The essence of the Illusion was to precisely extract the deepest subconscious data of the test subject, then perfectly materialize it using the power of the Dungeon laws.
It was not some crude visual deception.
Instead, it was a top-grade pheromone, tailored specifically for you, with an overcharged concentration that struck directly at the soul.
It captured your deepest desires, then infinitely amplified them.
Lin Qingyue's subconscious defenses faced the highest-level invasion.
Creaaak.
The ancient, heavy wooden door was pushed open.
Dazzling sunlight instantly flooded her entire field of vision.
What came into view was a courtyard overflowing with classical Greek style.
Clean white marble pillars encircled a central fountain, the cool water refracting rainbow light under the sun.
Along both sides of the white jade path, exotic flowers and plants bloomed eternally.
A gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the rich fragrance of violets that tickled her nostrils.
Lin Qingyue stood rooted to the spot, her entire being completely crashing.
"Ah, you're back."
A voice so gentle it could melt the hardest ice sounded from ahead.
By the fountain, a golden-haired woman turned back with a smile.
Waterfall-like, brilliant golden hair cascaded down her waist. Her eyes were of a blue more clear and serene than the Aegean Sea.
Her face was peerless, with a touch of soul-stealing charm interwoven into her holiness.
Sunlight fell on the side of her face, plating her profile in a hazy aura of divinity.
A light, pale gold Ancient Greek-style dress made her whole body emanate a unique temperament that perfectly blended divinity and gentleness.
Aglaea.
The number one beauty in Okhema.
And this was her from the most vivid period when her humanity still remained.
Hiding by Aglaea's legs was a tiny figure carved from pink jade.
A little girl about six or seven years old, sporting the same short pink hair as Lin Qingyue, was curiously blinking a pair of watery, large eyes.
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Seeing Lin Qingyue at the doorway, the little dumpling froze for a moment.
Immediately after, she let loose her plump little short legs and charged straight forward like a fired pink cannonball.
"Mama!"
Lin Qingyue's mind went blank, but her body already subconsciously crouched down and opened her arms.
Thump.
A soft little body, radiating the sweet scent of milk, crashed perfectly into her embrace.
Tiny, tender arms hugged her neck tightly, and a fluffy little head rubbed frantically against her cheek.
Lin Qingyue's battle-hardened body, which had undergone a hundred battles, was unusually stiff at this moment.
She mechanically hugged the adorable creature in her arms. The realistic weight and warm touch caused her heart's defenses to crumble inch by inch.
The little one hugged her and unsparingly planted a wet kiss on her cheek, leaving a damp slobbery mark.
"Mama, where did you go? Cyrene has been waiting for you for so long."
The little girl pouted, acting spoiled with the softest voice in the world, her tone full of grievance.
The high walls of reason.
The vigilance of combat.
The responsibility of a Captain.
Under the critical strikes of each "Mama," they were smashed to pieces.
As an irredeemable veteran 2D-con, the damage from this attack far exceeded any god-level Forbidden Spell.
Lin Qingyue's defensive armor was utterly useless against her "2D wife" and "2D daughter."
Her cold and elegant face, which had just been maintaining its Grandmaster's composure, instantly collapsed.
An unprecedentedly fanatical light burst from her brilliant golden peach-blossom eyes, and her lips uncontrollably stretched into an extremely perverted grin.
"Hehe... Wife."
Lin Qingyue narrowed her eyes, the lecherous smile on her face expanding endlessly.
"Daughter... hehehe."
She scooped Little Cyrene up into her arms and, without any regard for her image, rubbed her cheek frantically against the child's plump little face, greedily absorbing this ultimate warmth.
The fatigue and tension accumulated from days of continuous slaughter rapidly melted away in the face of this tranquility.
No more working in Dungeons.
No more dealing with that muscle-brained idiot sister and those bizarrely shaped BOSSes.
Skipping all the tedious processes and going straight to the ultimate retirement plot: "wife, child, and a warm bed."
