Although Strange tale ghost currently didn't know much about the Shattered Mirror Continent—not even Ji Huaichu's position within it, how the continent's power levels were divided, or where she would live and what she would eat in the future—after seeing the "game" venue and the Dramatist's designs, and learning that the sole requirement was to "elicit the maximum emotional value from the game participants," Strange tale ghost felt a surge of inspiration! She seriously began repositioning each of the strange tales she had previously created. For example, the red umbrella could be changed into an ancient oil-paper umbrella, left casually at someone's doorstep, haunting whoever picked it up. And what about the bun shop… Wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for a village to have a butcher selling buns? With some slight adjustments, the strange tales she had created before could integrate seamlessly into this game.
Of course, that alone was far from enough. She needed to demonstrate her unique value by continuing to create even more terrifying and frightening strange tales! The illusory realm here was masterfully constructed; perhaps she could draw inspiration from it to create a strange tale that lurked between illusion and reality. This might even confuse the players, making them unable to clearly distinguish between dreams and reality.
Seeing the new ghost employee so highly motivated and starting to work hard even without understanding the basics, the Dramatist felt a strange sense of crisis. When she saw Mu Anqi looking at Strange tale ghost with satisfaction and approval, this sense of crisis peaked. Damn it, just a new employee… So what if she's a plot designer? I could churn out eight scripts overnight. This hair… I don't need it anymore! [T/N: She gonna go bald overworking herself lol]
Watching the two ghosts being so career-driven, Mu Anqi felt a rare pang of guilt. After all, her own dedication to the subsequent upgrades of this game wasn't very high. Most of her suggestions were based on news and works from her previous life, or even her own past gaming experiences, and couldn't be considered professional.
After leaving Strange tale ghost in the Dramatist's care, Mu Anqi calculated the time; it was about time for her to go to the Nirvana Space for a lottery draw. After the draw and some shopping, General Ji's affairs should be mostly handled. By then, Little Xia Fenghua could help settle Strange tale ghost, while she could prepare for the dimensional travel with General Ji.
She probably didn't need to bring anything, right? After all, her original world had nothing. Well, before going, she needed to give General Ji some basic common knowledge. General Ji was, after all, an ancient ghost; suddenly going to a modern era that didn't believe in gods or ghosts would require some adjustment.
She didn't know how the transmission location and time were determined. Could she choose herself? In a parallel world, would there be another version of her? Or perhaps not? The more she thought about it, the more anticipation she felt, though it was tinged with a trace of fear and unease. She quickly suppressed these emotions, deciding not to dwell on it further. Mu Anqi returned to the Nirvana Space, casually washed her hands, and began drawing for a skill.
Her current skills were more than sufficient for both the Shattered Mirror games and the Black Mirror Vortexes. She also had most of the necessary items and weapons. Even if she drew the "Rich Lady Aura" skill again, Mu Anqi wouldn't be upset. Since she planned to live here permanently as a player, participating in a game every seven days, who knew if she would live for hundreds or even thousands of years? Even with the worst luck, she could eventually accumulate all the skills through sheer persistence.
— She just worried that the Nirvana Space might not have that many skills for her to draw, and might start fobbing her off with some useless decorative skills.
[Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the skill: Passive·Chosen One! Detected that the player already possesses a skill, the skill [Money Makes the Ghosts Go 'Round] has been automatically upgraded.]
[Passive·Chosen One]: Upon entering a game, randomly obtain a certain amount of Guansi (Enhanced +2 Effect: Number of Guansi obtained +1000).
Oh, it's this one? Somewhat useful, I guess.
Player: Mu Anqi
Age at Death: 20
Ability: I Have Plenty of Money
Points: 6657.1
Transaction Serial Number: 64805368
Guansi: 20110
After briefly glancing at her personal information, Mu Anqi went into the weapon shop to check out the half-price sale items. It wasn't that she intended to buy anything, but since Ji Huaichu was still busy, she had nothing else to do, so she might as well go shopping. As for the training ground, Mu Anqi definitely wasn't going there.
After browsing the weapon shop, Mu Anqi went to the item shop and bought a Molotov cocktail as a restock. Picking and choosing, she also bought ten Ghost Bullet Cards and ten Ordinary Bullet Cards, spending a total of 196 points.
By the time Mu Anqi returned to her small house in the Nirvana Space and sat down on the bed to rest, the group chat was buzzing with excitement. The Fang siblings were enthusiastically sharing their experience of clearing out a Black Mirror Vortex with the Green Vine Demon sisters.
[Fang Xunjiu]: It was so awesome! It felt as great as having a rich lady sugar mommy carry you. I just needed to hand out cards and control the ghosts—the Green Vine Demon sisters' attack power is insane! Those ghosts were wiped out instantly with a single lash!
[Fang Xunjiu]: Even when we encountered fire-attribute types that countered them, I could control them, and the younger sister could handle the rest. We actually cleared the Black Mirror Vortex in a single day! And then we got another seven days of vacation!
Looking at Fang Xunjiu's series of exclamation marks, Mu Anqi could understand his excitement. In her view, clearing Black Mirror Vortexes with General Ji was similarly fast and efficient, and the rewards were substantial. Plus, getting seven days of rest… was truly wonderful.
