I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

Chapter 24 New Clothes and Mission

"Hmm~"

Gretchen woke up around noon.

However, she didn't wake up naturally; she was woken up by the knight for dinner.

"Still a little sleepy..."

After sitting on the bed in a daze for a while, Gretchen finally came to her senses and slowly stretched.

Although she was still a little sleepy, she didn't plan to sleep anymore because she didn't want to mess up her body's time difference and then not be able to sleep at night.

Just as Gretchen was about to get out of bed, the azure-blue knight reappeared by the bedside... and unlike before when his hands were empty, he was now holding a set of clothes.

Seeing the familiar clothes in the knight's hand, Gretchen was taken aback at first, then asked softly, "Does the knight want me to wear this outfit today?"

Greta wasn't surprised that the knight could take out his clothes, because that's always been the case.

Back when they were still in the Fire Moths, Aponia, Eden, and the other female members prepared all sorts of clothes and other things for the little girl.

These items are usually kept in the painting's space and safeguarded by Gretsch's knights, ladies, and other companions.

Faced with Gretchen's question, the tall, azure-blue knight nodded gently, then placed the neatly folded clothes on the bed.

"Alright then... In that case, Mr. Knight, why don't you change your outfit as well?"

Looking at the red hood on the bed, Gretchen conjured up her paintbrush and then used red paint to paint the knight in front of her.

Soon, enveloped in color, the azure knight disappeared, replaced by a huge and majestic golden-red wolf.

"Hmm... Mr. Wolf is very handsome."

Looking at the Knight, whose appearance and color had changed completely, Gretchen nodded her head slightly and then praised him using a different title.

After being praised, Mr. Wolf gave a polite and elegant bow, and then disappeared into the air.

After Mr. Wolf disappeared, Gretchen looked at the Little Red Riding Hood-themed outfit beside her. Then, after taking off her original pure white dress, she gently changed into this cute red outfit.

"Well……"

Just as Gretchen looked down at her newly changed dress, the red wolf reappeared. He moved to the bedside and began tidying up the clothes his princess had just changed out of.

The snow-white dress that the little girl wore for two days, although there was no dirt on the surface...

It's dirty, but Mr. Wolf will still clean it up and take it back to clean it.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Wolf."

Seeing Mr. Wolf tidying up her clothes and bedding, Greta politely thanked him before going to wash up.

……

After washing up, Gretchen left the tent. She was a little hungry and decided to go out to find something to eat.

However, it was clear that her outfit was quite eye-catching in the camp, and she attracted a lot of attention.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of a crowd, Gretchen passed through numerous tents and arrived at her usual dining area.

However, because she was too conspicuous, someone had already come over before she could even walk over.

"I didn't see you for breakfast today, you must be very hungry, come and eat with me... Also, this dress suits you very well, it's so cute."

Walking to Gretchen's side, Yelena reached out and gently patted her little head, then said softly.

"Good afternoon, Sister Yelena..."

Hearing Yelena's gentle voice, Gretchen greeted her and then took her cold hand in hers.

"good afternoon."

Feeling the warmth in her hand, Yelena gently smiled and then led the little one toward the campfire.

Upon reaching the campfire, the Yetis, seeing the adorable Gretchen, began to speak.

"This outfit is so cute, it suits little Greta perfectly."

"Yeah, yeah, that's amazing."

"So, why didn't I see little Gretchen this morning?"

……

"..."

While the Yetis were chattering and expressing their concern, one person, unusually, remained silent, instead staring intently at Gretsch in deep thought.

"Lois, what are you staring at little Gretchen for? You seem so engrossed."

Just then, a Yeti noticed someone's unusual behavior and curiously went over to ask.

"It's nothing... I was just curious why Gretsch's socks weren't wet when she stepped on the snow... and who designed socks that expose her toes and heels?"

Lois didn't hide anything from her friends who gathered around, and directly shared what she had been thinking about.

"Hiss, now that you mention it... these socks are indeed strange."

"Right, right, it's better to be naked... It's not that Kosmo again, is it?"

"Um……?"

Hearing their conversation, Gretchen slowly raised her head, looked at them for a moment, and then explained softly, "My clothes... are special, they won't get dirty or wet."

