Chapter 643: Master?

The voice was sharp and bright, carrying an uncontainable irritation, like a person walking calmly on the road being pushed from behind into a puddle, getting up to find the pusher already gone, with nowhere to vent the anger but to curse out a single expletive.

"It's pretty smooth!"

It crawled out of the pit.

The movement was as clumsy as a chick just hatched from its shell, using both hands and feet, scraping the pit wall several times before climbing up, slipping once in the middle, and when it slipped it muttered "damn it", then kept climbing, finally making it up.

It stood at the edge of the pit, brushed the dust off its hands, then lifted its head and looked at the people standing before it.

Saber stood at the front, the black greatsword still raised above her head, but she had already lowered it, planting it on the ground.

Her brows furrowed as her eyes fixed on that chibi little thing.

Weiba Daye stood beside Saber, the Mecha's body leaning slightly forward as if on guard.

The chibi little thing—Gudazi—stood there, looking up, scanning each of the people in front of it.

Its gaze shifted from Saber to Weiba Daye, from Weiba Daye to Ilya, from Ilya to Robin, then back to Saber.

On its round face, the expression changed from smug to satisfied, then from satisfied to even more smug.

Saber stared at that face, at the orange messy hair, at the overly bright eyes, at the wild vigor radiating from its bones; something in her mind rang furiously, like a siren and like someone knocking on her skull.

Her mouth moved before her brain did.

"Mas... Master?"

The voice was soft, but when that word left her mouth, everyone present heard it.

The Flame on Weiba Daye's little head flickered.

It turned its head to look at Saber, then turned to the chibi little thing, then back to Saber, its facial expression shifting from confusion to an indescribable disbelief.

"Master?"

Its voice carried obvious doubt, "Is this it? This thing? Are you sure?"

Ilya's pupils contracted.

Fujimura Lixiang?

Ilya stared at the chibi little thing, then her gaze drifted down to the garment whose original color was no longer discernible.

The collar of that clothing bore a button—the same school uniform button that matched exactly the one she remembered on Fujimura Lixiang's uniform.

She opened her mouth, intending to say something, but not a single word came out.

She didn't know what to say—whether it was "Fujimura classmate, how did you become like this?", or "Are you okay?", or "What on earth are you?"

Each option seemed somewhat wrong.

Robin stood behind Ilya, tilted its head, stared at the little thing for several seconds, then its mouth twitched.

It wasn't laughter; it was the involuntary twitch of facial muscles after witnessing something completely beyond its comprehension.

Weiba Daye glanced at Saber, at Ilya, at Robin, then at the chibi little thing, and the Flame on its little head flickered again.

"How come they both know each other?"

With obvious confusion, "Who exactly is this weird creature? It looks a bit like a Pipixi person, but Pipixi people aren't this small, right? And they also aren't this—"

It paused, as if searching for the right word.

"Crazy."

Gudazi stood at the edge of the pit, looking up and scanning each of the people in front of it.

Then it smiled.

It looked down at its own clothing, brushed the dust off its sleeve, then lifted its head, its gaze locked on Saber.

"Yo! Saber!"

The voice was sharp and bright, brimming with uncontainable joy, like someone who has walked a long road and finally spots a familiar face.

It kicked its foot, propelling itself off the ground; the leap was astonishing for a creature only knee‑high, as it sprang from the pit's edge, arcing through the air before landing steadily before Saber.

Saber stepped back two paces.

It wasn't she who chose to retreat; her body moved back on its own.

Her legs moved before her brain could issue a command, she lowered her head to stare at the chibi little thing, something flashing in its overly bright eyes.

The Connection of the Command Spell.

That connection told her one thing—this chibi little thing before her is her Master.

Not merely resembling, not merely sounding alike, but on the level of contract, of magical power, of soul, it is the same person.

But her Master is definitely not like this.

Gudazi ignored Saber's retreat.

It stood there, looking up, appraising Saber from head to toe.

Its gaze was like someone shopping, examining a garment—from the collar to the sleeve, from the sleeve to the hem, from the hem to the pant leg, then nodding in satisfaction.

"No wonder it's my power,"

Its voice brimmed with uncontainable pride, spilling from its round face, unable to hide, "This look is indeed dashing, just to my taste."

Saber's mouth twitched.

She didn't know how to respond.

Gudazi shifted its gaze away from her.

Those overly bright eyes turned toward Ilya.

Ilya stood before a stone pillar, clutching a ruby, the Tail that rose from behind her skirt stretched straight behind her.

She watched the chibi little thing turn its gaze toward her, and a chill ran down her spine—not cold, but the feeling of being stared at from behind.

Gudazi's eyes moved from Ilya's face to her hair, from her hair to her skirt, from her skirt to the ruby in her hand, then back to her face.

On that dust‑covered face, the expression shifted from satisfied to even more satisfied.

"Saber,"

Its voice carried an indescribable flavor of either surprise or something else, "Is this the beautiful girl you caught for me?"

Saber's pupils narrowed sharply.

"—No!"

Those two words sprang from her mouth quickly and hard, like two stones striking the ground, "They aren't—"

She didn't finish her sentence, because Gudazi's gaze had already shifted to Weiba Daye.

The gaze lingered on Weiba Daye for about two seconds, then Gudazi's mouth twitched.

"What is this ghost thing?"