The black cat's ears folded into airplane mode.
Yu Yu couldn't help but ask, "Senior, Senior, is our Wuwu mute or something? I swear I've never heard her meow. And she barely eats…"
She rambled on, then added, "Is she sick? Should I take her to the vet tomorrow?"
Felix hadn't planned to speak—she didn't want to draw Night Sovereign's attention—but a ripple of mental energy nudged her.
She sighed, lifting her head. "No, I've already fed her. She…"
"Maybe she's just not a meower," Felix said reluctantly. "Not every cat loves to yowl…"
Yu Yu's eyes widened. "Wait, Senior, you're into kitties too?! I thought you weren't a cat person!"
Wolf Wolf secretly feeding the cat? Adorable!
Felix steered the topic away. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to hunt for bronze leaves. I'll probably head back in a couple of days."
Yu Yu perked up. "Sweet!"
Though she thought the twig's effects were minor, every bit helped.
Was that anomaly just that special, or was Shang Wei just unlucky?
How else could it sneak into her house?
Maybe it was time to beef up her real-world defenses.
She logged on, but her body stayed put.
If an anomaly slipped in… the consequences were unthinkable.
With the traitor still AWOL, Yu Yu's gaming life remained blissfully calm.
Study, study, study.
Over the past month, she'd slipped back into her old rhythm: classes, memorizing texts, exams.
Senior Meng kept her word—no snitching.
Group 2, under the Grand Archon's orders, started taking frequent missions, dipping their toes into real spellcraft knowledge.
They studied diligently—even the bit about not washing dishes after meals.
Yu Yu, naturally, didn't join in.
Qian Qing's month-long grind probably earned less than her daily haul.
Her feelings about Senior and the crew were… complicated.
Teach a man to fish, and you've shown true virtue.
Settling her mind, Yu Yu opened her [Personal Log Thread, Continued—
Yu: [After deep study, my translations were totally off.]
[Allen script is phonetic, but Shiva script is ideographic. Allen's a super-simplified version of Shiva.]
[Allen's language and script are like Federal Common—read it, write it. Shiva's closer to Xia, worlds apart in difficulty.]
[No wonder I felt my translations of the seniors' codenames were weird.]
[Their codenames are Shiva script, each character rich with meaning. I mistook them for Allen, phonetically transliterating them, and they sounded off.]
[I ate without washing dishes]: [I'm often so clueless I feel out of place among bigshots.]
Qian Qing: [Are you gaming or cramming for the top academy?]
Her posts always drew a crowd, but Yu Yu was used to it, writing on—
['Meng' in Allen is nonsense—I forced a word to fit. In Shiva, it's abstract, hard to pin down—'wind of the vast sky, chasing clouds for ten thousand miles.' Maybe that captures it. Senior Meng's codename feels free, natural, boundless, and clear, like 'wandering to where the waters end, sitting to watch the clouds rise.' It's unique. I can't find a single word to sum it up.]
['Chang' in Shiva means 'sky,' often tied to war. It's tricky compared to Federal Common or Xia. The former's straightforward, the latter abstract. If I had to pick a word, maybe 'Huan'—conquering distant lands, awe-inspiring nations, halting strife with might.]
[This shifts how I see Senior Chang. Wonder what she was thinking back then. If translated, she'd be Senior Huan. Considering her school… huh, Senior Chang was once a dreamer with big ambitions.]
[I ate without washing dishes]: [No way! I don't buy it! She made me deliver newspapers last time and skimped my reward! No way she's got that kind of vision!!!]
—Qian Qing: [Seconded.]
—Chang Xun: [Seconded.]
A string of Group 2 members chimed in. As their mission issuer, Chang's image was firmly etched in their minds.
['Qiong' isn't Xia's 'poor' or 'exhausted,' but 'Heng,' eternal constancy. It reminds me of a common Shiva quote: 'enduring like the stars.' That's the gist. 'Qiong' is that 'Heng.']
[But it's got layers.] Yu Yu paused, typing on.[Ideographic scripts are so abstract. In Xia terms, 'Qiong' carries 'Heng' but also a sigh of 'alas, my life is fleeting, yet I envy the river's endless flow.' The true meaning? Probably only Senior Qiong knows.]
Her post drew plenty of eyes, including Magic Circle's. Chang, sipping tea at the city guard camp, grinned at the thread.
Oh ho, the kid finally gets how cool Meng's codename is?
Back in the day, her codename had wowed plenty of seniors. Pure aesthetic.
Huan? That's obscure.