What more could she possibly ask for!
Fuck grinding for levels!
Fuck saving the world!
With a 2D wife who possessed the beauty of a Goddess to be a lovely flower, and an adorable pink-haired daughter to act cute and spoiled.
Wasn't this the perfect life ending she had tried to type out, smashing her keyboard in her past life?
This was paradise!
This was my destiny's destination!
Lin Qingyue held the child and walked step by step toward Aglaea.
The blonde Goddess smiled gently, extending her jade-white fingers to softly brush Lin Qingyue's temple, the touch of her fingertips warm and delicate.
"The outside world is too tiring."
She lifted a cup of red tea from the stone table and offered it to Lin Qingyue, her voice so soft it could drip with water.
"Since you've come back, just stay. Here, there is no endless fighting, no rules you have to rack your brains to deal with."
"There's only the three of us, living together happily forever. Amphoreus will protect us until eternity."
What a sweet invitation to stay.
Aglaea's voice seemed to possess a magic that could soothe the soul.
Drink it.
Stay.
Discard all the troubles of reality.
Lin Qingyue took the gold-trimmed white porcelain teacup with one hand, her gaze dropping.
In the clear amber tea, her current reflection was vividly mirrored.
White hair, golden eyes, and a Xuanhuang Daoist Robe.
It was the Yixuan set, an outfit imbued with a distinct Eastern charm.
That stunningly cold and elegant face, which naturally commanded the world, now wore a foolish smile that seemed to have completely emptied her mind.
The image was indeed jarring.
The stalled gears of reason finally made a rusty "click" at this moment.
The smile on Lin Qingyue's face slowly faded.
The fanatical, infatuated expression rapidly vanished from her face, and those brilliant golden pupils regained their usual clarity and coldness.
An untimely breeze blew past, swirling up a few violet petals and also bringing back fragments of memories from the real world.
Several vivid faces flashed through her mind.
That foolish sister who was always looking for a chance to grope her, yet would always be the first to raise her shield to protect her in danger.
That tsundere mage who always said "so flashy," yet whose eyes honestly stared at the special effects.
That shy Ranger who thought she hid it so well, yet didn't know that her little acts of secretly observing her had long been exposed.
There was even that foolish queen in the Elven Royal Palace, with a heart full of love written all over her eyes.
Most importantly—
"Heh, I almost fell for it."
Lin Qingyue's hand holding the teacup stopped steadily in mid-air.
On her rapidly cooling face, a sneer emerged.
"Actually, I really want to cuddle up with you."
She looked straight at the "waifu" she had dreamed of seeing, her tone full of genuine regret.
"After all, you are the Max Constellation character I pulled back then by eating instant noodles for two whole months. To see you alive here, it's not a loss."
"Then stay and keep me company..."
"But, then again."
Lin Qingyue rudely interrupted the Goddess's lines, reached out her other hand, and heavily rubbed Little Cyrene's head in her arms.
"The script is written too perfectly, so the logical flaws can't be hidden. You've made a mistake in the most critical premise."
Aglaea's gentle expression froze slightly: "What are you saying, my dear?"
Lin Qingyue placed the little girl back on the ground, unhurriedly brushed off her Daoist Robe, and gently tapped her knuckles against the rim of the teacup, making a crisp sound.
"As a hardcore player of that game, I can recite every single piece of background lore with my eyes closed."
"The real Amphoreus is no tenderhearted Eden."
"It's a brutal testing ground simulated by the 'Emperor's Scepter'."
"And outside this beautiful shell, there's a sicko named Lycurgus who's watching every data stream here through a surveillance matrix."
She looked down, reached out again, and gently pinched Little Cyrene's chubby cheek.
"To put it mildly, even if I got all the previous parts wrong."
Lin Qingyue looked up, her golden pupils flashing with a piercing light that saw through everything.
"This little girl is currently staying in one of my equipment spaces. The name she calls me is 'Sis'."
"Not, 'Mom'."