On the third day, two shark demons and a large group of ghosts came. So what would appear on the fourth day?
Mu Anqi slept especially well this time, and when she woke up in the morning her whole body felt warm. She looked at the token and thought that the General was really… considerate. After all, there probably wasn't any ghost king who would care about whether a player felt cold while sleeping, right?
This special kind of favoritism, even though General Ji never said anything, was enough to make Mu Anqi think more about it.
Only, whether General Ji really meant it or if she was just being sentimental herself aside, what gave Mu Anqi some hesitation was that General Ji was a ghost. A romance between a human and a ghost… was that really okay? But then again, she herself wasn't exactly normal anymore. As a player in Nirvana Space, her profile even said "at the age of," which wasn't much different from a ghost in a special state. But even if she got past this stage, General Ji was still just a female ghost.
Of course, she knew the word "homosexuality," but when truly faced with it—
It seemed… it wasn't really that big of a deal?
Mu Anqi sat dazed on the bedding for a while, then rubbed her face to wake herself up. She stood and put away the blankets; if the deck dried later, she would lay them out there to air. As for now, it was better to go to the galley and get some water to wash her face.
As soon as Mu Anqi entered the galley, Xia Yun greeted her: "I didn't expect General Ji to give you such a token."
Mu Anqi smiled shyly. "After all, I'm a recruited player. Didn't your master give you something to save your life?"
"There is, but it's just a sword aura. It can't keep me warm and has no protective effect." Xia Yun sighed. Last night, while she was shivering in her sleep, Mu Anqi's side was truly warm. She had even wanted to scoot closer; after all, they were both girls, and sleeping huddled together wasn't a big deal. But! As soon as she got close, that token lit up and pushed her away. Mu Anqi was still fast asleep, so whose doing it was went without saying.
No wonder people said General Ji was unpredictable and hard to figure out. This much possession toward a player was really too strong.
Sword aura? Wasn't that pretty powerful too! At a critical moment, it might even be able to kill a boss instantly. Xia Yun's master had actually left her such a sure-kill technique!
"Wait, what are you guys talking about? What token, what sword aura?" Fang Xunjiu was completely confused. He glanced at his sister cooking porridge, then looked at Mu Anqi and the others in disbelief. "The ghost kings who recruit you actually give you life-saving items? Is this some sort of Taiyin tradition? Don't the players recruited by the Underworld Capital get anything?"
"Yes." Wu Sansheng took out from her backpack a strand of white fox fur about the length of a pinky finger. The fur was roughly three millimeters thick, and it looked quite unusual. "But it's not very practical." She blew on the strand, and the long white fur instantly turned into a palm-sized ball of white fox fluff as it landed on the ground. Its pointy ears twitched, it ran to Wu Sansheng's feet, whimpered "ying ying ying," and even rolled over to show its soft pink belly.
Mu Anqi was speechless for a moment. She stared blankly at the little ball for a long while before blurting out, "Damn!"
"What do you mean not practical! Such a cute little fox—just hug it! It's begging you to pet it! Ahhh—" Mu Anqi was almost going crazy. She finally understood why the White Fox Demon King said Wu Sansheng was a scholarly woman unmoved by temptation. This was more than just unmoved! Even when such an adorable fluffball was whimpering at her feet begging to be touched, this woman could still ignore it!
Mu Anqi squatted down, intending to pet the little ball, but the fox's ears twitched and it fixed its gaze on her, then quickly darted behind Wu Sansheng's legs, extremely wary.
Wu Sansheng still wore her usual expressionless face. But seeing Mu Anqi so agitated… in the end, she bent down and picked up the little fluffball. Her movements, however, were obviously clumsy. Yet the little white ball enjoyed it immensely, constantly burrowing into Wu Sansheng's arms and even licking her fingers with its pink tongue.
Mu Anqi carefully reached out her hand and rubbed the little white fluffball's head. The soft, furry touch struck her heart at once. "So nice."
Wu Sansheng: "..."
Five minutes later, the little white fluffball disappeared. Each strand of fox fur could turn into a small fox, but it only lasted for five minutes. Normally, she would blow out a strand when facing danger, letting the little fox lure it away or serve as a scouting tool.
"…So, only my sister and I don't have any extra items?" Fang Xunjiu wore an expression of existential doubt. Why was that? Were they not cute enough, not strong enough? Clearly, after the last game, the Green Vine Demon sisters had, for some baffling reason, insisted on teaching them whip techniques. Fang Xunjiu and Fang Yunjiu had been forced to study seriously. Though their progress was dismal, their effort was obvious!
Fang Yunjiu thought for a moment and comforted him: "Maybe once we master whip techniques, the two Demon Ladies will give us green vine whips?"
"…But I don't like using whips."
Fang Yunjiu sighed. She didn't like them either.
So this was the disparity among players? Clearly, everyone was in Nirvana Space and all recruited by powerful beings of the Shattered Mirror Continent, yet their experiences were completely different.
After a simple meal of porridge and flatbread, when they went back on deck the sky had cleared. Fang Xunjiu and Xia Yun helped tie up long lines, while Mu Anqi spread the bedding to dry. They busied themselves for quite a while, even hanging up all the clothes that had been soaked before. Fang Yunjiu carried up the firewood, hoping to let it dry in the sun.
