The Master of Sennheiser

Mist Spirit Clan. It was a strange name. And why was Sennheiser only tenth? They should have at least made the top three... Though Qinna grumbled in her heart, the delight on her face was impossible to conceal. Sennheiser had successfully made the ranking, recognized by the Weaving Ceremony as having the ability to endure into the future! Compared to this guaranteed survival, any rank rewards paled in significance! Yet when they looked closer, everyone’s expression shifted. The background of the projection faintly resembled Fanmula, but unlike today’s jungle of steel, it was a fresher, greener city far closer to nature. Broken walls, benches, and streets were overgrown with hardy flora; thick white mist flowed along the ground like rivers; and beneath the gentle caress of brilliant sunlight, all of Fanmula took on a dreamlike, paradisiacal quality. And inside paradise, there were naturally angels. In the center of the image floated a large gathering of exquisitely pure and beautiful figures. Possessing no wings, they nonetheless strolled through the sky, carrying themselves with the elegance of dancers at a grand ball. Their garments were dominated by green and white—the signature colors of Sennheiser. As for their features, mere words like “meticulously sculpted” fell far short; if one truly had to describe them, it was that one simply couldn't imagine them taking a dump. Even binary gender distinctions lost all meaning here. Judging by the image alone, anyone would think these Sennheiser angels were the guardians of this paradise called Fanmula. Until they read the description below. "Family Leaderboard, 10th Place: Mist Spirit Clan · Sennheiser" "Mist Spirit Clan: A new undead branch converted primarily from the members of the Sennheiser Clan. Standard basic traits include [Fanmula Herding], [Mist Healing], [The Longest Dream], and more." "[Fanmula Herding: While a mist spirit is within the Fanmula region, the white mist can transform into any shape according to the mist spirit's will, serving to capture any intelligent lifeform that sets foot in Fanmula.]" "[Mist Healing: As long as white mist is present nearby, mist spirits are immortal and indestructible, able to draw upon the mist at any time to heal their spiritual bodies.]" "[The Longest Dream: Mist spirits can drag living beings into a reincarnation dreamscape. Once a soul succumbs to the dreamscape's illusions, the dream will reincarnate them into a new mist spirit.]" "Clan Heads: Qinna Sennheiser / Nona Sennheiser" "...A new undead branch?" Qinna murmured, "Sennheiser... every last one of us turned into undead?" Wright scoffed. "That's what you get for voluntarily tying yourself to Yaxiu—" A howling gust ripped through the air, lashing against the outer wall of the Sanctuary that Cleios hastily manifested and kicking up malicious ripples. Qinna, her temper on the verge of exploding, glared icily at Wright. Wright immediately mimed zipping his lips, signaling that he would keep his mouth shut. "Look closely at the plants in the background," the bespectacled man suddenly said. Cleios and Wright peered closely, but couldn't discern anything out of the ordinary. Cleios tilted her head. "Eh? The green grass on that bench... shaped together, it looks like a person. A woman, even." Outsiders naturally could not grasp the underlying truth, but the patriarchs of the Six Emblems understood all too well what the scene signified: mermaid fish-mint had grown up onto the surface! The Mermaid Fish-Mint Farm was a miraculous ritual facility laid down by a legendary necromancer. Mermaid fish-mint was never supposed to grow anywhere outside the farm. Yet in this vision, it had not only overrun countless households, but from the dense, carpet-like coverage, it would take the deaths of hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of people to create such a lavish display. Coupled with the Sennheiser clan being entirely converted into wraiths, the Six Emblem patriarchs quickly arrived at an inescapable conclusion: in the future, the entire city of Fanmula fell into ruin. All living souls were converted into mermaid fish-mint, and Sennheiser, the sole surviving clan, could not maintain their living forms either. They transformed themselves into mist spirits, clinging to survival by exploiting their home-field advantage amid the mermaid fish-mint. Yet there was a glaring issue. While it was common for millions to perish in a catastrophe, having millions turn into mermaid fish-mint was utterly bizarre! The patriarchs of the Six Emblems were not decorative ornaments. If the miraculous ritual of the Mermaid Fish-Mint Farm had failed, or if someone had attempted to sacrifice Fanmula, they certainly would have intervened. They would never stand by and watch their people turn into mermaid fish-mint. Besides, that was millions of people! Even for a Legendary Sorcerer, slaughtering millions of pigs would leave their arms sore! Soon, a terrifying yet singular truth surfaced quietly in their minds. The ones who converted their people into mermaid fish-mint were none other than the Six Emblem patriarchs themselves! Only they possessed the capability! And only they could make millions of Fanmula citizens willingly turn into plants! If their people had even a sliver of hope to survive, the Six Emblem patriarchs would never have made such a choice. But if total annihilation was inevitable, then to spare their people as much agony as possible, mermaid fish-mint was naturally their first resort. Better to perish with a smile inside a dream than to drown in the agony of reality—that was the survival doctrine of the Six Emblems. Under the Six Emblem family system, the practice of sending elderly folk whose 'progress bars were full' to the farms to turn into flora was not merely economic; it was also born of goodwill. After all, past clan heads had willingly entered the farms once their own progress bars filled, turning into fertile soil to nurture the next generation. In the mindset of Fanmula's