Twenty-Sided Die

At 8:00 p.m., Annan returned home. Coming into the living room, she found nobody there. Not even the lights were on; only a few mechanical cleaning spiders crawled back and forth, quickly retreating to their nest to recharge the moment they heard footsteps. "Banjie?" Annan called out, but there was no response. Ever since she was born, Banjie had taken care of her. Aside from that eternally youthful, delicate face that provoked sheer jealousy, he had always flawlessly fulfilled his duties as butler, never once neglecting his post. She had explicitly told Banjie to stay home and keep an eye on those new employees—how could he be gone? A trace of vigilance crept into Annan's heart. Could those people have possessed some means to nullify the contract weave-paper and secretly break free of its control, leaving Banjie to fall victim to their foul play through a momentary lapse of vigilance? She slipped off her boots. Her stockinged feet stepped across the wooden floor without making a sound as she primed a miracle sorcery procedure in her hand, searching the house for traces. Soon, she noticed light spilling from the Wonder Game Room. Approaching it, she heard the voices of the new residents coming from within: "Almost! It's almost done!" That was Yaxiu's voice. "Pretty much done on my end too." Igola's voice was full of excitement. "Me too..." Even Harvey's voice, which usually sounded like a corpse speaking, held a sliver of passion. "Ngh... Come on, I'm ready! Let us combine together!" Banjie was actually in there too! And what kind of dialogue was this?! What are you combining together?! You're all men, how can four people combine together?! Don't just ravage Banjie however you please just because he looks cute! "What on earth are you doing—" Tensing her sorcery procedure, Annan shoved open the door and stepped inside, mentally prepared to rescue a defiled Banjie. Then she saw four adults and a child inside, assembling a dark toy-brick castle over a meter tall. Banjie, Harvey, Igola, Yaxiu, and Lisi all turned their heads toward Annan, blinking. Banjie, who was responsible for assembling the central section, immediately stood up. "Miss, you're back so early?" "...Seriously, what are you doing?" "Isn't it pretty obvious?" Yaxiu spread his hands. "We're building Sky Curtain City." Annan naturally recognized this building block castle. When she was little, her father had bought many such complex, high-end toy-brick sets. He had tried several times to get Annan to build Sky Curtain City with him, but Annan had little interest in such toys, so the blocks had sat abandoned in the Wonder Game Room. After becoming the head of the Funeral Agency at age twelve, she had never set foot in the game room again. "...How did you all suddenly get the mood to play with building blocks?" Yaxiu looked at Igola. "I saw Igola's inner child come out while playing blocks with Lisi, so I dragged everyone in to join. Who knew a male Veela had such a soft heart..." Igola flushed red. "I only saw that Lisi couldn't figure it out after playing for so long, and I couldn't bear to watch, so I taught her how to build it! I was actually planning to leave, but then Yaxiu brought everyone over and got so into it that I stayed just to look after your experience..." Yaxiu cursed, "Bullshit! When I put a piece on wrong earlier, you chewed me out so viciously. You call that looking after my experience?" "You scumbags who can barely even read an instruction manual shouldn't be pointing fingers at each other. You're all garbage," Harvey said bluntly. "If you lot hadn't been dragging me down, I would have finished assembling this castle long ago. I've done plenty of work assembling 'shattered parts' into a 'complete whole.' These building blocks are child's play. Back in my day, I—" Yaxiu covered Lisi's ears. "Nobody here wants to hear about your glorious deeds!" Annan listened, completely dazed, and asked, "So... you've simply been playing with toy blocks until now?" "Yes, Miss." Banjie nodded slightly and took out his pocket watch. "It's about time I... Wait, how is it eight already?!" "Now that you mention it, it looks dark outside..." "No wonder I felt a bit hungry. I thought breakfast just digested quickly." "Daddy, I'm too hungry to walk." "Have your Auntie Bogin carry you," Yaxiu quipped, turning back toward Sky Curtain City behind them. "Shouldn't we take a photo to commemorate this? After all, it took us all day..." Igola said coldly, "I don't have the habit of leaving image records—" Yaxiu thought Igola was going to refuse and was about to mock him for being the one playing with the most enthusiasm, but then the latter changed his tune: "However, my criminal record in the