From now on, no matter what messages came through, Yu Yu would respond with nothing but "meow meow meow," pretending to be an innocent, harmless little kitten.
What bad intentions could a tiny kitty possibly have?[cute_cat.jpg]
Staring at the adorable cat picture, the other side fell silent for a long while.
Qiong: […]
Successfully rendering Senior Qiong speechless, Yu Yu adopted a meek tone and typed, [Senior, I'm scared of pain.]
Qiong: […Fine, I can't stay mad at you.]
Acting cute might be shameless, but it worked like a charm!
Yu Yu immediately perked up. [Senior, how did you guys suddenly figure out how to build a website?!]
[Wait, no—how did you suddenly connect to our network?!]
[Does that mean you can come visit us here?!]
[We've got tons of delicious food!!]
Yu Yu enthusiastically pitched her world's delights.
Qiong: [Maybe~]
Yu Yu fell into thought, then furiously scrolled through the internet, sending a flood of mouthwatering food pictures.
Then it hit her—Senior Qiong had never tasted these dishes, so they might not tempt her. But the Grand Archon and Senior Chang had eaten them!
Yu Yu immediately switched to private messages, typing, [Senior Qiong, don't you all use any protections? Anyone could just message you directly like this!]
Qiong: [Hm?]
Yu Yu: [The players, uh…]
She suddenly remembered that the higher-ups of the Magic Circle hadn't really shown themselves to the players yet, so they probably weren't bombarded with messages.
But once they did make an appearance…
She wondered if the Grand Archon would be swamped with player confessions from dawn to dusk, or if players would grind her favorability late into the night.
Yu Yu sent the food pictures to the Grand Archon and Senior Chang to pester them, then continued with Qiong. [Senior, can Senior Xue come out to play?]
[Does the forum have a livestream feature?! I want to show Senior Xue our world!]
The thought of taking Wolfie shopping filled Yu Yu with boundless excitement.
She believed reality could still be salvaged! They could definitely overcome the anomalies!
Qiong: […She doesn't have permission yet, but it's something to look forward to.]
[What's a livestream?]
Yu Yu eagerly explained, launching into a detailed rundown of such concepts.
Spellcasters had impressive comprehension skills, and Senior Qiong didn't press for more details. She simply said, [Sounds interesting. I'll ask Xue about it.]
[She's better at this sort of thing.]
Qiong was genuinely curious about the outsiders' world.
With a whoosh of teleportation, she arrived at the Academy and began frantically knocking on doors. The outsiders were always so noisy and bothersome. But when they suddenly vanished, Silver Moon City felt eerily quiet. It had always been this way before, yet the citizens of Silver Moon inexplicably felt…
A bit… bored.
By the second day, residents were already asking the city guard camp.
Where were the outsiders? Where had they gone?
The dockmaster, in particular, practically moved into the guard camp, wailing about the loss of her cheap, efficient laborers…
Felix hadn't received any notifications, and the lack of Yu Yu's usual pestering left her slightly puzzled. Stepping outside, she noticed the outsiders were gone. She had no choice but to consult her teacher.
The Grand Archon tinkered for a moment. [Just use my account for now.]
She was swamped, only able to glance at the website because of the Speaker's orders.
Seeing her little pup eager to play, she handed over her permissions to Felix without hesitation, like a parent passing an iPad to a child to avoid being nagged—smooth and practiced.
Soon after, another little pup caught wind and rushed over. Two nearly identical, cool-headed beauties sat side by side, engrossed in browsing the website. The website's background was a starry sky, familiar to Felix. But why was that little red dot bouncing around?
Felix clicked it and was immediately flooded with a barrage of pictures.
Yu: [Grand Archon, feast your eyes on these!]
A cascade of images followed.
Felix: [?]
The Duchess stared intently. "They really do look delicious…"
She was getting hungry. Ever since tasting Yu Yu's food, everything else tasted like cardboard. But Yu Yu never remembered to bring her anything. To maintain her ducal dignity, she couldn't bring herself to hint at it, so she sulked in silence.
Now, faced with such appetizing dishes, the Duchess unconsciously swallowed. Felix found her embarrassing and switched tabs. [What's the point of sending these?]
Yu Yu was busy discussing details with Senior Qiong and Senior Xue—or rather, enjoying a rare moment of being the client—when she saw the Grand Archon's message.
She giggled and replied, [Nothing, just showing you~]
Felix: […]
Duchess: […]
Feng Ye: [Boring.]
