Reborn as a Transcendent-Chapter 676: Vera 2’s Right Choice

“Betrayed?” Yaeger froze for a moment, stunned by Little Blue’s report. The trio had only just pledged their loyalty, how could two of them already turn traitor? And where was Vera 2 in all this?

“Master, that’s the bad news! The good news is… I caught them immediately! Number One and Number Three are already secured!” Little Blue giggled as she flew over and wrapped herself around Yaeger’s neck.

“I see. Well done,” Yaeger said as she gently stroked Little Blue’s head. “Why did they turn on us?” She had full faith in Little Blue’s ability to manage the City of Chaos.

“Well, Number One and Number Three faked their loyalty. The moment our guard was down, they started transmitting information about this place! They even split up and did it at different times and places. Super sneaky!” Little Blue said with a mix of excitement and indignation.

“What happened next?” Yaeger asked, though she wasn’t too surprised. Vera 1 and 3 had seemed suspicious from the beginning, but she hadn’t expected them to blow their cover this quickly.

“Mhm! After that, I intercepted everything they tried to send. Hahaha—oops, excuse me!” Little Blue burst into laughter, accidentally burping mid-giggle.

“Excellent work,” Yaeger said, pinching Little Blue’s soft cheek.

“There’s no way anyone can pull off shady business while I’m around!” Little Blue boasted, nuzzling against her face.

“What about Number Two?” Yaeger asked. She had noticed Little Blue hadn’t mentioned her at all.

“She’s whipping them with a leather whip right now,” Little Blue answered.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Yaeger asked, confused.

Right as she spoke, a high-pitched yelp echoed from nearby. Turning to look, she saw Vera 2 gleefully swinging a leather whip at Vera 1 and 3, wearing a mischievous grin like a little devil.

“That’s what you get for betraying Master! Take that!” Vera 2 shouted cheerfully as she lashed them again, clearly enjoying every moment.

“You traitor, Number Two!”

“I’ll never forgive you!”

“Oh? You won’t forgive me? And you’re the traitors?” Vera 2 said, cracking the whip with even more force as Vera 1 and 3 screamed miserably.

Nearby, Vera 17 and 18 munched on sunflower seeds, watching the spectacle with interest. They were surprised Vera 1 and 3 had been foolish enough to act right under Little Blue’s watchful eye. Then again, it made sense.

‘Good thing I figured out how capable Little Blue is. Otherwise, I’d be the one getting whipped,’ Vera 17 thought with a shiver.

“Stop.” Yaeger entered the room with Little Blue at her side. Vera 2 immediately halted, turning to her with an exaggeratedly respectful look.

“Good evening, Master. As stunning as ever, I see!” Vera 2 gushed with enthusiastic flattery. Vera 1 and 3 grimaced in disgust.

By now, the two little traitors lay bound on the floor, their skin marked with red welts. Clearly, the whipping had been thorough, though not brutal enough to break the skin.

The reason was simple: the whip used had been specially ordered from a luxury mall at Little Blue’s insistence. It was meant for… recreational purposes, and designed not to break skin unless extreme force was applied.

Still, it didn’t make the punishment any less painful.

“Vera 2, why didn’t you betray us?” Yaeger asked.

Without hesitation, Vera 2 answered, “I don’t want to starve.” She sounded completely sincere.

“Very honest. So that means you two do want to starve?” Yaeger’s gaze drifted to the two trembling figures on the floor.

Vera 1 hung her head, face pale. Vera 3 remained expressionless, but her body shook faintly. They both knew it was too late for excuses. Silence was their only answer.

“Seventeen, Eighteen. Lock them in the guest room. No food for a day,” Yaeger ordered coldly. She had no intention of letting them off lightly. Yaeger had always been fair, rewarding and punishing appropriately.

Upon hearing her verdict, Vera 1 and 3 looked utterly crushed, while Vera 2 let out a quiet sigh of relief. Had she followed the others and leaked information to their former master, she would’ve shared their miserable fate.

“You’ve been loyal. I like that,” Yaeger said, looking at Vera 2. “For the next three days, whatever you want to eat, just tell Chef One. Eat to your heart’s content.” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Everyone in the room was stunned. It was a lavish reward, arguably the best one possible aboard the City of Chaos.

Vera 1 and 3 nearly coughed up blood from frustration. The food they’d eaten earlier had barely filled their stomachs, and they hadn’t liked any of it. Now, the prospect of fasting for a full day made their faces go ghostly pale.

Regret overwhelmed them.

“That’s amazing, Master! I love you the most!” Vera 2’s eyes sparkled with joy. To her, this was the best reward imaginable. Only someone who had truly experienced hunger could understand just how precious food really was.

Vera 17 and 18 couldn’t help but feel envious. Little Blue, though outwardly calm, was secretly delighted. ‘I’ll have Chef One set aside extra food so I can snack later. Hehehe!’

“Seventeen, Eighteen, take them away. Number Two, go get some rest,” Yaeger said, having finished meting out both reward and punishment.

