Chapter 41: Riddler, get out of Kangkala!

Flo’s heart was in his throat. The person before him was undeniably powerful—there was no way he’d come out on top.

With their intentions unclear, he could only play along.

“What do you have here, senior?”

“Oh, you’re quick on the uptake!” The mysterious figure raised a hand, appearing behind Flo in an instant, holding a strange pale purple potion.

“Look, a potion to revert you to toddler years!”

They pulled a pink potion from their pocket. “This one! Grants immortality!”

“And this, turns you into a small animal! Oh, and one to float like a balloon!”

So, no legit potions, huh? Flo pursed his lips, unable to watch.

Sensing his reaction, the figure huffed, “Hey, what’s that look?”

“N-nothing, please continue, senior…” Flo forced an awkward smile, wondering what this cloaked figure’s true goal was…

Also, Crimson Abyss or this mystery person—didn’t they find the black cloaks a bit chuunibyou? Some kind of isekai hero vibe?

“Fine, if you’re not impressed, I’ll bring out the big guns!”

“Ta-da! A potion to ignite… oops, wrong one, hold on…” They rummaged through their pockets.

Adult (meow) products too?!

This figure’s absurdity made Flo wonder if they were a comedian.

But he kept that thought to himself…

“Here it is! Edith’s kid, look—a ring to block mental attacks! How’s that? Originally 10,000 gold, not 9,999, not 998, just 99 gold! Buy it, you’ll need it~”

The figure didn’t realize that mentioning that name froze Flo in place…

Now he knew—this person was targeting him, their goal crystal clear but their motive maddeningly vague.

“Geez, so tense! Don’t recognize me? I held you when you were little!”

Classic line, but should Flo trust it?

Seeing his “yeah, right” expression, the figure yanked off their hood, revealing a cute, youthful face.

What? They looked barely ten, so innocent. All this fuss for a kid? And they seemed human, not a long-lived species…

“Hey!” The girl caught the disrespect in Flo’s eyes and exploded, leaping to smack his head.

“No respect! I’m a witch, ageless beauty’s normal! You really don’t know me?”

Flo pondered. A witch? Her strength checked out, and… her face did seem vaguely familiar?

She tilted her pale neck, waiting for his answer, but Flo’s response disappointed her.

“Nope…”

“Nope?!” The witch spun in place, platinum curls whipping up a mini-whirlwind. “You forgot stealing my blueberry cake at three and getting chased with itch powder for three streets?”

Flo rubbed his chin, thinking. “Wait… the weird auntie in the tree hollow?”

“Witch Lady!” She whipped out a wand, its ruby tip bursting with rainbow light. Flo instinctively shut his eyes. When he opened them, he was in an upside-down room, furniture glued to the ceiling.

This is my house?! he thought.

“Punishment!” The witch cackled, hands on hips. “Say my title right, or stay up there forever!”

“Wait, I remember!” Flo pointed at a faint birthmark on her neck. “You’re Auntie Yanlu, who teamed up with my moms to prank me…”

Noticing her glare, he corrected, “Sister Yanlu!”

The wand’s light vanished, furniture crashing down. Satisfied, she dusted her hands. Flo noticed a golden clockface spinning in her pupils…

“That’s more like it!”

Her Eastern-style name came from her mixed heritage, as his mother had said.

“If you’re back, what about my moms?”

Yanlu leaned close, nose nearly touching his, the clockface in her eyes spinning faster. Flo’s neck hairs stood up—her magic aura was far more terrifying than her childish act suggested. Those silly potions were a ruse.

“Little Edith fox, don’t worry~ They might be busy with something crucial. Rest assured, they’re not in danger…” She twirled a strand of his silver hair with her wand.

“As for me, I’m here to…” A blast of indigo lightning interrupted outside. Yanlu spun, her wand conjuring a barrier, encasing the house in a flowing light cocoon.

“Kill you~”

The words thundered in Flo’s mind. He stepped back, twin blades in hand, despite knowing he stood no chance.

Then he caught it—her acting was terrible, her smirk betraying her.

What a laugh, an old pro breaking character…

“Ugh, you got smarter. Not as fun as when you were little…” Yanlu sighed, reminiscing. She first met Flo when he, a curious toddler (freshly transmigrated, of course), wandered into her tree hollow. Finding him amusing, she’d played ghost to scare him. Unfamiliar with a world where magic existed, Flo thought ghosts were plausible and fled to his mothers’ arms, crying. His pitiful expression still lingered in her memory.

“Are they really okay?” Flo pressed.

“Relax!”

“When will they return? When can we reunite?”

“When you can stand on your own, when the world feels their Radiance again, the mystery in the mist will unveil itself…” Yanlu, once plagued by riddlers, had become one herself.

Riddlers, get out of Kangkela Empire!