Whose youth romance story begins with a witch's trial?!

Although Meruru's cheeks became increasingly flushed as she covered her mouth, as if she were about to have sex, Chang Rong still did not let go.

After all, this is a meeting and conversation between a future rising star and her mentor; how could they let jellyfish interfere?

"Your dance moves are captivating, how do you do it?" "It's magic, I added magic"—this kind of nonsensical dialogue is absolutely unacceptable here!

"Hmph, he's only been two years and he's already become so handsome. He's definitely a prince-type idol who can stand alone as the center! As expected, my taste is something that ordinary people can never hope to match, hehehe~!"

The young lady happily let out a textbook-perfect smile, like a villainous supporting character's daughter, but as she smiled, she became somewhat disappointed again.

"However... anyway, it's all over. You were also captured and brought to this witch's island, and I'll never know what happened after that."

"No—Miss. Chang Rong will definitely lead us away from here! It's precisely because he couldn't save you that he's desperately trying to redeem everyone, and we certainly won't be disappointed! I will definitely leave here and stand on the stage again!"

"—"

Seeing the confident and resolute expression on Hasumi Ryoua's face, the young lady was stunned for a moment.

If she had trusted Chang Rong more back then, if she had persisted a little longer... perhaps, everyone's fate would have been different?

"As for your family situation, Miss, I've actually... heard some rumors." Leia rubbed her bangs and said in a somewhat subtle tone.

"Family matters...? Oh right, Hasumi, you are someone who has actually lived to this day."

Everyone suddenly realized that Hasumi Ryoya seemed to be the only one among them who wasn't an old-fashioned, outdated person.

Alice and Gaoyuan go without saying, Chang Rong is a purebred ice pop, and Meruru is an incredibly fanciful otaku. Looking at it this way, Leia becomes the only channel through which everyone understands the outside world.

"Although I don't know the specifics... there seem to be rumors that there was internal turmoil and conflict within the management. The originally designated successor ran into trouble, and for a while, the Highland Group seemed to be desperately searching for information about illegal government imprisonment, but in the end, the matter came to nothing, and no exposés were found; it remained just an urban legend. On the contrary, the group itself seemed to have angered the government, causing its business to plummet... The firm was also impacted at that time, which is how I learned about these things."

"Ugh... I'm sorry, it seems like it's all bad stuff." Shiren saw Rhea rubbing her hair and apologizing.

"No—it's nothing. Compared to family matters, I'm more disappointed that I couldn't see you perform on stage. Excuse me, please allow me to leave for a moment. I think I got a plant seed in my shoe."

The young lady shook her head to indicate that she didn't care, then walked away from everyone and went to the side.

"..."

Chang Rong noticed the sobbing coming from the back of the woman; she was trying to suppress her tears. One has to admit, she truly is a young lady of high birth; even in a situation like this, she maintained impeccable manners.

What is the young lady thinking right now?

She thought she was abandoned by her family, but in reality, her family had not abandoned her. Instead, they were trying to find another mastermind and investigate problems within the government.

However, the outcome was not the cliché of 'good triumphing over evil'; instead, her family was severely weakened by this pointless conflict.

"I'm so sorry to have taken up your time, I'm back."

The young lady returned to the group, her face still bearing that haughty expression. However, this time, the feigned toughness had faded considerably, replaced by a more natural smile.

“This suits you better, Miss.” Chang Rong responded with a smile, it seemed that she ultimately chose to trust her family.

"...I have no idea what you, you beastly commoner, are talking about." Gao Yuanlihua turned her head away and snorted coldly, but the blush on her cheeks honestly betrayed her true thoughts.

While Rhea's unexpected arrival resolved the knot in the young lady's heart, it also brought with it unavoidable problems—

"So... how can we get out of here?"

Although she had just uttered some cool and stylish words, Leia was actually completely clueless about how to leave this 'Soul Tea Room'.

"Well, um... anyway, as long as you leave through the main entrance, right...?" "So leaving from there is the path to direct ascension to Buddhahood and reincarnation! Did you even understand?!"

"Waaaaah... I'm sorry... I'm so stupid...!" Faced with the scolding of the senior young lady, Meruru, who had seniority but no intelligence, could only transform into a jellyfish once again.

"This dimensional rift opened because it sensed someone's guilt and shackles, so only by helping her break free from her shackles and obsessions can it be opened."

"Someone? Then, judging from the situation at the time, it should be—Meruru."