Yu Yu: [What bad intentions could a tiny kitty have? [cute_cat.jpg]]
Felix: […]
Duchess: […]
Yu Yu: [The Grand Archon must be swamped, so I won't bother you~ Bye~]
And with that, she went silent.
The Duchess's cool expression didn't waver. "She says the Grand Archon must be busy and doesn't want to disturb, but what she really means is, 'I'm busy, no time to chat with you.'"
Felix: "Does she always talk to Teacher like this?"
Feng Ye glanced up briefly. "Oh? Pretty much. The kid's kinda cute~"
And she was busy, with no time to chat with the little one.
"Just look, don't embarrass me. My colleagues are around," the Grand Archon instructed her pups before diving back into her work.
She didn't care much herself, so Felix and the Duchess resumed their head-to-head picture browsing. They did look really delicious.
Meanwhile, Yu Yu was tinkering with the forum. She made suggestions, and the programmers behind the scenes quietly fulfilled them. The programmer? None other than the High Steward. Yu Yu couldn't fathom how they used magic to build a forum or how they extended it to reality. But that didn't stop her from offering ideas.
Xue: [Livestreaming is tricky. I'll need time to tweak the spell model.]
Yu: [Go for it, Senior!]
What else could the official forum offer?
Soon, the website underwent another massive overhaul. The starry sky remained the backdrop, with a personal center now in the top right.
The site was divided into four sections: [Discussion Zone] (aka the watercooler), [Guides Zone], [Announcements Zone], and [Livestream Zone].
After a full day of optimization, countless details were polished, and player interactions were significantly improved. The forum's only flaw? For now, only players could log in. Non-players could only view, not post. Meanwhile, at a certain base, Federation members were pulling overtime.
Staring at a map flashing red, the technician's face darkened. "It's no use. Their network is completely different from ours—different underlying rules. We can't crack it!"
"They're warning us," another technician said, face grim. "How did they even find our address?"
As some of the Federation's top technicians, they didn't claim to be the best, but they were unbeatable in their field. This time, however, their defeat was so crushing it defied description. The other side was like a monster, with reaction and update speeds too terrifying to comprehend.
They'd barely breached the disguise made with real-world programming rules when they found themselves lost in a bizarre, dazzling ocean—an entirely alien domain. Just when they thought they saw a glimmer of hope, the world map flashed red. Using unknown methods, it had pinpointed their location. This was a Federation secret base! Its security was top-tier globally!
Unsure of the enemy's capabilities, they could only report to their superiors. Reports flooded in from various departments. The Federation mobilized all available resources, analyzing and adjusting around the clock. And Yu Yu? She spent the entire day perfecting the forum with her seniors.
That night, she took a bath, slept like a log, and remained blissfully unaware that the Federation's probes into the Magic Circle were met with a sea of red alerts. Information asymmetry was stark. Much of the Federation's knowledge about Eternal Darkness came from players—specifically, from one player's account.
That player was Yu Yu.
After returning from the main continent, Yu Yu had relayed every detail to Yu Bai. Whether the Federation believed her or what actions they took, Yu Yu didn't ask. Every Federation decision affected billions of lives. Yu Yu wasn't about to take on that responsibility with her limited perspective. She only reported. Whether they believed her or how they acted was their business. Her role was clear.
So when Yu Bai's call woke her in the morning, she was still groggy. "Hello?"
Glancing outside, the "Unseen Sky" had moved on to plague another city. Dawn's light was faint, mist hung low, and the river sparkled. The Purple Mountain Scenic Area across the water was faintly visible. Without anomalies, it would've been a stunning morning.
Yu Yu rolled over, sprawling in her gorgeous river-view apartment. Outside the clear, pristine windows was a lively enclosure with irrigation channels, a small pond, and neatly gridded potato plots. There were fruit trees and trellises, including watermelons.
In short, it was a slightly flawed but still beautiful morning. Such a lovely morning was perfect for sleeping in. Seven days without gaming left Yu Yu with withdrawal symptoms, feeling hollow. She summoned an earth elemental to squat in the garden downstairs. Watching its bright yellow eyes, she drifted back to sleep.
Sigh, another day without gaming!
Answering the phone, Yu Yu lazily scratched her head, then grabbed her earphones.
Wash face, brush teeth!
Yu Bai rambled for ages before hearing her brushing.
Yu Bai: "Why aren't you freaking out?!"
Yu Yu: "About what?"
Yu Bai: "Eternal Darkness is invading Blue Star!!!"
Yu Yu: "Oh."
Feeling her response was too flat, she added, "I'm so scared. Will the Magic Circle hunt us down?"
