Chapter 12: I Declare the First Holy Grail War of Linmen

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

"Ye Shiyu came over and tried to open your door last night, meow."

That morning, upon hearing Myau-chan''s voice, Yan Huan paused his tooth-brushing momentarily.

His eyes widened. With a mouth full of white foam, he turned to look at the small cat sitting primly in his bedroom and asked in astonishment,

"When?"

"After you fell asleep yesterday. It was quite late."

Myau-chan turned to look toward the door. Standing on its hind legs, it moved its two front paws and little head up and down, seemingly pantomiming the situation at the time.

"The door handle suddenly moved, but because you locked the door, she couldn''t pull it open."

"..."

In the dead of night, someone suddenly tried to turn the door handle and slip inside while he was asleep. It did not take much imagination to guess what she intended to do once inside.

Yan Huan left his mouth hanging open. After a moment of silence, he turned to spit out the foam, rinsed his mouth with clean water from his cup, and washed his face.

He was just about to put his shirt back on, but he had worn it for two days straight and spent all of yesterday running around outside. It felt sticky, and after taking a shower, he really had no desire to put it on again.

If only he had known, he would have waited for Chen Yi to finish drying his clothes yesterday and brought them up before showering and sleeping. Now, he had no choice but to go downstairs to fetch some dry clothes to wear.

"..."

He glanced at his phone. It was five-fifty, a bit earlier than his usual waking time.

Pushing open the bedroom door, he found the hallway dead silent. The morning light was extremely faint, barely managing to pierce through the screen window in the living room.

It seemed everyone was still asleep.

Relieved, he headed downstairs shirtless, carrying the empty cup that had held milk last night, planning to find something to wear in the laundry room.

The laundry room was right across from the kitchen, and the water purifier sat right by the kitchen entrance. He rinsed his cup in the kitchen and immediately poured himself a glass of water.

Drinking a cup of warm water first thing in the morning truly made him feel alive again.

After finishing the water, he washed the cup, placed it in the dish rack nearby, and turned toward the laundry room.

''Where were the clothes put after drying?''

He looked up at the hanging garments, searching for the clothes he recalled buying yesterday.

At that exact moment by the doorway, a figure holding a water cup approached the water purifier.

Getting ready to fill her cup, Ye Shiyu heard the rustling noises coming from the laundry room and subconsciously turned her head to look.

In the cool morning light, as she watched Yan Huan''s bare back moving about the laundry room looking for clothes, her eyes slowly widened.

The screen of the phone in her hand suddenly lit up.

''Found it...''

Yan Huan grabbed a beige shirt he had just bought yesterday. The fabric felt very comfortable to the touch, so he prepared to put it on.

Slipping into the clean clothes, he debated whether he should bring his dirty clothes down to wash as well. However, realizing it would be a huge waste of water to run the washing machine for a single item, he dropped the idea and turned to leave.

As he turned around, Ye Shiyu immediately came into view. She was standing by the door holding a water cup like a ghost, having appeared there at some unknown time.

''Holy shit?!''

His expression instantly shifted. Just as a string of profanities was about to slip from his lips, his Perfect Expression Management ability automatically activated.

Yan Huan forced an awkward smile and greeted Ye Shiyu,

"Sister Shiyu, you''re up early today too?"

"Mhm."

Ye Shiyu''s expression gradually returned to normal, but the tone of her reply sounded noticeably stiff.

Last night, watching that bizarre video had caused her to drink a lot of water. As a result, she had to get up to relieve herself just as six o''clock rolled around.

Yet even so, her mouth remained dry and her entire body felt burning hot, to the point that she could barely sleep.

Now that she had come down for more water, she just so happened to run into Yan Huan changing clothes after waking up...

Her hand trembled slightly, and she unconsciously took another sip of water.

Her gaze lingered imperceptibly on the contours of his beige shirt, seemingly because she had caught sight of something appealing before he had put it on.

Yan Huan smiled faintly, walking out of the laundry room and asking Ye Shiyu,

"Do you want breakfast, Sister Shiyu? I can make something."

"No need."

"Alright, then I''ll head out for a bit. I''ll be back before noon."

"Mhm..."

He had originally planned to cook something in the kitchen if she wanted to eat, but since she declined, Yan Huan decided to just grab a bite outside.

