179: Momo Akanekubo

"Whoosh—!"

Several extremely sharp blade lights tore through the air from behind Lin Luo and Erina without warning!

The blade lights were so fast that it was almost impossible to see their trajectory; only the cold gleam that seemed to slice through vision remained in the air.

The blade lights crisscrossed, passing with absolute precision over the Scaled Vajra that was about to pounce.

The next instant, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded.

The hard, rough green scales on the beast's body were peeled off as if by an invisible hand, falling in sheets with a "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sound, instantly forming a small pile at its feet.

The beast's terrifying momentum seemed to be instantly drained. A flicker of confusion first flashed in its single crimson eye, followed by overwhelming terror!

"Awoo—!"

It let out a near-whimper of a cry, completely out of character for its massive size. No longer caring about the 'prey' in front of it, it twisted its massive body and scrambled away toward the foot of the mountain in a frantic escape, disappearing behind the craggy rocks in the blink of an eye, leaving only a patch of scales that were still faintly reflecting the light.

"Tsk, still not good enough." A clear, neutral voice, laced with obvious dissatisfaction, came from behind the two. "Still not good enough, there are still some scales left on it! This knife is only 38% complete."

Lin Luo slowly turned around, his face showing the annoyance of being disturbed, and looked at the source of the voice: "Hey, friend, this was the 'prey' I had my eyes on first."

Erina also looked curiously in the direction of the voice.

What came into view was a 'handsome young man' dressed in a dashing manner. A neat headband was tied around his head, and a striking cross-shaped scar below his right eye added a touch of sharpness and a sense of history. He held a kitchen knife of normal size, but the faint, sharp aura flowing on the blade, capable of seemingly cutting through the air, indicated that this was by no means an ordinary kitchen utensil.

Those eyes were exceptionally bright and sharp, currently sizing up Lin Luo without any restraint, filled with scrutiny and a hint of provocation, before the gaze shifted to Erina, revealing a trace of curiosity.

"Erina-sama? Nakiri Erina!" Another soft voice, filled with surprise and uncertainty, rang out from the entrance of the stone house.

Everyone turned to look and saw a petite girl, holding a cute doll tightly in her arms, standing there timidly. She had smooth, short purple hair, and on her fair face, a pair of large eyes were currently wide open, filled with disbelief, looking straight at Erina.

Erina was stunned for a moment, and upon seeing the person's face, joy instantly flashed in her purple eyes: "Akane Kubo Momo... Senior?"

"It really is you, Erina!" Having confirmed the identity, the timid expression on Akane Kubo Momo's face was instantly replaced by the joy of reunion.

She hugged her doll and ran over, throwing herself into Erina's arms, her voice filled with excitement, "I didn't expect to meet you here!"

Erina was somewhat at a loss, subconsciously looking at Lin Luo with confusion in her eyes: Why would a Tōtsuki senior be here? Could it be that she wasn't the only one 'tossed' into this strange world?

Lin Luo received her gaze, raised an eyebrow, and made a 'you finally figured it out' expression, silently responding: When did I ever say you were the only 'outsider'?

Erina's heart jolted; this realization, beyond surprising her, inexplicably made her feel relieved, as if a heavy burden of loneliness had been shared.

"Alright," Lin Luo, seeing the two girls' emotions settle, stepped forward and naturally reached out to ruffle Akane Kubo Momo's hair, saying in a comforting tone, "Since we've found the 'base camp,' you won't be alone anymore."

"Slap!"

A crisp slapping sound rang out.

Lin Luo withdrew his hand, touched the back of his hand that had been hit, and looked with surprise at Akane Kubo Momo, who had suddenly furrowed her brows.

"Who are you! Who gave you permission to touch Momo's head? Rude guy!" Akane Kubo Momo hugged her doll, stepped back, and glared at him with dissatisfaction, the timid look from just a moment ago having vanished without a trace.

Lin Luo pursed his lips and muttered softly: "...Not cute at all."

Erina also stepped forward, shielding Akane Kubo Momo slightly behind her, and looked at Lin Luo with dissatisfaction in her purple eyes: "Move aside."

Lin Luo was exasperated: "Hey! I didn't do anything! I was just offering friendly comfort!"

"Touching a girl's body without permission, even as a bladesmith, I consider this a very rude and inappropriate behavior." The clear voice rang out as the 'handsome young man' took a step forward. The kitchen knife with only 38% completion was slightly raised; although the tip was not pointed directly at him, the sharp, biting aura had already subtly locked onto Lin Luo, with the clear posture of 'testing the blade' at the slightest disagreement.

