The moment she entered the factory, Asta immediately spotted Navia sitting leisurely off to the side, with Beidou tied up on the floor.
So I'm not the only one who got captured!
"This way, please."
Clorinde gave Asta a light shove forward, looking immensely pleased with herself.
Trying to hide from us? Didn't work out so well, did it?
At this point, Fontaine and Sumeru had already formed an alliance.
As soon as they entered the game, Nahida had devised a straightforward strategy for them.
Strike on the first day.
Capture Masters.
Then use them as bait to lure in their Servants.
As for where they got the Masters' information, that was naturally from Valerius.
Based on the elimination announcements, they could easily determine which teams were still active.
After purchasing the relevant Master information, they still had six points left.
"What… what do you plan to do with me?"
"Mmm…"
Navia pressed a finger to her lips and gave Asta a mischievous smile.
"Miss Beidou still has some value."
"As for you…"
"I…"
Asta's face turned pale.
She understood exactly what that meant.
Beidou still had her Servant.
That made her useful.
But Asta?
Acheron had already been eliminated.
No one was coming to save her.
She was finished.
"Don't worry, Miss Asta."
Clorinde smiled gently.
"I'm very quick. It won't hurt at all."
"You two are awful."
Asta shot Clorinde a glare, then obediently turned around.
There was no point resisting.
She had no ability to fight back.
Better to cooperate and at least avoid unnecessary suffering.
[Attention: Player Asta has been eliminated.]
After successfully eliminating Asta, Clorinde turned toward Beidou.
"So, you're really not going to summon Ningguang?"
"Exactly."
Navia crossed her arms.
"If you call Ningguang now, you might still have a chance to resist."
"Hmph."
Beidou snorted and turned her head away, clearly prepared to accept death rather than cooperate.
The factory was covered with traps.
If she summoned Ningguang, the two of them would almost certainly be eliminated.
"Why are you protecting her so much?" Navia asked.
"Even if she wins, that doesn't mean you win."
"Enough talk."
Beidou had made up her mind.
Nothing they said would change it.
In the livestream:
[Qingque: Wow… what a spirit. I'm moved!]
[Fu Xuan: For a moment there, I wanted to team up with Beidou myself.]
[Black Swan: I'm starting to feel guilty.]
In earlier games, Black Swan had helped Ningguang deceive Beidou.
And yet here Beidou was, still willing to protect Ningguang.
The guilt hit hard.
[Xiangling: Big Sister Beidou, I love you!]
[Hu Tao: Everyone, take notes!]
[Cloud Retainer: Excellent. Such character is worthy of Liyue.]
Even the adepti approved.
[Yun Jin: Big Sister Beidou is sacrificing herself for Liyue!]
[Xingqiu: So touching. Truly touching.]
Then Valerius mercilessly shattered the mood.
[Valerius: What are you all getting emotional for? She signed a contract with Ningguang.]
Everyone: "…"
Valerius knew the truth.
At the start of the game, Beidou and Ningguang had signed a magical agreement preventing them from betraying one another.
This wasn't noble sacrifice.
She was simply honoring a contract.
[Zhu Yuan: Ah… is that all?]
[Wise: The idol has fallen.]
[Keqing: Ahem… honoring contracts is still a virtue.]
[Ganyu: Indeed.]
[Jing Yuan: Somehow it feels much less moving now.]
[Seele: If it were Bronya, I wouldn't need any contract.]
[Bronya: I would never betray Seele.]
[Fu Xuan: Really? Weren't you the one who bombed Seele with a missile last time?]
[Seele: …]
[Bronya: …]
The two of them immediately turned red with embarrassment.
Then Sampo added fuel to the fire.
[Sampo: What if the person trying to eliminate Seele was Valerius?]
[Sparkle: Then Bronya would probably hand him the knife herself.]
[Seele: All of you, shut up!]
Inside the factory:
Seeing that Beidou refused to summon Ningguang, Navia and Clorinde weren't concerned.
If Beidou wouldn't summon her, that was fine.
They had already left a note.
Once Ningguang returned, she would see it.
And they didn't believe for a second that Ningguang would abandon her Master.
Night fell.
After eliminating several opponents, Ningguang returned home in excellent spirits.
"Hm?"
The moment she stepped inside, a bad feeling washed over her.
As a Caster, her instincts for such things were exceptionally sharp.
With a wave of her hand, a mirror appeared.
In its reflection, she saw Beidou tied up on the floor, with two unfamiliar women standing nearby.
"She's been captured?"
Ningguang's heart sank.
Then she noticed the note.
She picked it up and read:
[Beidou is in our hands. If you don't come tonight, she dies. Your choice.]
"This is bad."
The fact that they knew Beidou's name meant they had definitely purchased information.
"Do I save her?"
Ningguang sat in silence for a long time.
Finally, she made her decision.
Yes.
At this stage, every team had suffered losses.
Without a Master, she would have no chance of winning.
Without hesitation, she set off for the abandoned factory.
The moon hung high in the sky, haloed by a hazy ring that dimmed the night.
Upon arriving near the factory, Ningguang immediately detected numerous magical barriers.
"Hmph. Child's play."
To her, the defenses were laughably crude.
With a casual flick of her hand, the barriers dissolved soundlessly.
"Hehe. Time to catch them all in one net."
She quietly approached the building and placed a hand on the ground.
A clay puppet emerged and transformed into her likeness before walking into the factory.
Inside, she found only Navia guarding Beidou.
Clorinde was nowhere to be seen.
"She's not here?"
At once, Ningguang grew cautious.
Navia smiled.
"There's no need to look."
"Clorinde has already gone to your real body."
"What?"
Ningguang's eyes widened.
Had she been exposed?
Impossible.
She had dismantled every magical detection spell.
There was no way they should know what she was doing.
"Your every move has been visible to us from the beginning."
"You… impossible. Your magical ability is mediocre. There's no way you detected me."
Ningguang forced herself to remain calm.
"I never said we used magic."
"What do you mean?"
"Hehe."
Navia flashed a bright grin and pulled out a tiny object.
"A surveillance camera."
She twirled the device between her fingers.
"Bet you didn't expect us to fight magic with technology."
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