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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The Music Challenge incident could be summarized in two words, epic broadcasting accident.
Not only did all the contestants forfeit in the first live broadcast, but an audience member nearly got injured. It was a major disaster, irrecoverable by any player’s skills.
However, the program itself could also be summarized in two words, epic broadcast. The reason lay in the challenge song.
The enchanting melody alone was enough to generate buzz, but the mysterious phenomenon of hearing a song within the instrumental performance captivated everyone who heard it.
As a result, KTB was in chaos.
Kim Seung-jun was running around like a headless chicken, trying to manage the fallout from the live broadcast accident and answer inquiries about the challenge song.
Meanwhile, the one responsible for this entire mess, Limon, wasn’t concerned about the Music Challenge in the slightest. He was simply grumbling about the incident at the studio.
“That happened?”
“Yeah, I left right away because I didn’t want to get caught up in the mess.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. I just didn’t like the fact that an accident almost happened because of what I did.”
Limon frowned.
He had orchestrated this whole thing to mess with Moon Cheon-yeop. If someone had gotten hurt because of it, he wouldn’t have felt good about it.
Li Chingwei smiled at him.
“It’s a good thing you were there to prevent a bigger accident.”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
“It is a good thing, but something feels… off.”
“You think that accident wasn’t an accident?”
Li Chingwei asked seriously.
If Limon, with his superhuman senses, felt something was off, it wasn’t something to be dismissed lightly. But Limon shook his head.
“There wasn’t anything particularly suspicious. I just feel like I missed something.”
“Well, if it wasn’t an accident, you would have noticed.”
Li Chingwei seemed convinced. Limon, however, couldn’t shake off his unease.
It was a plausible accident, and there was nothing strange about how it happened, yet something felt amiss. Li Chingwei, mistaking his unease for dissatisfaction with the accident, tried to comfort him.
“Don’t worry too much about it. You achieved your goal, didn’t you?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Limon nodded.
The accident had soured his mood, but the overall result was a success. The Music Challenge was originally Moon Cheon-yeop’s project.
By turning it into a success, he had given Yeonhwa leverage against Moon Cheon-yeop. Of course, there were still some complicated steps involved.
Na-kyung spoke up cautiously.
[Team Leader, I have a question.]
“What is it?”
[Did you orchestrate this whole thing because of Eugene?]
“…Why do you think so?”
[Because this isn’t like you.]
Limon was a swordsman. He preferred cutting through problems with his sword rather than making things complicated.
Na-kyung couldn’t help but think of Eugene, considering the elaborate plan and the performance at the Music Challenge. After a moment of silence, Limon nodded.
“That was part of the reason.”
[Ah, I knew it!]
Na-kyung nodded in understanding. Li Chingwei, however, looked surprised.
“You mean you escalated this whole thing for a Specter of the Liberation Brigade?”
“Not exactly. I just didn’t like the fact that some asshole was trying to exploit her song.”
“…You mean you didn’t care about her, but you wanted to protect her song?”
“Let me be clear. I have no intention of protecting her. She’s a murderer.”
Li Chingwei tilted her head. Limon spoke firmly.
Eugene had harmed innocent people, and that was an unforgivable sin. Even if she were still alive, he would find her and kill her.
“But that doesn’t mean some random asshole can accuse her of plagiarism and steal her song.”
He didn’t care if people called Eugene a murderer, hated her, and spat on her grave. That was the truth, and she deserved it.
But he wouldn’t tolerate someone falsely accusing her and stealing her song just because she was a murderer. That was wrong.
So, he had made sure no one would ever steal Eugene’s song again. Na-kyung looked at him with a strange expression.
[…Team Leader, you live a complicated life.]
“You’re just too simple.”
Limon scoffed, then suddenly turned to Li Chingwei.
“Princess, what about the White Dragon Princess? You said you wanted to show her the program. Is she still not here?”
“Hmm… it’s a bit complicated.”
“Complicated?”
“Yes. I think she’s already here, but she seems to be sneaking around.”
“…Why would she do that after accepting your invitation?”
“I can only speculate.”
Li Chingwei smiled sweetly.
“She’s a White Dragon, after all.”
There was nothing more pointless than trying to guess the motives of the White Dragon Clan.
Limon chuckled at her matter-of-fact tone. It wasn’t until four days later that the White Dragon Princess finally arrived at the Leviathan.
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“It’s been a while, Ainsha.”
“Indeed. It has been a while. I wish it had been longer.”
“That hurts my feelings. I wanted to see you more often.”
“Lies. I don’t believe you, Li Chingwei.”
