"Ah! That darn mouth of Hao Yun's! Why does he always have to stir up trouble? If he manages to provoke the Countess, we're done for! Damn it, if the Countess goes berserk later, please, let it be only on Hao Yun! We take no responsibility for his words! Make sure to give him hell!" muttered Dao Lao and Dream Jia in their hearts, while also sending sympathetic glances at Hao Yun's backside.

Fortunately, the Countess wasn't angered by Hao Yun's mindless remarks but instead pretended to be nervous, lowering her body and gesturing for Hao Yun to keep quiet. After sneakily surveying the surroundings, she responded in a self-deprecating manner, "Shh! Don't speak so loudly! If she finds out I'm still alive, that would be trouble!"

After maintaining the shushing pose for a while and ensuring that nothing had happened, the Countess straightened up again and said, "Oh! That Valkyrie really gave me quite a task! I remember that day, I was admiring the Fragrant Nebula I created myself. Suddenly, I felt a powerful force, and then the Valkyrie appeared before me. Naturally, I immediately imprisoned this unwelcome guest and had her perform circus acts for me. However, I soon discovered that not only could she resist the suppression of the Fragrant Nebula and use her own power to perform various acts, but she also attempted to destroy the Fragrant Nebula."

"I couldn't tolerate such behavior, so we ended up in a fierce battle. I was surprised by the Valkyrie's formidable strength. Even under certain suppression, she could still fight me on equal footing."

"There was no choice. With injuries still on me at the time, I had to call for a ceasefire and negotiate with her. Ah! Her eyes were full of anger and killing intent at the time, but luckily, my charm is irresistible, and I can persuade her to put down her dagger and sit down with me to discuss a ceasefire agreement. Later, under my influence, the Valkyrie told me that she was a priest from the Divine Realm, and the reason she came to the Fragrant Nebula was to hunt down a mold spirit energy." Here, the Countess puffed out her chest like a victorious rooster, seemingly wanting Hao Yun and the others to praise her for her ability to resolve conflicts.

"What's the name of this Valkyrie? Did she mention where in the Divine Realm she's from?" Dao Lao ignored the Countess's arrogant behavior and focused all his attention on the Valkyrie.

The Countess, feeling bored with Dao Lao's questions, deliberately brushed off some dust from her clothes to dispel the awkwardness, while responding, "Of course, I know her name, but why should I tell you? Perhaps, after you three clear the next few games, I'll kindly reveal a thing or two to you. But for now, forget it!"

With that said, the Countess once again assumed her arrogant demeanor, deliberately provoking Dao Lao.

"Since she's a priest from the Divine Realm and knows who you are, why did she want to make peace with you?" Dream Jia asked in confusion.

"We didn't make peace; we just agreed to a ceasefire," the Countess corrected.

Then, the Countess continued, "I just made my position clear to the Valkyrie and expressed that we had no deep-seated hatred and didn't need to fight to the death. Then I told her that I could help her find the mold spirit energy she wanted to hunt down, but the condition was that she had to stop fighting with me. After that, we agreed to a ceasefire and started friendly negotiations! Ahem!"

"Is it that simple?" Dream Jia expressed disbelief in the Countess's response.

"Oh! It really is that simple! Because during the fight, I happened to see a spiral wound on her hand. And coincidentally, I could recognize the one who wounded the Valkyrie through the energy still lingering on the wound surface and also happened to know where that person had gone. So, I proposed that if she agreed to a ceasefire agreement with me, I would tell her where that person was. How about that? Pretty simple, right?" The Countess said, jumping into a strange clapping dance to praise her own wit.

"But—" Just as Dao Lao was about to continue questioning, the Countess raised her hand to interrupt, "Anyway, according to the agreement we reached later, I told the Valkyrie the hiding place of the mold spirit energy and the method to reach it. Then, she promised me that she wouldn't come back to disturb me and wouldn't tell others about the situation here."

"Ah! It's been such a long time, and I'm still living here safely, which shows that the Valkyrie is a person of her word. Of course, it could also mean she hasn't gone back yet. Ahem! But whatever the case, she has earned my respect and trust. So now, I want to extend that respect and trust to you three so that we can successfully reach a ceasefire agreement. And after you three get what you want, we'll mind our own business. Ahem!"

"Hmph! Speaking so righteously, but in reality, aren't you just a sellout who sacrifices your teammates for your own sake?" Dao Lao disdainfully remarked.

"Oh! There's no other way for me to do it! Besides, I don't want to get involved in their mess. Compared to inviting trouble upon myself, I prefer to do what I want freely. So, it's every man for himself. As long as I can help myself escape, I don't care who lives or dies. Ahem!" The Countess said with a dark smile.

The Countess sat back down and, after taking a sip of hot tea with exaggerated expressions, stuck out her tongue like a puppy to cool her mouth. She then said, "Alright, let's not talk about her anymore. I'm asking you three, have you made up your minds? As long as you accept the new challenge, even if the worst result is—being trapped until your strength is restored to forcibly complete the tasks with divine power."

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"Well, looking at it optimistically, whenever you complete the task, you will receive clues about Elina's whereabouts and leave here according to the rules of the game. For me, the purpose of delaying time for Elina is also achieved. Everyone gets what they need, and there's no debt between us. Why not do it? Of course, if you three don't agree to the condition I proposed, I'll have to deal with you immediately for the sake of self-preservation. Then, I'll take the Fragrant Nebula back to my hometown and come out to play again when I have the chance. Ahem," said the Countess, scratching her neck in distress, indicating she really didn't want such a thing to happen.