Gospel Country is spotless, so taking a photo shouldn't be an issue." The cult leader blinked, looking in astonishment at the Swindler, who turned his head away, muttering an explanation to nobody in particular: "Besides, this castle is pretty magnificent..." "Miss Annan, could you do us a favor?" Harvey pulled out a cat grass cigarette and dangled it from his lips without lighting it. "Of course." The Purple Moth summoned her Book of Gospel, then extended the index fingers and thumbs of both hands to frame a shot, enclosing the five of them and Sky Curtain City within. In the next second, the scene appeared in her Book of Gospel. Turning it around to show them, she said, "Now this photo will also be in your Books of Gospel. I suggest you create an album in your Book of Gospel to store important photos..." "As if a photo like this counts as important." Igola strode away. Yaxiu held Lisi's hand, following along to find something to fill their stomachs. Harvey headed toward the balcony to light his cigarette, and Banjie lingered behind to ask, "Miss, should I prepare dinner for you?" "I've eaten. You just take care of dinner for them." Banjie nodded, opening his Book of Gospel to order takeout. Indeed, the Gospel Rings they had provided to Yaxiu and the others were actually a stripped-down version—or rather, a 'collector's edition.' Genuine Gospel artifacts had long integrated multimedia functions: accessing the Curtain, instant messaging, watching videos, forum discussions, ordering takeout, and more were all included. Fancy accessories like the Gospel Ring, which could only open the Book of Gospel, were actually luxury items meant to flaunt status. Just as one could check the time simply by opening the Book of Gospel, yet some people still specifically bought timepieces—Banjie was one such person, thinking pocket watches looked handsome—plenty of wealthy people also enjoyed buying Gospel Rings, Gospel Bracelets, and even Gospel Glasses that could do nothing more than open the Book of Gospel. As for why Yaxiu and the others were only allowed to open the Book of Gospel... that was naturally to cut off their contact with the outside world while still letting them experience the charm of the Book of Gospel. Humans are social animals; communication is the extension of one's boundaries. When you read news from thousands of miles away, you are thousands of miles away; when you interact with others on the Curtain, you are not alone; when you see the live information stream of tens of thousands of people across the Gospel Country, your room becomes the entire nation. Conversely, when they could not leave and could not communicate with the outside world, this single floor was their entire world. With their vision confined within four walls and their ambition unable to reach the wider world, they would naturally turn their eyes inward. Just as ancient courts tended to breed conspiracies and banquets were rife with intrigue, Annan had long anticipated that Yaxiu and the others would plot against her—or rather, that was precisely the result she looked forward to. The more moves they made in secret, the more obedient they would be on the surface. Bound by the contract weave-paper, Annan had no fear of their rebellion. On the contrary, the more day and night they spent scheming how to deal with Annan, the happier she would be, because it meant they were squandering their energy on useless things. Conspiracy and suspicion are twins; the shadow of revenge is named shortsightedness. Once every one of them was consumed by negative emotions, Annan could find ways to sow discord, currying favor with some while suppressing others. She could easily divide them, tighten her control over them, and drain their energy and spirits with petty internal strife. Although they had seen through her trick at the very beginning, Annan had never given up on dominating these otherworlders. She had merely made her plan longer, more discreet, and harder to resist. In any case, the first step was to fill their hearts with negative energy. Her visit to the Mermaid Palace today had intentionally left them room to act freely. She had imagined that when she returned home, the new employees might give her cold shoulders, or greet her with fawning smiles, or perhaps someone might even secretly pledge allegiance to her. She had prepared for every scenario, yet this group had still completely baffled her with their antics. Why on earth were you all playing with toy blocks so happily together?! The five of you add up to over a hundred years old! Aren't you worried about your future? Don't you crave a divine wish? Don't you want to resist the constraints of the contract weave-paper? I went out of my way to give