"Huh?" Hearing Nahida's words, Ginkgo was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. She patted Nahida's head and said with a smile, "You're such a cute little girl. Listen to Sister Ginkgo, you're still too young to participate in this kind of competition. Go home, and when you're older, you can come back and join, okay?"
"Sigh..." Nahida looked helplessly at Griseo, as if to say, See? I knew this would happen.
After laughing for a while, Ginkgo noticed the resigned expressions on the two little girls' faces. A wild thought crossed her mind.
"You... you're not actually serious about participating in the Crux Clash, are you?"
The two exchanged glances and nodded at Ginkgo.
"This..." The ship's doctor was now in a dilemma. On one hand, she couldn't bear to reject the request of two such adorable little girls. On the other hand, while the Crux Clash didn't have an age limit, these two looked no older than ten.
"Sister, we've already registered." Just as Ginkgo was struggling, Griseo spoke up.
"Already registered?" Ginkgo was taken aback, but then she remembered something. The blue-haired girl had been called Griseo, right? There was indeed a name like that on the participant list, and it had been registered by Ningguang's secretary herself. There was also another name registered alongside it—Nahida.
Thinking this, Ginkgo couldn't help but take a closer look at the two, then asked Nahida, "Your name wouldn't happen to be Nahida, would it?"
"Yes, I'm Nahida."
"..."
The ship's doctor fell silent again. What was going on? The two names registered by Baiwen were both children? This...
"Alright, wait here for a moment. I'll go ask the captain for instructions."
Without waiting for Griseo and Nahida to respond, Ginkgo hurried off. After a while, she returned with a spirited woman.
"So, you two are Griseo and Nahida?" Beidou raised an eyebrow. These were the two additional participants Ningguang had mentioned? They looked like two harmless little girls. What was that woman thinking, treating her Crux Clash like some kind of joke? Beidou thought irritably.
Of course, she wouldn't take her frustration out on the children. In her eyes, they were victims, tricked into participating in the competition by that scheming Tianquan.
"Listen, little ones, you've been tricked by a bad woman named Ningguang. This competition of mine..."
Beidou began a long-winded explanation, but Griseo had no intention of listening further.
Hum—
Griseo's light purple eyes glowed faintly, and in an instant, a powerful pressure enveloped Beidou, who was in the middle of her speech.
"What?!" Beidou's breath hitched. She felt as if she had been targeted by some ferocious beast, and even breathing became difficult.
The "Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean" stared in disbelief at the little girl before her. This pressure... even the great sea monster Haishan she had slain paled in comparison!
"Captain Beidou, are you alright?" Since Griseo's pressure was directed solely at Beidou, Ginkgo felt nothing unusual, only noticing that her captain seemed to be acting strangely.
Hearing this, Griseo withdrew her pressure, the light in her eyes fading as she returned to her usual adorable self.
"Haah... haah..." Beidou gasped for breath, her expression complex as she looked at Griseo and Nahida.
What are these two little girls? Could they be adepti?
"Ahem, my apologies for misjudging you. You are free to participate in the Crux Clash. Hahaha!" Beidou cleared her throat and laughed heartily.
"Huh? Captain, we..."
"Enough, enough. There are other matters for you to attend to. Don't linger here. Come with me."
"I..."
Watching Beidou and Ginkgo walk away, Griseo and Nahida exchanged smiles, seeing the joy in each other's eyes.
——————
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Crux Clash! I am your host—Liben!"
A bearded man with sunglasses stood on the stage, enthusiastically addressing the crowd.
"Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!"
"Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!"
The audience, infected by his energy, erupted into deafening cheers.
Satisfied, Liben nodded. Then, with a dramatic gesture, he pointed to the sky.
"Without further ado, let the first match of the Crux Clash begin!"
"On my right, we have Miss Griseo from Liyue Harbor." Liben pointed the microphone at Griseo, introducing her with a playful tone.
"This..."
"What a cute little girl!"
"Wait, that's not the point. Why is such a young child participating in the Crux Clash?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, everyone puzzled by the presence of a little girl in the competition.
"Ahem, please settle down. On my left, we have the dashing young man from Qingce Village, known as Liyue's number one simp—Mr. Gouheng!"
"What the hell?! I'm not a simp! How dare you slander me? Die!" As soon as Liben finished speaking, Gouheng lunged at him like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Wait! I'm the host—Ow! Don't hit my face! Someone...!" Liben frantically shielded his face, curling up into a ball as Gouheng pummeled him. It wasn't until other staff members intervened that the two were separated.
"Hahaha...""Haha...""This is hilarious!""The entertainment value is off the charts!""Hahaha, who likes being called a simp?"
The crowd laughed and chatted, sharing amused glances. The atmosphere was filled with joy.
"Ahem, that was just a minor incident. Gouheng has been disqualified for attacking the host. I declare the winner to be—Miss Griseo! Let's all congratulate her!"