Changing his shoes by the door, Yan Huan quickly grabbed his phone and left the house, eager to avoid spending time alone with her and risking being subjected to Hypnosis.

Ye Shiyu watched him leave, draining the rest of the water in her cup.

The early spring morning carried a chill. Yan Huan took a deep breath and broke into a light jog, heading out of the residential complex.

"Where are you going? Morning exercise?"

Behind him, a black cat had appeared out of thin air, keeping pace with his strides.

Without looking back, Yan Huan shook his head while adjusting his breathing rhythm for the run.

"To the Aquarium. First I''ll grab some breakfast, then take the bus over. The first bus leaves at six-thirty."

He scanned his surroundings. There were simply no breakfast stalls open this early within the upscale community, so he had to venture further out.

Using a map app to search for bus routes, Yan Huan soon found a shop selling Dragon Country breakfast foods just outside the neighborhood.

In Linmen, only shops run by people from the Dragon Country would open this early.

As he ate meat buns and pumpkin porridge, the shop gradually filled with more people.

Myau-chan sat beside Yan Huan, licking its paws while asking,

"What are we going to the Aquarium for?"

"To find a handy dandy tool that will help resolve the Modifier."

"?"

After finishing breakfast, Yan Huan brought Myau-chan onto the bus. The public transit in Linmen was usually quite strict about letting small animals board; typically, one would need a cage or a cat carrier.

However, Myau-chan was no ordinary cat. When boarding, it made itself visible only to Yan Huan, so they got on without a hitch.

There were very few people on the first bus. Yan Huan casually found an empty seat, put in his Bluetooth earbuds, and leaned against the window while petting the cat.

He swayed along for several dozen minutes, only opening his eyes again when the alighting notification sounded in his earbuds.

Taking off his Bluetooth earbuds, he heard the bus''s internal announcement playing as well,

"Aquarium Station, arriving."

A fair number of people were already gathered around. As he turned his head, he happened to lock eyes with a slightly flushed girl holding her phone.

"!"

Yan Huan blinked and told her,

"Excuse me, please."

"O-okay."

It was only a little past seven. The Shopping Center, which had been bustling just yesterday, looked exceptionally deserted since it wouldn''t open until ten o''clock.

But the Aquarium allowed entry at eight, so he wasn''t considered too early. Besides, he had brought his little helper.

After stepping off the bus, Yan Huan turned to Myau-chan and asked,

"Myau-chan, can you sniff out the scent of the thing Ye Shiyu lost?"

Myau-chan tilted its head up, giving him an ''are you serious right now?'' expression.

"You''re a cat, aren''t you? I heard that if your pet cat gets lost, letting a stray cat smell their toys will make the stray help you find them."

"..."

Myau-chan let out a heavy sigh. It then lifted its nose, took a few sniffs, and trotted off toward the Shopping Center.

"There are still traces of her scent lingering over here."

''The Shopping Center?''

''She didn''t drop it inside the Aquarium?''

Yan Huan jogged along behind Myau-chan, eventually arriving at the plaza where the Shopping Center bordered the Aquarium.

This side also happened to be the location of the Aquarium''s exit. From this angle, he could still see the gift shop where Ye Shiyu had bought the keychain yesterday.

Myau-chan intensely sniffed around the edge of a bush, then suddenly whipped its head around and gave Yan Huan a sharp "Meow."

"Here?"

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and walked over, parting the shrubbery with his hands.

Bizarrely enough, a blue, crystal-shaped jellyfish pendant lay nestled inside, tangled within the damp grass.

The name tag reading "Ye Shiyu" on the side proved that this was exactly the one she had lost yesterday.

"...No way, why is it here? She clearly didn''t come anywhere near this spot yesterday."

Yan Huan picked up the keychain, and an even more bizarre occurrence followed.

The moment he picked it up, free from the obstruction of the grass, the keychain actually vibrated with a faint force toward a certain direction, seemingly indicating it wanted to get closer to something over there.

"What the hell?"

Yan Huan widened his eyes and turned to look at Myau-chan. Myau-chan sniffed the keychain and said,

"Ye Shiyu''s scent has already grown very faint, but there''s a heavy scent of another female..."

"Another female?"

"This keychain is almost entirely marked by that other female."

"?"

Yan Huan furrowed his brows. The keychain gradually regained its stillness in his hand, eventually ceasing its vibrations entirely.

Right then, Myau-chan aptly looked up and declared,

"That other female''s scent has completely dissipated."