Yu Bai: […]
You're way too calm. We're the ones freaking out!
Who knew what could happen?!
After brushing, Yu Yu flopped onto the sofa, lazily scratching her foot. "The Magic Circle is an orderly organization, not a bunch of irrational lunatics. What's there to fear?"
Her cat, hearing the noise, sauntered in, purring loudly. Yu Yu rubbed its head, mussing the "king" pattern on its forehead. "So, what do you need me to do?"
Yu Bai glanced at someone nearby, got a nod, and continued, "Can you guarantee they're harmless?"
Yu Yu: "Nope."
Yu Bai: [?]
Then why are you so chill?!
Yu Yu: "I'm just saying, the Magic Circle is an organization you can negotiate with, but how that negotiation happens isn't up to me."
"Get what I mean?"
I, Yu Yu, am a lowly Magic Circle newbie. Don't expect me to have any sway!
At the higher-ups' direction, Yu Bai relayed their requests. Yu Yu, true to her role, acted as a faithful messenger. Moments later, she hung up. The weather was cooling, and the morning breeze felt nice.
"Slippery as an eel!" Chen Sheng fumed. "Does she have no loyalty to the Federation?"
So young, yet as slick as the old-timers, dodging every commitment!
Not a single promise, always playing the weak, helpless card, claiming she was a nobody in the Magic Circle, barely able to pass messages, urging the Federation not to get their hopes up. After the call, she took no responsibility beyond relaying messages. Whatever came of the talks was between the Federation and the Magic Circle—nothing to do with poor little Yu.
Chen Sheng was livid.
An older colleague chuckled. "No matter. She's an interesting kid. Seems like past events helped her grow."
Among all players, Yu Yu was the most unique. The Magic Circle had many spellcasters, but Yu Yu was the only one they treated specially. Other spellcasters rarely met even a steward, yet Yu Yu could casually chat with the Grand Archon.
The Federation had made plenty of moves and thus knew a fair bit about the Magic Circle. It was a deeply rooted, immensely powerful, and well-structured hegemonic organization. Mysterious and unfathomable.
The Federation had contacted several groups through players—Machine Cult, Island Alliance, and Silver Moon's local factions—but all revered and feared the Magic Circle, reluctant to cross it. For now, intentionally or not, Yu Yu was the only one who regularly met the Magic Circle's higher-ups and whose words they listened to.
Whether this was the Magic Circle's design or something about Yu Yu herself, the Federation wasn't sure. But their analysis leaned toward Yu Yu being a convenient spokesperson chosen by the Magic Circle. Looking at her past, the Federation couldn't imagine… how this kid could be so likable?
Recalling her history, the older man shook his head. "Let's hope this kid brings good news."
Chen Sheng: "The Magic Circle is too domineering. Our signals sink like stones. They clearly see them but don't respond!"
"The website admins were open to private messages at first. I politely asked them to pass a message to their superiors, and they blocked my DMs. Now they want me to add them as a friend!"
"The Magic Circle's strength is debatable, but their arrogance is undeniable."
The older man glanced at him and left.
After breakfast, Yu Yu leisurely logged onto the website, noticing Senior Xue had posted an update log in the encrypted section, following her guidance.
Incredible.
One person outdid an entire team of programmers. What efficiency!
Browsing further, Yu Yu was shocked to find the website packed with features. Beyond basic posting, images, music, and videos, there were private messages, avatar changes, personalized profiles, and even photo walls…
Senior Xue? Where did you wander off to last night? This isn't a dating site!
Yu Yu had a bellyful of complaints but noticed her avatar lit up green the moment she logged in.
What? No stealth mode? Can't I just "appear offline"?
[You've been invited to join 'Magic Circle']
Yu Yu clicked the pop-up, entering a chat group-like page. Senior Xue's aesthetic was impeccable—the UI was stunning, blending mystery and beauty. Checking the member list, Yu Yu counted. Twenty-six members, twenty-seven including her. In a sea of blue IDs, her bright red ID stood out.
Yu Yu silently thanked whoever snagged her name. If she were stuck with a glaring "Boss" in red, that'd be…
Still, a single-character name was cool, letting her blend in with the high-tier spellcasters, pretending to be a steward.
Heh~
The group was silent, and Yu Yu didn't dare speak, sticking to private messages.
[Grand Archon, I've made my suggestions. Can you remove this admin role?]
Elsewhere, Felix and the Duchess had been online all night.
Felix was slightly drowsy, but the Duchess was still full of energy.
Seeing Felix yawn, she nudged, "You've got a private message."
Felix opened the red dot.
