The bizarre situation with the animals was giving Yu Yu a serious headache. Their neighborhood couldn't possibly accommodate such a massive, motley crew of creatures.
Shu Tu hesitated slightly. "I might need to log in and ask my teacher…"
As a rogue, she had an affinity with animals—perhaps she'd know a solution.
Wei Zishu crouched on the ground, locking eyes with the staring wolf pack. "We need to keep our story straight. The Federation can't know about our little sapling."
Fuyu blinked. "It's so small. Would the Federation even care?"
Zi Shu's cool gaze flicked up. "The Federation has plenty of higher-ups who'd do anything to protect their families. If word got out, do you think they'd stay rational?"
Especially since their sapling was tiny—perfect for sheltering a single household, ideal for certain… sensitive situations.
Shu Tu lowered her eyes. "But this anomaly is bound to attract attention. Yu Yu's place is probably already under heavy Federation scrutiny."
Fuyu had a sudden realization. "So what do we say? We can't just drive these animals off, and we definitely can't kill them."
Yu Yu, still snapping photos, finally looked up. "Just say I was experimenting with a spell. You guys keep an eye out, and it'll be fine."
"Yu Bai won't ask too many questions."
"What about your families?" Yu Yu asked. "You never talk about them."
Her gaze instinctively drifted to Shu Tu.
She and Zi Shu hadn't known each other long, but even during her closest moments with Shu Tu, she'd never heard her mention family.
Fuyu: "They're all overseas. I'd love to talk about them, but communication between districts is cut off. I got through to them once via Channel 4, but nothing since."
Her expression, usually so lively, dimmed. "There are no flights anymore, and ships are grounded. They say the seas are shrouded in fog from dawn to dusk…"
"The Federation made a big show of sending top scientists from each district to investigate the source. I followed the news for a while, but now there's nothing," Fuyu said, looking at them. "I'm guessing it didn't go well."
Wei Zishu's face remained calm. "My family's settled elsewhere, not in Rong City."
Chang Yu's situation was even bleaker—her parents were still trapped in Huyou City, with no hope of transport resuming anytime soon.
Shu Tu, ever composed, said, "…Both my parents are gone."
Yu Yu studied her for a moment, curious. "Like me?"
Shu Tu: "Mm."
Her tone was so matter-of-fact that Yu Yu didn't press further. She vaguely recalled the first time she met Shu Tu. Back then, Shu Tu had just come of age, renting a tiny apartment, streaming games alone, acting like a rebellious teen who'd swiped an ID and run away from home. Seeing no one seemed concerned about family matters for now, Yu Yu let it drop.
No gaming made life unbearably dull. Yu Yu and the others took on a mission—D-rank, codenamed… uh…
Wei Zishu stared at the folder's cover for ages.
Yu Yu was silenced by the title alone.
Fuyu: "Codename: Toilet Terror?"
"…What is this Toilet Terror?"
Wei Zishu opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and finally said with a pained expression, "It became an anomaly because it couldn't find a toilet in time? That's some pathetically low Willpower."
Fuyu: "I heard the Federation's planning a census to check citizens' stats, with special monitoring for anyone with Willpower below 4."
She muttered to herself, "Can someone's Willpower really be that low?"
Yu Yu: "Hard to say."
She'd seen some data through Yu Bai, like stat breakdowns. Yu Yu used to think the average person's Willpower was 6, since Zi Shu and the others all had 6. But after some Insight at the Anomaly Bureau, she lowered her expectations to 5. Then she saw the data…
The average Willpower was 4. In summary, the stats gave no reason for optimism. Whether it was Willpower, Perception, Strength, Constitution, or Agility, no average exceeded 5. But considering the elderly and children, Yu Yu supposed it made sense…
Chang Yu puffed up proudly. "I'm at 9!"
Shu Tu patted her head. "Yes, you're a 9."
Half a day later, the five stood dumbfounded before a playground full of toilets.
"Which one is the actual anomaly?"
Yu Yu found it absurd. This anomaly wasn't deadly or aggressive. Its effect was disguising itself as a toilet, often at the worst possible moment. Low on lethality, high on humiliation, it was the kind of anomaly that really ticked people off. If it weren't at an elementary school, the Federation might not have bothered listing it. The problem? It was too good at hiding.
After a while, with Yu Yu's Insight and her earth elemental's brute-force beatdown, the anomaly was purified. The scene was so horrifying that Zi Shu and Fuyu were traumatized.
"Good thing we had summons…" Zi Shu clutched her sword, trembling. "Next time we see an urgent mission like this, we're thinking twice."