Leia looked at Meruru on the ice, who, though trying to tuck her head back, nodded tremblingly in agreement.

"Yes, that should be it... I was really scared at the time. Then the elevator doors suddenly opened a crack, and then..." Meruru said softly, looking down.

"Hmm... Meruru, are you still tormented by your own sins after all...?"

Chang Rong looked at Melulu on the ice. Sure enough, even after all that time they spent together, she still couldn't completely forgive herself for her sins.

This is so typical of Meruru; she wants to be a truly kind person, yet she can't let go of her sins. She knows she is an unforgivable evil, yet she yearns for warmth and light.

"Lord Changrong... I'm sorry..." Meruru finally lowered her head and shrank back.

The discussion stalled for a moment.

The one who tied the knot must untie it. If everyone's consciousness is to leave the other world, Meruru, the one who opened the rift, needs to resolve her inner conflict.

But these things are ultimately subjective, belonging only to Meruru herself. Chang Rong couldn't help her let go; he couldn't exactly keep playing Guan Yu's song in her ear, could he?

"..."

The atmosphere became somewhat silent and awkward for a moment.

"I have to say, she's no wonder she's Mom's little follower... She has the same ambidextrous thinking ability as Mom..." Alice complained softly.

"He was clearly one of the masterminds behind the whole thing, but he ended up here because he felt guilty... In a way, he's really unlucky."

The young lady crossed her arms and sighed.

"—I've got it!"

Just before the atmosphere reached an awkward low, Chang Rong suddenly announced loudly.

"If people are bound by 'obsessions' and 'shackles,' then let's think of a way that can satisfy everyone!"

Chang Rong pointed to the crowd and said.

"Satisfied...! Lord Changrong, you, you're finally willing to beat and whip me severely? Although my recovery ability hasn't been restored yet, but, but this way my begging voice will be more realistic, right?" Meruru's breathing suddenly became heavier.

"What a blunder...! I should have brought the dog ears and tail over even if I had to force it... No, but it's fine even without the collar!" Hasumi Ryoya touched her bald head, gritted her teeth, and began to try to load the Sakura Emma motion system into her mind at the last minute.

“If it’s Daddy, then Alice also…” Alice lowered her head slightly and whispered, tapping her two fingers together.

"So, all of them? One person? You commoner, have you never had sex? Although, although I haven't either... but one person can't possibly face so many people at the same time, I know that common sense!" The young lady shouted back, her face flushed.

"What are you guys thinking?! I'm talking about a concert! Let's have a concert!"

Chang Rong quickly waved his hand to dispel the bizarre fantasies of the group of girls who were about to become infatuated, and at the same time offered his own advice.

"Huh...? Have you lost your mind, you freak? Where would you find an audience to hold a concert in a place like this?" The young lady frowned and complained.

"Waaah... It's all my fault, I shouldn't have frozen Lord Changrong so quickly..." Meruru sobbed, implying that it should have been frozen while it was still hot.

"The audience didn't say much, did they?"

Chang Rong smiled and said.

Lost and wandering souls... I, the Great Banyan King, will deliver you all from suffering and transform you into merit!

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10,000 chapters added today, still 19 chapters to go (24-5=19)

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I'm tired of climbing towers. I spent 11 hours yesterday and didn't win a single game. I'm thinking of uninstalling it.

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222. The First Witch's Rest Concert

"After careful consideration, I've realized that holding a concert is the best option under the current circumstances, and it could even be said to fulfill four wishes at once!"

In the 'Tea Room,' a place on the edge of life and death belonging to the witches, Chang Rong stood in front of everyone, patted her chest, and excitedly announced in an unquestionable tone.

"...I feel like the person I knew before wasn't this mischievous. Has this group of terrifying juniors turned you into a god?"

The young lady tilted her head and frowned as she looked at Chang Rong. In her memory, although this white-haired boy was also a pair of geniuses who spent all their time with another white-haired girl, he shouldn't have suddenly slapped his forehead and said something like "I want to hold a live show" on the border of life and death amidst wreckage.

“Dad is beyond saving… He’s been completely infected by Mom and turned into a nobody too…” Alice sighed helplessly, her eyes dimming.

"Chang Rong... is it because of too much pressure that you can't accept the current situation?" Renmi Ryoya said with a slightly downcast and heartbroken tone, her head slightly lowered.

