"Goddess Quest: Maid."
"Quest Requirements: Girl, since you've come to Neon, you must go to Akihabara, the famous link to the two-dimensional world. How could you not experience its renowned culture firsthand? I have three tasks for you: ① Become a maid; ② Act as a maid; ③ Work as a maid in a maid café."
"Quest Description: Well? Am I not good to you? Even the quest gives you three options. The first task is to become someone's maid. The second task is to play the role of a maid. The third task is to join a maid café as a temporary maid. Don't worry—whichever option you choose, I'll arrange all the paperwork. When you arrive, you'll immediately become an official maid."
"Quest Rewards: ① Goddess Value +2; ② All party members' injuries healed; ③ One Dimensional Pass."
"Quest Difficulty: Advanced. (Actual difficulty: Beginner. Considering the host's integrity and shame levels, let's give it a conservative estimate.) Such a simple quest with such great rewards doesn't come often. Still hesitating? If not accepted within ten seconds, it will be considered forfeited and vanish."
Chu Lian no longer knew how to complain about this system. Though the rewards were highly tempting—especially the second one, "all party members' injuries healed"—which was crucial for both herself and Kurosaki Satsuki.
She hadn't forgotten that a dangerous Nightmare-level quest was already closing in. And Neon wasn't safe. The Otherside operatives she encountered earlier had split into two teams. She had destroyed the stronger one, but the other team, nearly as powerful, remained completely intact.
After seeing their comrades wiped out, they would surely act in shadows. Without a decisive strike at their vital point, they wouldn't reveal themselves. Perhaps they would follow her trail, hiding until another city to attack again; perhaps they would seize the chance today to ambush and kill her injured group.
She couldn't predict their timing or plans. All she could do was turn passivity into initiative—lure them out, then eliminate them.
But that required her to be uninjured. In her current battered state, encountering them would only leave her as a toy in their hands, unable to resist.
So, the reward of fully healing everyone's injuries—she had to have it. Even if it meant enduring humiliation and becoming a maid, she wouldn't give it up. Because this was her responsibility.
If she abandoned the safety of her group out of cowardice, she could never be a qualified elder sister, nor become the most outstanding and admired person.
With that resolve, Chu Lian selected the third option: to work as a maid in a maid café. The system prompt instantly sounded: "Host has accepted the quest 'Work as a Maid in a Maid Café.' Duration: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Your actions will determine your evaluation. Current evaluation: E-. Upon completion, you can only receive 10,000 Integrity Points."
"Since the system has gathered more information, it has learned how to define quest completion ratings. For the same quest, different levels of performance determine the rewards. To obtain all quest rewards, your evaluation must be A or above."
"Girl, do your best—we'll be watching you. Ohohoho~~" That long, mocking laugh pricked at Chu Lian's nerves. But until she completed the quest, she had no choice but to hold back her anger.
Finishing the quest was most important. Everything else could be ignored.
Though it was only self-comfort, at this moment, it worked surprisingly well.
"Big Sis, what's wrong?" Chu Lian had been dazed for a while. Beside her, Chu Chu noticed something was off, tugging at her arm with concern.
"Ah? Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking." Chu Lian shook her head, indicating it was fine.
Even though Chu Chu knew she was hiding something again, she didn't press further. She only glanced at the two off-road vehicles trailing behind them and muttered, "I really don't want them following us. They don't look that strong. If something really happens, they won't be able to help us at all."
"Hehe, do you really think their strength is that weak? That's just on the surface. The most elite soldiers of Huaxia are not limited by the standards of ordinary people—they belong to our cultivation world too." Hearing Chu Chu's words, Chu Lian gave a helpless smile and began to explain.
Hearing the two talk, Inori and Li Xiu'er in the back seat also listened attentively. Only Kurosaki Satsuki, who didn't understand Chinese, sat there a bit lost, unsure what to do.
"Hm? Why are these people here? I thought they were subordinates of Zhao Ziming's family. How did the military and the state get involved?" Chu Chu was still confused. Her personality was straightforward—if something had too many twists and turns, she couldn't untangle it right away.
