…There was no mountain deity at the summit.
The moment they reached the mountaintop, a sinister wind howled, and mournful wails filled the air. The players immediately went on high alert. Instead of a mountain deity, they were met with… five specters shrouded in swirling black mist!
Almost the instant the ghosts appeared, the players simultaneously unleashed their most powerful attacks! Zheng Dajuan quickly used her skill to randomly generate a blade. A sharp kitchen knife promptly appeared in her hand. In the next moment, she activated her "Enchantment" skill, causing the blade's edge to gleam with a bloody light. She charged straight at a specter.
Talismans, grenades… Zhao Tiezhu's skin began to glow with a golden light, while Sun Goudan's fists became wreathed in crackling purple lightning. Under this onslaught of flashy special effects, the ghosts were utterly annihilated in a single round.
"?" Zheng Dajuan was completely dumbfounded the moment her blade sliced clean through one of the specters. This… where was the bitter struggle she had anticipated? Just… just one slash? That's it? This is all?
Wang Erma hadn't even had time to make a move before all five specters were thoroughly destroyed.
A series of question marks practically floated above the players' heads. As the ghosts dissipated, they revealed the mountain deity altar at the summit. The altar was covered in dust, and its surface held no offerings. The statue of the mountain deity itself… was only about half a person's height. Its facial features were no longer discernible, and it maintained a posture of bowing its head with cupped hands. A small pool of water rested in its palms.
Zhao Tiezhu and Sun Goudan hesitantly took some of the water and drank a small sip. Their corruption statuses were promptly cleansed. Not long after, they heard the notification confirming their clearance.
They all received an A-rank rating, but the text in parentheses following the rating left them with a rather sour taste in their mouths—"The game designers give their thumbs-up for your dedicated testing."
"Th-that's it?! It's over?!"
For the players, clearing the game like this offered absolutely no sense of accomplishment! After all the torment they had endured, was there really not even a final Boss waiting for them on the mountain?
"No, this is good. This is just fine," Zhao Tiezhu murmured in a low voice, his body slowly relaxing. "I never want to be randomly assigned to a game like this again. It was pure torture… even more terrifying than the serial killer game." As he spoke, he didn't hesitate for a second and promptly exited the game.
What was the point of staying? To engage in another round of awkward roleplay with the other players? Or to collectively reminisce about the miserable experiences from the game? Completely unnecessary!
Zhao Tiezhu started the trend, and the remaining players, without any lingering attachment, all left one after another. Not only did they hope to never be matched into this type of game again, they didn't even want to encounter the players from this world in any other games!
...
"So that's the end of it." Mu Anqi felt a bit unsatisfied, like she hadn't had her fill. The players had cleared the game and left, and the relevant game personnel naturally received the notification. The emotional value obtained could be converted into energy for building the game or into Guansi; these were all managed by Ji Huaichu and Dramatist. As for Mu Anqi—
The emotional value stimulation from the awkward play had received a good rating, and Nirvana Space had given her an A. Bolstered by the passive effect of "Windfall Fortune," Mu Anqi gained 1250 points.
"4917.1 points…" Mu Anqi glanced at her total balance, thought for a moment, and then decided, "I'll go to Nirvana Space to buy a mental defense item, clear one more Black Mirror Vortex, and then we can go play in the parallel world!"
"Alright." Ji Huaichu agreed. Mu Anqi suddenly realized that the General seemed to agree to every request she made. She smiled, hugged Ji Huaichu's neck, planted a kiss on the General's cheek, and then stood up and looked at the Dramatist. "The first trial run is over… the game still needs some improvements. Could you first enrich the storyline and then build the Mountain Deity Temple?"
"Of course." The Dramatist currently had countless ideas in mind. Mu Anqi was a player; if the game officially started running, it would be impossible for Mu Anqi to constantly stay in the game as an NPC. She could only appear randomly as a surprise easter egg. Therefore, Dramatist needed to devise another way to stimulate the players' emotional value. The nightly illusions also needed to be enriched, and it would be best to modify the villagers slightly to create a connection with the various night illusions.
—Of course, these could be done gradually, planned out slowly. Next, she needed to observe and learn from games created by other spirits.
The Dramatist kept glancing at Ji Huaichu, clearly wanting the token that would allow her to visit other games. But Ji Huaichu, holding Mu Anqi's hand, didn't spare her even a glance from the corner of her eye. The Dramatist didn't dare speak up and could only wait silently for them to finish their interaction.
"Aren't you going to Nirvana Space to buy items?" Ji Huaichu said. "Go on. Come back for dinner after you're done."
These unusually down-to-earth words made Mu Anqi pause for a second before she replied with a smile, "Okay, I'll be back soon!"
Even though it was just an ordinary, brief separation, Mu Anqi suddenly felt an illusion, as if she were going out to work while her lover waited for her at home. And her home now wasn't the rest room in Nirvana Space, but the General's Manor in Shattered Mirror Continent.