Fuyu griped, "Didn't you say it was at a school, so it seemed more important than other anomalies?"
Zi Shu hesitated. "In a pinch, a school can be relocated…"
Artifact: Mop Stick X—but the toilet itself?
Terrifying.
Yu Yu: "Huh, our stat sheets are split now—reality and Eternal Darkness layers."
She opened the reality layer, studying it closely.
[Yu Yu]
Identity: Citizen
Class: Player (Hall of Fame)
Titles: Crimson (struck out), Heavenly Rank First (struck out), Hall of Fame First (struck out)
Wealth: 1,120,089
Skills—
Spellcaster: 9
Driving: 2
Cooking: 1
Farming: 6
Construction: 5
Gathering: 1
Crafting: 0.1 [expand]
Mining: 0
Combat: 1
Shooting: 1
Fishing: 0
Hunting: 0
Computing: 6
Writing: 6
Socializing: 9
Medicine: 0
Mathematics: 5
Art: 1
World: 10
…
The long list surprised Yu Yu. "Reality's getting gamified too?"
Zi Shu frowned. "Why's my Mathematics only 13?"
Fuyu gasped. "Wait, this isn't a 10-point scale?"
Yu Yu was equally shocked.
She'd assumed it was out of 10!
It couldn't be a 100-point scale, could it?!
Yu Yu: "What's your highest stat?"
Shu Tu: "Just Cooking, Hunting, Shooting, and Art over 10."
Zi Shu paused. "I've got Learning at 15, Computing at 11, Mathematics at 13. The rest are average."
Fuyu clammed up but, under their stares, admitted, "My Writing and Art are high. Computing and Mathematics are decent, but not as good as the nerds."
Yu Yu cast Great Silence on herself.
Her only high stats were Socializing and World.
Wait.
"What's World?"
Zi Shu glanced at it. "No idea. There's no description."
After defeating the anomaly, the alien domain began to dissipate, leaving them on the empty school playground.
Fuyu climbed onto the monkey bars. "Don't you think Eternal Darkness's interface is way smoother now?"
Yu Yu reached for her phone to snap a photo for the mission app.
She checked her jacket pocket. Nothing.
Pants pocket. Nothing.
After patting herself down, Yu Yu sank into thought.
This felt eerily familiar…
She quietly opened her inventory and looked.
Her smile faded.
Her precious phone…
Help.
Yu Yu started hyperventilating.
She could bring almost anything in, but not this!
Without her phone, life was unlivable. So much was stored on it.
And Eternal Darkness didn't have chargers!
Shu Tu: "What's wrong?"
Yu Yu: "…My phone… it's in my inventory."
Shu Tu: […]
Zi Shu: […]
Fuyu: "You still haven't kicked that habit of tossing stuff into your inventory."
Back home, Yu Yu raced upstairs, furiously typing, [Senior!]
[When can I get stuff I brought in out?! QAQ]
Qiong: [? What stuff?]
Yu Yu: [My phone!]
Qiong: [Oh, ask the Magic Circle.]
Yu Yu: "???"
You're part of the Magic Circle!
Just then, in the small group chat, Xue spoke up. [Come here, I'll teach you a spell. Try casting it.]
Yu Yu: [What spell? Can it get my phone out?! QAQ]
Xue, ruthlessly cold: [No. Learn it now.]
Yu Yu spent half an hour studying the spell, barely managing to cast it.
It was tough—almost a third-ring spell.
The spell formed a six-pointed star, deep blue in her palm, a continuous-cast magic.
Feeling her Mental Energy drain rapidly, Yu Yu typed, [Senior, I've got it. What's it do?]
"Listen…"
A raspy voice began, then dissolved into static. Yu Yu froze. "Senior? Is that you?"
"It's…"
More static.
Yu Yu typed frantically, [Senior? You're calling me?!]
Xue: "For…"
Moments later, Yu Yu's Mental Energy ran dry, forcing her to hang up.
[I'm out of Mental Energy! QAQ]
Qiong: [Looks like her spell didn't work. Needs more tweaking. No worries, it'll probably stabilize in a couple of days.]
It was now the fifth day of the server maintenance.
Xue finally spoke again. [That livestream function you mentioned needs more work. Give me some time.]
Yu: [Go for it, Senior! No rush!]
Yu: [Real-time voice is tricky, but you could do non-real-time, like Illusory Sound, storing audio to send in the group.]
Xue: [?]
Xue: [That I can do. Hold on.]
Yu Yu blinked.