"..."

Experiencing this supernatural phenomenon firsthand, Yan Huan exchanged a glance with Myau-chan before suddenly asking,

"A Modifier?" "Did you two run into anyone yesterday?"

''Anyone?''

As Yan Huan cast his mind back, the image of a smirking, blonde Western girl instantly crashed into his thoughts.

''No way...''

Yan Huan gaped, hurriedly asking Myau-chan,

"Can the effects of a Modifier work on the Host of another Modifier?"

"I''m not entirely sure myself, but looking at it now, perhaps they can."

"..."

Upon realizing that Modifiers had no concept of factions and could even tangle with one another, Yan Huan''s expression did not relax in the slightest. In fact, it grew even more severe.

Because he acutely perceived that this wouldn''t create a scenario where he could drive the tiger to swallow the wolf. Instead, it would drastically amplify the difficulty of resolving the Modifiers.

''Making them willingly abandon the Modifier''—that was the strict requirement for resolving a Modifier.

But if you found out someone else also had a Cheat, and they refused to give theirs up, would you willingly surrender yours?

So, instead of defeating them one by one, Yan Huan would now have to make them abandon their Modifiers at the exact same time!

By the same logic, even if their interactions sparked a fierce rivalry between the Hosts, it would only cause the Modifiers'' growth speeds to become obscenely fast.

If a bug-level Modifier only required ten percent of its power to solve a real-world problem, then an all-out war between Modifiers would likely demand one hundred percent of their power, or perhaps even more.

Consequently, the Desires that were initially consumed at a slow pace would rapidly snowball. Yan Huan could figure that much out without Myau-chan having to say a word.

''Competitiveness'', ''Desire to win'', ''Exclusivity''...

Just hearing those concepts would make anyone shudder.

Good heavens, were they about to fight a Holy Grail War right here in Linmen?!

Those omnipotent Modifiers were basically Heroic Spirits, and the Hosts were their Masters!

And to make matters infinitely worse, Yan Huan himself was highly likely to be the Holy Grail!!

''Damn it...''

I hereby declare the commencement of the First Holy Grail War of Linmen!

With a look of utter despair, Yan Huan gazed at Myau-chan beside him. He gave the cat''s head a rub, sighing heavily as he said,

"Saber Myau-chan, go into hiding with your Master and let''s just spend the rest of our lives in peace."

"?"

Clutching the jellyfish keychain—which was exceptionally cold after being left outside all night—his heart felt equally freezing.

"Dear visitors, welcome to the Hai Shang Lin Men Aquarium. Through professional marine ecosystem simulations, our facility showcases a rich variety of marine life to all guests..."

As the Aquarium''s broadcast echoed through the air, Yan Huan stood up, noticing that the place would officially open for business in just a little while.

The gift shop that had opened yesterday was also having its rolling shutters pulled up by an employee, who then brought out a broom to sweep the entrance.

Pinching the jellyfish pendant, Yan Huan pondered for a moment before making his way over.

"Welcome, customer!"

The employee''s greeting sounded a bit rushed; they clearly hadn''t expected anyone to show up this early, considering the Aquarium wasn''t even open yet.

Yan Huan nodded and casually scanned the interior. Suddenly, he spotted a tiny gift box...

The word "Jellyfish" was faintly visible on the box.

Yan Huan blinked. After a brief moment of deliberation, he grabbed the gift box and added another jellyfish-shaped plushie to his haul.

"I''ll take these. Please put them in a bag for me."

"No problem. Will you be paying with cash, bank card, or..."

"Plane."

Yan ''The Holy Grail'' Huan raised his phone, paying the very first expense since the start of the Linmen Holy Grail War.

"Are you saying you''ve been experiencing auditory hallucinations? Like someone is speaking directly into your mind?"

Somewhere in Linmen''s Kyogo Ward, on a certain floor of an upscale apartment building, a woman wearing a light knit cardigan raised an eyebrow in a massive, sun-drenched living room.

She directed the question at the blonde girl standing by the windowsill, who was currently lifting a dumbbell.

That girl was none other than Aria Spencer, the very same person who had clashed with Ye Shiyu yesterday.

Spencer nodded. The weight of the dumbbell in her hand seemed quite challenging for her, making every single lift look immensely strenuous.

Panting, Spencer said,

"Yeah, and it''s always spouting some weird nonsense..."

