After Yu Yu's heartfelt explanation, Chang sank into thought.
"…I still don't quite get it," she admitted frankly.
"The rewards you've prepared," Chang said diplomatically, "are frankly lackluster. Can they really motivate so many outsiders?"
In the short time she'd observed, over a thousand outsiders had shown up. With so many accepting this so-called "task," what would they do if the rewards fell short?
Chang's tone grew serious. "You're playing with fire."
Yu Yu: "Just watch, Senior."
She signaled Zi Shu.
Lynn, with a numb expression, recited her repetitive lines, increasingly resembling an emotionless NPC.
Catching the signal, she came alive, her emerald eyes sparkling.
"Brave outsiders, I need rest. Return this afternoon to aid me."
With a nimble leap, she vanished instantly.
"Damn, I'm late?!"
"I haven't even accepted the task!!!"
"Is she on a break? She said afternoon, right?"
"NPCs need rest?"
The speaker was met with scorn. "Duh, they need rest. They sleep and bathe too!"
"Didn't someone sneak into the blacksmith's window at night and catch him bathing?"
"Then he chased them thirty streets, jacked up prices for all outsiders, and we had to do tons of tasks to appease him."
They chattered about Eternal Darkness's dynamic NPCs, oddly finding no fault with Lynn. To players, excessive flexibility seemed wrong, but excessive rigidity was dull. This blend of stiffness and liveliness matched their NPC expectations.
Lynn walked back with the brim of her hat pressed down, then spotting the poised Chang. She flinched, ready to bolt.
Yu Yu: "Don't run, don't run—she's not here to nab you."
Lynn stopped in doubt, her pointed ears raised a little, as if trying to gauging Chang's intent.
Chang drawled, "I won't nab you… for now."
Her fingertips sparked with electricity. "You get it."
Yu Yu patted her chest. "I get it, I get it. If we mess up, see you at the enforcement office."
Chang's eyelid twitched.
Why're you more casual about the enforcement office than us?
Didn't you cry to the Grand Archon after your first visit?
Lynn exhaled, wiping sweat, a bit drained. "Will this really work?"
Yu Yu slung an arm around her. "I'll buy a new spell at noon. I think the illusion school has something like phantom sound to record and loop your voice—no more repeating lines."
Lynn recovered slightly. "Won't that cause issues? So many outsiders—will this stuff suffice?"
She touched her wrist. "My Heart of Nature can't go to outsiders."
Yu Yu knew Heart of Nature was Lynn's true weapon—a stunning longsword, at least golden-tier by looks.
Yu Yu: "Of course not. Let me explain the reward pool."
"First stage, basic and common rewards," Yu Yu flipped open her notebook. "For rangers, elemental arrows, 10 per set, 5 sets per element."
"Then, potions and stamina food for warriors and rogues."
"These aren't valuable but are essentials everyone needs. Even if players aren't thrilled, they won't mind extras."
"Second stage, the big draw," Yu Yu said. "Skills."
"Warrior skills come from Lynn," Yu Yu explained. "We settled on two: her specialty mid-tier technique Gale Step and mid-tier combat skill Swiftwind Blade."
"Oh, I named them on the spot," Yu Yu added, a bit troubled. "Lynn said her techniques were learned at home, not fixed moves. I had her demo, then picked two to name."
Lynn fretted, "Will this work? Are these really rewards?"
"Can outsiders even receive them?"
Chang listening, her expression gradually became thoughtful, and she looked at the Wind Singer with a questioning look.
Yu Yu patted Lynn's shoulder earnestly. "I believe in you. You've got this."
If players hadn't accepted the task, Yu Yu might've doubted, but they did. From player chatter, she noticed the task panel likely copied her event name and text. But in some details, it exposed Wind Singer's alias—Eternal Darkness wasn't slick enough!
Wind Leaf was Yu Yu's cover for Lynn, but it seemed to have slipped.
Yu Yu: "Remember your warrior oath?"
You snagged something as fancy as Gale Path—why doubt now, Lynn?
