Better Forget It

Having feverishly drafted "Rescuing Igola from Happiness (Top Secret)," everyone left Yaxiu's room. Yet just as Annan pushed open the door, she happened to catch a glimpse of Igola's golden hair disappearing around the corner of the corridor. Yaxiu said in surprise, "Igola isn't working overtime tonight either?" "He's about to become the Berdette son-in-law, why would he work a day job?" Annan said under her breath, gesturing for them to follow. "Our chance is here." They trailed him all the way to the second-floor atrium. Because the estate sat atop the second level of the city, there were no obstructions around it. The night sky was brilliant with twinkling stars, while the pale yellow lamplight layered meters thick like heavy rouge and elaborate makeup, transforming the ostentatious landscaping into a romantic curtain. The garden maze offered the ideal cover. Halfway through, the Funeral Agency group heard Igola's voice drift out from within: "Sorry, have you been waiting long?" "Not at all." Anfiel's cheerful voice held laughter she couldn't hide. "Hmm?" "No, it's just that my sister told me over and over that as a mind sorcerer, you must have tons of romantic experience, and warned me to be careful around you. But you're way more nervous than I imagined." "Ah? Is there something wrong with me?" "No, it's not about your looks, but I can sense it." Even just listening to her voice, everyone could almost picture a girl smiling with squinted eyes. "Mr. Igola, you're the kind of person whose strength matches whoever you face. When facing my sister, you're super calm and clever, but facing an idiot like me, you don't know what to do instead." "Who calls themselves an idiot?" Igola chuckled as well. "None of the idiots I've met ever call themselves idiots." ... "He's talking about you, Harvey," Yaxiu struck first. "I am an idiot," Harvey said calmly. "Your turn to prove yourself." Idiots never call themselves idiots; by reverse logic, someone who calls themselves an idiot isn't an idiot. Yaxiu didn't back down in the slightest. "I am an idiot." The instant the words left Yaxiu's mouth, Annan, 'Lisi', and Harvey activated their Book of Gospel recording functions at the exact same time. "Alright, recording complete." Harvey looked at Yaxiu with 'pity' in his eyes, as if saying, *Thanks so much for jumping out to prove yourself.* "This is bullying, isn't it? This is definitely workplace bullying!" Yaxiu ground his teeth. "I'm filing a complaint to the Gospel against you all!" "What are you people doing here?!" The group turned to look and saw the blue-haired girl appear behind them. With hands on her hips, she glared furiously at the Funeral Agency, looking just like a boss catching employees slacking off. "We didn't go in for overtime tonight, so we can go wherever we want," Annan retorted. "On the contrary, Yifalin, what are you doing here?" "My little sister is on a date, so of course I came to eavesdrop, check on the situation, and keep guard!" Yifalin declared shameless nonsense with absolute matter-of-fact confidence. "You actually don't trust our 'good friend' Igola Bogin!" Annan wore an expression of 'shock.' "To be monitored on a date—I feel so indignant on Bogin's behalf! No, I must give him good counsel and make sure he sees your true colors!" "Annan, why is your acting still so terrible?" Yifalin looked utterly repulsed. "It makes people want to punch you so bad." "Then come hit me. Do I need to get down on my knees to level the playing field? After all, with my height, hitting you is practically like punching a fire hydrant from the second floor." "An—nan—!" "Wait." Banjie found it very strange. "We're making so much noise, so why are they still chatting normally inside?" "Hmph, you think I didn't anticipate you lot coming to cause trouble?" Yifalin raised her eyebrows. "Not only is there a Silence miracle barrier set up here, but after Igola walked in, the shrubbery began to shift. The inner and outer mazes are completely cut off. Now, not only can we not get in, but if they want to come out, they'll lose their way too. That gives them plenty of time to cultivate their feelings!" "Then what happens when they want to leave?" Yaxiu asked curiously. "I'll be eavesdropping the whole time, and when I think their date can wrap up, I'll press this button." Yifalin produced a controller. "When that happens, both the garden maze and the Silence barrier will disengage. "Of course, you could also directly destroy the facilities here to ruin the date. As for the damages... I just hope you can afford to pay." It was actually a multi-layered trap. If the Funeral Agency dared to damage private property, Yifalin would happily acquire brand-new employees! "Oh~" Annan nodded. "Quite the meticulous arrangement... Ha!" Yifalin deftly dodged Annan's snatch. "Damn it! I knew you were still as crude as an orc, Annan." "And you're as slippery as a goblin!" Annan gritted her teeth, looking back at the others. