Arriving at the ballroom, Keqing quickly took her place in front of the pentagram she had prepared earlier.
She glanced at the time.
Less than twenty minutes left.
"Please… it has to fool valerius."
There wasn't much time.
She couldn't be sure whether she could really deceive him.
If valerius went to the cafeteria, she'd have her chance.
If he didn't…
Then she could only hope to shake him off again tonight and try tomorrow.
At least, she had some confidence in that.
With Moe Punch and eleven points, no matter how she looked at it, she could stall him for quite a while.
2:50 a.m.
Good. valerius still hadn't appeared.
2:58 a.m.
Almost there. Time was nearly up.
2:59 a.m.
Keqing raised her hand, ready to chant at any moment.
3:00 a.m.
"It's time. Goodbye, valerius."
Standing in front of the pentagram, Keqing raised her right hand. Her red lips parted as she began chanting:
"valerius Baby… you're the most handsome… lo-love… lo—"
She stopped.
She really couldn't bring herself to say it.
At this moment, she wanted to grab valerius and ask him—
How on earth did you come up with such a name?
"Once more."
She didn't have many chances.
Keqing took several deep breaths, then tried again.
"valerius Baby, you're the most handsome. Love you, mwah mwah!"
Her clear voice echoed again and again through the empty ballroom.
[Ningguang: Pfft—she actually said it.]
[Ganyu: Uh… hehe… pfft!]
[Beidou: That's really going all out.]
[Huohuo: I'm looking forward to Keqing's expression when valerius appears, hehe.]
[Jingliu: ...…]
Watching Keqing's performance, Jingliu finally felt balanced.
Compared to this, she didn't seem that socially dead after all.
As Keqing finished chanting, the pentagram began to glow red, ripples spreading outward.
"It worked!"
Seeing this, Keqing clenched her fist in excitement.
Finally, she had dealt with that disaster, valerius.
As the red light grew stronger, valerius's figure slowly appeared inside the pentagram.
"Heh, now I'll get to see him dragged into hell."
Keqing was delighted.
At least this way, she had avenged her teammates.
But…
As valerius fully appeared, the red light faded.
He stood in the center of the pentagram, completely unharmed.
"…Huh? What's going on?"
She didn't understand.
She activated the ritual, didn't she?
Why was there no effect?
"Hehe."
Seeing Keqing completely stunned, valerius chuckled.
"Don't you think… maybe the ritual you activated was fake?"
"Fake?!"
"That was something I wrote randomly. And you actually believed it… Also, I love you too, mwah."
"Pfft!"
Keqing nearly spat blood.
So he was just playing with her?!
The sky seemed to darken.
Her future felt completely covered in gloom.
Destroy it. I'm tired.
"I… I don't want to live anymore…"
After chanting such embarrassing lines and finding out it was all a joke, Keqing felt her face burn red.
She squatted down, covered her face, and shut herself off.
valerius found her unbelievably cute.
He squatted down in front of her.
"Doesn't Moe Punch belong to you now? Aren't you going to use it?"
"If you use it, you can still escape."
"Go away."
Keqing pushed him weakly.
Right now, she just wanted to cry.
Moe Punch, my foot.
She didn't want to activate that thing at all.
[Jean: So miserable… She really got tricked badly.]
[Lisa: Still, she looked pretty impressive while chanting.]
[Yae Miko: valerius Baby… hehe… even calling that won't save you now.]
[Huohuo: Why are you standing there? Screenshot it!]
[Sampo: valerius Baby.JPG]
[Seele: Love you mwah.JPG]
[Hu Tao: You're the most handsome.JPG]
In an instant, countless screenshots flooded in.
[Yukong: For a moment, I didn't want to join this game anymore.]
Too painful.
Being tricked was one thing.
Having it spread everywhere with screenshots was even worse.
Inside the space.
Looking at Keqing, who now looked completely lifeless, valerius decided to stop teasing her.
He raised his short staff.
[Attention: Player Keqing has been eliminated.]
[Final Result: No Survivors… Game Failed.]
As the system announcement echoed, it marked the complete failure of this game.
Beams of light descended, and all previously eliminated players returned.
"Miss Keqing, don't take it too hard. valerius is just too sly."
Firefly was the first to comfort her.
After learning earlier that the method was fake, she had already mentally prepared herself for this outcome.
"Sigh… Miss Keqing, don't worry about it."
Luocha also spoke up.
What else could they do? Blame her?
After quite a while, Keqing finally recovered a bit.
But now, the more she looked at valerius, the more displeased she felt.
Setting traps was one thing.
But what were those humiliating lines supposed to be?
Did he seriously feel no shame?
Seeing everyone gathered, valerius took out a black machine.
"Alright. Send a representative to draw."
"Huh? Didn't we fail? There's still a reward?"
Arataki Itto stared at the machine in confusion.
Why was there something even after losing?
"That's a punishment."
Everyone rolled their eyes.
How clueless did you have to be to think that was a reward?
At the mention of punishment, many people backed away.
They waited for the first three eliminated players to draw.
Luocha, Bronya, and Clorinde looked at each other.
None of them wanted to go.
"Sigh… I'll do it."
Helpless, Luocha stepped forward.
"But let's be clear. If it's something terrible, don't blame me."
The other two nodded at once.
As long as you go. We're not going.
If they drew something bad themselves, they'd only have themselves to blame.
Standing in front of the punishment machine, Luocha took a deep breath and reached out.
"Please… don't give me 'The Führer's Wrath.'"
A black card fell out.
valerius immediately caught it.
After glancing at it, he looked at Luocha strangely.
"Why did you draw something like this?"
Gulp.
Seeing the teasing look in valerius's eyes, Luocha's heart sank.
"What… what punishment is it?"
"You guess?"
valerius's gaze grew even more peculiar.
Luocha's unease deepened.
Oh no.
Did I draw something terrifying?
He remembered how badly Ningguang and the others had suffered before.
He had even laughed at them in private.
Now it was his turn.
Sure enough, mocking others brings bad karma.
"Your luck isn't bad."
valerius suddenly smiled.
But in Luocha's eyes, that smile looked fake.
"You really are lucky. I'm not lying."
This time, Luocha's luck was decent.
Even if he had to be punished, it was much better than what the others got.
Probably…
Maybe…
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