Lynn eased up. "But I still don't know what the oath does."
Yu Yu: "…Good question. I don't either. Let's test it after this. Last time, we were probably too far apart."
She was in the castle; Lynn was in jail—way too far.
Lynn nodded. "Where next?"
Yu Yu: "I'm grabbing a spell from Senior. If it doesn't exist, I'll check the magic circle shop for enchanted devices."
Chang cut in. "Keep going. I'm listening."
Yu Yu: "Third stage, small trinkets. I'll buy ten fine longswords, branded as Lynn's favorite, for the first players to earn enough points."
Chang blinked, baffled. "That's it?"
That drives thousands of outsiders? In half a morning?
You pulling my leg?
Yu Yu nodded firmly. "That's it."
Don't think fine gear's common—most players can't afford a full set of white gear.
Zi Shu chimed in, "Players are broke. Daily tasks barely cover basics. Savings go to skill lessons, training grounds, food, or water. Leftovers might buy gear."
"Most players have less than 1 gold. Fine gear? Maybe 200 pieces total, held by a few."
Like them.
Blame the magic circle for cleaning up too well. No humanoid mobs drop gear. Players rely on blacksmiths, tailors, or NPC task rewards. But that's a drop in the bucket. Most can't scrape together a set, never mind green gear, let alone blue fine gear. And what's Wind Singer offering?
Skills!
To players, nothing's dispensable except skills!
I may not use it, but I must have it!
Yu Yu summed up, "Even with spellcaster teammates, a longsword costs 20 gold in the magic circle. They're getting a steal!"
She winced, pained.
This money came from their pockets. If the magic circle's rewards flop, they're screwed.
Chang, after pondering, said cautiously, "I'm skeptical."
"I'll follow you but won't help," she said. "Also, I'm restricting Wind Singer. This is the Grand Archon's test—she can't and won't fight."
The Grand Archon slipped up!
No one expected Yu Yu to befriend Wind Singer after one meeting, calling her by name and roping her into NPC cosplay…
With this bond, could Yu Yu just invite Wind Singer to steamroll the bandit camp?
She's a high-tier warrior, notorious and fierce.
Lynn, stunned, said, "I can't?"
Chang's eye twitched, firm. "No."
Yu Yu waved dismissively. "I wasn't planning on Lynn fighting."
This is the magic circle's test. Obviously, the Grand Archon wants more than a little spellcaster flexing connections—in Silver Moon, what network tops the magic circle?
Picking sesame seeds over watermelons—Shang Wei would laugh herself under the bed.
Chang relaxed, voicing her nagging question. "Your rewards cover rangers, rogues, and warriors. Where's spellcasters?"
Rangers get rare arrows, warriors get big wins, rogues… what?
You discriminating against spellcasters?
Chang glared.
Yu Yu: "Spellcasters are so elite, they uphold the noblest standards, self-reliant, clinging to the magic circle's golden thigh. Why need warrior stuff?"
Lynn, touched, said, "Exactly, no rewards for spellcasters."
Yu Yu yanked her hat over her face.
My god, shut up.
Chang smirked. "Is that so, Yu?"
Yu Yu sighed. "Fine, truth."
"Spellcasters are too expensive. Can't afford them."
They're pampered—spellcaster gear costs a fortune. Where's she getting that?
Magic circle points? None.
Scrolls? Nope.
Spellcaster equipment in the magic circle shop costs five times more than others.
Yu Yu'd be nuts to cater to spellcasters.
She only needs some players, not all.
Spellcasters get enough in-game perks—missing out won't kill them, right?
Yu Yu doesn't care. No money, no deal, end of story.
Seeing Chang's look, Yu Yu whined, "I can't offer spellcaster bait, so I'll ignore them and milk the easy-to-hook players!"
"This wave's the warrior class ascension~"
The competition's wrapping up, her real rivals are busy with tasks, too busy for rewards. Why not now?
Chang fell silent, at a loss for words.
Wind Singer offering spellcaster rewards?
Never.