"Why are you joining in the吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) too, Rhea-sama?! Never mind... those brilliant theories are generally not understood by everyone when they first appear, but once you hear my explanation, you'll understand how brilliant these reasons are."

Chang Rong coughed twice, transforming himself from a 'clown being pointed at' to a 'genius misunderstood by the world', and then directly pointed his finger at Hasumi Ryoya.

"Reya-sama! Haven't you always been looking forward to holding a concert?!" "Well... that's true..." Reya rubbed her cheeks with her fingers and reluctantly admitted that although holding a concert in the underworld was a bit too underworldly, she would just have to go along with Chang Rong for now.

"Miss Lihua! Weren't you disappointed because you couldn't see Leia-sama's performance in person?!" "I'm tired of concerts! No, but... if it's a concert by a junior I personally mentored, then yes..."

Young Miss Gao Yuanlihua crossed her arms and initially turned her head away haughtily, indicating that she had long looked down on this kind of low-level entertainment. However, she quickly admitted somewhat embarrassedly that she did hope to see her 'junior' shine.

"Alice! You've always wanted to see your father as mature, reliable, and responsible, haven't you?" "Alice never said that..."

"Wow, you didn't say that... Oh, is that so... Well, okay, you're right..." "Waaaah, Alice really wants to see Daddy dashingly shatter all the tragedies...!"

Unexpectedly betrayed by her own little darling, Chang Rong instantly collapsed to the ground and crawled to the corner to plant mushrooms and count dust. This embarrassing sight forced Alice to frantically approach and soothe her, explaining that she was indeed waiting for her cheap dad to wreak havoc. Only then was she able to coax Chang Rong back to her senses.

"Who is whose guardian is this...?" the young lady complained helplessly, rubbing her eyebrows.

"In the end, it's Meruru's turn—if you still feel you can't reconcile with your 'sins,' then try to cover them up with 'merits'!" "Um... Lord Changrong, I... I don't understand... what does this mean?"

Meruru showed a timid expression. She was just a jellyfish. She couldn't understand complicated things. All a jellyfish could do was cry and drop little pearls before drying up and dying.

"What I'm saying is—let's hold a concert and then send all the audience members to the afterlife, how about that!"

"——" "——"

Chang Rong spoke sassily, followed by an awkward silence that made people more embarrassed, to the point that some might even consider digging a tunnel to escape.

"Um... Haha, Chang Rong, you probably don't know much about the idol industry... Actually, idols and concerts can't buff your own soldiers on the battlefield, or send them to heaven on the spot...?"

In the end, Ryoua Hasumi couldn't stand it anymore and awkwardly smiled as she explained the basic principles of idols to Chang Rong.

"Of course I know about this... I mean physical salvation! Since these remains have only gradually lost consciousness due to the passage of time, it means they should actually start a new life, right? So all we need to do is gather these people together with a concert, and then package them all up and perform a seppuku for them—I mean help them find peace. What do you think of this plan!"

Chang Rong explained that she believes more in the power of idols than in the power of idols themselves. The concert was just a pretext; the real goal was to attract all the remains in Limnibus and deliver them to the afterlife with one click.

After all, for Chang Rong, who was pelted with stones by Tank while listening to rock music at a concert as a child and watched Arasaka Tower being destroyed by a nuclear bomb while listening to rock music at a concert as an adult, 'holding a concert' is a convenient way to attract all sorts of ghosts and monsters and then wipe them out in one fell swoop.

"This is just too ridiculous... And putting everything else aside, how are you, a commoner, planning to gather those remains together? They're practically mindless; they're not going to obediently buy tickets to listen to the music. Besides, my name doesn't carry any weight among those incredibly unsophisticated guys... What a bunch of vulgar people."

This is when you can see the young lady's noble bearing. While everyone else's brains are fried by Chang Rong's words, only the young lady can still barely keep up with her吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) routine.

"How do we get the wreckage to come over and listen to the music? Don't worry, I've already considered that. Putting aside whether these guys will come over like Dirty Guy at the sound of a loud noise, I'm more curious about—Rhea-sama, Meruru, did you lose consciousness as soon as you arrived here?"

Chang Rong looked at the experienced duo, the older and the younger, and asked them a question.

"Well... Ugh, it's embarrassing to say, but it's the truth. I came here to help Meruru, but I passed out before I even understood anything. And I've been having recurring nightmares. If it weren't for you, Chang Rong, I might not be awake now..."