"Are you saying you have the ability to return to your original world?" Dao Lao's professionalism was impeccable. Even in the midst of the tug-of-war between the two sides, he didn't forget to seize the opportunity to gather more valuable information.

"Oh, darling. Regarding this matter, I have my own way. You don't need to worry about it! Besides, the Abyssal Space is not as suitable for survival as the Divine Realm. Trust me, it's a terrifying territory that even you priests wouldn't want to touch. Ahem," the Countess said in a very sincere tone, puncturing Dao Lao's thoughts with her words.

But Dao Lao wasn't concerned about it. Because he knew very well that even if the Countess told them the location of the Abyssal Space and the way to enter it, what could they do? The divine army of the Divine Realm is very cautious even about entering these black holes, and they can't stay inside for long. Where would they get the strength to enter the even more chaotic Abyssal Space and siege the mold spirit energy living there? If they really did that, wouldn't it be seeking their own doom?

Since the Countess's words had reached this point, after weighing the pros and cons from various angles, Hao Yun and the others had no choice but to admit that they didn't have much room to maneuver. Therefore, Dao Lao nodded on behalf of the three of them and said to the Countess, "Alright! We agree to your condition! Hopefully, you'll abide by the agreement as well!"

The Countess nodded with satisfaction, crossing her legs and saying, "Very good, excellent. Then let's sign a performance agreement!"

As soon as the Countess finished speaking, three performance agreements appeared in front of Hao Yun and the others out of thin air. The Countess blew a breath on her thumb, and then with a press in the air, her thumbprint immediately appeared on the three-party agreement. Hao Yun and the others followed suit, pressing their thumbprints on the lower right corner of the agreement page as per the Countess's method. Why didn't they carefully read the contents of the agreement before signing? Come on, the thickness of three performance agreements rivals that of an encyclopedia. Hao Yun and the others didn't believe they had the ability to concentrate and read them thoroughly on the spot. Moreover, even if they did, what good would it do? With the Countess's ability, she could easily modify the contents of the agreement as she pleased and ensure that there were no traces of modification left in the agreement.

After the Countess took back the three agreements, she excitedly tapped her fingers and the iron cage holding Hao Yun and the others disappeared: "Alright! Now that we've signed the agreement, let's start the new program quickly!"

As the Countess raised her hand to start casting a spell, Hao Yun quickly interrupted, "Wait! Didn't you say we were going to play games in the next program? Shouldn't you introduce the content and rules of these games first?"

In response to Hao Yun's shout, the Countess hesitated, retracting her hands halfway. Then, she awkwardly laughed while pinching her nostrils and said, "Oh, right. I need to think about what games you'll perform in the program—oh! I don't remember! Ahem!"

"So, you haven't even figured out what program you want us to perform yet? You're so hasty!" Hao Yun couldn't help but complain, feeling a sense of foreboding about the upcoming performance.

Seeing this, the Countess quickly waved her hand to explain, "Oh my! Of course, I've already figured it out! But if I tell you everything in advance, wouldn't that take the fun out of it?!"

"Then do we have to keep wearing these outfits? It's so inconvenient!" Dream Jia tugged at her scanty bunny costume, complaining.

"Of course, dear. Such attire adds excitement and drama to the program! Don't worry, dear, this bunny suit is the most suitable prop I've found for you so far! You look absolutely charming in it!" The Countess praised Dream Jia's beauty while making classic Italian hand gestures.

Both Dream Jia and Hao Yun nodded in agreement. Dream Jia agreed with the Countess's praise of her beauty and the perfect embodiment of any conveyed opinion. Hao Yun agreed with the Countess's efforts to convince Dream Jia to continue wearing these sexy, charming bunny suits.

"Alright! Since everyone has no objections, let me take you to start the new program! Be happy, everyone! Because the next time you appear here, it will be when you complete the game tasks and prepare to leave the Fragrant Nebula!" With the Countess's cooperation in persuading Dream Jia to retain the bunny outfit, afraid that someone would bring up questions about the next performance, she quickly said nervously.

After the Countess finished speaking, before Hao Yun and the others could interrupt her, she used a wand that appeared in her hand out of nowhere to draw circles around them while chanting, "Watch my wand, Abracadabra!"

As the Countess chanted the spell, Hao Yun and the others were inexplicably attracted by the light emanating from the wand. Then, an irresistible drowsiness suddenly swept over them, causing their eyes to gradually blur, and their consciousness to become fuzzy.

And just as Hao Yun and his companions' consciousness was about to fade away, they heard the Countess's voice echoing in their ears again: "Oh, by the way! If you die in the game, or encounter a situation where the game task fails, you will respawn infinitely just like before, until you successfully complete the game task. Of course, as long as your mental strength is strong enough, you won't suffer a mental breakdown like other challengers during the game, and you will persist until the moment you finally come out. Good luck to you all! Cough Cough Cough!"

In the Countess's hoarse laughter, Hao Yun and the others quickly fell into a deep sleep. It was unclear how long had passed when they finally jolted awake from their slumber. As if just breaking free from suffocation, the three of them, wide-eyed, gasped for fresh air in large breaths. They continued like this for a while until gradually recovering from their panicked state. Then, they realized they were lying around a pile of campfires, while the Countess and the red tent had long disappeared without a trace.