
"Hmph! No matter what, when the sun sinks into the sea, I will return with battle. And rendezvous with you in front of the high tower!"