"Fine, I'm okay with spellcasters," she pivoted. "But the other two classes?"
"Rangers get rare arrows. Rogues?"
Yu Yu rubbed her hands. "They'll be the neglected class this time. I've got nothing."
She really had no rogue gear.
What could she do?
She was desperate too.
Her words made even Chang and Lynn's lips twitch.
But… fair point, yeah.
Yu Yu glanced up, swiftly grabbing Chang's robe.
Chang's eyelid twitched. "Speak, don't grab."
She'd said she'd watch—did Yu Yu think she'd ditch?
Yu Yu said in a deep voice "Does Senior Chang know the magic circle shop's steward? I'm unclear on purchase limits."
Chang eyed her suspiciously, pondering.
Yu Yu: "Just tell me who. I'll visit myself."
Chang scoffed, "Ask Felix to take you?"
Yu Yu said seriously, "Senior's an examiner, she wouldn't."
Chang: "Then ask Meng."
"Senior Meng's also an examiner. No go."
Chang, intrigued, said, "If I don't tell you, who'll you ask?"
Yu Yu, innocent, said, "Before, obviously the all-knowing Senior Chang~"
Chang: "…"
Hmph, sweet-talking spellcaster, I'm not falling for it.
Yu Yu: "Now, I'd try other seniors."
"Like?"
Yu Yu mused, "Senior Qiong?"
Might not see her… but a Silver Moon fly-by might do.
Chang's face twisted, staring oddly. "You're chummy with Qiong too?"
Is Yu's talent networking?
Yu Yu shook her head frantically. "No way, I just know too few seniors, so last resort."
If she had options, she'd avoid getting zapped!
Chang stroked her chin. "Since you'd ask me anyway, and it's just a question, if I didn't know, I'd likely answer."
"That wouldn't defy the Grand Archon's will, so I'll tell you," she said. "The academy falls under the internal Grand Archon's purview. The steward managing the spellcaster academy, codename 'Xue.'"
Yu Yu: "…" Such a straightforward codename.
"Thanks, Senior Chang."
Chang: "Hmph."
She tilted her chin. "I won't take you to her. Figure it out."
Yu Yu: "Got it, Senior, no problem."
She glanced at Lynn, whose face she'd been pressing, and belatedly let go.
Lynn's hat slid off, her emerald eyes full of resentment.
Yu Yu coughed awkwardly. "Reviving warrior glory is our duty. For now, don't provoke Senior."
Lynn's stubborn tuft drooped. "Fair."
Yu Yu whispered, hooking her neck. "Nap at my place. You're busy this afternoon. I'll grab the stuff and be back. Food's on the table—eat, then sleep."
Zi Shu beamed, "Senior Wind Singer, follow me."
Lynn pulled her hat on, chipper. "I'm off. Come back soon."
Unable to afford a house, Lynn envied Yu Yu's big one.
Blame the magic circle's inflated prices—how's a high-tier warrior still homeless?
Though Chang mentioned supervision, she boldly trailed Yu Yu into the magic circle.
Yu Yu entered cautiously, fearing the greenery was still burning, ready to be nabbed.
Guess what?
This spellcaster's out of the enforcement office already!
Skirting walls and bushes, Yu Yu relaxed.
Chang couldn't resist. "You're a spellcaster, not a rat. Why so sneaky? What'd you do?"
Already punished, Yu Yu didn't hide. "My garden sapling mutated."
Chang, unimpressed, said, "And?"
Yu Yu, pained, said, "I summoned a fire elemental to beat it."
Chang tilted her head. "Spill."
Yu Yu sighed. "The fire elemental couldn't outrun a plant."
"I had to use my self-invented feather fall-gust of wind combo to speed it up."
Chang: "?"
Yu Yu reached a charred greenery patch. "Then this happened."
Chang's lips twitched, finally saying, "…Classic you."
A kid hitting Silver Moon's papers multiple times in two days. If the Grand Archon hadn't drafted outsiders for this contest, who knows what this kid would've done?