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help!" "Trying to gang up on me?" Yifalin smirked. "Without weapons and unable to use offensive sorcery spirit miracles, I'd like to see how you deal with a Two Wings fist-and-claw sorcerer like me." "Don't damage the surrounding hedges. At most, you can only use sorcery spirit miracles to enhance yourselves," Banjie warned. "Miss Yifalin deliberately came alone to provoke us, baiting us into damaging her family's property." *"Do you like the starry sky?" Igola asked.* *"I love it," Anfiel said. "Looking at the sky full of stars makes me feel so small, and all those everyday worries become trivial. Two things move me most easily: one is a magnificent starry sky, and the other is the perseverance of figures in legendary tales. The brilliance of humanity shines just as dazzlingly as the starlight in the night sky."* Harvey lunged at Yifalin. Light on her feet, Yifalin hopped gracefully, sending the necromancer eating dirt. Annan and Yaxiu pincer-attacked from front and back. The blue-haired girl ducked under Yaxiu's armpit, causing the two to collide head-on. *"Mr. Igola, you must have traveled to many places, right? Do you have any thrilling adventure stories?"* *"I do, but the content isn't very wholesome."* *"That's fantastic! I love dark and realistic adventure stories best."* *"Do you yearn for adventure?"* *"Yeah. I've loved reading adventure stories since I was little, but the farthest I've ever been is to other cities. The only place I can explore is the estate... My favorite adventure series is about discovering traces of ancient civilizations in the wilderness far beyond the city perimeter. Mr. Igola, do you have experiences like that?!"* *"When swindling fellow crooks, finding out that the wilderness drop-off location was once the dining hall of an ogre tribe centuries ago—does that count?"* *"ヾ(≧▽≦*)o Swindling fellow crooks!"* Spotting an opening, Banjie lunged forward and grabbed Yifalin's legs. Undaunted, Yifalin leaned forward, flicked her legs upward, and broke free in one fluid motion, delivering a sharp kick to the young butler's chin along the way. Just then, Annan charged in to tackle Yifalin. Yifalin let out a soft huff and dropped into a split—only then did Yaxiu notice she was wearing safety shorts under her skirt—before spinning her legs like a windmill, tripping the Purple Moth flat on the ground! "Hmph~" Yifalin let out a disdainful scoff, flipped twice to jump up, and landed proudly like a champion— "Oomph!" As Harvey groaned, Yifalin stepped squarely on the necromancer, tripped, and went sprawling face-first into the dirt. The controller flew out of her pocket and skittered until it bumped against a pair of tiny feet. 'Lisi', who had been watching the spectacle all along, blinked, picked up the controller, and handed it to Yaxiu. *"By the way, let's get our stories straight first! When I get back, I'll tell my sister that I'm very satisfied with you. That way, the initiative stays on your side."* *"Why?"* *"Hmm?"* *"Why help me like this?"* *"It's not really helping, since saying I'm satisfied with you isn't a lie, Mr. Igola. Besides, you're being threatened by my sister. Doing this at least buys you more room to maneuver."* *"Threatened? But this deal was one I myself—"* *"If the only choices are 'make me fall for you' and 'spend your whole life as a Berdette servant,' that can hardly be called freedom of choice." Anfiel seemed to lower her head and turn her teacup. "Still, I know my sister has her own thoughts, and you have your own goals, Mr. Igola. In the end, your stances are in opposition. I'm merely indulging my wishful thinking to postpone the moment your conflict erupts.