you the chance to collude, and you played with building blocks—and dragged Banjie into it, too! Annan looked down at the photo in the Book of Gospel. The five of them stood in front of Sky Curtain City: Banjie stood upright and proper, Harvey held a cigarette between his lips, Igola looked awkward and bashful, Yaxiu crouched down flashing a V-sign, and Lisi, though not quite understanding, flashed a V-sign right along with him... Who was the one who had brought this pool of stagnant water to life? The Purple Moth scanned the faces of the new employees, her gaze finally coming to rest on Yaxiu and Lisi. ... The takeout arrived quickly, and a drone thoughtfully set down steaming-hot Lalafell on the dining table. Yaxiu had barely sat down before standing right back up. "Save me some Blazing Lalafell, I'm going to—" "Stop! Don't say it. Just go. Nobody's going to steal it from you," Igola promptly cut off Yaxiu before he could cast that jinx. Famished, Lisi couldn't wait to grab a piece of cake from the takeout and shove it into her mouth, getting cream all over her lips. Igola said gently, "Lisi, dessert comes after the meal. Here, have some Lalafell first." Igola took the initiative to grab a knife and fork, portioning out the plumpest pieces: one for Harvey, one for himself, one for Banjie, one for Lisi—and then it was all gone. "Auntie Bogin, you're picking on Daddy again..." "If you don't eat it, give it to me; I'll sacrifice myself," Igola said, looking around the table and casting threatening glares at Harvey and Banjie. Harvey didn't care either way, wolfing down his food in big bites. Banjie seemed to have little appetite, but out of politeness, he took a delicate lick of the Lalafell. Lisi thought about it and decided that eating it herself was better than giving it to Igola, so she tucked in heartily. "Did you have fun?" Lisi started, turning her head to see the Watcher sitting in Yaxiu's seat. Just as she was about to speak, the Watcher raised a finger. "Speak in your mind. I can hear you." *It was fun!* Lisi said in her mind. *Brother Watcher, you're amazing! Can nobody else see you?* "Just like Diya, no one can see me except you." The Watcher leaned in to catch the aroma of the Lalafell. "Speaking of which, where is the Witch?" *Sister Princess? She's making a fuss inside, wanting to switch,* Lisi said. *Though that'll have to wait until I finish eating.* "Mm, it really is time to switch. After all, the upcoming activity is rather violent and bloody, not suitable for you, Lisi." *What activity?* "Before that, let's tally up today's recreation results!" With a flip of his hand, the Watcher produced a twenty-sided die. He tossed it lightly. The die rolled across the table a few times before settling on an 8. "Today's recreational activity is rated Extraordinary, +7 points; your mood is quite good, Lisi, +5 points; and you inherently have a Luck Check of +10, which allows an extra roll of a ten-sided die for bonus points..." With a light tap from the Watcher, the twenty-sided die instantly transformed into a ten-sided die. After rolling gently, it stopped on a 3. "Your points today are 7 + 5 + 3 = 15 points. The Prince of Pleasure's roll was only 8 points, so you have earned the Prince of Pleasure's favor today, Lisi, along with 150% fist and claw faction experience." As soon as the Watcher finished speaking, Lisi felt as if ice cream were melting in her mind; sweet knowledge flowed continuously into her thoughts. She stared blankly, then picked up a stainless steel spoon and gazed at her reflection in it. Then, adopting a serious expression, she stared fixedly at the Watcher. *Why do I feel like I'm absorbing knowledge in the Void Realm? Watcher, who on earth are you?* "Is that the Witch? Honestly, I prefer chatting with the Little Witch," the Watcher said leisurely. "In short, arranging for you to go play was for your own good. After all, you can't train properly in this state. It wasn't purely to mess with you—at least, that wasn't the entire reason." *If not the entire reason, what percentage did it make up?* "Roughly 76.85%... But that's not the point." The Watcher clapped his hands. "Recreation is over. What comes next is the main event, a task perfectly suited for you, Witch." Diya grew slightly tense. *What task?* "Combat," the Watcher uttered the cruel word. *Watcher, you should know that in my current state, I have zero combat capability—* "Yet combat is precisely what I want you to do," the Watcher said coldly. "You know this isn't an order, but you cannot refuse." Diya took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to argue. *Who is the target?* "The target is..." The Watcher raised his hand. And pointed toward the occupied restroom.