As everyone returned to the church, Valerius waved his hand.
The rows of computers that had previously packed the hall vanished instantly, clearing a large open space for the winners.
One by one, all the eliminated players reappeared as well.
"You're really something."
The moment she materialized, Yunli gave Silver Wolf a big thumbs-up.
"As expected of a Stellaron Hunter. Your methods are wild."
"I was framed!"
"Who told you to be so careless?"
Yanqing immediately chimed in.
He had originally thought their side stood a good chance of winning.
Who could have guessed things would end like this?
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ningguang glared at Beidou.
"Explain yourself. How did you let yourself get kidnapped at such a critical moment?"
"How was I supposed to know they'd be that shameless?"
"Then why didn't you summon me after you escaped?"
Ningguang was still fuming.
She was convinced Beidou had dragged her down this round.
With anyone else as her Master, she was sure she could have lasted until the very end.
"How was I supposed to know it wasn't another trap?"
Ningguang: "…"
All right.
That was a fair point.
She glanced at Silver Wolf, who looked on the verge of tears.
Suddenly, Ningguang felt much better.
Sure, Beidou was unreliable.
But at least she hadn't stabbed her in the back.
"You spent ten points and still lost?"
Even Jean couldn't help commenting.
Silver Wolf really had managed to get outplayed despite such overwhelming resources.
"Exactly."
"She's terrible."
"If I had that many Command Seals, I'd have wiped everyone out."
Listening to the chatter around her, Silver Wolf's face darkened.
She turned to see who was talking.
To her disbelief, they were all people who had been eliminated early.
"Oh, I'm bad, am I?" Silver Wolf snapped. "Maybe. But at least I'm not getting punished."
Eyes blazing, she marched up to Valerius.
"Valerius, we always draw rewards first. How about we do the punishment first this time?"
Valerius looked at Silver Wolf's pitiful expression.
After a moment, he sighed.
"All right. Just this once."
Silver Wolf had suffered enough.
He decided to throw her a small bone.
Besides, it didn't really matter whether the reward or punishment came first.
With a flick of his hand, he summoned the punishment machine.
"Heh. Step right up, you three."
Laughing at me, were you?
Now it's my turn to laugh at you.
"Uh…"
"You…"
"Sigh…"
Yanqing, Hoshimi Miyabi, and Jean all stared at Silver Wolf speechlessly.
Yae Miko was the one who tricked her.
So why was she taking it out on them?
Nearby, Tsukishiro Yanagi patted her chest in relief.
That had been close.
If she hadn't hidden behind Yunli during that final attack, she might have been eliminated even earlier than Jean.
Now she was safe from punishment and could watch others make fools of themselves.
It was a wonderful feeling.
"You seem very pleased."
"Ah? Not at all. You're mistaken, Chief."
Yanagi quickly turned away.
But the glint in her glasses gave her away completely.
She was absolutely thrilled.
After all, she was about to watch Chief Miyabi get punished.
"All right," Valerius said, gesturing to the machine. "One of you come draw."
"So… who's going?"
"N-not me."
"I'll do it."
Since there was no escaping it, Miyabi stepped forward.
"Then we'll leave it to you, Miss Miyabi."
Standing before the punishment machine, Miyabi took a deep breath and pulled the lever.
A card dropped out.
[Contrarian: For one week, the player will enter a state of compulsive argumentativeness.]
"Con… Contrarian?"
The room fell into an awkward silence.
That was a punishment?
The card dissolved into particles of light and entered the three players' bodies.
"Big sister, how do you feel?"
Barbara looked at Jean with concern.
Jean checked herself for a moment, then shook her head.
"I… I don't feel anything."
"Really? That's a relief."
Barbara exhaled in relief.
She had been worried her sister might do something outrageous in broad daylight.
"How can you say that? I feel terrible."
Miyabi immediately contradicted Jean.
She had no idea why, but she felt an irresistible urge to disagree.
"What do you mean, terrible?"
"Terrible."
"Heh. That's just your imagination. I feel perfectly fine."
Jean brushed herself off confidently.
"This punishment has no effect on me."
"If you think you're fine, then that's your delusion. How could a punishment possibly make you feel good?"
"I'm telling you, I feel fine."
Seeing the two women getting into an argument within seconds, everyone rushed to separate them.
The punishment had only just begun, and they were already bickering.
Yanqing shivered.
These two had become terrifying.
He immediately retreated to the Xianzhou group.
"Yanqing, this time you truly disgraced the Xianzhou. You need to reflect on your performance…"
Fu Xuan seized the opportunity to lecture him.
Being the first eliminated was simply too embarrassing.
"And how is that my fault? You'd have done the same."
Fu Xuan blinked.
The boy had learned to talk back?
"Hmph. If this seat had participated, such a situation would never have occurred."
She turned to Jing Yuan.
"You need to discipline him properly. This attitude will hinder his growth."
"Him?" Yanqing snorted disdainfully. "What exactly can he teach me?"
Pfft!
The entire Xianzhou froze.
Yanqing…
You've got some nerve.
"You are disrespecting your elders."
"What elders? What has he ever done besides nap all day? He even steals pieces when playing chess."
"This is outrageous!"
Fu Xuan nearly exploded.
Jing Yuan might be a little lazy, but he absolutely did his job.
How had he become a useless loafer in Yanqing's eyes?
"Am I wrong? I could do his work just as easily."
Yanqing crossed his arms with a look of utter contempt.
Today, he felt compelled to argue with everyone.
"Perhaps… you should say less."
Even Jing Yuan was beginning to sweat under the many horrified stares.
"How convenient. Did I hit a nerve?"
"Enough."
Feixiao stepped in decisively.
One chop to the neck later, Yanqing collapsed unconscious.
If she let him continue, who knew what outrageous things he'd say next?
Elsewhere, Jean was now glaring at Lisa.
"Am I wrong? Should everyone's problems really be dumped on me? How am I supposed to handle everything by myself?"
"Yes, yes. You're absolutely right."
Lisa smiled sweetly.
This punishment was wonderful.
Since Jean felt compelled to argue, perhaps she would finally break her habit of doing everything herself.
"Barbatos must be watching over us."
"What has he ever done?"
Jean scoffed.
Wasn't Mondstadt functioning because of her efforts?
What contribution had Barbatos actually made?
"Lord Barbatos, please forgive my sister! She didn't mean that!"
Barbara immediately clasped her hands in prayer.
Please, Sister, stop talking.
Only Venti stood off to the side, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
So even Jean doesn't respect me anymore?
He knew it was just the punishment speaking.
And yet…
For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that Jean was voicing her genuine thoughts.
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