Senior Xue was so polite online.
Ten minutes later, Xue: (Can you hear me?)
Yu Yu: [Senior, that was fast!]
Xue: (Not hard.)
Qiong: (Finally, we can talk! Honestly, converting your text is exhausting. Why's it so complicated?)
Yu Yu cringed.
Xia District's writing was indeed…
She replied, [Senior, our script is ideographic. It's tough to learn, but when used well, it's beautiful!]
She searched and sent a copy of Words of the Human World.
No response.
Senior Xue was probably still coding, so Yu Yu left her alone.
She glanced at her inventory, then shut her eyes in despair.
What if she couldn't get it out?
Day six: new phone.
The new phone was sleek, but Yu Yu was miserable.
So much on her old phone wasn't backed up. Notes scattered across devices—pure agony.
Day seven, 3 a.m.
A deafening boom jolted Yu Yu awake, nearly rolling her off the bed.
What was that?
An anomaly attack?
After a moment of silence, Yu Yu crept downstairs, only to find Shu Tu's door still closed.
She knocked. Shu Tu, bleary-eyed, mumbled, "What's up? Wanna sleep here?"
Yu Yu: "…No, thanks. Did you hear a loud noise?"
Shu Tu yawned. "Nope… Another nightmare?"
"…No."
Yu Yu slunk back to her master bedroom, mortified.
Tossing in bed, she couldn't sleep.
Something felt… off.
Like…
Yu Yu reached out, pulled back, reached out again…
It was hard to describe, like something overlapping…
Words couldn't capture it.
Frustrated, she scratched her head.
Opening Eternal Darkness's page, she found, as Fuyu said, it was now silky smooth, no longer glitchy like before. Scanning it top to bottom, Yu Yu checked her contamination. After some rest, it had dropped to 6. Without meds, it'd take a while to clear fully.
Soon, she'd be back on missions. Itchy with excitement, Yu Yu tossed and turned before finally dozing off. In her dream, she saw a majestic wolf.
Its silver-white fur was sleek as silk, glowing faintly like moonlight. Graceful and natural, its chest bore fur even whiter, impossibly soft, begging to be snuggled.
Its deep blue eyes were clear as the starry sky, deep as the ocean—unrivaled in beauty.
Even in a dream, Yu Yu was incoherent with excitement—
"Wolfie! Wolfie! Wolfie! Aah, Wolfie!"
But no matter how she ran, she couldn't reach it. Panicking, she watched the wolf elegantly lounge atop marble-white steps, head resting on its forelegs, bathed in moonlight. Its gentle blue eyes held a familiar coolness, watching her flail with a hint of amusement.
Beep beep beep—
Yu Yu jolted awake, stubbornly shutting her eyes.
Nooo, Wolfie! She'd almost buried herself in that fur.
Such a massive Wolfie!
Standing beside it, she wasn't even as tall as it was lying down.
She'd nearly nuzzled its chest, the softest fur. Was Wolfie a long-haired breed?
So much fluff!
Yu Yu writhed in bed, swooning over her dream.
Then it hit her—she didn't have an alarm. What was beeping?
Freezing, she glanced at her new phone.
Not it.
After searching, she saw Senior Xue pinging her relentlessly.
[Morning, Senior~]
Xue: [Morning my foot. Get online.]
Yu Yu yawned, checking the time. [It's morning. Can't log in.]
They were in reality by day, gaming by night.
Xue: [Remember yesterday's spell?]
Yu Yu's memory was sharp. [Yup. Did you improve it?]
Xue: [Try it again.]
Yu Yu: [Got it.]
Recalling the spell, she channeled Mental Energy to form its circuit.
It was a new spell, but Yu Yu wasn't the same novice as before. Carving a spell model on the fly was tough, but she didn't mind. As long as she didn't have to derive the model herself. The moment she finished, the model flared with light—
"Now, log in."
Yu Yu gaped. "Senior?"
No static this time?!
Senior Xue's raspy voice was clear. "Hurry up and log in."
Then she hung up.
Half-doubting, Yu Yu grabbed her wristband.
"I, Yu Yu, am back!"
With a whoop, Yu Yu sprang from her bed.
Then she saw Lynn, trussed up like a turkey.
"? Did bandits break in?"
"Seven days away, and you've made progress?" A voice, vaguely familiar yet strange, rang out.
Yu Yu spun around, incredulous, spotting a figure in a hooded black robe smirking at her.
Confirming with a glance, Yu Yu leapt off the bed. "Senior Qiong, what are you doing here?"