[Fang Yunjiu]: Bro, please, just shut up. You sound like such a country bumpkin…
[Fang Xunjiu]: So what if I am a country bumpkin? I'm not using your account to post! Did I laugh at you when you spouted those cringey chuunibyou lines? Yeah, I laughed louder than anyone! … Sniff, being carried feels so good! But the Green Vine Demon sisters didn't say when they'd take us again. When will I get another chance to latch onto a super strong player? I'm ready! I'll do anything!
Fang Yunjiu stared at the group chat's message box, searching for a long time but failing to find a report button. She found Fang Xunjiu's posts utterly embarrassing. She turned around, grabbed the whip gifted by the Green Vine Demon sisters, and prepared to go kick her brother's door down.
[Xia Yun]: So, when should we schedule a Black Mirror Vortex run? Unlike the instances in the Shattered Mirror Continent, as long as we lock onto the same vortex and enter together, we can form a team.
[Wu Sansheng]: Agreed. Set a time?
[Mu Anqi]: For clearing a Black Mirror Vortex, are you all planning to bring your Ghost King/Demon King partners?
[Fang Xunjiu]: A wild rich lady appears! I'd love to bring one, but it's not like the Green Vine Demon sisters will come just because I say so… Maybe if my sister went to plead cutely. @Fang Yunjiu
[Wu Sansheng]: Bringing one is possible, but the White Fox Demon King's practical combat ability isn't great. She also doesn't like fighting.
Wu Sansheng recalled the last time Bai Yulai took her to a Black Mirror Vortex. In the end, it was the young Xia Fenghua who diligently investigated clues and fought the BOSS. That White Fox Demon King just held her own tail, combing its fur, and the shed hairs she blew away would turn into a bunch of little foxes rolling on the ground, mewling and yipping—and that wasn't all. Bai Yulai was the type who would never stand if she could sit, and never sit if she could lie down. Although the White Fox Demon King's every move was captivatingly charming, this was inside a Black Mirror Vortex! Coupled with Wu Sansheng's absolute rationality, she held serious doubts about Bai Yulai's combat capabilities, even thinking the White Fox Demon King was basically a mascot among demons.
(Bai Yulai: In front of my precious scholar, I must maintain my image! How could I possibly engage in something as crude as fighting and killing?)
[Mu Anqi]: Bring them! If you can bring them, then let's all bring them. It'll be a nice gathering for everyone.
Otherwise, it would be a bit embarrassing if she was the only one bringing General Ji along.
[Xia Yun]: My master has agreed.
[Wu Sansheng]: No problem on my end.
[Mu Anqi]: @Fang Xunjiu @Fang Yunjiu
Mu Anqi tagged them, but the sibling pair didn't reply for a long time. Maybe they were busy with something and hadn't seen it? It wasn't urgent anyway; this was still just in the planning stages. So Mu Anqi didn't pay it much mind. She silently inquired about Ji Huaichu's work progress and waited until Ji Huaichu was finished before sending a teleportation request.
"General!"
As usual, she found Ji Huaichu waiting at the city gate. Mu Anqi ran over and hugged Ji Huaichu's arm, asking with a smile, "Is everything all settled over there?"
"Mn. Promoted a few Ghost Generals to handle affairs. Xia Fenghua has gone to guide Strange tale ghost."
Hearing this, Mu Anqi stopped worrying. She went with Ji Huaichu to the study in the General's manor. Ji Huaichu sat in the chair, and Mu Anqi settled into her lap, attempting to purchase the Ordinary Plane 7-Day Tour and asking the Nirvana Space about some specific details.
[Using the Plane Ticket allows travel to a plane world for tourism. The plane world is a replicated world. Player actions within it do not affect the real world nor can they change the worldline. The plane world will automatically reset and clean up after departure! Players are requested to restrain their behavior during travel. Please do not become overly attached to the plane world. Excessive damage to the plane world will result in additional penalties.]
[The time elapsed from entering the plane world to leaving it does not affect the player's time in the "Nirvana Space" / "Shattered Mirror Continent". No matter how long the travel lasts, only one second will have passed upon return. Please enjoy your trip with peace of mind.]
[The location and time for Ordinary Plane Travel can be chosen by the player. After entering the plane, modifications can also be made by spending points.]
This setup was perfect, Mu Anqi thought. After the rest period and before the next Black Mirror Vortex, they could totally take the General and play together with the other players.
She briefly explained the prompts from the Nirvana Space and told Ji Huaichu about her idea of joining the other players for the next Black Mirror Vortex.
"Wu Sansheng will bring the White Fox Demon King, Xia Yun will bring her master—that Sword Cultivator. It's still unclear about Fang Xunjiu and Fang Yunjiu; they haven't replied yet." As she spoke, Mu Anqi felt a bit puzzled. What was going on with those two? They couldn't have suddenly been pulled into a game, could they? And the lineup for this next Black Mirror Vortex… might be a bit too luxurious/opulent.
Their main task would definitely be clearing the vortex, but the process would be extremely easy. Treating it as a special group outing wouldn't be bad either.
"Okay." Ji Huaichu had no issues with this. She held Mu Anqi, gently resting her chin on Mu Anqi's shoulder, and asked softly, "Have you decided on the time node for entering the ordinary plane?"
"…Not yet. I might spend a lot of points on adjustments." Even though she knew there were multiple possibilities in parallel worlds, Mu Anqi still wanted to go and see.
"Mn." Ji Huaichu said, "After you've seen the possibilities of the future, could you take me to see your childhood?"