Silver Moon's security was Chang's job. Not getting nabbed, Yu Yu strutted into the magic circle hall. Can't ask Senior? She had other ways. The hall teemed with low and mid-tier spellcasters, high-tier ones rare.
Yu Yu felt like she'd heard celestial music.
She'd almost thought high-tier spellcasters outnumbered low-tier ones. Seeing her stride, the mid-tier spellcaster at the desk twitched.
White robe?
This is…?
Crap, the Grand Steward. Sensing their stares, Chang belatedly cast invisibility and vanished.
Oops, she'd become Yu Yu's leverage. Yu Yu was sure to meet Xue now.
Yu Yu, serious, said, "I'm on the Grand Archon's mission. How do I see Senior Xue?"
Dropping her boss's codename, the desk went dead serious.
"The Grand Steward's on the sixth floor, likely still there. I'll take you?"
Yu Yu, polite, said, "Thank you, Senior."
Thank heavens, a male spellcaster in the magic circle. Besides that legend, she hadn't seen men, almost suspecting gender bias. The desk was a mid-tier spellcaster, young and refined.
En route, Yu Yu probed, "Dare I ask, Senior, are you the only male in the magic circle?"
The male spellcaster's face cracked. "…No."
"Then why…?"
Chang sneered at the side. Since she was going to learn from him, she didn't hide it anymore. "Males' Spirit is usually unstable, and they are generally not suitable to be spellcasters."
Yu Yu frowned. "Why unstable?"
Chang, matter-of-fact, said, "How should I know?"
"Only those with stable Spirit above 7 in a cycle qualify as spellcasters, or they'd die from spell backlash."
"And the stable ones?"
Chang, puzzled, gestured at the guy. "They become spellcasters, obviously."
The mid-tier spellcaster, used to this, explained gently, "In the magic circle's tests, male Spirit peaks and troughs fluctuate wildly, often four or five times a cycle. That disqualifies them."
"Spellcasters need stable Spirit to cast, or backlash is likely."
Yu Yu asked, "Is unstable Spirit higher?"
The male spellcaster glanced oddly. "Not really."
Chang looked at her like she was dumb. "Dream on."
The male spellcaster whispered, "But males excel in other classes."
Yu Yu got it.
Chang was unhappy, "Why ask?"
Yu Yu whispered, "Player forums claim the magic circle discriminates against males, since high-tier spellcasters and players are mostly female. They're… grumpy."
Chang: "Pfft, who cares?"
Yu Yu grinned, delighted. "Now I know. Thanks, Senior."
Chang looked disdainful "No basic knowledge. Why hasn't Felix tutored you? This is apprentice-level stuff. Nearly mid-tier and you don't know? Embarrassing."
Yu Yu dry-laughed, "I'll study, I'll try."
I've only played a month!!
Even 48-hour days wouldn't cut it!!
Chang twisted the knife. "Heard you lucked into summoning an elemental lord but let it go 'cause you didn't study?"
"It's so sad. This is what happens when you don't study hard, don't you think?"
Yu Yu's smile cracked, and she said with a gloomy face "How'd Senior hear?"
When she thinks about it now, her heart still aches to the point of bleeding.
Especially after reading the part about the Elemental Lords, Yu Yu wanted to cover her heart whenever she heard it.
Chang, smug, said, "Meng told us. Everyone knows the little unlucky egg summoned an elemental lord on her first fire elemental try but, too uneducated, pissed it off and it bailed. So~ tragic~"
Her voice dragged, and Yu Yu's mentality collapsed. "Senior…"
Chang smiled and said, "We're here. Go in."
Yu Yu adjusted her demeanor. "Senior's not coming?"
Chang had already kicked the door open, turning in surprise.
Yu Yu: "…Asked too soon."
Setting down her pen, the high-tier spellcaster inside clutched her forehead. "Why's it you?"
Chang stood firm, Yu Yu following politely, then saw…
Oh, snap, her too.
Yu Yu gave an awkward, polite smile. "Grand Steward, I…"
Xue looked up, coolly saying, "Had enough zaps?"