Li Chingwei, dressed in an Eastern-style dress, smiled.
“Then we should meet more often, so you can see for yourself if I’m lying or not.”
“No need for confirmation. It’s a universally acknowledged truth that Li Chingwei is a liar. Case closed.”
Ainsha, dressed in flowing robes, replied impassively. It was a rather rude remark for a guest. But Li Chingwei wasn’t offended.
She simply said, with a hint of admiration,
“You’ve grown up so much.”
“Of course. I’ve changed. I won’t be fooled by you anymore.”
“That’s unfortunate. I don’t recall ever fooling you.”
“You did. You blatantly extorted money from me. I got scolded a lot.”
“Extorted is a bit harsh. I simply accepted a donation for a project that would benefit the entire Seven Dragons Association.”
“You said the Sword Saint would attack us if we didn’t donate. That’s fraud.”
Ainsha shuddered.
She had been fooled by Li Chingwei’s smooth talk and forced to donate a large sum of money, becoming the laughingstock of the Seven Dragons Association. But Li Chingwei retorted with a serious expression,
“No, it wasn’t fraud. If you hadn’t helped, that would have actually happened.”
“…I’d like to know if that’s true.”
“Of course it is. You donated because you knew it was true.”
“Indeed.”
“I’ve always admired that decision. It was a wise choice, befitting the princess of the White Dragon Clan.”
“There’s nothing to admire. It was the obvious choice.”
Ainsha boasted impassively. Li Chingwei smiled at her. Then, a loud cough echoed through the room.
“Ahem, ahem!”
Ainsha turned around and flinched at Tata’s narrowed eyes. She turned back to Li Chingwei and said flatly,
“Flattery won’t work. I won’t be fooled. Just get to the point.”
“What point?”
“The reason you called me here.”
“Would you believe me if I said I just missed you?”
“Of course not. The Black Dragon Clan never does anything without a purpose.”
“I’m sorry you have such a prejudice against our clan… but yes, you’re right, at least this time.”
Li Chingwei nodded readily. She calmly explained the reason for her invitation.
“You know our clan was attacked by the Liberation Brigade, right?”
“I do. It’s quite famous.”
“I need your help with that.”
“Understood.”
Ainsha nodded. She had already guessed Li Chingwei’s purpose the moment she received the invitation.
She was accustomed to such requests. Whether as a princess of the Seven Dragons Association or a priestess of the Holy Alliance, people constantly sought her precognitive abilities.
Of course, she didn’t lend her power to just anyone, but the Black Dragon Princess was entitled to make such a request. If only she wasn’t engaged to Limon.
The Black Dragon Clan’s current position within the Seven Dragons Association was delicate due to her engagement to their sworn enemy.
Involving the White Dragon Clan could put them in a difficult position politically.
“Very well. I’ll help.”
Despite this, Ainsha agreed immediately, and even Tata, who would normally object, remained silent. Li Chingwei accepted her agreement as a matter of course.
If Ainsha hadn’t intended to cooperate, she wouldn’t have accepted the invitation in the first place. Besides, Li Chingwei had a trump card that she was confident would persuade Ainsha.
“I’ll provide financial and military support if you need it. But I have a condition.”
“Tell me.”
“I want to meet the man in this video. I need your help.”
“You want to hear his performance in person, I presume?”
Li Chingwei smiled.
She had expected Ainsha, the eccentric princess who wandered the world for music, to be interested in the performance.
That was why she had invested so much in the Music Challenge. She believed the more enticing the bait, the easier it would be to secure the White Dragon Clan’s cooperation.
Even though she hadn’t been able to show Ainsha the program itself, securing her cooperation was good enough. However, Li Chingwei tilted her head in confusion at Ainsha’s next words.
“Correct and incorrect.”
“What do you mean?”
“I do want to hear his performance. But that’s a bonus. I have a more important reason.”
“A more important reason?”
Li Chingwei was puzzled by the unexpected answer.
Ainsha declared,
“I’m going to meet this man and propose.”
“What?”
“He’s my destined partner. I’ve chosen him as my consort. So, please cooperate.”
“…”
Ainsha pointed at the black-haired Limon on the tablet screen. If Li Chingwei cooperated with her marriage proposal, she would lend the full power of the White Dragon Clan. Li Chingwei was speechless.
She muttered in disbelief,
“…I didn’t expect this.”
The bait had been too effective. She had overdone it.
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[Your Text Here]
She prolly feels like she got hit over the back of her head now.
That’s like throwing catnip somewhere and a tiger arriving