"As for socks, everyone prepared a lot of clothes for me... I don't know who prepared them."

And Gretchen's clothes weren't just this one; all of them were specially treated to prevent them from getting dirty.

The reason was that she used to easily get paint on her clothes when she painted, so the members of the Fire Moths decided to give all her clothes special treatment.

Wow, what amazing clothes!

"It is indeed amazing, but no matter how amazing it is, it can't get around that despicable, perverse sense of humor!"

"Alright, let's stop chatting for a bit and you all should eat quickly. Here, have some hot soup first." Just as the Yetis were still discussing, Yelena, the eldest sister sitting next to Greta, spoke up.

While speaking, he didn't forget to hand a bowl of hot soup to the little girl.

"Um... thank you, Sister Yelena."

……

Gretchen didn't see Talulah and Alina during the entire lunch break today.

After questioning Yelena, it was learned that the two had been discussing matters in the tent since this morning.

……

After lunch, the Yeti team, contrary to their usual behavior, did not continue chatting and fooling around, but instead dispersed to prepare their own things.

"I'm sorry I can't stay with you today. Gretchen, go find Alina and the others. Your sister will be back as soon as possible."

Seeing the team members disperse, Yelena bent down and gently rubbed Gretsch's head before saying something with a hint of apology.

!;

"Yes, it's okay... Be careful."

Upon hearing this, Gretchen nodded slightly, indicating that she understood. At this point, the little girl clearly understood that the Yeti Squad was going on a mission that afternoon.

After patting Gretchen's head again, Yelena left to prepare her things.

As she sat there watching Frostnova's departing figure, a glint suddenly flashed in Gretchen's large eyes.

"A mission...?"

Chapter 25 Following

Gretsch suddenly had an idea about the Yeti Squad's mission.

She wanted to go on the mission with Yelena...

However, knowing that she would definitely not be allowed to follow, Gretchen did not intend to rush forward directly, but instead planned to secretly follow behind.

After having the idea, she began to make preparations...

The first step was to return to Talulah's tent, take out a piece of drawing paper, draw some words with a paintbrush, and then place this "note" on the neatly folded blanket.

Then, Gretchen took small steps and left the tent... heading towards the vicinity of the Yeti Squad's tent.

Although Gretsch currently has no way to directly cure Yelena's Oripathy, she can try to prevent her from using her Oripathy skills too much.

The little girl had already planned it out; she intended to secretly follow them... and unless something major happened, she wouldn't make a move or reveal herself.

But

If the Yeti Squad encounters danger, or if Yelena needs to use her abilities frequently and extensively, Gretsch plans to step in and resolve the situation.

Of course, it would be better to do this under a different identity. Even if their whereabouts are exposed and they are discovered, it doesn't matter, since the Yeti Squad doesn't recognize their other identities.

However, Gretchen has not yet unlocked any other characters, even the fastest-unlocking one, Sakura [Setsuna], is still a little short, with the current unlocking progress only at 91%.

So, having no other choice, the little girl had to risk being lectured and secretly follow along under her current identity.

……

After Gretsch waited in a corner for a while, Yelena and the Yeti team finally set off with all their equipment and supplies.

Just as she was trying to catch up, the little girl realized that she really shouldn't be wearing this Little Red Riding Hood-themed outfit today.

The reason was simple: Gretchen found her red outfit too conspicuous against the biting wind and vast expanse of white snow. So conspicuous that it could be seen from a great distance.

?;

This meant that, in order to avoid being discovered, she could only stay far behind and dare not get too close.

Fortunately, the snowstorm wasn't too heavy today, and the tracks weren't covered by the snow too quickly, so Gretchen could barely keep up by following the tracks.

But there's one more thing she really wants to complain about...

That is, this time they weren't walking on a forest path; the snow on the ground was very thick, and Gretchen was quite petite, which caused half of her body to sink into the snow...

?;

Mr. Wolf originally wanted to carry her away, but she refused.

Being alone was already conspicuous enough, and having the tall Mr. Wolf carry her made Gretchen feel that she would be discovered by the observant Yelena at any moment and then sent back.

So, having no other option, the little girl had to "swim" in the snow to avoid being deported.