Chang frowned. "You know each other???"
What the heck, how many colleagues does Yu know?
Yu Yu dry-laughed, "Not really. When the fire elemental started the fire, this Senior took me to the enforcement office…"
Xue: "Heh."
Chang: "…"
Classic you.
Befriending Xue and Qiong via lawbreaking—most don't get that privilege.
Xue glanced at Chang. "What do you want? Nothing? Scram, I'm busy."
Chang stepped back. "Just supervising her. Not my deal—she came for you."
Xue eyed her, reluctantly buying it.
Her face grew colder. "Reason."
Yu Yu noticed the academy steward was icy, less warm than the enforcement office's.
"I'm under the Grand Archon's orders…" Yu Yu started with the Grand Archon.
Chang cut in lazily, "The Grand Archon didn't order this. She just set a contest for outsiders."
Yu Yu: "…Wasn't the task from the Grand Archon?"
Chang: "…Well."
Yu Yu: "So it's her order!"
Chang couldn't argue.
Xue sneered, lifting an eyelid. "Feng Ye? Tell her to buzz off."
Yu Yu's jaw dropped.
No way? Is the Grand Archon that weak? Ignored by every steward?
She glanced at Chang.
Chang coughed, scolding, "Xue, got a problem with the Grand Archon?"
Her boss, however quirky, needed defending.
Xue scoffed, "Obsessed with wolves, nursing a scratch for twenty years. I don't buy her corruption not dropping in twenty years."
The woman slammed the table, ranting, "She's just lazy, dodging work."
Chang mentally cheered but stayed stern. "Nonsense, outrageous. Take it up with her."
Xue: "Why not?!"
Yu Yu gaped, "Senior, calm down!"
Talk after I'm gone, don't get heated.
Someone tell her why the kindergarten principal's a hot-tempered bigshot!
Even Qiong wasn't this fiery!
Xue sat back, eyeing Yu Yu coldly. "Speak, don't use Feng Ye to pressure me."
Yu Yu nodded frantically, "You're right, ma'am."
Xue softened. "Go on."
Yu Yu: "Can you issue invoices?"
Xue briefly showed confusion, quickly masked. She maintained a cold expression and looked at Yu Yu.
Yu Yu: "The magic circle shop doesn't have this, so I came to you."
Xue finally asked, "Invoices? What's that?"
Moments later, after Yu Yu's passionate explanation, Xue frowned. "What's the point?"
Chang glanced at Yu Yu. "What're you scheming?"
Yu Yu face was serious "I've sweated and bled for the magic circle. Why should I pay for its tasks?!"
"The Grand Archon should pay me!"
"Pfft."
"Pfft."
Yu Yu: "?"
Two snorts rang out.
Xue, dismissive, said, "You call that sweat and blood? Laughable."
Chang, exasperated, said, "You broke?"
Yu Yu dared not snap at Xue, teary-eyed at Chang. "Senior, I'm dirt poor, you know. For the Daily's 20 silver, I nearly got hanged by the Duchess!"
Senior said you, the gossip, slipped her the paper!
Chang was speechless, "Are you crazy because of poverty?"
Xue, annoyed at being ignored, snapped, "So you bug me? Think she'll pay?"
Yu Yu was very serious and polite "The Grand Archon, so mighty and splendid, wouldn't skimp on a student's reward, right?"
"I'm just a pitiful, weak, helpless low-tier spellcaster," she squeezed out fake tears, "ma'am, I haven't graduated!"
Xue: "…"
Chang: "…"
Both caught her sneaky title switch.
Utterly speechless.
Chang: "You? Pitiful, weak, helpless? Stop projecting. Let's see you play weak at mid-tier."
Yu Yu, thrilled, said, "Is mid-tier a great spellcaster?"
Chang crushed her dream. "Nope, just a big grasshopper."
Yu Yu's smile vanished. "Oh."
Then why say it!
Even at high-tier, I'm pitiful! Weak! Helpless!
Xue was quite speechless to her, and after a moment she said "Outsiders aren't enrolled, don't think I don't know."
