Trapped Inside the Beta Test World for 1000 Years-Chapter 52 – You really understand too well

"Xia Ya... why does Luke dislike me?"
"It's not that he dislikes you... he just doesn't like you getting close to him."
"Huh? Isn't that the same as disliking? Why does he dislike me? I'm his sister!!"
"It's different. Emotions aren't just about liking or disliking." Xia Ya pinched the girl's cheek. "For example, if you choose cabbage over carrots, can I go around telling people 'the priest dislikes carrots'?"
The half-elf girl seemed to understand a bit, "Hmm... not disliking, just not liking as much... Oh, I get it! Xia Ya means that Luke doesn't like me because I'm with you, and he likes you more, right?"
"Huh?"
Xia Ya was dumbfounded. I was just making an analogy, don't jump to conclusions!
But Mia didn't seem disappointed; instead, she was quite happy. She hugged Xia Ya's arm tightly. "Luke has been smart since he was little; he must like smarter people! That's great... It's only right that he likes Xia Ya more, after all, Xia Ya is the best!"
Xia Ya opened his mouth, finally pinching the girl's cheek.
You're an angel...
...
"Xia Ya, is the monster you mentioned really hiding underwater?"
As they were about to leave the underground, Mia asked, seemingly having held back the question the entire way.
"Are you afraid Luke will hear?" Xia Ya asked.
Mia bit her lip, staying silent.
Xia Ya sighed, "Yes, the monster is hiding below the water's surface. Whether it's what the passersby saw earlier or the information I provided to Maka, the giant sea monster named Maengron is hiding in the underground lake behind Luke. With your perception, it shouldn't be hard to sense the barrier confining it around us..."
"Uh... it seems like... like it's..."
"That's right, it was left by Frederick."
"But why would the teacher do that?"
Xia Ya shook his head.
"I don't know. Maybe he has his own plans... like sealing this giant beast? Who knows, he's the Holy Seat Archbishop, his thoughts aren't something we can fathom."
Mia didn't dwell on it, just slightly tightened her grip on Xia Ya's hand, trying to ease her tension.
Behind them, they dragged the unconscious Simon and three others, tied to a wooden board, which was conveniently Maka's chessboard floor. Luckily, Xia Ya was strong enough; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to drag these four guys.
Yveline had been waiting at the cave entrance for a while.
According to the agreed plan, she had tied up Maka and staged the scene to look like a fierce battle had taken place—devastation everywhere. Although it looked tragic, the damaged furniture was the cheapest selected by the Mushroom People.
Even so, seeing them violently destroyed, Maka was so heartbroken he fainted.
"You two..."
Yveline raised an eyebrow, the original plan was for Xia Ya to bring up five unconscious people, so why was it now two bringing four? And why was that cow priestess clinging to him???
"The plan changed, but everything is under control."
The Dark Elf snorted, not pursuing the matter further.
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With everything ready, Mia used Divine Magic to awaken Simon and the others, then left before they fully regained consciousness, leaving the scene to Xia Ya.
After all, lying was involved next, and her presence would affect Xia Ya's performance.
"You're awake?"
The first thing Simon saw when he opened his eyes was Xia Ya's face, which startled him.
"Awake... awake... Lord Xia Ya, what exactly happened?"
"As you can see..." Xia Ya stepped aside, showing him the chaotic scene. "Maka openly attacked Astan City's officials with a bad attitude and violent means, but with the relentless efforts of my partner and me, along with the help of Priestess Mia, we finally subdued him and rescued you."
Simon's mind was still a bit foggy, his rationality told him things couldn't be that simple, but he couldn't find a reason to refute it.
"Then... where's Maka?"
Xia Ya pointed, "Over there, knocked out."
That's good...
Simon breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that Xia Ya and that pesky mushroom head were putting on a show to let the guy escape... Now it was simple, since they caught him, let him experience the power of Astan City's iron law (meaning fines)!
I'll fine you to death!
Xia Ya suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, Lawyer Simon."
"Yes?"
"Before leaving, the priestess left a list... here it is."
"A list? What list?"