Chang casually hacked into the Federation's network, brushing up. She pulled up a table of posthumous titles, checked 'Huan's' meaning, and nodded, pleased.
That's it.
Sky? Too weak.
Her codename wasn't that basic. But reading on, her smile stiffened.
Hold up. What's this about me being a dreamer 'back then'? I'm not now?
Looking at you, [I ate without washing dishes]
Chang memorized every 'seconded' name, her smile growing gentler. Meng saw it too, quietly satisfied. She'd taught well, hadn't she?
The kid's awful translation thread was finally dropped. An unlearned spellcaster was on the right path—Meng felt a spark of pride.
Her codename? Old history.
Qiong nodded. Finally, someone with taste. Some fool had once suggested 'Rich' to pair with her—hah.
The Federation had its merits, especially Xia's culture.
When they studied Federal cultures, Xia's history fascinated them. Its phrasing, even to them, held beauty. If times were different, she'd dive into Xia, write papers on it. Xia's language and culture could fuel a century of research, endless papers. She bet others, like Xue, thought the same. Even now, Xue churned out papers—study god, terrifying as ever.
Yu: [Skipping Dai and Xue for now.]
Dai: [Why skip me?]
Her comment was hidden from players.
Yu replied: [Bigshot, you know why.]
Some codenames brimmed with depth; others stayed lackluster in any language.
[Logging on soon, one last bit. Senior 'Chong,' War Department's steward—her codename's surprisingly beautiful.]
[Notably, stars and moons in Shiva carry meanings like Xia's, rich with imagery. 'Chong' is a moon alias, tied to a lovely image.]
[Abstractly, think 'may we all endure, sharing the moonlight across a thousand miles.']Yu Yu teased,[Who'd guess Cat Senior had such grand, beautiful dreams?]
[Codename research pauses here. Side note: 'Feng Ye' in Shiva is even weirder. Took me ages to get it.]
['How I wish for ten million grand halls to shelter all the world's poor in joy.' Something like that. Pfft.]
[Trekking through Shiva's tedious script, this is my small joy. Sigh, another 6 a.m. day.]
[One final tidbit.]
[Silver Moon once used Shiva's language and script. Proof's in the streets—Shiva traces everywhere. Wolf Wolf Plaza's statue base has Shiva inscriptions, a stele praising founding Duchess 'Sae·Desilia·Silver Moon's' deeds. My hobbyist sleuthing found she was a unique Silver Moon Skywolf. Unlike her fame-averse clan, she was ambitious and built a vast legacy.]
[Pro tip: Want to meet the Duchess? Loudly recite the stele at the castle. You probably won't get jailed. The Duchess wouldn't lock up someone praising her ancestor, right?]
Fu: […I don't think so.]
Felix: [.]
Qian Qing: [Well said, but how do you read it?]
Yu: [Oh, another detail.]
[Allen's literacy rate is insane—universal. Since Silver Moon used Shiva script, why switch to Allen's? Anomalies? Unlikely, or spellcasters wouldn't use Shiva.]
Feng Ye finally chimed in. [Oh? What's your theory?]
Yu Yu, typing furiously, [Don't tell me it's to simplify script and boost literacy. If Magic Circle pushed that, I've got one thing to say: 'Magic Circle, terrifying as ever.' Other factions, kneel and sing surrender now, or you're too late.]
Fu: […]
Feng Ye: [Hmph, explain why 'Feng Ye' made you scoff.]
Yu Yu posted and bolted, ignoring the thread's chaos. Over the month, her strength and knowledge had soared. She'd finally finished the spellcaster basics course! Congrats!
All exams? Perfect scores!!!
Senior Xue's tight leash could ease a bit. Yu Yu hadn't picked her advanced courses yet. Senior Meng's side… well, there was always something to learn, no rush. After a month's grounding, Yu Yu had solidified her high-tier spellcaster status, no longer 'provisional.'
She'd built her Magic Ring. With Senior Meng's hands-on guidance—literally pulling out her own Ring for Yu Yu to study—how could she fail?
With the Ring, she embedded her go-to spells. A thought triggered them, mana costs slashed, chanting nearly gone—fast and slick.
Downside? Her Ring, limited by her mental growth, was small, holding few spell models. Nothing she could do.
A spellcaster's strength likely hinged on their Ring's size. Senior Meng said her mental stat of nine was top-tier, growing over ten times faster than an eight. Given time, her future was limitless.
The catch? Right after becoming a true high-tier spellcaster, headquarters summoned her. Yu Yu was a bit rattled.
What's this about?
Traitor's back?
