Jude's eyes flew open in astonishment.
He had already experienced Li Yu's sudden disappearance once, but at that time he was asleep, and it wasn't until he woke up in the morning that he discovered Li Yu was gone.
However, this time he was just feigning sleep under a tree to recover his spirits, still maintaining a high level of vigilance around him, but he heard no footsteps before Li Yu arrived.
It wasn't just him; Jude turned to look at Black Beauty not far away and found a similarly puzzled look on its face.
This big black dog had been on alert nearby, but it also had no idea where Li Yu had popped up from.
"Oh, we're here; Teacup Castle is just ahead," Ireya said, coming back to her senses and speaking offhand.
"Then why are you still here? Did you encounter some problem?"
"The castle is surrounded," Half-Face said, "There are about three hundred soldiers armed to the teeth on the other side; we're no match for them."
"Your stepmother's men?" Li Yu looked at Miss Rabbit.
For some reason, even though she had reached her doorstep, she seemed to have less vigor than before. Her ears drooped down, and she looked listless.
"Yeah."
"So what's your plan?"
"What?" The girl was absent-minded.
"A plan, how do you plan to solve the trouble in front of you?" Li Yu repeated.
"Oh, I don't have a plan," Miss Rabbit lowered her head, somewhat ashamed, and after a pause, she continued, "Actually, I've been thinking about something just now."
"What is it?"
"It's about my father sending me to the Temple. I met quite a few other young people of noble families and around my age there. They were different from me; many went there voluntarily, saying that if they can't inherit their family's lands and don't want to be used by their families for marriage alliances, becoming a Priest is a pretty good choice.
"Not only does it come with high status, respect, and a life free from worry about food and clothing, but your family will also pay extra attention to you. Even Lords have to deal with the Temple; you never know when you might need the Church's help, and at that time, a family member in the Temple can come in handy."
"What are you trying to say?" Li Yu frowned.
Ireya stuttered, "Um, is there a possibility that my father... really favors my brother more... wants Blanco to succeed him as the Lord of Green Field, and that everyone knows this, so they are unwilling to stand with me?"
"What's the use of talking about this now? Back in Rock Snow City, I asked you if you wanted to give up, and how did you answer me?"
"Because... at that time, I was completely blinded by victory and hadn't thought about all these," Miss Rabbit said dejectedly, "and it's not too late now. I can still publicly renounce my claim to the inheritance and go back to the Temple."
She hugged her ears, "I know it all, really. I know what people say behind my back. Many people think I'm just a straw bag; I've never been good at anything since I was a child. If someone like me really becomes the head of the Arias family, I'll only lead the entire family into the abyss. Then, I'll be the criminal of the Arias family."
Miss Rabbit looked pained.
Li Yu had already seen the truth. This was like a project facing obstacles right from the start, with team members feeling discouraged and wanting to give up.
At this point, criticism would not only fail to be constructive; it would further erode the team members' confidence, making them more hesitant and causing a vicious cycle.
The right approach should be to focus on encouragement, to dispel doubts, restore confidence, and thus keep pushing the project forward.
Li Yu pointed to the necklace on the girl's chest, "Give me that."
"Hmm?"
"I promised you before, this time I will help you awaken the Arias family's ancestor's spirit."
!!!
Miss Rabbit was shocked, Jude's reminder had made her realize that the connection between Li Yu and the Arias family wasn't as close as someone had claimed.
This must be a ploy by the man calling himself Prophet to get close to her and earn her trust.
Ireya thought that if she were Li Yu, she would try to delay the awakening of the Ancient Spirit as long as possible.
She hadn't expected Li Yu to suggest it himself.
Could this guy actually have a way to do it?!
But how could that be, he clearly didn't have long ears and red pupils, he was just human.
Although still not believing it in her heart, Miss Rabbit took off the necklace she had treasured so much from around her neck and handed it over, as Li Yu had instructed.
There was no help for it, this man had already done too many things that others simply couldn't achieve, maybe this time, he could still create a miracle.
The girl's heart, which had calmed down, started to thump loudly again, her eyes filled with anticipation.
And Half-Face, who was next to her, also came over curiously, wanting to witness this historic moment together.
Li Yu didn't waste words; he took the Electronic Pet Egg and looked at it briefly.
After going back last time, he checked, and this wasn't a Bandai Official Tamagotchi but a knock-off that came out later, not a problem though, the general structure was much the same.
Li Yu used a screwdriver to remove the screw at the top of the back cover and easily took off the plastic shield, revealing the battery compartment underneath.
He then took out the old button battery, replaced it with a new one he brought this time, covered up the shield again, tightened the screw, and finished the repair.
The entire process took just over ten seconds.
Then Li Yu turned the Electronic Pet Egg back to the front.
He was in luck, even though decades had passed according to the time on Bratis Continent, the components inside the electronic pet egg hadn't completely aged.
After replacing the batteries, what had been a blank screen now showed a grave with a cross stuck on it.
Clearly, its previous owner didn't know how to care for it.
Li Yu found a thin stick on the ground and poked the reset button on the back with it.
Seconds later, accompanied by a beep, the grave and cross disappeared, replaced by a bouncing Pet Egg.
While the Pet Egg was hatching, Li Yu set the date. Then came the naming, and since only English was possible, Li Yu randomly chose an 'A', the first letter of the surname Arias.
After waiting a while longer, the egg hatched and an abstract little circle emerged, moving about the screen.
Li Yu handed the Electronic Pet Egg back to Miss Rabbit and guided her on how to feed it, see to its medical needs, train it, and increase its happiness.
Then he said to her, still in a daze, "Take care of your family's this... um, ancestor's spirit. It will soon turn into the form you're familiar with."