025 The Neck That Keeps Facing Danger

Bang! The iron-barred door of the cell slammed shut, leaving Momo and Liangyin staring at each other in silence.

“Why does it feel like lately I’m either catching someone or getting caught myself? Am I just having a run of bad luck?” Momo idly surveyed the cell’s surroundings.

“How should I know... ugh...” Liangyin pouted, hugging her knees as she sat on the small patch of floor she’d just cleared.

“Do you think we got caught because of our wanted posters, or is it because of Huanluo?” Momo attempted to start a conversation.

“I suspect Huanluo isn’t a simple character at all.” Liangyin turned the golden token Huanluo had given them over and over in her hands. “Look at the design on this medallion.”

Whenever Liangyin spoke without using her usual coy tone, it meant she was being completely serious.

Momo leaned in to study the token closely. On the front, the word “Order” was simply inscribed. The back bore a meticulously hand-carved image of a majestic stone tower, wreathed in clouds and mist. Scars of war covered the tower’s surface, yet these marks didn’t diminish its grandeur; instead, they lent it a sense of ancient, weathered dignity.

“So?” Momo, unmoved by artistic details, asked, “Are you trying to say this token is actually a block of chocolate?”

“Chocolate? Can’t you talk sense for once?” Liangyin frowned. “That tower is the symbol of the White Tower Kingdom, not something anyone can just carve at will. Yet Huanluo’s token not only bears this symbol but is also made of gold. And she handed it to us as if it were nothing. She must be someone important.”

“Could it be?” Momo’s expression turned grave. “Is Huanluo actually the White Tower Kingdom’s youngest prince, disguised as a woman, out to experience the world?”

“If you miss Junyan, just say so. No need to twist yourself into knots.” Liangyin gave Momo a sidelong glance.

“Can’t I just think about him? It’s purely a friendly longing, no need to be jealous~” Momo replied with a mischievous grin.

Liangyin was speechless.

“No shouting in the cell! Or your sentence will be increased!” The patrolling guards were clearly displeased with the racket.

Momo cast a disdainful glance their way. “I haven’t even been sentenced yet!”

“Then let’s make it life in prison right away!” The prison guard’s word was law.

“What crime did I commit to get a life sentence?” Momo protested.

“Disrespecting the guard,” the warden replied, chin raised.

Looking at the guard, who was standing on tiptoes in platform shoes yet still a head shorter than herself, Momo didn’t even bother to lift her eyelids. “At your height, I wouldn’t even need to bow to bump into you.”

The guard stormed off in a huff. Bored, Momo picked up a small knife and began carving into the wall. Liangyin tilted her head and asked, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll make things hard for you for talking back like that?”

“Make things hard?” Momo continued to carve. “They dragged us in here for no reason, there’s no trial, no torture, and they even bring us dinner. Clearly, they want something from us. I’m not worried.”

Liangyin thought it made sense, so she slumped down and watched Momo etch and doodle on the wall. After a while, she still couldn’t make out what was being drawn. “What are you doing?”

“Just making things interesting for the next poor souls who end up here,” Momo replied, clapping her hands with satisfaction. “Done!”

Curious, Liangyin stood up and peered closely. The wall was now covered in crooked inscriptions:

Imprisoned ten times between the ages of sixteen and thirty—this cell holds my personal record. Challenge me if you dare!

If the cellmate upstairs has no record, it didn’t happen!

I was here~

In memory of a love now gone—next time, don’t buy that rice cake without enough money, or I’ll end up in here with you again!

Professional food delivery—if you need help, tell the guard outside the code: ‘I’m on the chopping block tomorrow. Can I get an extra drumstick with dinner tonight, brother?’

...

Liangyin was at a loss for words.

The next morning, Momo and Liangyin were startled awake by shouts and prodding. Amid the chaos, they were hustled out of their cell, into a cart, then transferred to another vehicle. Still groggy, Momo squinted against the sunlight, while Liangyin, buttons fastened wrong, stared blankly ahead. Both had their hands bound, unable to move.

Directly before them stood a girl with violet hair, clad in gleaming silver armor, exuding an aura of valor as she faced a group of soldiers. Just as when they first met Momo and Liangyin, her expression was icy, her gaze fixed intently not on them, but on the young man standing at their side.

The man wore brown leather armor, a greatsword strapped to his back. His muscles rippled with every breath, a silent testament to his strength. Behind him, another cohort of soldiers, matching Huanluo’s in number, stood ready.

“What is this?” Huanluo was the first to speak.

“Nothing much. Just here to make a fair trade,” the man responded confidently—clearly, his lines had been rehearsed.

“Hm?” Huanluo’s noncommittal sound prompted him to continue.

“Hmph.” Seeing her indifference, the man grew impatient. He seized Momo, pressing a sharp blade to her throat until a thin trickle of blood appeared. “I’ll give you the hostages—hand over the sword!”

Momo longed to put on a brave front, but the chill of the blade at her throat filled her with dread. All she could do was look at Huanluo through tear-filled eyes.

Huanluo’s gaze remained utterly steady, fixed on the man. “If you’re going to kill, do it quickly. Don’t dither.”

“You said it!” The man was not one to hesitate; he raised his hand, ready to strike Momo down.

“No!” Liangyin cried out.

Momo squeezed her eyes shut.

But the man’s blade hovered in midair, glinting coldly.

In Huanluo’s hand now appeared a metal plaque, gleaming with golden letters:

Special Cultural Exchange Envoys to the White Tower Kingdom—Miss Momo and Miss Liangyin, invited to visit as honored guests on the 10th day of the 11th month, Royal Calendar 1222. Personally inscribed by King Bradlik.

“What exactly are you up to, bringing us here to die?” Liangyin complained as she flexed her wrists, sore from being tied too tightly.

“I told you this place was dangerous—you should have left sooner,” Huanluo answered, tending to Momo’s wound as she spoke.

Momo’s eyes filled with tears. “Be gentle, please! My poor neck has survived so many close shaves, don’t torture it any further!”

“But didn’t you say you were in danger and wanted us to come quickly?” Liangyin waved the small note Huanluo had sent.

Momo leaned in curiously. The note was written in neat, formal script: Danger. Leave quickly.

“Didn’t this mean you were in danger and wanted us to hurry to Aikacia?” Liangyin protested.

“I meant the forest is dangerous, and so is Aikacia. Leave quickly,” Huanluo clarified.

“…Couldn’t you have written a few more words, sister? My comprehension skills aren’t great—I didn’t catch so many hidden meanings. And Liangyin, was your literature teacher the chemistry teacher? How did you even interpret it that way?” Momo’s words left both of them speechless.

Stardust Chronicles 025_025: The Neck That Faces Endless Danger—update complete!