Yu Yu was shocked. "But Felix is my Senior! Every magic circle senior is my revered Senior! How could Senior Xue discriminate?"
Xue: "…" Never been this speechless.
Chang thought for a while and said, "Oh? You call her Senior. Let's hear it."
Yu Yu: "…Xue, Senior?"
Xue shuddered, said sternly, "Don't call me Senior."
"Got it, ma'am, no problem."
Chang laughed. "Fun."
Xue thought for a moment and said, "I've never done anything like this before. Forget it, I'll write it for you."
She flicked a panel to Yu Yu. "Hurry, I'm not babysitting."
Yu Yu perked up. "Yes, ma'am, I'll be quick."
She swiped to her pre-selected panel, ordering ten swords.
The cheapest ones, +1 Strength, no traits.
Bottom-tier fine gear.
Still cost 200 gold, and Yu Yu's heart bled.
The two watched her pained expression with relish.
Yu Yu's voice shook. "Ma'am, any spell to record or mimic voices, looping continuously?"
Chang casually said, "Phantom sound can, but as a newbie, you can't sustain it all afternoon."
Yu Yu's face fell. "Any enchanted devices like that?"
Xue squinted. "No stock."
Yu Yu's eyelid twitched.
Xue: "I can craft one on the spot, but…"
She leaned back, eyeing Yu Yu leisurely. "Can you afford it, little outsider?"
Yu Yu looked away dryly.
I'm ignoring your performance~
"I think…"
Chang squinted. "Meng's an examiner, you can't buy from her~"
Yu Yu: "Then…"
Chang: "I bet you'd use my clout, so no introducing enchanters till the task's done."
Yu Yu, pained mask.
You're ganging up!
Monopoly!!!
I'll flip the table!!!
Xue, seeing her face, she felt better. "It's not expensive. Since you are also a student of the academy, I will charge you 200 gold coins."
Yu Yu looked bitter, "So expensive…"
Xue hummed. "Think my work's less than those junk swords?"
Chang chimed in, "Phantom sound's just first-ring, but tweaking it short-term for looping and storage isn't easy."
She drawled, "Your spell models are Felix's. Besides her, who'd tweak them?"
Yu Yu gave up. "Trouble you, ma'am."
Xue's eyes crinkled briefly, then went cold. "Hmph, like I forced you."
Yu Yu forced a smile. "How could that be? Without ma'am, my plan's dead!"
Better to give Lynn 200 gold—she might not mind a hoarse voice.
Hope it's reimbursed. Or she'll harass the Grand Archon daily!
Xue leisurely extended her palm. "Pay up."
Seeing Yu Yu's agony, both high-tier spellcasters grinned wider.
Chang, faux pity, said, "Potions? Elemental arrows? Can you make those?"
Yu Yu, pained mask, said, "Too costly, poor family, can't afford."
Magic circle folks: radiant as gods.
Me, Yu Yu: tattered robes among them.
Yu Yu: "Potions are settled with the hunter camp. Their stock's plentiful, discounted for bulk."
Unlike the magic circle's sky-high prices—same potion, five times costlier than the camp.
Chang tempted, "Magic circle potions outshine rangers'."
Yu Yu, firm, said, "No need. Players are tough, fine with cheap stuff."
Chang: "…"
Xue, casually sketching a model with her teacup, dazzled Yu Yu.
She asked offhand, "…That's it?"
Yu Yu glanced at her consumables, trembling as she swiped away.
She blurted, "Senior Xue, are low-tier spellcasters common in the magic circle?"
Xue's cool eyes lifted. "Oh? Pretty rare."
Yu Yu: "No practice pieces from enchantment training?"
Xue finished, blowing on the cup, setting it down with a duang.
She pointed at the list, calm. "Sure, they're here."
Yu Yu leaned back.
Yu Yu calmly closed the list and said, "On second thought, rangers aren't my target."
"What kind of arrows do you want?" Yu Yu asked, "As for the mission, the most important thing is participation."