“Yes!” they responded in unison, quickly escorting Vera 1 and 3 out of the room.

“Master, Master! I want a reward too!” Little Blue clung to Yaeger and spoke with a pout.

“What kind of reward do you want?”

“I want lots of Veras!” she said, eyes sparkling.

“I can’t do that right now,” Yaeger replied, shaking her head. She was simply too busy at the moment.

“Oh. Then never mind,” Little Blue said with mock indifference.

“Once I’ve taken care of things in-game, I’ll bring them to you myself,” Yaeger said, stroking her head with a smile.

“Yay!” Little Blue squealed, planting a kiss on her cheek. She was even more excited than Yaeger to collect all nineteen Veras.

“By the way, Little Blue, can the City of Chaos handle long-distance teleportation?” Yaeger asked. Baiding Island was far, and travel would eat up too much of her time. She needed to stay online for at least sixteen hours over the next few days.

‘It takes eight hours round trip. I’d have to book a flight… and that island doesn’t even have an airport,’ she thought.

Baiding Island, being a contested zone, remained largely untouched. Only a few areas had been developed. There weren’t even proper roads, let alone airstrips.

“Technically, it’s not feasible. The City of Chaos is still damaged, so long-distance teleportation could cause unpredictable side effects,” Little Blue explained. “But if the destination isn’t too far, we can give it a shot.”

“Give it a try. Baiding Island is in the South China Sea, it’s not too far. Check how much energy it would take.” If teleportation was viable, she could save a full day’s worth of travel. The thought alone brought her a wave of relief.

“I’ll calculate it now.” Little Blue summoned a virtual map, running spatial coordinates and measuring the distance.

“Teleporting there will cost about one percent of our energy reserves,” she reported. “Bringing you back will take another two percent.”

“Why does it take more energy to return?” Yaeger asked, puzzled.

“Because we’ll have to recalculate the coordinates and reopen the teleportation channel,” Little Blue replied.

“I see. It’s a bit wasteful, but saving time matters more. That’s fine. In two days, teleport me to this location on Baiding Island at seven… no, make it six-thirty.”

She handed her phone to Little Blue, showing her the map coordinates.

Little Blue nodded, memorized the location, then added, “Since the City of Chaos is still under repair, long-distance teleportation might land you off-target. You should arrive a bit early, just in case.”

“What’s the margin of error… in meters?” Yaeger asked.

“It’s not measured in meters,” Little Blue replied seriously.

“Kilometers?” Yaeger’s eyelid twitched.

“Closer to nautical miles,” said Little Blue.

“That much deviation?” Yaeger asked, visibly shocked.

A single nautical mile was nearly two kilometers. If the teleportation dropped her a few miles off target, the consequences could be serious.

“I can’t help it,” Little Blue said. “The City of Chaos is still heavily damaged. Under normal conditions, I wouldn’t recommend long-distance teleportation at all. It could lead to unexpected dangers.”

Yaeger blinked, recalling what Allie had once told her about Spatial Storms. If she landed even slightly off course, she could accidentally get swept into one of those deadly phenomena.

“Is that actually possible?” Yaeger asked, sharing her concern.

“The odds of that happening are about the same as winning five million from a lottery ticket,” Little Blue replied with a serious expression.

“Oh, then there’s nothing to worry about,” Yaeger said with a sigh of relief. She knew full well that winning a lottery jackpot was practically a fantasy.

“Master, I found something through satellite footage. There’s some construction going on.” Little Blue projected the images. As Yaeger leaned in, she noticed faint artificial lights shining from the dark island. Heavy machinery, including what looked like cranes, was moving about the area.

“They’re probably building an arena,” Yaeger said.

“An arena?” Little Blue tilted her head in confusion.

“Aren’t you spying on Vera? How do you not know what’s happening on the forums?” Yaeger asked, rolling her eyes.

“I’ve been keeping a close watch on Vera,” Little Blue replied. “She’s been busy, but she hasn’t been following the forums at all.”

“That explains it,” Yaeger said. She then filled her in about the upcoming duel.

“He’s flying across the world just to hand you his head, and even went ahead and dug his own grave. That’s almost inspirational,” Little Blue said with a baffled look.

“I don’t get it either,” Yaeger said with a shrug. She had already revealed her strength for all to see. Yet, challengers still kept coming, as if blind to reality. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t understand what they were thinking.

Just then, Yaeger’s phone lit up with a soft chime. It was a message from Nangong:

Want to come over for supper? We can talk about the duel too.

“Supper?” The moment Little Blue heard the word, she leaned in to read the message. “Master, you have to go! And don’t forget to bring leftovers!” she said excitedly. She had always adored the luxury meals from the Rosen Hotel.

“You little glutton. All you think about is food,” Yaeger said, pinching her nose.

“Stop! That hurts!” Little Blue squealed.

“Alright, that’s enough. I’ll be back soon,” Yaeger said with a smile, letting go of her nose.

“Oh, Master…” Little Blue pouted, then tapped the air with her finger.

In the next instant, Yaeger vanished in a flash of white light.