Did I break the law? I didn't!
How did Senior Qiong know where she lived?!
This was bad!
What if Qiong sent people to drag her off whenever she felt like it?
Chang cleared her throat. "How's it feel?"
Yu Yu checked herself. "No different, I guess."
"Good," Chang said. "Your login time now scales with your Mental Energy. With your stats, you could stay online four or five days straight."
"But don't die carelessly," she added. "Losing a chunk of Mental Energy at once feels pretty rough."
"Huh? Dying costs Mental Energy?"
Chang walked ahead casually. "Hurry and change. We're going to see the Grand Archon."
"You outsiders can revive, so it's not your real body. Given the three-day wait you mentioned, it's likely tied to Mental Energy."
"Theoretically, a few days' rest fixes it, but it's still unpleasant."
Yu Yu, mid-pull of her hooded robe, nearly got stuck as Chang's earlier words sank in. "Wait, I can stay online four or five days?!"
"Yup," Qiong grinned. "Break the rules, and you'll get zapped for four or five days."
Yu Yu: […]
That example's too intense. Hard pass.
Not daring to keep them waiting, Yu Yu hurried after them.
"Senior, can others log in during the day now too?"
Chang: "Should be able to. Login time's no longer restricted, but duration depends on your Mental Energy."
"Overdoing it harms your body, so I'd advise sticking to a regular schedule."
Yu Yu nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Senior, I will."
Chang's smile was flawless. "Except you."
Yu Yu: "???"
Chang: "Your Mental Energy limit could keep you online for a week straight. Logging off? Wishful thinking."
Yu Yu: "?????"
By now, they'd entered the castle.
Senior Felix's place was ridiculously close to the Grand Archon's.
And to the high-tier spellcasters…
Chang said lightly, "Also, we're expecting a flood of outsiders in Silver Moon soon. We'll open the Eastern Marches and Roland Territories…"
Yu Yu listened intently. This was firsthand intel!
A flood of players? How many was that?
And two territories?
Wait—Roland?
Was that Senior Felix's territory?!
Yu Yu's eyes sparkled.
Reaching the Grand Archon's chambers, Yu Yu spotted Senior Felix and the Duchess, waving enthusiastically. "Senior Felix! Duchess! Seven days, and I missed you so much!"
The Duchess scoffed coldly.
Yu Yu: "???" Rude much, Wolfie?
Felix glanced up. "Mm…"
Yu Yu noticed her dark circles. "Senior Felix? Didn't sleep well?"
Felix, exhausted, dipped her head. "Teacher, I'm going to bed."
The Duchess, still brimming with energy, commandeered the screen. "Don't close it, Teacher."
Grand Archon: "Useless little pup."
The Duchess shot her teacher a resentful glance, then dove back into the forum.
Yu Yu leaned in to peek. The Duchess glanced at her, deliberately opening the private chat and scrolling…
Yu Yu was puzzled at first.
What's the issue?
I know it's you, Duchess.
Wait…
Seeing that glaring husky, Yu Yu froze.
She glanced at the door, then back at the Duchess. "Senior Felix's here too?"
The Duchess savored her shock. "Yup."
Yu Yu: […]
Duchess: "She sent all those messages."
Yu Yu started hyperventilating.
No wonder the Duchess's tone felt so familiar…
Yu Yu glared at her resentfully. "Duchess, why didn't you warn me?"
Grand Archon: "Warn what?"
Duchess: "She sent Teacher a ton of food pictures. On purpose."
Grand Archon: "Let me see."
After a moment, she mused, "Now that you mention it, bring everything from those pictures."
Yu Yu opened her mouth to protest, then met the Grand Archon's fathomless eyes.
…Legendary?
Their gazes locked, but Yu Yu couldn't read anything.
She didn't know Mind Reading!
But…
Yu Yu: "As you command."
Was it her imagination, or did the Duchess's silver hair gleam brighter after she agreed?
For real?
Just a trick of the light, right?
Weird!
The Duchess turned, her cool face asking, "What are you staring at?"
Her eyes screamed, Keep looking at my head, and I'll toss you in jail.
Yu Yu stared anyway.
Grand Archon: "Since that's settled, get to it."
Under the Duchess's fierce glare, Yu Yu left the castle.
With the Grand Archon present, the Duchess hadn't even spoken, just shot her murderous looks.
Yu Yu was in high spirits, then touched her inventory and sank into thought.
Her phone?
My phone!
Did she forget to ask the Grand Archon how to get it out?
Glancing at the 45% battery, she sighed. What could she even do with that?