Teleporting back to Nirvana Space, Mu Anqi headed straight for the item shop. She wanted to buy an accessory from the mental defense series. After all, items like cloaks or clothing… might be too conspicuous when worn, and she already had the Golden Thread Soft Armor. Adding another piece of clothing would be too cumbersome. Furthermore, defensive gear with a disguise effect would definitely be more expensive.
After browsing for a while, Mu Anqi settled on a gemstone pendant. The gem was an unknown transparent crystal, which the shopkeeper claimed were the tears of a certain creature. The accessory's effect was very straightforward:
[Mental Defense Pendant]: Provides the wearer with one layer of mental defense if they have none. (Refreshes at midnight daily)
Mu Anqi asked carefully about the pendant's effect: Does it provide a layer of defense as long as I have no protection?
"No. At today's midnight, if you had no mental defense, the pendant provided you with one layer. If your mental defense is negated before tomorrow's midnight, the pendant will only refresh for you after midnight has passed," the shopkeeper explained with a smile. "After all, this item isn't very expensive."
"…I see." Mu Anqi fell silent for a moment. "I suppose many players save up to buy this pendant?"
"Of course, there are also quite a few players who try to return it." Perhaps because Mu Anqi was a VIP, the shopkeeper even told her this, as if just making casual conversation.
Priced at 800 points, 560 after discount, Mu Anqi paid promptly. Without continuing to shop, and remembering the General's mention of dinner, Mu Anqi didn't linger in Nirvana Space and returned directly.
Stepping through the city gates, she indeed saw Ji Huaichu waiting for her.
"General, you've been accompanying me all these days… Aren't you busy?" Mu Anqi asked curiously. Although she loved the quiet companionship, shouldn't the General be very busy?
"There are many Ghost Kings in Shattered Mirror Continent; they can also clear the Black Mirror Vortices," Ji Huaichu replied. "No matter what, one should always prioritize the important things first."
"The General says that… making me feel like some kind of siren causing a ruler's downfall," Mu Anqi said with a hint of helplessness, but the smile on her face was exceptionally sweet. She took Ji Huaichu's hand and walked side-by-side with her towards the General's Manor, saying quietly as they walked, "You can't always dump all the work on Xia Fenghua either; she's still a child."
"Only her appearance is that of a child." Although she said that, Ji Huaichu still agreed. "She will be getting many new assistants soon; she won't be too busy." Since the game had been created, she wouldn't specialize in clearing Black Mirror Vortices in the future. The focus of her daily life would shift to development. This way, she would also have more time to accompany Mu Anqi… As for Mu Anqi entering games, she could accompany her to Black Mirror Vortices, and she could also observe spirit-type games in Shattered Mirror Continent. She wouldn't be absent.
Recruit another group of capable subordinates, assign some to Xia Fenghua and some to Dramatist. Leave the city's major and minor affairs to Xia Fenghua, and game-related matters to Dramatist. A perfect division of labor.
The last rest period was also spent in training. During this time, Mu Anqi did see quite a few unfamiliar ghosts and didn't see much of Dramatist or Xia Fenghua coming to eat together.
On the final day, General Ji took Mu Anqi to clear the most recently appeared Black Mirror Vortex. The Dramatist, extremely excited, worked on improving and modifying the game, using the new subordinates to test the game's storyline and horror effects, identifying bugs and shortcomings to continue revising. Once the first round of modifications was complete, they could submit it to Nirvana Space to apply for reopening. During the waiting period, Dramatist could then go to other games for further study.
…
"This entire coastal city area is under Lady Red's territory." Ji Huaichu held Mu Anqi's hand as they disembarked from the airship. The originally bustling city had been evacuated due to the Black Mirror Vortex appearing in the commercial district. Now, the streets were empty of any spirits, leaving only a female spirit in ancient attire to receive Ji Huaichu.
"Greetings, General. Madame has gone to a banquet today and left me here to receive you. This Black Mirror Vortex appeared at 3:14 AM. Its specific type and location… the pollution manifestation isn't strong. Most residents who didn't evacuate in time experienced symptoms like heart palpitations and vomiting, and many also suffered from hallucinations. However, after regaining clarity, they couldn't accurately describe what they had seen."
"If you are prepared, you may enter now."
"Let's go." Without further delay, they headed straight for the massive black mist. This time, the external manifestation of the Black Mirror Vortex was a mass of black mist with irregular shapes, and it was unclear what it resembled. But whatever it was, they would find out once they entered.
Mu Anqi felt the pendant on her chest through her clothes. With this layer of mental protection, she wasn't too afraid. Combined with the General's formidable prowess, there was no Black Mirror Vortex they couldn't handle.
[Ding! You have entered the range of a Black Mirror Vortex. Enter?]
Yes.
[Ding! Entering the Black Mirror Vortex…]
[Beep! Activating instance: Bizarre Tales and Strange Words!]
[Entering… Please wait…]
[Beep! Passive Skill · Chosen One activated!]
[Congratulations, Player, on obtaining 2580 + 500 Guansi.]
The familiar sensation of teleportation faded. Mu Anqi held Ji Huaichu's hand. This time… she and the General actually weren't separated?