Lin Luo looked at the glinting tip of the knife and helplessly spread his hands: "Yes, yes, yes, it was my bad, I apologize. However... beauty, your knife looks really sharp, be careful not to hurt yourself." His tone was sincere, but his gaze carried a hint of playfulness as he sized the other person up from head to toe.

The 'handsome young man's' hand holding the knife stiffened imperceptibly, and a flash of extremely quick panic, as if caught in the act, crossed his face. He then forced himself to remain calm, his expression becoming somewhat unpredictable, and his voice lowered: "You... what are you saying? I don't quite understand what you mean." That deliberately lowered, neutral voice sounded even more like a cover-up now.

"Eh?" Lin Luo seemed to have discovered something interesting, blinked his eyes, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, and he deliberately drew out his tone, "Could it be... you aren't a girl? You... Ugh!"

Before he could finish his sentence, the air suddenly became dangerous!

"Shut up!"

Responding to him were more than a dozen blade lights, far denser and sharper than the ones used against the giant beast just moments ago!

These blade lights were no longer the precise control used for peeling scales, but carried obvious shame and anger, slashing down at Lin Luo like an interwoven web of death! The speed was so fast that it almost sealed off all space for evasion.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang—!"

A series of crisp, dense sounds of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying everywhere!

The moment those sharp blade lights touched Lin Luo's body, they were steadily blocked by a halo shield that automatically emerged around him, shimmering with five-colored light.

The blade lights slashed against the halo, like raindrops falling into a calm lake, stirring up circles of gorgeous ripples, before being silently dissolved and annihilated by that seemingly soft yet incredibly tough power, failing to harm Lin Luo in the slightest.

Lin Luo stood in place, not even moving a corner of his clothes, just watching with ease as the other person's eyes widened slightly in astonishment and more defiance because the attack was ineffective.

"Hey, hey, such a big reaction?" Lin Luo touched his nose, his smile deepening, "Looks like I guessed right? However, using an unfinished knife to slash people isn't the way to treat guests, Second Generation Melk Young Miss?"

He deliberately emphasized the word 'Young Miss'.

"Who exactly are you people? What is your purpose in coming to Mount Melk?"

Second Generation Melk frowned, her gaze scanning between Erina and Lin Luo.

Seeing this, Erina immediately coughed lightly, stepped forward between the two, and explained with a sincere tone: "Melk Great Master, please don't misunderstand. We came here specifically to pick up the custom kitchenware we agreed upon. My teacher is Setsuno, and my name is Nakiri Erina. As for this rude guy..." She paused, glancing at Lin Luo with some helplessness, "His name is Lin Luo, he is my partner. We mean no harm."

After explaining their purpose, Erina immediately turned to Lin Luo, saying in a low but clear voice with an unquestionable 'command' in her purple eyes: "Lin Luo, apologize to Melk Great Master. Apologize for your frivolous words and rude speculation just now. Hurry up!"

Lin Luo pointed at his own nose in disbelief, then pointed at Melk, who was still holding her knife in defense but with a trace of realization in her eyes, his expression clearly saying: Me? Apologize to her?

Erina did not give him a chance to retort, directly reaching out to grab his collar and pulling down hard. Lin Luo didn't expect her to 'make a move' suddenly and bent down in cooperation.

Erina pressed his head down while bowing slightly toward Melk, her tone earnest: "I am truly sorry, Melk Great Master, it was our rudeness. I apologize to you on his behalf, please don't mind it."

Lin Luo, with his head pressed down, could only mumble vaguely: "...Sorry."

Akane Kubo Momo watched from the side, holding her doll, her large eyes blinking, seemingly finding the scene a bit novel. And Melk, watching Erina sincerely apologize and 'force' her partner to bow, finally saw the frost on her face melt a little. She snorted and waved her hand.

"Forget it. Since you are Granny Setsuno's Disciple... and her... partner." Melk's gaze lingered on Lin Luo for a moment, seemingly still evaluating him, "Come in. Your order is already finished. However, next time you speak nonsense or make a move..." Her eyes became sharp again, and her hand rested on the hilt of her knife unconsciously.

"It won't happen again!" Erina immediately guaranteed, while secretly pinching Lin Luo's arm to signal him not to cause any more trouble.

Lin Luo touched the spot where he was pinched and pursed his lips.

The space inside the stone house was large, like a warehouse and also like a workshop.

The walls were covered with all kinds of kitchen knives, each one gleaming with cold light, looking very sharp. There were many smooth blade marks on the floor and walls, obviously made by these knives accidentally.

In the middle of the room was a low workbench with several unfinished knife blanks and some whetstones on it.

Lin Luo could feel many of the knives emitting a sharp aura. However, since entering the room, he had been left on the sidelines.