The black cat, unusually free, lounged by the computer, tail swishing lazily, eyes glued to the screen. Yu Yu was chatting with Felix. [Senior, what's up with headquarters? I'm just high-tier—why summon me?!]
[I wanted to hit the Main Continent to find Senior Meng's cure!]
[Tell me secretly—is it… His Majesty Night Sovereign back?]
[Is she out to get me? Flame Sovereign wasn't my idea! He crashed into my house from the sky! I couldn't say no, right?!]
[I'm just a pitiful, weak, helpless little spellcaster!]
After typing, Yu Yu absently petted the cat's head. Her hand brushed something. She looked closer. "You little troublemaker, you swiped the bronze twig again?"
The bronze twig now had six leaves, its branches longer. It still weakly repelled anomalies, but its range now covered the entire neighborhood.
You can always trust Wolf Wolf's nose (not really).
The black cat flicked its tail lazily, emerald eyes fixed on the computer.
Yu Yu couldn't resist stroking its fur. So sleek!
Wuwu was a super-smart, super-agile cat. Yu Yu adored her. Though her temperament was typical—ignoring calls, dodging if you approached unless she wanted to play. Normally, you couldn't even find her shadow.
Yu Yu grumbled, "Black cats are stealth masters, vanishing perfectly. Can't find them."
She turned to Felix. [Showing off Wuwu takes perfect lighting and angles. She's gorgeous, but her black fur always underexposes, coming out blurry…]
On a nearby windowsill, a sturdier cat with a white chest patch sprawled lazily. If Yu Yu looked closely, she'd see a bronze twig under its belly fur, with three more leaves than hers. The cat had found it itself.
Yu Yu kept complaining, "Is headquarters nuts? I never reported 0007!"
"Or is it because I let the fugitive Majesty out? Night Sovereign's not here to silence me, is she?"
The black cat's emerald eyes flicked toward her. At 'fugitive Majesty,' the windowsill cat's tail froze. Locking eyes with the desk cat, both cats radiated hostility. A month of otherworldly teamwork hadn't thawed their rift. Thanks to their students' constant bickering, they'd veered hard toward mutual loathing.
Yu Yu: [What? Who? Huh? I can take a master?! Holy—Magic Circle's got folks bold enough to take apprentices?!]
Night Sovereign bristled, shooting a cold glare.
Yu Yu, oblivious, typed on. [Hahaha, apprenticing to Night Sovereign would be wild! What's that saying? Speaker's stage—dream big, show up!]
She'd locked up Night Sovereign (not really).
Flame Sovereign sneered.
Night Sovereign: "…"
She couldn't help retorting, "My teacher clearly said she'd pass the seat to me. The council knew and agreed, waiting for the handover. Then she backtracked…"
Flame Sovereign raised his head. "Don't recall that."
His tail swished forcefully.
Yu Yu didn't hear their voices, typing, [Shame Night Sovereign's not summoning or elemental—would've been fun.]
[Senior, what about you? Can you take a master?]
[Huh? Why not?]
[Dang it! If I get a master, I'll beg them to take you! We'd be true senior-junior sisters!]
Felix didn't dare say much, fearing Night Sovereign was watching.
But Yu Yu's words made her pause for two seconds.
If she recalled, her teacher was Night Sovereign's nominal disciple…
Yu Yu: [Can I really apprentice to a Legendary? Honestly, Senior Meng's great! She teaches well, she's gentle, and I know her!]
[If not, Senior Xue's fine too. What if Legendaries are like the fugitive Majesty, calling me 'little loser' all day?]
She speculated maliciously, [Did he call Night Sovereign 'little loser' too, and that's why she locked him up?]
Felix was numb, dodging her bait. [Their Majesties are all great, erudite, and noble. Don't talk nonsense.]
Yu Yu: "Pfft, you said the same about the Grand Archon—not a word was true."
"By the way, who are the Majesties?"
Felix: [The eight Majesties are—Speaker Night Sovereign, pre-Legendary, curse and negative energy.]
[Councilor Reconstructor, pre-Legendary, enchantment.]
[Councilor Blood Lord, pre-Legendary, summoning.]
[Councilor Scribe, pre-Legendary, curse and illusion.]
[Councilor Mirror, pre-Legendary, curse.]
[Councilor Storm Sovereign, pre-Legendary, elemental.]
[Councilor Dream Lord, pre-Legendary, illusion and negative energy.]
[Councilor Wayfarer, pre-Legendary, shapeshifting.]
[These are pre-Legendary. Their Majesties are vastly learned, already erudite before Legendary, let alone after. Each is a peerless prodigy, beyond our guesses. Respect them seriously, no mocking, got it?]
