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Chapter 271 - Mystic Pandaplorer
🕑 Added 2025-03-24 07:00:12 +0000 UTCThe lady blinked, processing Anda's words. A Panda Wife? Is that why she's dressed in panda-like attire and accessories? she wondered, her gaze briefly taking in Anda's unique outfit.
"Thank you for saving me," the lady said, her voice steadier now. "My name is Tamina Arterton, from the Howling Kingdom's House of Arterton. Which kingdom are you from, Lady Anda?"
Anda's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Huh? Howling Kingdom?" she repeated, her curiosity piqued. She had initially assumed Tamina was someone who had sneaked into the portal somehow, but this revelation changed everything. This is far more interesting than I thought, Anda mused, a spark of intrigue lighting up her eyes.
"Eh? Have you never heard of our Howling Kingdom?" Tamina asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Miss Tamina, where I'm from, we don't have a kingdom at all. Maybe in the past, but not now," Anda replied.
"No kingdom?" Tamina was shocked. "Don't tell me you're from another continent? Are you not from the Protogaea Continent?" she asked, her tone incredulous. That was the only explanation that made sense.
Anda shook her head. "It's a shame, but I've only heard of one other continent besides mine, and it's not Protogaea. I'm from the Cloud Continent. Have you heard of it?"
"Cloud Continent? That's the furthest continent from us, so we don't know much about it. A back... ahem... I didn't expect Lady Anda to be from there," Tamina said, catching herself before she could say "backward continent." It would have been rude, and she owed Anda her life.
"I see. Can you tell me more about the Protogaea Continent?" Anda asked, her curiosity evident.
Tamina didn't hesitate and gave Anda a brief description of the Protogaea Continent.
"Twelve kingdoms... Dao Manifestation Realm..." Anda muttered, her mind racing. While she repeated both terms, her interest was particularly piqued by the mention of the Dao Manifestation Realm. This was the first time she had heard of a realm above Soul Transformation. The leaders of the kingdoms on Protogaea were cultivators at the Dao Manifestation Realm!
How strong were these cultivators? If Soul Formation Realm cultivators were already incredibly powerful in her eyes, the Cloud Continent Protectors must be even stronger. And the leaders of those kingdoms were far beyond that? Anda felt a mix of awe and determination. The Leyan Family was still just an ant, far from reaching the top of the world—a goal she deeply desired.
Although Anda was curious, she didn't press for more details right away. If she asked too many questions, Tamina might become defensive and reveal only superficial information. After all, they were still strangers. She needed to build a rapport with Tamina first and extract information through more natural conversations.
If she could establish a connection with someone from the largest continent, the Leyan Family would have more options in the future. They might also gain access to knowledge that the people of the Cloud Continent lacked.
Anda smiled inwardly. If Leyvi knew about this, he'd be proud of his panda wife!
Seeing Anda deep in thought, Tamina didn't interrupt. She took the opportunity to observe Anda carefully—the woman who had saved her. She couldn't help but feel a little pity. If not for the birthmark around her left eye, Anda would undoubtedly be considered a great beauty.
But that was strange. Why hadn't she removed it? There were alchemy products that could easily erase such marks. Did the Cloud Continent not have advanced alchemy? No, that couldn't be. Anda had used a Major Healing Elixir on her, after all. Their alchemy must be advanced enough.
To her surprise, Anda was only at the early Core Formation Realm. Everyone from Protogaea who had entered the Mystic Realm was at least at the late Core Formation stage. This was concrete proof that Anda wasn't from Protogaea.
Eh? Tamina looked down and realized for the first time that she wasn't wearing her own clothes. She was dressed in a panda-themed outfit similar to Anda's. Am I a panda now? she thought, bemused.
Suddenly, Anda leaned in with a mischievous smile. "Miss Tamina, are you single? How about I introduce you to my husband? I feel like we'd get along very well."
Tamina was dumbfounded. How did we get here all of a sudden? Is she inviting me to join her husband's harem? Her eyes lit up—not because she entertained the idea, but because Anda might be the same kind of person she was.
Tamina excitedly grabbed Anda's hands. "Lady Anda, how many ladies are in your husband's harem? Do they all get along?"