Reading Yu Yu's message, she replied, [Teacher's still busy.]
Yu Yu: [Then you're… the Duchess?]
The Duchess's deep blue eyes curved slightly. "She guessed it's me!"
Felix gave her a cool glance. [What's up?]
Yu Yu didn't notice anything off—after all, the Duchess was always like this.
[Our officials noticed the website and want to talk with the Magic Circle,] Yu Yu typed casually, in a way the Federation couldn't imagine. [Is the Grand Archon interested?]
Felix relayed, "Teacher, Yu says their officials want to discuss with the Magic Circle. Are you interested?"
The Grand Archon looked up mid-task, intrigued. "Oh?"
She was tempted, but sighed moments later. "Why does it have to be when you're using my account?"
Seeing her pup's expression, the Grand Archon lost interest. "I was hoping to ask Yu some questions."
Felix: "Then ask."
The Grand Archon glanced over. "Never mind. Tell her I'm not interested for now. I'll reach out when I am."
Yu Yu relayed the message to Yu Bai. "The Grand Archon says she's not interested yet. She'll contact you when she is."
Yu Bai passed it on, infuriating another batch of people.
After asking, Yu Yu suddenly felt like a little messenger eunuch.
Pfft.
[Grand Archon, can you remove this admin role? It's too conspicuous and doesn't suit my low-key vibe.]
Felix: [?]
Yu Yu: [Doesn't the Duchess think so?]
Felix, exasperated, relayed again, [Teacher, she wants to know if you can remove her admin role.]
Duchess: "Hmph, she thinks it's me. Low-key? Her?"
One outing, and she caused a ruckus. Low-key was the last word to describe her.
Grand Archon: "That's for her. Tell her to keep it."
Felix: [It's yours. Keep using it.]
Yu Yu: [So what do I do with it?]
Feng Ye: [Teacher says, figure it out.]
Yu Yu: [???]
This was why she couldn't stand the Grand Archon!
Couldn't she just spell it out?!
Yu Yu: [Can I get a few more slots then? I'll outsource the admin work.]
Feng Ye paused. "Outsource?"
Felix, puzzled, typed, [Outsource?]
Yu Yu explained enthusiastically.
Moments later, she got the extra slots.
The Grand Archon seemed to guess her plan, assigning external slots that allowed non-players to log in via special means to help manage the site.
Hiss.
All external slots—guess she couldn't drag Shu Tu into this.
Yu Yu sent the news to Yu Bai, who responded with a sweet smiley.
Not the ideal outcome, but it was something.
When it came to managing players, nobody outdid the Federation.
With her tasks cleared, Yu Yu could finally focus on herself.
First, she moved her translation posts over.
Then, she started a new thread.
[Personal Log Thread – Posted by Yu]
Unable to go online and not keen on going out, Yu Yu had nothing to do, so she went to photograph her garden.
When Senior Xue could log in, she'd show her the veggie patch.
Look at those crisp cabbages! And the chilled watermelon!
She'd prepare in advance!
Yu Yu snapped photos like crazy, wanting to capture everything.
Ah! I want to @Wolfie to see this!
Oh well, the Duchess was using the Grand Archon's account. Tagging her would do.
Yu Yu: [@Duchess, behold my empire! [cat_emperor.jpg]]
The emoji was a cute yet cheeky cat.
Felix followed the tag and saw Yu Yu's garden photos.
And that emoji.
Duchess, unimpressed: "Is it as grand as my domain?"
Felix pondered, [Take a selfie.]
Yu Yu: [?]
[Duchess, what's wrong with you? Why do you suddenly want selfies?]
Just then, Yu Yu heard a "howl."
She walked over and found Shu Tu and the others gathered at the gate.
"What's going on?"
Shu Tu, voice low: "There are tons of animals outside. Even wolves."
Yu Yu peeked out. Deer, horses, elephants, wolves, cheetahs—a massive crowd of animals had surrounded the neighborhood in a blink.
Looking up, she saw flocks of birds.
Yu Yu: "[???]"
Instinctively, she snapped a photo. [My place is surrounded by animals.]
Then, struck by inspiration, she photographed the wolves. [Look! Wolfie!]
Only then did Yu Yu study the pack.
One white wolf stood out, likely a zoo star. The others… looked more like dogs…
Ugh, not cute. Not even as cute as a husky.
Yu Yu thought for a moment, then sent a husky photo. [Duchess, these are our wolves. What do you think? Cute, right?]
Felix: […]
Duchess: […]
Moments later, Yu Yu received a two-word review—
Feng Ye: [That's it?]