Yu Yu shrugged. [Fine. So, has Night Sovereign returned? I wanna go play.]
[My Magic Ring's built, barely used. I want to hunt Senior Meng's cure, then roam a bit. I'm sick of Silver Moon's constant stress—I need to blow off steam!!!]
Felix: [Not yet.]
Yu Yu groaned. [Night Sovereign's been gone two months? That's nuts. Other places have 'constitutional monarchy'—Magic Circle's got 'offline Speaker' mode?]
Night Sovereign: "…"
Once my portal's built, I'm back.
Bronze leaves did reduce their corruption, via a mechanism unlike the Stars'. They needed long-term study.
Corruption the Stars couldn't cleanse was somehow eased here. But their tests showed only bronze leaves and twigs—like Yu Yu's—worked. Bronze swords or cauldrons? Useless.
Compared to Yu Yu's food, the effect was slower. Without cracking the principle or assembling a full bronze tree, they'd need frequent visits. At that thought, Night Sovereign glanced at Yu Yu.
Then firmly nixed the idea.
No. Absolutely not.
Why did Yu Yu's food reduce corruption?
They'd watched Shu Tu cook, eaten her meticulously prepared dishes.
They'd even slept hugging bronze twigs.
There was some effect, but something was missing.
Night Sovereign had contacted colleagues, learning of Yu Yu's peculiarity.
…If Yu Yu weren't right there, Night Sovereign might suspect she was an anomaly.
She'd scoured Magic Circle's records, finding one oddity.
World.
A Magic Circle-made attribute—Night Sovereign didn't even know what it meant.
Maybe the Stars' will was guiding them?
She didn't know.
Unlike her teacher, she wouldn't act without solid, provable evidence. She'd keep observing.
Headquarters… apprenticeship…
Night Sovereign sank into thought.
Yu Yu had been chatting with Felix for ages. [Got it, got it—master-apprentice isn't genetic.]
[Like Flame Sovereign's elemental, but Night Sovereign's curse and negative energy, and the Grand Archon's summoning—all over the place.]
She giggled. [Alright, alright, logging on.]
Online, Yu Yu hummed, casting Flight to zip off.
In the air, her black spellcaster robes fluttered, hood blown back, revealing a fair, delicate face.
She was in high spirits. "Senior Chong! I'm here! Where's my shop?"
Chong had indeed torn a hole in her robe, unbothered by stares—her vibe was all about living free.
Yu Yu loved Senior Chong's attitude. Feeling cooped up, plus progress in teleportation and two flight spells, she often swung by Withered Tree Town to hang out.
Not to sneak to the Main Continent!
Chong: "I saved you a big house, prime spot, right on the plaza."
She led Yu Yu to see it. "What do you think?"
Yu Yu lit up. "Senior, you're the best!"
Chong grinned, then said abruptly, "So, you called me Cat Senior?"
She'd clearly seen the post.
Yu Yu played innocent. "Typo in the heat of the moment."
Chong smirked. "Read it and go home. The Grand Archon and others told me to keep you in check, no sneaking to the Main Continent."
"I'm swamped. How about you head back nicely?"
"Or I'll call Meng to drag you."
Yu Yu pouted, aggrieved. "Can I just follow you around, Senior?"
"Nope. You'll grab my tail, and I'd have to watch you don't bolt." Chong refused sternly. "Go home. Now."
Yu Yu deflated. "I'll send folks to open the shop in a few days. Take care of me, Senior!"
Chong: "Got it, now shoo."
That night.
Online, Yu Yu slogged through books and idled. Offline…
Flame Sovereign stood, arms crossed, icy. "Here? What if she sleepwalks through and stumbles into Silver Moon?"
They stood before Yu Yu's bathroom door, Flame Sovereign skeptical.
Night Sovereign: "As if she could casually open a portal."
"Teacher, your corruption's down?"
The black-robed man rarely pulled back his hood, revealing a sharp, handsome face.
Don't ask—Magic Circle folks all had ageless charm.
Flame Sovereign said coldly, "Scales on my face happened to fade. Corruption's at 69—I can manage."
Night Sovereign beamed. "Great! Teacher, come back to the council with me."
Flame Sovereign's face darkened. "No."
He shot his traitor a cold look. "Once my corruption's more stable, we've got scores to settle."
Night Sovereign's smile froze, words caught, before she sighed. "Fine."
She mentally gauged her teacher's strength, then relaxed.
No biggie.
Main Continent.
Yu Yu waved. "Hey, Senior! I'm back!"
This time, she came solo, no entourage!