The woman listening to her blinked, silently jotting down a line in her notebook:

''Suspected obsession with watching adult content.''

Following that, she asked again,

"Besides that, have you felt any other discomfort? Are you sleeping well? Has your appetite been affected? Do you feel irritable?"

Spencer put down the dumbbell, stroked her chin in thought, and replied,

"Hmm, my appetite... I suppose it''s been affected a bit. I''ve been eating less lately. My sleep is fine, though."

The woman raised an eyebrow once more, glancing at the countless snack bags piled on the living room coffee table. Various expensive potato chips, chocolates, and the like were scattered everywhere.

Asking had clearly been a waste of breath.

The woman wrote in her notebook again:

''Healthy appetite, exercises frequently, normal sleep.''

"So, when do you usually hear these voices the most? During specific times of the day, or when you''re doing certain activities?"

"When, huh..."

Just as Spencer was thinking, a translucent interface suddenly projected directly into her mind.

[The effects of Looting Mode have faded. Harvest for this session: Looting Energy +0.1]

[Current Looting Energy: 0.1]

[Accumulate Looting Energy to obtain the Power of Looting. As your Looting Energy increases, you will receive the following buffs:]

[Your attraction to your looted targets will progressively strengthen.]

[The victim''s will to resist will progressively weaken.]

[Your Constitution, Resistance, and Charm will progressively enhance.]

Spencer opened her mouth wide. Just as she was about to shout to the visiting Psychologist,

"Right now! I hear the voice right now!"

However, at that very second, the previously heavy dumbbell in her hand suddenly felt a fraction lighter.

She blanked for a moment, assuming it was her imagination, and flexed her muscles to lift the dumbbell again.

But it wasn''t an illusion at all. It genuinely felt far more effortless, as if her physical strength had instantly surged by a small margin.

''This...''

Spencer stared in disbelief at the illusory text hovering before her eyes. She watched as the swirling, translucent letters finally consolidated into a single sentence:

[Please use it without any hesitation.]

Reading those words, her initial stupor gradually melted into a surge of thrilling excitement.

"Miss Spencer?"

Just as the Psychologist spoke up in confusion, Spencer dropped the dumbbell onto the floor with a loud, resounding crash.

The Psychologist jumped at the heavy thud, glancing down with lingering apprehension. Just as she was about to speak, Spencer sneered and cut her off,

"Don''t bother looking. My mom owns this entire building; there''s no one living downstairs."

"Yes, I know. I just wanted to ask..."

"No need to ask. I''m fine now."

"Miss Spencer—"

Spencer''s expression suddenly turned frosty. Staring down the Psychologist, she declared,

"I said I''m fine now. You can go ahead and report back to my old lady. I''ll be attending school normally from now on. Isn''t that what your job entails anyway?"

The Psychologist opened her mouth, but then merely sighed and snapped her notebook shut.

Slowly standing up, she gave Spencer a polite bow and said,

"Very well, I understand. I will take my leave now. If Miss Spencer has any other issues, please feel free to contact me at any time."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it..."

Without so much as a parting glance, Spencer turned her gaze out the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the city gradually waking up in the morning light.

Hai Shang Lin Men.

From her high-rise apartment, Spencer''s eyes could even make out the faint, distant horizon of the ocean.

The excitement in her eyes grew wilder, as if a bizarre flame had slowly ignited within them.

Click.

The door shut behind her. The Psychologist had departed.

No longer able to contain herself, Spencer clenched her fists and began jumping up and down.

"Hehe..."

Thud!

While jumping, she completely forgot that she hadn''t put the dumbbell away, ending up kicking it full force with her bare foot.

"Hiss!!"

Her face scrunched up in agony. She dropped to her knees in immense pain, clutching her big toe.

"Ouch... Ow..."

Cradling her foot, she rolled around on the floor, the blinding pain practically wringing tears from her eyes.

Meanwhile, outside the window, the brilliant sunlight had fully breached the horizon, bathing her spacious room in its glow.

It illuminated the coffee table behind her, casting light on a letter casually tossed next to a pile of snacks and a game controller.

Written upon it was:

''Far Moon International Academy Letter of Admission''

''Dear Miss Aria Spencer, after careful consideration by the School Board and the Academic Affairs Office, we are pleased to inform you that you have been approved for admission in this year''s spring semester...''