Simon had dealt with clergy before, but he'd never heard of them making lists... He took the paper, and it clearly read:
[Divine Magic Usage and Fee Details]
[Use of "Great Dispel" *1: 150 gold coins]
[Use of "Awakening" *4: 25*4 gold coins]
[Use of...]
...
[Total: 1245 gold]
A total of seven types of Divine Magic were used.
Simon was dumbfounded, would the town hall reimburse this?
Of course not! They nitpick over even a 12 gold 45 silver expense, now 1245 gold, they'd rather cancel him than reimburse this! They'd never cover this!
"But when did clergy start making lists like this..."
"You're just uninformed," Xia Ya smiled at him, lowering his voice. "I heard a few days ago, the priestess went to the southern demon cave and brought back a bunch of ancient magical weapons. But she's... here..." Xia Ya tapped his temple, and Simon immediately showed an understanding expression.
"...Mia is still too young, too naive, all those equipments were 'confiscated' by the Governor, and he's planning an auction, where the money ends up is obvious... So she's still a bit childish."
Simon suddenly understood.
The town hall is a governmental body, the monastery a religious one, in any town they cooperate on the surface but compete behind the scenes, only in Astan City is it so one-sided...
Speaking of which, Burkeville's behavior is really ugly, directly snatching from someone else's bowl, not even leaving a drop of soup... This priestess has indeed progressed, she knows how to give the town hall a hard time, this list is clearly revenge.
But why did I have to get caught up in this!?
"How do you know?" Simon asked casually.
"Because... I was there when she looted that batch of equipment from the monster's lair." Xia Ya said meaningfully.
"Is that... so?"
Simon was stunned, his mind a bit enlightened.
So... it wasn't that the priestess suddenly woke up, but someone was advising her?
Simon's gaze swept over Xia Ya a few times, avoiding his meaningful look, then glanced around. He turned around, finally landing on the unconscious Maka.
The Mushroom Person didn't have a speck of dust on him, his expression more heartbroken than pained... as if he had lost 15% of his shares yesterday.
And the surrounding mess, though it looked tragic, was actually just a bunch of worthless trinkets, not what they saw when they came in...
This was staged!
Simon broke out in a cold sweat.
He recalled being swept away by the undercurrent after falling, surrounded by fish eyes that were definitely not human... and finally being grabbed by a giant tentacle... now he was unharmed, just wet clothes...
There's definitely something wrong here!
Since they could advise the priestess, saying this now was likely a hint...
At this point, Xia Ya urged, "Can you move, sir? Here, take this list..."
"Please wait, I think this matter needs discussion..." Simon immediately stood up, adjusting his glasses. "Don't you think, sir, that we were too rough with Mr. Maka, his resistance seemed more like an overreaction... and our investigation hasn't made any breakthrough, what do you think?"
"Mr. Simon thinks so too?" Xia Ya's expression shifted slightly, the list still in his hand, not intending to open it again.
I knew it...
Simon's mind was clear. He was being used as a pawn!
They wanted to make a deal with Maka, so they invited him, under the Governor's banner.
Now the deal was done, no need for complications, so they wanted them to return empty-handed... This is infuriating! You're bullying an honest person! Do you think I have no temper!?
But thinking of the terrifying giant tentacle, Simon felt a chill.
Forget it, let it be, what else can I do...
When gods fight, minions suffer. Whether being used or tricked, they still maintained the courtesy of civilized people, showing they didn't want to break ties—even if they could use force to make him comply.
At times like this, it's best to go with the flow.
"Yes, actually, I regretted it as soon as I came in, there's no major violation here, just that the underground residents' decorating style is too different from our aesthetics, looking odd, so... so there's nothing wrong with what happened before. Now the illegal decorations are mostly destroyed, our task is complete."
"It's great that you think so..."
Xia Ya discreetly put away the list, as if it never existed. He smiled broadly, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
"About the fright you all experienced..."
"Astan City used to be a lake, having such an underground river is perfectly normal, we can even hear the sound of water at night..." Simon forced a smile, turning to glare at the still confused three brothers, sternly saying, "We didn't fall, nor did we encounter any danger, just got our clothes wet, understand?"
"Understood!" "Understood!" "Un-understood!"
"Haha... Mr. Simon really understands!"
Xia Ya laughed heartily.