people, escaping reality carried no shame; spending every single second in joy was the finest life one could lead. Yet what could possibly happen in the future to drive the Six Emblem patriarchs to resolve upon 'euthanizing' millions of Fanmula citizens? "Qinna Sennheiser / Nona Sennheiser has received the reward: 'Mist Spirit Ring.'" "Mist Spirit Ring: Allows a sorcerer to switch freely between mist spirit and living form. Regardless of the wearer's location, it permits remote mobilization of Fanmula's white mist." A ring shimmering with dark silver luster appeared on Qinna's finger. Yet rather than a reward, it felt more like a death sentence. Strictly speaking, this was not Qinna's reward, but Nona's. Qinna's true body was still asleep; she was currently using Nona's body. There was another oddity here: Sennheiser had only ever had one clan head at a time. Even if something happened to Qinna, she would transfer power directly to her younger sister, Nona, rather than clinging to the seat. Under normal circumstances, two simultaneous clan heads would never exist. Whatever the cause might be remained a mystery. Still, compared to the entire clan turning into undead creatures, Nona being recognized as the second clan head by the Weaving Ceremony was hardly worth dwelling on, so Qinna did not ponder it further. The ranking revelation should have concluded there, but for reasons unknown, the Family Leaderboard projected a short vision concerning the Mist Spirit Ring. "It's over? That fast?" "Thanks to Fanmula's existing undead reincarnation ritual, my ceremony could be completed so quickly. Despicable as I find Pangbo Aidifeier's conduct, as a legendary necromancer, he certainly left behind a breathtaking legacy." In the projection, two mysterious figures stood on the rooftop of the Sennheiser Building, gazing down at Fanmula, which had become a garden of blossoms and grass. White mist flowed over the ground like a milky river. Their backs faced the perspective. One wore a dark red trench coat and was tap-dancing along the edge of the roof, as if only such a death-defying display could vent his inner exhilaration. The other was draped in a dark green cloak, chains binding both his arms and legs; even though bright sunlight bathed the projection, a lifeless chill surrounded him, as if warmth itself actively avoided his presence. No one recognized the latter, but the man in the dark red trench coat was famous across the entire Gospel Country. The Book of Gospel did not leave them guessing either. The figure playing on the edge of the rooftop suddenly slipped, tumbling straight off the skyscraper—a sight that brought immense satisfaction to many onlookers. Just then, two wisps of ethereal vapor surged from the white river below, rapidly taking the form of two female elves dressed in green and white. Flying up, they caught the falling man and carefully carried him back to the rooftop. Their features were remarkably similar—one mature and alluring, the other clever and pretty—yet without exception, both gazed upon him with fanatical devotion, like cats begging for an affectionate stroke. Everyone watching the ranking shuddered, their eyes nearly bulging from their sockets, including the seasoned crest patriarchs. They had believed they had seen everything the world had to offer... Holy shit, they really hadn't seen this! Because those two female elves were the head and second-in-command of Sennheiser—Qinna and Nona! "I only wanted to feel the thrill of free fall, and it's not like I don't have wings. Why were you in such a hurry to catch me?" "We must protect Master..." "Whatever. I happened to be looking for you both anyway. Kneel and hold out your hands." The female elves obediently dropped to one knee before him. The man produced two rings and slipped them onto their fingers personally. "From this day forward, you are the commanders of the Mist Spirit Legion. These two rings are the miracle tokens I bestow upon you. When I blow the horn and declare war on eternity, Sennheiser shall be my vanguard." "Yes, Master!" The female elves looked up at him, their pointed ears trembling faintly as if in eager anticipation. The man leaned down slightly and stroked their cheeks, revealing his profile in the process. The female elves leaned affectionately into his palms, swearing a fanatical oath: "We pledge our lives to Yaxiu Heath!" The projection came to an end. Silence engulfed the 72nd floor of the Sennheiser Building. The crest patriarchs hesitated, words catching in their throats. Cleios stared at her fellow elves with an exceedingly strange look. Wright had intended to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut. He had a premonition that if he uttered another word out of line, he truly wouldn't walk out of Fanmula alive. As the party involved, Qinna appeared surprisingly calm. She glanced at the Mist Spirit Ring on her finger and tugged at it. It wouldn't budge. Pausing, she drew a dagger from her thigh holster and aimed it at her finger— "Sennheiser, calm down!" "That's your sister's body!" The crest patriarchs hurried forward to stop Qinna from maiming herself. Qinna quickly regained her composure, threw the dagger aside, bolted straight for the window, and leaped into the night sky! Without manifesting wings or opening her Book of Gospel, she directly activated the newly acquired Mist Spirit Ring, dissolving into a mist spirit to fly across Fanmula! "Sennheiser, where are you going?!" "To find the 'master' of us sisters!" Qinna spoke through gritted teeth, her face burning with shame, her cheeks flushed with towering fury. At the thought of Yaxiu looking down on her in the vision, and her own fanatical devotion to him, the Sanctuary Sorcerer felt a fire raging in her chest, her breathing turning shallow and ragged. I treated you like a pet, and you dare think of becoming my master?! You'd make me kneel before you?! You'd dare stroke my face?! You'd even take both of us sisters...! Just wait until I lock you up! I'll show you who the master really is!