Chapter 334 - 324: The Crimson Alliance 5

After applying a simple bandage to the wounded person and confirming their injuries weren’t life-threatening, Moira Lynch resumed her search for the next target.

Just then, a powerful sense of danger suddenly washed over her.

She instinctively raised her defenses.

The second after she deployed her protective shield, a massive explosion thundered.

A black mushroom cloud slowly rose in the distance, and the powerful shockwave buffeted even Moira, despite her being a great distance away.

"Are they fighting again?"

That was Moira’s first thought. This was a battlefield, after all.

"I don’t think so."

Ellers peered into the distance, reaching up to push his glasses up his nose.

When his fingers touched his cheek, he realized his glasses had been long gone.

Retracting the hand that had grasped at empty air, Ellers pretended nothing had happened and said, "Someone probably triggered the weapon system of a mecha or spaceship that wasn’t completely scrapped. Or perhaps it was a booby trap the pirates left behind when they retreated."

"The battle ended with the pirates’ defeat, so based on my deductions, the latter is more likely."

Looking at the force of the explosion and recalling the sound, Moira felt a lingering fear.

’It was terrifying.’

’This was the first time she’d faced an explosion head-on.’

’Looks like I’ll have to be more careful from now on.’

’I thought I was just here to rescue people, that all I had to do was complete the mission. I never expected my own life to be in danger.’

’I just wonder who was so unlucky.’

She glanced at Ellers beside her. ’I don’t know when he’s going to leave. I’d better get as much useful information out of him as I can before he does.’

’Information about the pirates’ traps, for instance, so I can be prepared for them.’

Then, another problem occurred to her. The shield had to be activated manually, but sometimes, danger struck in an instant.

She suddenly remembered an item in her storage space that was perfect for this kind of situation.

As she thought of it, a badge materialized in her hand.

It was made of three different colors—red, yellow, and green—and looked like a miniature traffic light.

The item was called "Ready, Set, Go!" While not a single-use item, it only had three charges.

The green part could instantly teleport the user over a hundred meters away, the yellow part could teleport them over a thousand meters, and the red part was the most powerful, capable of teleporting them over ten thousand meters away.

However, this item had a drawback: it couldn’t be controlled manually.

It was a passive item. Once armed, it would only trigger when the user was attacked.

And which part activated was completely up to luck.

Once armed, the item could not be turned off.

Holding the item, Moira instantly felt much safer.

After a moment’s hesitation, she started walking in the opposite direction.

The area of the explosion had just suffered a violent blast. Even if there were survivors before, their chances of making it through this second event were slim.

’It’s cruel to think this way,’ Moira thought, ’but I still have a mission. I can’t afford to waste time here.’

...

Since both Moira and Ellers made a conscious effort, they quickly grew familiar with each other, even feeling a sense of regret they hadn’t met sooner.

During their conversation, Ellers revealed his ability to Moira: Extreme Computation.

This was considered a special ability.

[Extreme Computation: A special and extremely rare ability. Individuals who awaken this ability have very high IQs and possess computational power comparable to a supercomputer.

Research indicates that for a person with the Extreme Computation ability, one second is perceived as tens, hundreds, or even tens of thousands of times longer than for a normal person.]

’One second being equivalent to tens, hundreds, or even tens of thousands of times longer... That sounds a bit like thought acceleration.’

Back on Glacius, the seed of the Snow Lily had a similar effect.

That was why Moira’s thinking speed was so much faster than an ordinary person’s.

She was keenly aware of this fact.

Especially when she was deep in thought.

She would feel as if a long time had passed, but when she checked the time, only a few minutes had actually gone by.

’Still, my acceleration probably can’t compare to Ellers’s.’

Just then, Moira suddenly heard cries for help from not far away.

But strangely, she didn’t sense any signs of life ahead.

Moreover, the voice sounded a little odd, not like a sound a human could make.

Before Moira could figure out what was going on, Ellers warned, "Careful. There’s an Echobeast up ahead."

Patience chimed in with a timely explanation for Moira.

[Echobeast: A small type of Starbeast that can mimic sounds. They imitate sounds they have heard to attract the attention of their prey.

Once the prey is within attacking range, the Echobeast swallows it whole.]

After listening to Patience’s explanation, Moira thought to herself, ’What a cunning Starbeast.’

"Then let’s go a different way," Moira said to Ellers.

"No, wait."

Ellers suddenly grabbed Moira, who was about to leave.

"Echobeasts are treasures! We can’t just pass up this opportunity now that we’ve found one."

[The meat of an Echobeast is delicious and is said to beautify one’s voice when eaten. Consuming a special part found inside some of them can grant the ability to mimic the voices of others. However, not all Echobeasts possess this part.

Only about one in ten thousand Echobeasts has it.]

Ellers was already planning how to hunt the Echobeast.

For a master intellect with Extreme Computation, dealing with a small Echobeast was child’s play.

"The Echobeast’s attack range is about ten meters. In a moment, I’ll go attract its attention, and then you... got it?"

Moira nodded.

Seeing Moira’s somewhat dazed expression, Ellers assumed she was nervous. He patted her on the shoulder. "Don’t worry, my plans have never failed."

"Honestly, if there was someone with combat ability here, it wouldn’t be this troublesome."

Ellers sighed. His bodyguards had either been dealt with or scattered when he was kidnapped.

If they were still by his side, none of this trouble would be necessary.

’Right now, it’s just the two of us—a weak-looking scholar and a life-saving doctor. Our combat potential is pitiful.’

At this point, Ellers had no idea that Moira was actually a girl with monstrous strength and shocking combat prowess.

’It would be great if we ran into a few lightly injured people. We could ask them to be our bodyguards.’

’Moira saved their lives, so it’s only fair they offer some protection in return.’

’In fact, that last person wasn’t bad—all their limbs were intact.’