Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

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"The change is quite significant. As for Jielou City, I've heard about it before; it's a rather special force with a culture different from ours," Yalian analyzed while sitting aside.

"Never mind that for now. Have you finished mapping out the rough power territories on the map? Send it to us first for a look," Kinsenke said.

After some fiddling and questioning, when Kinsenke and Yalian couldn't elicit any more valuable new information, they stood up to leave.

"Hey...you haven't paid yet," the young man with the flower bandana became anxious as he saw them getting ready to leave, even though he had previously seemed fearful and disgusted.

"Paid? Didn't I just transfer you that hundred thousand? The money I just swiped," Kinsenke glanced at him, indifferent to giving money to such people even though he wasn't short on cash.

"That, that was for the gas, wasn't it?" the flower bandana somewhat lost for words and didn't quite know how to argue.

"No worries, it's all the same," Kinsenke said, chuckling as he led his group out of the supply station.

Sometime later, the big truck outside started up again; its tailpipe emitted a slight black fog, yet it still took off, quickly disappearing into the desert's horizon, leaving only a trail of dust behind.

"These bastards!" As soon as they left, the flower bandana's face changed; he squeezed the beer can in his hands, making it crackle before throwing it away.

"Dare to play me, and after I even drew them a power map. Heh, but they won't end up any better, having the gall to force a purchase in Boss Croc's territory." After grumbling to himself for a bit, the flower bandana ducked back into the supply station to report to his boss, certainly exaggerating the tale to highlight his own loyalty and cleverness, how he had protected his boss's property and managed to intimidate the group into leaving behind some money.

"Even though they left some cash, it's clear they don't take the boss seriously. The other customers saw everything; if we don't teach them a lesson, who will take us seriously in the future."

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"Who else was there? Let me think, there was Ah Qiang from the Leopard Head Gang, the lone red-bearded bodyguard, and some desperate laborers running for their lives."

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"Okay, boss, I got it. I'll send the surveillance footage from the store to you in a bit, hehe, I tell you, there were two girls among them who were especially pretty. If we get them to the black market, I bet they'd fetch a sky-high price."

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On the grey-yellow wilderness, the big truck stirred up dust as it drove along, rhythmic music playing inside the cab, with 'N' leaning on the driver's seat, casually swinging a drink in one hand, and propping his chin with the other.

Though he was the driver, it wasn't necessary for him to handle the controls at every moment. With the current AI-assisted driving, he only needed to make occasional adjustments in response to unforeseen events.

He hadn't gone into the store, but he was aware of the whole process through other means. He made no comment on the matter, only finding it rather amusing, as if watching a newbie navigate the first level while being someone who had already cleared the game with full marks.

Truly reckless, leaving behind so many blunders. But, it's quite entertaining all the same.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, there was a different scene altogether.

Kinsenke was now sitting with his arms crossed, his protective outer jacket draped over his shoulders like a cloak, one hand lightly pressing on his forehead and sunglasses, striking a cool pose.

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"How about that, my method's the best, right? Haha~" After saying that, he patted Yalian on the shoulder, and although he didn't utter a word, everything was communicated without speaking.

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In this operation, aside from Tilan, who was the president, his popularity and prestige surpassed even the usual Yalian. It seemed he was quite eager to take over the second-in-command position.

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Among the others, although Efnie and Yeyeber were not too impressed, the rest couldn't help but show some slight agreement, considering it a solution to the current predicament.

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As evening approached, a freshly-awakened Tilan sat by the campfire, listening to Ruby narrate the entire process, occasionally covering her mouth with her hand to yawn.

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"So, you just strutted in and forcefully bought a batch of fuel without any coverup?" She held her forehead, clearly troubled by this.

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"Give them 100,000, and they probably still made a profit." She had never engaged in illegal trafficking, but based on what she had learned previously in Jielou City, certain items within the Northern Second District could only be cheaper than outside.

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When the Northern Star District was relocated, those old, abandoned factory machines were left here. If someone took the time to maintain and restart them, it wouldn't be difficult.

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"Making cutting-edge products is impossible, but basic industrial goods like traditional fuel shouldn't be a problem. Moreover, the Northern Second District is extremely impoverished, and labor costs are surprisingly low. Giving them even 40,000 Federation Coins would yield a good profit, not to mention 100,000." Still somewhat sleepy, Tilan patiently analyzed for the people around her.

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"These wilderness store owners, their information network is very well-connected. You guys showed off so much, with brand-new firearms and weapons, spending money like it grows on trees—it's almost like writing 'a fool and his money are soon parted' on your own face." The girl's comment carried a hint of disdain.

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"I guess we'll have more than a few greedy folks coming after us down the road."

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"What do we do then? Oh, if a cute and beautiful idol like me gets caught, the outcome would be something you only see in certain banned videos." Ruby feigned a helpless look of fear.

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"Okay, okay, it's not all that bad. Though there are many envious types around, most of the forces here are of average strength and lack sophisticated weaponry. We'll just take it as it comes when the time arrives. After all, we're out here to learn from experience, and we're bound to encounter such situations sooner or later." The girl shook her head.

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She had listened to Gu Qianlou recount many stories about the Northern Second District during winter break. Although she hadn't spent much time here, she was by no means ignorant of the area. Also, by comparing it with fighting her uncle, Tilan had a reasonably good grasp of the current power levels within the Northern Second District.

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There might be plenty of ordinary Sequence 5 professionals, but Sequence 6 were few and far between, with perhaps only one or two among the higher-ups at Sun Burning City and Withered Tree Garden.

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Half a year ago, she was able to break into the depths of Jielou City on her own. Now faced with two similarly ranked forces, she wasn't too worried. If things really got tough, she could always call for backup, like that N teacher who liked to drink a little and slack off in the cockpit.

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As for getting a bit hurt, there was no need to worry about that either—her Talent was most conveniently used for healing. Moreover, with each awakening, Tilan was no longer clear about the limits of her own abilities.

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If she were to use only the Healing Crystal Talent, she could now barely hold her own against a Sequence 6 expert at Sequence 4 level. But if she were to add the changes brought about by her Songstress Talent, she should be able to overcome some of the unprepared and caught-off-guard Sequence 6s, similar to her previous fight with Ran Bei'er.

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After understanding the situation, Tilan joined everyone for dinner and then went back to continue sleeping in the vehicle. Since that night of singing, she seemed to have undergone some sort of change, becoming sleepy more often and beginning to see various unfamiliar scenes in her dreams. Some were echoes of the past Color Level Songstresses scattered in time and space, others were collective emotions and unconsciousness from past outbursts. Such visions were chaotic, and sometimes she couldn't discern from which era they stemmed.

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It might take some time before things returned to normal. As for this change, she was slowly getting used to it—probably the 'the more debt, the less worry' philosophy in action.

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After ending that day, for the next few days, the team continued to follow the mission map and collect samples. Along the way, the team constantly worked on improving their synergy. Having never traveled or lived with other peers before, their habits and thoughts had no occasion to clash within the school, but it was different in the outside world.

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Though Tilan still tended to be sleepy, she would come out to talk with everyone each day and then participate in the nightly summary and discussion.

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Their personalities and thoughts were all different, so disagreements were inevitable. Yet, for the sake of their common mission and to prevent the team from falling apart, everyone was finding the right place and mode of living together. Slowly, some of the naivety of the past faded away, and through daily discussions and analyses, the group finally began to move with greater unity.

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