The high-tier spellcaster guarding the portal greeted her warmly. "Hey, kid!"
"Hold on, let me check if Lord Chong's lifted your ban." She glanced at the Magic Circle interface.
Yu Yu, confident, said, "I cleared it with Senior Chong before coming. No way there's an issue."
The earnest spellcaster was convincing. The guard looked up. "Alright, ban's lifted. Where to?"
Yu Yu: "Nofno Province, Heart of Monsoon City."
"That far?" The guard's tone turned serious. "Outsiders don't die, but the unknown anomalies, beasts, and cultists out there are no joke. Stick to Magic Circle-developed cities…"
"Nope, that's the one. It's got a major Magic Circle branch and a grand library."
"Hang on, I'll check with Lord Chong."
Yu Yu's smile faded. "You need to ask for this?"
Guard: "Yup."
Even they knew her reputation now. A slew of Magic Circle bigshots cared about Yu's safety. Last time, she thought Yu was joking, asking which Grand Archon she was tied to. Then she hit the forums and learned Yu did regularly chat with the Grand Archon and stewards.
She even @'d Silver Moon's Grand Archon, not to mention all those stewards.
She asked, and Chong replied instantly—
[What? She's going where? Didn't she tell me Helen City?]
Yu Yu's face fell. She hadn't expected Magic Circle to watch her this closely.
They even checked her destinations and reported to Chong?
!
Good thing she'd planned ahead.
Time to settle for plan B.
Sai Province—Lightcone's red dot was already cracked by her and Senior Meng.
The next golden question mark was in Sai!
Helen? Cough, just a decoy for Senior Chong and Meng… Sigh, she hadn't counted on the portal guard snitching.
Her miscalculation.
Chong Teleported in.
Her tail tapped the ground, smirking coldly at Yu Yu.
Yu Yu: "Can't I pick my own destination?"
Chong: "Pick."
"Then Heart of Monsoon!"
"No."
Yu Yu: "Didn't you just say I could pick?!"
Chong smirked. "I gave you the right to choose, not approval."
Yu Yu's face crumpled.
Chong: "Want a suggestion?"
Yu Yu shot her a reluctant glare. "No, I'm going to Sai Province, a small city, Fangya!"
She sidled up, whispering, "Lightcone's next red dot's there."
Chong paused, mulling it over. "It's small, but not Magic Circle-developed. Anomalies don't care about city size."
"You going alone's too risky. Where's Meng?"
Yu Yu, dead serious: "I'm high-tier now! Am I supposed to have a senior babysit me every Main Continent trip?!"
Chong wavered, swayed. "I'll ask the Grand Archon…?"
Yu Yu had a point. Before, fine, but she was high-tier now. Time to let her spread her wings, but…
"No!" Yu Yu, fearing delays, cut in. "I can livestream! I can call for help off-site. I'm not alone, right?!"
"If it's really bad, I'll Teleport out. If I can't, I'll log off and ping the seniors, yeah?" Yu Yu pressed, "I'm safer than you guys."
Chong hesitated. "You'll livestream?"
Yu Yu nodded vigorously.
Chong thought, then said, "Fine, I'll grab you some supplies."
She dragged Yu Yu back, lecturing the whole way, secretly snitching behind her back.
The ignored guard: "…"
Why?
Her boss hadn't even acknowledged her, just yanked Yu Yu and left. Back when they went to the Main Continent, no one held their hands with earnest warnings!
Ugh, so jealous.
A player team bounded up, all cheery.
The guard, frosty: "Speak."
Moments later, Yu Yu crossed the portal, arriving in Sai Province, Fangya City.
It was indeed a small city.
Nothing like Lynx Capital's grandeur.
Yu Yu wrinkled her nose.
But still—this was her first solo trip!
One last thing to do.
She logged off, messaging [I ate without washing dishes]. [Quick, check if Senior Meng's home!]
[I ate without washing dishes]: [Huh?]
Ages later, they replied, [She's home.]
Oddly, their tone was flat.
Yu Yu relaxed, logging back on.
Besides Lightcone's clue, this place supposedly had a Restoration School ruin and a potion warehouse. Maybe even a small Magic Circle branch with leads.
Potions and recipes were a bit luck-based.
Despite her confidence, Yu Yu had no clue when she'd find them.
Speaking of, was Saint Puglis a Restoration School bigshot? Why else was she always tangled with them?
Yu Yu didn't rush to livestream. She surveyed the area, steeled her expression, activated Mage's Eye and other support spells, then went Invisible and flew off.
Lightcone, your Saint Puglis Majesty's back!