When Do You Plan to Submit the Manuscript?

"Great Observer of the End, Yaxiu Heath! The good follow you; the wicked adore you! The light yearns for you; the darkness longs for you! You are an existence transcending all, the hue that God painted over all creation!" "Great Observer of the End, Yaxiu Heath..." Yaxiu sat on a cold stone seat, watching the large throng of odd figures in black robes before him, on their knees, kowtowing and praying to him. Beneath his drowsy expression, like someone newly awakened from a dream, a massive question mark was slowly taking shape. (⊙?⊙)? Noticing a pair of thighs right next to him, he immediately reached over and gave one a smack. "Huh?" Yaxiu looked up, only to find that the person standing beside him was neither Igola nor Harvey, but an unfamiliar young woman. She had waist-length, deep-blue hair as profound as the starry night, eyes as limpid and azure as Lake Qinghai, bright red lips against pearly white teeth, and snow-white skin. She was looking at him with sheer curiosity. "What did you hit me for?" *I thought you were the Swindler or the necromancer...* Yaxiu asked, "Does it hurt?" The girl replied, "It hurts." "Then I'm not dreaming." Yaxiu held his forehead, looking incredulous. "Did I... reload a save?" "You're acting strange," she said calmly. "Just a moment ago you were mumbling about Ruby Mountain, Four-Wing, Legendary, Kingdom of Heaven, Void Realm—all sorts of bizarre terms. You're making me worried about you. If nothing is wrong, please hang in there; the event is almost over." Yaxiu looked up at the ceiling, wondering whether Gerard was about to crash down and start hacking people to pieces. His thoughts gradually cleared—he had clearly used the Lesser Four Pillars Gate to bring Igola and Harvey toward Ruby Mountain. How could he have suddenly jumped here? Could the Lesser Four Pillars Gate be a trap? Surely not. This was an item drawn from *Aurora's Sorcerer Handbook*. If even this had traps, Yaxiu wouldn't dare use the Void Realm Exploration mechanic to form teams anymore; heaven only knew if it would lock him up in a dark room with the Sword Princess and the Witch. Besides, if it really were a trap set by the Four Pillar Gods or some other great beings, wouldn't it be simpler for them to just harvest their kidneys? Why bother plunging them into an illusion of rebirth? Or did he die the moment he activated the Lesser Four Pillars Gate, so everything reset from scratch? Had he not simply transmigrated to another world, but entered an infinite-loop save-reloading genre? Right then, all the lights in the basement turned on, and the believers' chants of praise ceased abruptly. Standing up respectfully, they faced Yaxiu and backed out of the basement one by one. Until the last person had left, the ceiling remained completely intact, leaving Yaxiu feeling somewhat disappointed. Only Yaxiu and the deep-blue-haired girl remained in the basement. By now, he vaguely realized that this was no rebirth or reloaded save, but another situation entirely beyond his comprehension. While caution in gathering intel would normally be called for, Yaxiu sensed his inner soul: his sorcery power flowed normally, and his sorcery spirits could be driven. In other words... He was still a Legendary Sorcerer. In that case, there was no need to tread lightly. Yaxiu asked point-blank, "Who are you? Who am I? What's our relationship? What year, month, and day is it?" "I'm Rose Lena, and you are Yaxiu Heath. We're childhood friends who grew up together, and I'm currently your assistant. Today is October 18, 1668." The deep-blue-haired girl, Rose, gazed at Yaxiu, curiosity written on her face. "These questions of yours... seem like the kind only someone transmigrating from a parallel world would ask. Is this a new persona of yours?" Yaxiu gestured around the basement. "Then what's with this cult? Am I an evil cult leader again?" "That depends on how you define a cult," Rose replied. "If you consider infinite adoration of a specific individual, viewing him as a spiritual idol, practicing his ideals, and spreading his theories to be a cult, then yes, it is. "However, on a societal and legal level, no. They are simply members of your fan club. This event was filed in advance with the local police precinct, and the club is a public welfare organization widely recognized by society." Yaxiu's eyes widened, disbelief all over his face. "A club? But why was the club activity worshipping me, praising me, and venerating me with awe?" "Its full name is the 'Observer of the End Study Group,'" Rose said. "As for why the activity is like this, it's related to your appearance in *Blood Moon Trial*. Because your role as the cult leader was so remarkably brilliant, fans at every fan meet spontaneously perform cultist salutes to you, and quite a few even yearn to be scolded by you. "In the open fan vote, 'Cult Worship' won by an overwhelming majority to become the club's regular event." Yaxiu pointed at himself. "I'm... an actor?" "Not just that." Rose pulled back her sleeve to check her wristwatch. "It's about time. Let's go grab lunch." Rose walked out of the basement, and Yaxiu followed. He discovered that the basement sat beneath a villa, and though the furnishings inside were completely different, the underlying layout looked remarkably familiar. "Isn't this Felix's villa?" Yaxiu murmured. "This is my villa," Rose said. "I lent it to you as the venue for club events." Suddenly, Rose felt her shoulders seized forcefully. Yaxiu leaned in until he was almost touching her face, his deep black eyes staring straight into her sapphire pupils. "Do you know Felix, Igola, or Harvey?" he asked. Rose gave it serious thought, then shook her head. "Never heard of them." Yaxiu looked at her for a long while before letting go. "Sorry." "Nice names," Rose said calmly, rubbing her shoulder. "Are they characters in your next work?" "You're very strange." Yaxiu frowned. "I shouldn't be anything like the childhood friend you know, right? Why aren't you afraid of me?" If a friend were possessed by an unfamiliar transmigrating soul, any normal person's reaction should be disbelief or terror. Under no circumstances would they accept it calmly, let alone converse with Yaxiu so placidly. Yaxiu had even been prepared for a violent interrogation, yet Rose showed not a hint of suspicion or resistance, answering all his questions with total compliance. "I really do have to explain it every single time... You say you're completely different from the childhood friend I know, but that isn't true," Rose said. "After all, you used to be like this quite often." "Quite often?" "Every so often, it's as if you suddenly wake up with an astonishing torrent of brilliant ideas in your head. Then you lock yourself in your room for a few days and produce an outstanding work destined to be a hit. You used to say that you were usually asleep, and your soul traveled to a world called 'Blood Moon' to study and gather material, and you were only truly awake when you occasionally returned. "Yet each time you went to 'Blood Moon,' you forgot that you had ever been to this world. So this isn't the first time you've asked me who you are or what the date is, nor is it the first time you've asked, 'Why aren't you afraid of me?'" Rose shrugged. "Though I don't know why you love playing this role so much, as your assistant, I can only play along with you. "Last time, you even told me there wouldn't be any need to go to 'Blood Moon' anymore and that next time you would stay here for good. Yet you 'slept' for over half a year before coming back. "Speaking of which." Rose took out a notebook and flipped through a few pages. "Before you left last time, the only project with an agreed partnership was the romantic comedy *100% Sorcerer*. Although you've only written half of it, the partners were very satisfied. Now that you're 'awake,' when do you plan to submit the manuscript?"