Book 3: Chapter 790: Beginning the Restoration, Gradual Realization |
“That’s pretty good insurance.” Lili quickly snapped out of her thoughts and spoke.
“It’s not insurance, it’s a trump card!” Little Blue protested, clearly displeased.
“The trump card you mentioned… is it tasty?” Zerene blinked, her tone half-curious, half-confused. In response, she received nothing but a sharp eye-roll from Little Blue.
Both Lili and Zerene sensed a faint sense of danger emanating from her. And how could she not feel the same? These two little ones were formidable rivals.
“It’s about time. Little Blue, start repairing the City of Chaos,” Yae-hime said, turning toward her. According to the schedule, it would take roughly two days to restore part of the City of Chaos’ functionality.
Time was still rather tight.
“I want to look around!” Zerene raised her hand eagerly.
“Just to pass the time,” Lili added, glancing at Yae-hime.
“Alright, you’re idle anyway,” Yae-hime replied with a faint, indifferent smile.
“Here.” Seeing her expression, Lili took out a delicate pastry from her spatial ring and handed it over.
Little Blue eyed it suspiciously for a moment before accepting it, tearing open the wrapper and taking a bite.
“Mm! So good!” The moment it touched her tongue, her face lit up with delight, and the way she looked at Lili immediately softened.
‘As expected, kids really do love sweets,’ Lili thought to herself, nodding inwardly. She had only intended to test the waters and build a better relationship with Little Blue, but the effect had exceeded her expectations.
This little one was quite the glutton, which made things much easier. Otherwise, she truly wouldn’t have known how to get along with her.
Zerene instantly caught on to what was happening and quietly pinched Lili’s side. Her bright, lively eyes seemed to be saying something without words. Lili retaliated at once, flicking her on the forehead with a sharp thwack.
Poor Zerene’s eyes welled up with tears from the pain, yet she didn’t dare make a sound. Yae-hime, for her part, pretended not to notice any of it.
Under Little Blue’s lead, the group swiftly arrived in the white space. “Master, as long as you take out the repair materials, they’ll automatically begin the restoration,” Little Blue said, looking toward the puppets bustling ahead.
“It’s that simple?” Yae-hime asked, puzzled.
“It really is. Did Master think this kind of labor-intensive work needed me to do it personally?” Little Blue tilted her head, confusion evident in her voice.
“No, not at all. I just thought the process would be more complicated,” Yae-hime replied, her gaze drifting slightly.
“Not really. I made all these puppets myself, and they’re highly intelligent. As long as you send them the relevant repair instructions, they can fully take over my role,” Little Blue explained.
“I see.” Yae-hime nodded, then released all the materials stored within her spatial ring. In the distance, a small mountain of materials instantly piled up.
Little Blue’s eyes widened slightly, her pupils glowing faintly blue. The next moment, the puppets halted their current tasks and gathered over. Before long, they collected the materials and left the white space, officially beginning the repair work.
‘It somehow feels like there’s no sense of ceremony at all,’ Yae-hime thought as she watched the scene unfold.
“That’s it?” Lili asked curiously.
“Yes.” Little Blue gave a light nod. “Now we just have to wait.”
“That’s unexpectedly boring,” Zerene muttered, clearly disappointed. She had thought there would be something more entertaining to watch.
“There’s nothing much to do here. I’ll show you around instead,” Yae-hime suggested. After all, they had nothing better to do.
The two little ones nodded at the same time. Led by Yae-hime, the group toured the entire place, inside and out. With no furniture or decorations, the whole city felt cold and empty. There was nothing particularly interesting about it.
By the time they finished, the night had grown even deeper.
“I’m starving… Master, is there anything tasty around here? I want to eat lots of delicious food~” Outside the City of Chaos, Little Blue wrapped her arms around Yae-hime’s neck and clung to her as she whined sweetly.
The sight left Lili and Zerene brimming with envy, jealousy, and silent resentment. *This little one really is a formidable rival!*
“Something to eat huh… there is some, but I’m not sure whether Angelica has gone to sleep yet,” Yae-hime said, sounding a bit uncertain.
“We’ll know if we go back and check,” Lili replied.
“Mm, true.” As she spoke, Yae-hime turned to Little Blue. “How about you send us back to Aoma Village first?”
“I want to go too!” Little Blue immediately chimed in.
“But the work here…”
Before Yae-hime could finish, Little Blue cut her off, “I can control everything remotely.”
“I see. Then let’s head back together,” Yae-hime said.
At those words, Zerene and Lili exchanged a glance, the sense of crisis in their hearts intensifying. It felt as though that large bed might gain yet another little occupant tonight.
With a flash of white light, the four of them appeared directly at the entrance of the village chief’s house in Aoma Village. Faced with such precise teleportation, Lili was not only surprised, but also began forming a few thoughts of her own.
As the door opened, they saw Angelica stepping out from the bathroom, one hand combing through her damp, glistening hair.
“Ah, Princess, Lady Lili, Zerene, and…” Her gaze swept over Yae-hime and the others before settling on Little Blue. This was the first time she had seen this child.
“This is my Little Blue. And this is Angelica,” Yae-hime introduced them.
At the words “my Little Blue,” both Lili and Zerene felt a faint sourness rise in their hearts. *When would we ever become yours like that?*
After a brief round of introductions, Yae-hime asked Angelica to prepare something to eat.
The four of them sat on a long bench, chatting idly, while the two little ones clung to Little Blue, peppering her with questions as though they had already become close. Yet Yae-hime could clearly sense faint sparks crackling in the air.
After a short wait, Angelica finished cooking several dishes. The moment the aroma of food drifted over, Little Blue lost all interest in conversation and dashed to the dining table in a blur.
“Glutton.” Lili and Zerene spoke in unison as they watched her. Immediately after, they followed Yae-hime toward the dining hall.
The five of them gathered around the table, chatting as they ate, a warm and cozy atmosphere quietly spreading.
***
At this moment—
Information from the outside world had already begun flowing into the game. Players across the globe were shaken. Many, upon seeing the various photos and videos of strange celestial phenomena on the forums, thought they were signs of an impending apocalypse.
As more and more players logged out to check the news, the information pouring into the forums became increasingly comprehensive. For a time, players everywhere halted what they were doing, focusing entirely on developments that followed.
* **Linhnan Server, Jade City, Adventurers’ Guild.**
Taurus sat at a round table, his expression dark, one hand resting on the surface as his fingers tapped lightly against it. He was in a foul mood.
Just looking at those useless underlings he had raised made his temper flare. ‘After all this time, and they still haven’t found S.K.Y… a bunch of worthless trash!’ He let out a slow breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Across from him sat a trembling warrior player. He was the new strategist of the Death of Love guild. His in-game name was [Waterfiend].
“What do you think about what’s happening outside?” Taurus suddenly asked, his gaze fixed on him.
“I… I think it’s highly credible,” Waterfiend replied, his face slightly pale. Faced with such a temperamental boss, he had to tread extremely carefully. Otherwise, he would definitely be scolded to no end.
“So you think so too.” Taurus spoke calmly. The moment those strange phenomena first appeared, he had already received reports, though he hadn’t believed them much at the time. But as more and more intelligence came in, disbelief was no longer an option.
The world was truly undergoing a transformation.
‘Could the world’s mutation be connected to the Five Great Nations pushing this game so aggressively?’ His fingers continued tapping softly against the table as Taurus sank into deep thought. And he was far from the only one reaching that conclusion.