"Because we're being suspected…" Chu Lian turned her head slightly, looking out the window as she spoke slowly. She wasn't worried about eavesdropping or the driver hearing them. Even injured, her spiritual sense remained. Besides, there was also the spirit cat, always dozing but incredibly sharp.
No matter how advanced the surveillance tech, they would instantly detect it and quietly neutralize it. There was no chance of anyone overhearing them. This was both their self-protection and their distrust of everything around them.
As for the driver, there was even less need to worry. He was just an ordinary person. With the partition window between the back seat and the driver's seat open, he couldn't hear a thing. Better to worry about him driving properly than about what he might hear.
"Being suspected?" Chu Chu pondered a moment before finally reacting. "Big Sis means the state suspects us?"
"Yes. They suspect that one of us is the Valkyrie who appeared in Jiuzhaigou last time. After these days of investigation, they've probably found some useful clues—they just can't confirm which of us it is yet." Chu Lian smiled faintly, unsurprised. Before doing that deed, she had already prepared herself for discovery.
Even if she had destroyed most of the evidence, some memories lingering in people's minds, and clues too subtle to erase in time, couldn't be wiped out so quickly.
Perhaps the system could do it, but certainly not now. Its full functions were still unexplored. She could only be sure they existed without finding them yet.
"Then isn't Big Sis in great danger?" Chu Chu knew that Chu Lian was the Valkyrie. Hearing suddenly that her tracks were exposed, that she was in danger, she couldn't help but grow anxious.
But Inori was calm, not seeing it as a problem. Instead, she comforted Chu Chu: "Lian isn't someone who acts without considering the consequences. Since she chose to do it, she must have handled everything she didn't want others to know afterward. So even if they've guessed the Valkyrie is among us, until they're absolutely sure, they won't act."
"Ah, so you're saying if Big Sis is discovered, they'll act?" Chu Chu was shocked. She might resent and dislike their being followed, but she also knew that if they struck at one of the state's most secret units, endless trouble would follow. She immediately lost her composure.
"Relax. 'Acting' sounds serious, but it's only talk. The state permits people of the cultivation world to exist, so naturally it knows many of its secrets. My case is only given special attention because it's unusual. In short, what I displayed back then looked like a fusion of high-tech and cultivation abilities. That's what caught their attention."
Chu Lian's tone held little emotion. She knew clearly they couldn't possibly find evidence proving any of them was the Valkyrie. Their return empty-handed was inevitable.
"But Big Sis, aren't there still Otherside people lurking in the dark? If they strike in front of those guards, should we fight back or not?" The more Chu Chu worried, the more she lost her sense of balance. By now, she didn't even know what she was thinking anymore.
"Silly girl, of course we'll fight back. I'm sure they've already investigated everything about me, you, Inori, and Xiu'er before coming here. Even though we've kept such a low profile over the years, the moment we reveal anything, it would be impossible to hide it."
Chu Lian smiled faintly, graceful and clear: "Mother's past was so glorious. She's probably long been listed in their most secret archives. As her children, how could we not be thoroughly investigated as well?"
"Before, I didn't have the strength. But with Mom as such a special example, they can't be sure if I'm hiding my power or truly lacking it. So there's no need to worry about that."
"As for Inori, even if her ability is exposed, it doesn't matter. Those who kill with hot weapons are never as terrifying as those who kill with special powers. After all, people fear the unknown."
"When the time comes, you just protect Xiu'er. Only those who approach you need to be dealt with. And Satsuki will stand guard, covering the surroundings…"
Chu Lian's words settled Chu Chu's heart, but soon she thought of another problem: "Big Sis… aren't you badly injured? And Satsuki too—she's also seriously hurt. How can you fight in this state?"
Hearing her concern, Chu Lian gave a mysterious smile. "Very soon, we'll be healed…"
"Alright… if you say so." Chu Chu knew her elder sister could be excessively mysterious at times. But if she said such words, it was never without preparation.
On the side, Li Xiu'er, who had been listening quietly, revealed a longing light in her eyes. "I really, really want to fight by your side…"