She looked compassionate. "If you are rich, you should help the world. If you are poor, you should take care of yourself. The opportunity to help the world should be left to the Grand Archon."
Sorry, I only know high-tier warriors.
Rangers, not familiar.
Looking at her vivid expression, Xue found it very funny, "That's all, are you sure?"
Yu Yu firmly said, "Positive."
Xue pulled out a magic sheet.
Yu Yu immediately stepped forward and instructed, "Write the recipient unit here, write the payee unit here, and write the amount here in words that cannot be changed..."
With Yu Yu's expertise, Xue wrote her first and second invoices.
She glanced at Yu Yu.
Yu Yu cradled the invoices. "Thank you, Senior Xue. Want to eat at my place…?"
Before finishing, Xue's cold triple combo: "No thanks, not going, not eating."
Yu Yu: "Got it, I'll leave."
Chang: "Cough."
Before Yu Yu even walked out the door, was yanked back.
Yu Yu: "???"
Chang: "Without me, you might not have met her. Her meal…"
Yu Yu got it. "Senior, dinner?"
Chang nodded primly.
Yu Yu: "I'll prepare the table."
Her words, translated to Allen tongue, sounded odd.
Chang frowned. "Why clean the bed?"
Yu Yu: "…'Table' isn't a bed, more like a desk, I guess."
Chang: "Why eat on a bed?"
Yu Yu, stumped, mumbled, "Laziness, probably."
Chang got it. "You lot are lazy."
Yu Yu: "…"
Outsider rep takes another hit?
Next time, for sure.
Inside, Xue pondered.
Why's Chang so into meals?
Well-fed Lynn napped upstairs. Hearing Yu Yu, her pointed ears twitched, then she rolled over, sleeping.
Good thing Yu Yu's place was big, with plenty of rooms.
Chang followed brazenly—now she didn't mind being leveraged…
Yu Yu tossed her some nut platters, discussing plans with her team.
Shu Tu and the others were back.
Zi Shu clutching ten swords, dazed and said, "Too costly…"
She asked, "Will the Grand Archon really reimburse?"
Yu Yu: "Dunno, but what if?"
If not, she'd publish After Crossing to Silver Moon, I Swapped Bodies with the Grand Archon!
Zi Shu reined in her emotions. "Hope the Grand Archon's big move pays off."
"A hundred gold for skills? Worth it!"
Split four ways, 100 each—manageable.
Food and such? Minor costs.
Yes, Zi Shu planned to grab a task that afternoon.
What if?!
Chang munched happily, eavesdropping.
Such amusing little things.
That afternoon, a refreshed Wind Singer returned to Silver Wolf Plaza, stunned by the scene.
The plaza was packed with players.
Wind Singer touched the cup at her waist, a bit panicked.
This many people—if caught, would it be fine?
But alas, someone spotted her. "Look, Wind Leaf's there!"
"She's here!!!"
"Lovely NPC, I…"
The player swarm engulfed Lynn, and Yu Yu quietly sweated.
Chang, initially calm, but when she saw the dense crowds of outsiders, she couldn't help but frown.
After hesitating for a while, she said "I'm stepping out briefly. Don't mess up."
Yu Yu nodded absently.
The Grand Archon lounged on her chair, skimming the Daily, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
Outsiders were so entertaining.
Such a brilliant idea.
Seeing her little pup's worldview shatter daily via the Daily was endlessly amusing.
Worth her efforts to stop her from thrashing outsiders.
Culture has no hierarchy—how could the Duchess's status block their writing?
The Grand Archon mused compassionately.
Until her subordinate found her, reporting urgently.
The Grand Archon snapped back. "She insists on this costly method to complete the task and dares ask me to reimburse?"
Chang was baffled That's what you heard???
The Grand Archon coughed. "As you say…"
She pondered, smirking faintly. "Our little one's sharp."
"Every move aligns with my thinking," she sighed softly, "none of you know me like she does."
Chang asked, "What should we do?"
The Grand Archon dropped her smile, setting down the paper. "Keep watching. I'll send someone to assist."