Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168

When Lyra finished speaking, both sides of the screen fell silent for a moment.

Lil Lily poked Lyra’s arm and whispered. “Goddess Lyra, does asking a question count as a wish?”

Lyra replied confidently. “Why wouldn’t it? I want to know how to end the game. That’s my wish.”

Lil Lily scratched her head. Oh, right. It was like when she was doing homework and got stuck on a problem. Wanting to know the answer was a wish, too.

Ms. Reed was the first to respond. “Lyra’s right.”

She pushed up her reading glasses. “The scope of wishes isn’t limited to material things, information counts as a resource

too.

“If you wish for a meal, the price is 1 ml of blood.

“If you wish for the final answer about the game, what would the price be?”

Lina held the mask and thought for a moment. “What if the price is way too high?”

“Then we just say no. This is just an example.” Lyra tapped her finger on the table. “But first, tomorrow we need to see if we can actually say no.

“Once we make sure saying no doesn’t cost us anything, we can try other options.

“Start with small wishes, check the price. If it’s not worth it, just turn it down. If it is, go for it.

“We’ll push the devil’s boundaries little by little.”

Lil Lily clapped her hands. “Bargaining!”

Lina blinked at the screen. “So I’m the designated devil haggler now?”

“Maybe the devil could even become your personal customer service rep,” Lyra said seriously.

Lina couldn’t help but laugh.

Yelena had been listening for a while and finally spoke up. “Assuming there’s no cost to refusing, and assuming we can wish for information, there’s still one more question.”

Lana looked up at her.

“Is the devil’s answer actually true?” Yelena asked.

Lil Lily pouted. “Yeah, what if the devil just makes stuff up?”

Lyra didn’t answer right away. She glanced at the mask on the screen, its dark patterns pressed against the table

Lyra said, “The Pumpkin Pie was real.

“The menu got changed, and the System did it without leaving a trace. We can check that ourselves.

“So as long as the wish is something we can verify, we don’t have to worry about the devil making stuff up.”

Ms. Reed added, “Let’s start by wishing for some info we can double-check, just to see if the devil’s answer is legit.”

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11:32 Wed, Jul 8

Chapter 168

Lana’s pen flew across the paper as she numbered the steps.

Lana said, “Step one: tomorrow, test what happens if we refuse a wish and make sure there’s no cost.

“Step two: make a wish for information we can verify, to check if the answer is accurate.

“Step three: raise the stakes with our wishes, see where the price caps out.

“Step four: make the big wish to get the core info about the game.”

Yelena nodded. “We’re in.”

Lina stood in front of the camera, gripping the mask tightly. Her nervousness slowly turned into a strange, electric excitement she couldn’t quite put into words.

After so many rounds of the game, for the first time, she felt like she might actually pull off something major.

If they could really ask for information, maybe she could even find out how to defeat the Wraiths invading the real world. Then they could win back their home.

“Lyra, don’t worry,” Lina said, holding the mask in one hand and pumping her fist with the other. “I’ll handle the devil.

After the video call ended, only the Draconia team remained in the conference room.

Garrett rubbed his neck. “Turns out the Sacrifice Mask is worth way more than we thought.”

Lana closed her notebook. “But only if refusing doesn’t cost us anything.”

Garrett nodded, but still looked puzzled. “With something this powerful, how is it only A Tier?”

“No idea. Who knows how the game decides these things?” Lyra shrugged.

Ms. Reed spoke up slowly. “If we really can ask for information, then we can cross-check what Alex said about the three countries with whatever the devil tells us.

“If Lina asks the devil how to end the game, and the devil also says it’s about three countries, then Alex’s answer would be more credible.”

“What if the devil says something different?” Lil Lily asked, her chin resting on her arms as she leaned on the table.

Lyra glanced down at her. “That means somebody’s not telling the truth.”

“We can figure that out as we go. Lyra, are you heading to Sunvale today, or waiting until after Lina’s test tomorrow?” Lana asked.

I’m heading out today, so I’ll be in Sunvale for the video call tomorrow,” Lyra replied.

Lana continued, “The military has a group who cultivated all three Vital Flame values. Zoe took them to Sunvale. Once there, pick the strongest for the invasion zone and have them help hunt Wraiths.

“That way, your soul will level up faster, and you’ll be able to awaken spirits more quickly, too.”

“Got it.” Lyra nodded.

“Goddess Lyra, wait for me, okay? It’s Wednesday today, and I’ll come find you right after school on Friday!” Lil Lily looked up at Lyra.

Lyra pinched her cheek. “Alright. I’ll be waiting for you.”

11:32 Wed, Jul 8 d

Chapter 168

65 vourney’s

Three hours later, the helicopter landed at Sunvale’s temporary command center. Zoe waited below with the others. Beside her stood Catalina, Ivana’s blond mother, who had applied to come after immigrating so she could see Ivana more often.

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