After finishing all that, they finally enjoyed a long-missed moment of leisure, basking in the sun on the deck. Mu Anqi felt a bit nostalgic for her lounge chair, but since this was still a game, she couldn't relax too much; not bringing it wasn't a bad thing either. Fang Xunjiu, on the other hand, opened the diary, wanting to see what they might encounter today…
Oh, a wondrous song?
"I have never heard such a beautiful voice. While I was intoxicated by the singing, I suddenly found myself with my father and mother in a strange blue palace. I had never seen such a beautiful elder sister! Her upper body was human, her lower body a fishtail. She conjured steaming hot food for us. We slept there for a while and even ate fruits I had never tasted before… It was so blissful. What a pity we couldn't stay there forever…"
A song, an illusion, a sea demon?
From the diary, could it be that the sea demon was friendly? Welcoming people from the ship and serving them with food and drink? But the lines spoken by the shark demons and ghosts clearly didn't mean that…
Just as they were puzzled, a reef suddenly emerged from the distant sea. On it, a mermaid draped in garments made of rainbow-colored shells, her lower body covered in iridescent scales, sat gracefully. She softly hummed an unknown melody, and the uniquely enchanting voice of a mermaid crossed the waves of the sea and drifted all the way to the ship—
"Did you hear some—" Fang Xunjiu's question abruptly stopped. His gaze gradually turned vacant, an expression of infatuation spreading across his face. He uncontrollably took a step forward, only to be punched in the stomach by Wu Sansheng the next second, then quickly tied up with a rope.
The moment the diary mentioned a sea demon, Wu Sansheng had already grown wary. As soon as the singing started, she acted at once. She bound Fang Xunjiu, then tied up Xia Yun and Mu Anqi as well. Fang Yunjiu struggled to shake her head clear, managing to keep a trace of lucidity. She forced out her transformation incantation: "Dark power slumbering in my bloodline, awaken! Possession of the Evil God!"
A surge of sinister aura instantly burst forth. Fang Yunjiu broke free from the song's enchantment in an instant. Looking around the ship, she saw her brother bound, his eyes vacant and staring blankly into the distance with a silly grin. Miss Xia wore an expression of confusion and hesitation. And as for Mu Anqi…
Mu Anqi seemed to have fallen asleep?
Just then, Fang Xunjiu struggled and reached out his hand, as if to take something. As he lifted his hand, it looked like he was about to pick up chopsticks to eat. Fang Yunjiu, terrified, pounced on him at once, clutching his neck. Only after confirming that the eating motion had disappeared did she shake him vigorously. "Brother! Brother, can't you have a little backbone?! You just finished breakfast!"
When Mu Anqi heard the singing, she also sensed something was wrong. But with things like enchanting songs or illusions, even if she realized it, she would still fall for it. The singing was indeed beautiful, the unique timbre and chanting laced with a special mental suggestion that directly pulled the players' consciousness into another space—an illusion.
Only, for some reason, when Mu Anqi looked at that beautiful mermaid, her heart didn't stir at all. Beautiful was beautiful, but somehow she felt that this mermaid's charm had even less allure than that little white fox spirit earlier, and compared to General Ji, it wasn't even close.
Mu Anqi glanced around and saw Xia Yun, who looked wary, and Fang Xunjiu, who was completely captivated by the mermaid. Fang Yunjiu and Wu Sansheng were clearly unaffected. Mu Anqi felt a little more at ease—at least their bodies were safe.
She looked from the mermaid to Fang Xunjiu, especially at the full imperial banquet that appeared with just a wave of the mermaid's hand. The dishes were plentiful, the aromas mouthwatering. Just looking at them made one feel hungry. Every dish was so perfectly presented it could serve as a menu photo! When the domineering scent of pickled fish reached her nose, Mu Anqi couldn't help the flood of saliva… but this was, after all, only an illusion.
"Xia Yun? Fang Xunjiu?" Mu Anqi called her teammates' names. Xia Yun was still able to glance over, but Fang Xunjiu had already picked up chopsticks—then his expression suddenly changed, as if something had gripped his throat. When the chopsticks slipped from his hand, his body began jerking violently back and forth like he was in a fit.
Hmm, maybe she should use one of the blessings from the list? After all, the mermaid was so beautiful, Mu Anqi was especially curious what kind of expression she'd make if forced into some embarrassing action.
Mu Anqi cleared her throat, and when the mermaid's pair of azure eyes tinged with gold turned toward her, she softly spoke: "I wish you harmonious love like phoenixes, a hundred years of happiness together, everlasting bonds, and to grow old side by side!" A heartfelt blessing about love and union might seem a bit abrupt beneath the grand imperial banquet, but that didn't matter—so long as the sentiment was sincere, the blessing would surely take effect!
The mermaid showed a slightly puzzled expression. A beauty in puzzlement was still pleasing to the eye. Of course, a beauty in fear was also pleasing to the eye.
The beauty began to sing and dance. That magical macho-man transformation dance, usually so cringeworthy it made one's toes curl and want to flee, was under the little mermaid's gentle rhythm performed in a way that was utterly pleasing to the eye. Though Mu Anqi couldn't understand the accompaniment to the mermaid's transformation, it didn't stop her from recognizing the familiar melody.
As it turned out, magical transformations depended on the performer. Like this little mermaid—she forcibly turned a transformation sequence into a concert performance. Though it was still chuunibyou, watching it felt perfectly natural, without the slightest sense of awkwardness!