* *"But... both you and my sister are brilliant people. Maybe if we stall for a little time, you'll be able to find a mutually beneficial solution where everyone wins. Hehe, at worst, my sister will just chew me out. You take the bet, you accept the loss."* "Yaxiu, now's your chance!" Annan rushed over and clamped onto Yifalin's calf. "Yaxiu, don't you dare!" Yifalin threatened like a ferocious little tiger, bearing her claws. Harvey was nursing the injuries from being trampled, while Banjie was still dizzy from the devastating blow to his jaw. Yaxiu looked at the controller in his hand. After thinking for a moment, he turned and tossed the controller toward the center of the garden, right where Igola and Anfiel were. "Better forget it." The cult leader dusted off his hands, took 'Lisi' by the hand, and headed back. *** Leave Note · Fanfiction "Sorcerer Manual Fanfiction: The Little World That Keeps on Giving" "Four Pillar Gods cult leader... me?" Inside a standard single cell of Shattered Lake Prison, Ren Suo scratched his head as he looked at the criminal record on the light screen. "Four Pillar Gods... which four?" "Let me think. First would be Qiao Muyi, guilty of Pride; then Dong Chengling, guilty of Envy; followed by Gu Yueyan, guilty of Wrath; then Lin Xianyu, guilty of Sloth; plus Luna, guilty of Lust; and Ren Xingmei, guilty of Greed..." "But I've got six over on my side. Four isn't nearly enough to go around." Despite abruptly arriving here, Ren Suo wasn't particularly nervous. This wasn't his first time traveling to an otherworldly realm. *Traitors of Light and Shadow* and *Night of the Hunt* were games primarily set in alternate worlds. Granted, he usually played through a game before transmigrating, yet Ren Suo couldn't recall anything like this showing up on his Little World Game Console... Wait, Blood Moon Country... it sounded strangely familiar... Ren Suo seized on that flash of inspiration. He had played a lot of mobile games lately, and vaguely remembered seeing similar terms. The Master of the Immortal Palace pondered for a good while before deciding to give up on this pointless mental exercise. "Speaking of which, it's been ages since I slept in a single room..." Hugging his pillow, Ren Suo rolled back and forth. "Sigh, before marriage, having no one to mind you is called miserable; after marriage, having no one to mind you is called freedom... In that case, before Chengling and the others come looking for me, I might as well enjoy a few days of glorious freedom." He glanced at the light screen. "Since there's audiovisual equipment, then..." Soon enough, he spotted a familiar icon and tapped it open— "The Little World, keeping the fun going." The familiar melody and mechanical voice brought a subtle smirk to the otherworld traveler's lips. *This Week's Free Game: Blood Moon Trial.* ... ... "Sorcerer Manual Fanfiction: Death and Replacement" Looking at the headless corpse spouting a pillar of blood before him, Le Yu calmly sheathed his sword. Following closely behind, Amy couldn't help saying at the sight, "Captain, the order was to arrest—" "He was the one who thrust his head forward. Before I could react, he was already dead." Le Yu glanced around, eyeing the suppressed cultists in the underground hall. "I'm not good at healing." "Still, the media is definitely going to write hit pieces over this." Amy, the wolf hunter, sighed in annoyance, her bushy tail swishing back and forth. "Go tell the media that the person who used excessive force resulting in death was Bloodmad Hunter Gerard Westminster of the Sin Hunting Hall, Hunter ID 307791. If anyone has complaints, they can report to the front desk of the Kaimeng Branch at No. 233 Civic Avenue, or submit feedback directly to the mayor's mailbox." Without looking back, Le Yu strode out of the underground hall and emerged onto the surface, looking up at the terrifying, blood-soaked Blood Moon hanging in the night sky. "As expected of the Four Divine Weapons... to think they brought us to a new world," he muttered to himself. "Though why did we turn into cult leaders the moment we arrived... Whatever, that doesn't matter." "Are you happy, Blue Flame? Our era will never end." "Hey now, eating a mere Gerard shouldn't upset your stomach. Keep in mind that our next meal is going to be a god."