Erina, Akane Kubo Momo, and Second Generation Melk were huddled together talking. Erina was asking about the custom knives, Akane Kubo Momo occasionally chimed in, and Melk's attitude toward them was clearly much better than toward him, answering their questions.

Lin Luo wanted to join the conversation, but Akane Kubo Momo ignored him, and Melk also acted as if she didn't see him. He looked at Erina, but Erina deliberately avoided his gaze, as if she was still 'holding a grudge' about what happened just now.

Lin Luo felt it was boring, so he simply wandered off to the side, looking at the knives on the wall with his hands behind his back, occasionally gesturing at the air, pretending to be studying them, his back looking a bit lonely.

Lin Luo raised his hand and lightly touched the blade of a kitchen knife hanging nearby with his fingertip.

The blade was extremely cold, and the faint halo his fingertip used for protection was easily pierced through in the face of this pure sharpness. His fingertip felt cold, and a tiny cut appeared instantly.

However, before a bead of blood could seep out, the tiny wound had already healed under his powerful regenerative ability, as if it had never appeared.

"Huh?" Lin Luo looked at his finger with some surprise, then at the knife that looked plain and simple.

Just then, a gaze fell on him. He turned his head and met Akane Kubo Momo's gaze. The little girl was holding her doll, looking at the finger he had just touched the knife with.

Lin Luo coughed lightly and asked nonchalantly: "What's wrong?"

Akane Kubo Momo pursed her lips and scoffed: "Serves you right."

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow, deliberately spreading his palm and shaking that 'injured' hand in front of her, his finger clean and flawless: "Serves me right for what? Am I not perfectly fine?"

Akane Kubo Momo furrowed her brows, looked closely at his finger, and then glanced suspiciously at that knife. What was going on? She had clearly seen the blade easily cut through the halo on his fingertip just now, and even saw red... How did it disappear in the blink of an eye? Was it an illusion?

Lin Luo withdrew his hand and changed the subject: "I know you, Akane Kubo Momo, Fourth Seat of the Tōtsuki Elite Ten, skilled in dessert making centered on cakes and Western pastries."

Akane Kubo Momo clicked her tongue, tightening her arms around her doll: "Erina told you, right."

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow and smiled, with a hint of mystery: "Why would you think it must have been her who told me?"

Akane Kubo Momo scoffed and sized him up: "Aren't you her boyfriend. I really don't understand why Erina would choose a man like you to be her boyfriend."

Lin Luo hummed softly, straightened his back, and said with undeniable pride: "Hmph, that's naturally because I am strong enough!"

Akane Kubo Momo looked at him sideways and suddenly blurted out: "In bed?"

Lin Luo was choked for a moment, then, without blushing or skipping a beat, held his head high and said: "That is not for outsiders to know."

"Clang!"

An empty plate originally placed by the workbench suddenly flew over, hitting Lin Luo accurately. Erina was seen with a flushed face, glaring at him with shame and anger: "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Lin Luo caught a teacup that flew after it with quick reflexes, not a drop of tea in the cup spilling.

He took a slow sip, ignored Erina's murderous gaze, and said to Akane Kubo Momo: "Little girl, I came here specifically to pick you up and take you home, show me at least a little respect."

The words 'take you home' seemed to carry magic; Akane Kubo Momo suddenly looked up, and the doll in her arms was squeezed tight by her unconsciously. She suddenly took a few steps forward, almost sticking to Lin Luo's face, tilted her little face up, and asked eagerly: "You mean... we can go back? Back to our original world?"

Lin Luo was forced to take half a step back by her sudden approach, and Akane Kubo Momo immediately followed.

Lin Luo, helpless, had to extend a fingertip and lightly tap her forehead to stop her from getting closer: "Calm down, little lolita. Going back is certainly something I can do, otherwise how do you think I knew about you? If Erina didn't want to leave right away, you wouldn't have been able to see her here at all. Of course, you might have seen me first—after all, finding all you 'lost' folks is my main quest, and I certainly haven't forgotten that."

Akane Kubo Momo, however, seemed not to have heard the latter part very clearly. She froze in place, her little face rapidly flushing red at a visible speed, the earlier eagerness replaced by a kind of shame and anger, her mouth unconsciously repeating a certain title Lin Luo used: "Lo, lolita...?"

Clearly, compared to the possibility of 'going home,' the 'lethality' of a certain specific title seemed to be greater for her at the moment.

She hugged her doll, stepped back two paces, glared at Lin Luo with eyes like she was looking at a pervert, and then 'whooshed' behind Erina, revealing only a pair of large eyes filled with 'this guy is indeed very suspicious.'