Now it was Anda's turn to be surprised. Huh? Is she interested? Am I really going to score a beautiful lady from another continent for my husband just like that?
"Yes, yes! We have eleven confirmed ladies in the harem right now, with a few more in progress. We all get along wonderfully. In the Cloud Continent, you won't find a better harem than ours! We all love our husband. I've worked very hard to ensure harmony and fulfill every need the ladies have," Anda bragged, standing halfway in her excitement.
Anda grew even more excited as Tamina's expression turned increasingly interested. "So, Miss Tamina, how about it? Hehe. You don't have to decide right away. We can wait until we reunite with my husband before you make your decision."
"Amazing, Lady Anda! Your harem sounds wonderful. I'm flattered by your invitation, but I'm already engaged," Tamina said, effectively dashing Anda's excitement.
"Eh? You're already engaged? Then why did you ask all those questions like you were interested? I got excited for nothing," Anda pouted, slumping back into her seat. If a lady was already engaged, married, or in a relationship, Anda had no intention of interfering. That was a top no-no for maintaining harmony in the harem.
"Hihi. Forgive me, Lady Anda. I was excited because, in the future, I might be in charge of a large harem. Seeing someone who actively recruits ladies into their harem and takes pride in it resonates deeply with me. It's been my dream since I was a child to lead a harem!" Tamina's expression was earnest, her eyes shining with genuine enthusiasm.
"Ah... I see," Anda said, her smile widening. "It turns out Miss Tamina is a panda like me. What a great coincidence!"
Tamina was stunned. "A panda like you?"
"Hehe," Anda chuckled. "That's an idiom I made up. I think it's better than the usual 'cut from the same cloth' saying."
"Hihi. Lady Anda, it seems like you really like pandas, huh? Is that the panda that saved me from the polar bear last time?" Tamina pointed at the panda plush toy beside Anda. She had already realized it was a tier-4 spirit artifact.
Anda picked up the panda and smiled warmly. "Yes, this is the one. It was the first time I used it in battle. I didn't expect it to consume so many spirit stones for such a short duration. I might go bankrupt quickly if I used it frequently."
"Ah, I'm sorry about that, Lady Anda. I must have wasted a lot of your resources to save me. I'm quite broke right now because so many things have happened to me since I arrived here, but once I regain my wealth, I promise I'll pay you back," Tamina said earnestly.
Anda shook her head. "Miss Tamina, you don't have to pay me back at all. I'm not that generous of a person, but I'm not going to make someone repay things that I voluntarily spent on them. However, if you feel obligated to repay me, how about traveling together with me? I don't like being alone because it's so boring. While trying to reunite with my husband, we can explore the Mystic Realm together. What do you think?" Anda proposed, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
"I agree, I agree! I wanted to ask the same thing too!" Tamina exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "I'm sick and tired of traveling alone! Well, in my case, it's more like being chased continuously, one thing after another. It's so exhausting—I haven't been able to catch a proper break at all," she complained, reliving her harrowing experiences.
"Very good," Anda said, standing up as well. "Miss Tamina, you will now become the first member of my newly established Mystic Realm exploration group, the Mystic Pandaplorers! If we meet any ladies who need help, we'll rescue them and recruit them to our group—if they pass my character check, of course. The fact that it took both of us over two weeks to meet another person in the Mystic Realm proves just how vast this place is. There are likely more ladies out there, alone and in danger."
Tamina's eyes sparkled with excitement. She found Anda's idea thrilling, though the group name was a bit... unconventional for her taste. "Hihi. I can't wait! But where should we go first?" she asked, eager to start their adventure.
Anda raised her right palm, and a circular device with a screen appeared on it.
"What is this?" Tamina asked, leaning in curiously.
"Hehe. This is my Qi-Seeking Radar," Anda explained proudly. "It shows the spiritual energy density within a 50-kilometer radius around us. We'll use this to determine our destination. We'll head in the direction of that gigantic tree you must have seen outside. Everyone will likely be traveling there eventually. Along the way, we'll investigate every place with high spiritual energy density and hopefully find many treasures! Sounds good?"
