Chapter 274 - 264: Elf and Sugar 15

Moira returned to her quarters.

Before going inside, Moira took out the clown nose and put it on.

She had returned around ten o’clock the previous night, by which time everyone was already asleep. Tonight, she was even later, but the lights inside the room were on.

As Moira approached the room, she immediately sensed that something was off.

Everyone was on their feet, their gazes fixed in one direction.

Because their attention was captured, no one noticed Moira’s arrival except for a player positioned near the door.

Following their gazes, Moira saw the two Dryads from earlier that day inspecting the players in the room one by one.

With them was the player who had lost her item that morning.

The two Dryads soon reached MoonlitHorizon.

MoonlitHorizon had been holding out hope for a lucky break. After all, the previous inspections had been nothing more than cursory glances, without a single question asked.

It led her to believe the two Dryads were just going through the motions, phoning it in.

But to her surprise, the two Dryads didn’t just glance at her and move on as they had with the others.

Elves were known for their beauty, and Dryads were considered the pinnacle of elven attractiveness.

Under normal circumstances, being stared at by two such handsome men would have made MoonlitHorizon blush.

But now, meeting their piercing gazes, a sudden panic gripped MoonlitHorizon.

"What is your name, and what is your talent?" one of the Dryads asked.

A look of panic flashed across MoonlitHorizon’s face.

"That’s my private information. I have the right to refuse. Besides, you didn’t ask anyone else, so why single me out? This is discrimination."

MoonlitHorizon raised her voice, as if that alone could conceal her guilty conscience.

The two Dryads’ expressions remained unchanged. One said calmly, "We suspect you’re connected to a theft. Please come with us."

This time, MoonlitHorizon truly panicked. "What makes you think I stole something? What proof do you have?"

The two Dryads looked at MoonlitHorizon as if she were an idiot. ’We’ve already made it so obvious,’ they thought, ’how does she still not get it?’

Dryads possess a talent called Super Perception, which allows them to sense even the most subtle movements and clues.

Therefore, after learning of the theft, they had identified the culprit with just one look around the room.

Everything before this had been a mere formality, meant to deter any future incidents.

Seeing this, the other players put two and two together. They weren’t idiots; it was clear what was happening.

No one had expected the thief to be someone like her.

MoonlitHorizon was very popular.

Even at the start when no one knew each other, she had made a deliberate effort to be friendly, and after just one day, everyone had a very good impression of her.

Anyone who had interacted with her thought she was a kind and good-natured person, if a little gossipy.

The only exception, of course, was Moira.

No one could have imagined that someone like her would be a thief.

"Oh my god, when she approached us before... don’t tell me it was just to steal our stuff."

"Now I remember! She secretly asked me what items I had. Luckily, I was wary and didn’t tell her anything."

"She asked me too, but I only had a couple of useless low-level items. She probably didn’t think they were worth stealing."

The players all started chiming in, one after another.

The more they talked, the more shocking the revelations became.

Their experiences were surprisingly similar; it turned out MoonlitHorizon had taken advantage of all of them in small ways without them even realizing it.

Some had inadvertently revealed their talents or items, while others had lost small amounts of food.

As realization dawned, everyone turned to glare at MoonlitHorizon with fury.

But among them all, the most furious was, of course, the player whose item had been stolen that morning.

The others had suffered minor losses, but she had lost a genuine high-level item.

No one could have remained calm in her shoes.

"AGH!! You bitch! Give me back my item, now!"

Shouting, the female player charged forward, shoved MoonlitHorizon to the ground, and began viciously pulling her hair.

But MoonlitHorizon wasn’t one to be trifled with. She immediately started fighting back. "You’re talking nonsense! I never took your item! Besides, it’s your own fault for being so flashy. Even if it was stolen, you deserved it! What does that have to do with me?"

The other players watched the scene unfold, but not a single one moved to intervene.

Part of it was not wanting to get involved in unnecessary trouble; another part was the desire for a bit of drama after a long, hard day.

The two Dryads watched the pair locked in a fierce struggle, their brows furrowed. One of them pressed a button.

A moment later, two Sea Sprites rushed in.

Each Sea Sprite grabbed one of the brawling women and forcibly pulled them apart.

By now, both women were a mess of disheveled clothes and hair. Clear red slap marks and scratches adorned their faces, evidence of how viciously they had fought.

"Take them both away!" one of the Dryads ordered sternly.

The pair was led away under the watchful eyes of the other players.

The Sea Sprites looked slender, but their grip was shockingly strong. The two women couldn’t break free no matter how much they struggled and could only allow themselves to be led away.

After the two had disappeared from view, the other Dryad addressed the remaining players. "Let this be a lesson to all of you. Do not let something like this happen again."

After the Dryads left, Moira returned to her bunk. The room was silent. Everyone was preoccupied with their own affairs, and no one spoke a word.

Just then, the system’s cold voice suddenly rang out.

[Player MoonlitHorizon, due to suspicion of theft with sufficient evidence, is hereby stripped of her player status. She will be immediately transferred to the Interstellar Prison for eighteen months of labor reform. Upon release, she will be repatriated to Caelus.]

[Player Bunnykins, for engaging in a public brawl, will receive only a warning due to extenuating circumstances. This will not be tolerated again. All players are advised to take this as a lesson.]

Hearing the system’s punishment, nearly every player snapped their head up, eyes wide with shock.

Stripped of player status.

Interstellar Prison.

Eighteen months of labor reform.

Everyone had been mentally prepared for MoonlitHorizon to be stripped of her player status, but why was she also being sent to the Interstellar Prison for eighteen months of hard labor?

After all, in this game, there wasn’t a single player who could claim they had never done anything wrong.

Even Moira felt a jolt of panic, but she quickly composed herself.

’The game system’s punishment should have just been stripping her of her player status.’