Yu Yu had only pinged Feng Ye privately, unaware that the livestream chat was already erupting with laughter. Only Feng Ye stayed silent.
Feng Ye's face darkened. "Heh heh heh…"
"Thanks for the love, Xiao Yu…"
To think of her at a time like this. She'd just slammed her desk in fury, startling the little pup sprawled on it. He leapt up, his tail sweeping pens, ink, and Feng Ye's water cup off the desk. Now her desk was a disaster, and the floor wasn't much better.
Chang stifled a laugh, not daring to make a sound. The little pup, guilt-ridden, grabbed his snacks and slunk along the wall. The silver-white wolf, splotched with ink, looked pitiful as he hugged the wall to escape.
When Feng Ye finally reined in her anger, she spotted a trail of black paw prints along the carpet. Spellcasters, with their vast mental strength and long lives, were erudite and broad-minded—supposedly hard to rile. But that depended on who was doing the riling.
Right now, Feng Ye wasn't just riled—she was livid, her forehead veins pulsing as she clenched her fists.
"I told you not to let the pup on the desk," she muttered, suppressing her rage. "Never again!"
Chang, having cleaned the carpet with a Cleanse, chuckled. "Grand Archon, don't be mad. Look, Yu Yu didn't think of anyone else, right?"
"That's her love for you."
Mentioning Yu Yu was a mistake. Feng Ye exploded. "You mean her knowing I spent ten years summoning, so she specifically @-ed me to show off her luck?!?!"
Yu Yu had no idea she and the pup had jointly obliterated Feng Ye's composure. She was gleefully signing a contract with her elemental lord. This lord seemed good-natured, its head-flame burning bright, often reacting to her words with, say, a question mark. Question mark. Question mark.
Amid Yu Yu's endless chatter, the flame lord kept flashing question marks.
Flame Lord confused. Flame Lord curious.jpg
Contracting an elemental lord wasn't easy. The first step: communication.
Yu Yu nailed this. Though the flame lord's head-flame kept sprouting question marks, they were definitely communicating. The elemental plane was a unique realm, orbiting countless material planes in a special dimension, accessible to all. Countless elements filled the elemental plane—born, living, fighting. Ordinary elements, advanced elements, lord elements, and even mightier beings. When spellcasters first discovered this plane, they zeroed in on it.
Over millennia, refined summoning spells made elements spellcasters' best allies. Compared to messy necromancy or negative-plane summons, elements were more balanced, causing no harm to the caster. Even powerful elemental lords were usually straightforward, pure, and clean. Post-Dark Era, spellcasters found they were immune to anomalies—a priceless trait.
Generally, elemental lords were happy to explore new sights, even if just for a change of scenery. But some were homebodies, refusing contracts. The Magic Circle had seniors who'd faced that. In those cases, spellcasters had to suck it up. Elemental lords were at least legendary-tier. Though only projections were summoned, ordinary spellcasters couldn't force them.
Luckily, Yu Yu's talks went well. Despite radiating curiosity, this lord wasn't against contracting.
Great! Step two!
Mental contract!
After losing her last lord, Yu Yu had rushed to Meng for a crash course on contracting, terrified of missing another chance.
Meng, hood now up, was sourly guiding her. "Your mental strength is still weak. Adjust this—let the elemental lord bear the summoning and connection costs. It's nothing to them, but it'll save you tons of mental energy."
"Once it accepts your mental imprint, it'll sense your call from anywhere in the elemental plane."
"But remember, lords aren't like regular elements," Meng explained meticulously. "Lords are powerful beings with domains in the elemental plane. They won't always answer your call—sometimes they'll refuse."
"Then you negotiate. Ask them to send a warlord subordinate—those are often very strong too."
"The fifth-ring Elemental Legion isn't about summoning regular elements. It's contracting a lord to send their elementals to fight for you."
Yu Yu gasped. "Do I have to pay?"
Meng, relaxed, said, "Usually not. The elemental plane has endless elements—no one's seen one ask for payment."
"But you need a good relationship with the lord. You get me." She nudged Yu Yu.
Yu Yu nodded. "I gotta grind the lord's favor!"
Elemental lords had far higher mental capacity than regular elements. Since being summoned, this one had been sensing the world through Yu Yu's mind, endlessly curious. It let out a pleased gurgle, circling Yu Yu, its head-flame dancing wildly. The heat gave players a dehydration debuff, forcing them to back up, back up, back up.
"What would it like?" Yu Yu frowned at the lord.
Do elements eat?
She tentatively offered a bowl of food. The lord flashed a giant question mark. Moments later, after Yu Yu took a bite, the lord casually swallowed the bowl—plate and all—vaporizing it.
Yu Yu: "…"
Good thing the lord, via Yu Yu's mind, knew it was a gift. Though clueless about its purpose, it sent Yu Yu a wave of delight. Meng eyed the dish wistfully. It looked tasty.
She couldn't resist. "Older elemental lords have quirky tastes—some like animals, some plants, some flowers. But most just love energy-rich stuff, like gems."
Just then, Yu Yu felt something slip into her sleeve.
She turned, catching Felix's cool glance.
Sneaking a peek, she gasped.
Whoa, huge gem!
[Fire Dragon Marrow (Epic)]
[Description: A crystal of concentrated fire-element energy, greatly boosts fire-aligned warriors' training speed.]
Yu Yu's eyes widened. Holy crap, epic?!?!
Meng: "…"
She knew Felix was loaded.
The Magic Circle's vaults were vast, but they couldn't just dip in. Wolves were different. Silver Moon's duchesses, sealed in the Golden Era, were legendary-tier from the start. After all these years, their coffers were unfathomably deep.
Only the Magic Circle didn't covet their wealth—any other faction would drool over Silver Moon's treasury. As one of the three with access to it, Felix was filthy rich.
Sometimes, when the Magic Circle lacked materials, a word to the Duchess, and she'd dig them out of her vault. Catching Yu Yu's look, Felix said coolly, "A little snack for my fire elemental. Let it try."
Hearing "snack," Yu Yu relaxed.
Not that pricey, then?
She turned, offering the epic gem with gifting intent.
The elemental lord was thrilled.
It let out a joyous hum, circling Yu Yu, chirping like a bird in a melodic, unintelligible tone. Quite pleasant, actually.
Yu Yu sensed its mental feedback and beamed. "Senior! It agreed to the contract and is super happy!"
Meng, now calm, said, "Seems like a newly born elemental lord. That's good luck."
"Older lords are stronger but picky and shrewd, with tons of demands," Meng explained. "Like the last one—you mouthed off, and it left, not caring about the caster's feelings."
"Even if you contract them, winning them over takes ages," Meng said. "This is better. A simple, naive elemental lord suits you."
Yu Yu caught one issue. "Wait, will my lord be weaker than others'?"
Elemental Lord: "???"
Elemental Lord: "!!!"
It tapped Yu Yu's shoulder.
While others were forced back dozens of meters by its heat, Yu Yu was unaffected. Seeing her look, the lord raised a flowing, fiery arm. Flames erupted abruptly, setting everything in sight—including the stone floor—ablaze. Charging fire elementals, as if summoned, converged on the lord.
Chong: [What's going on? My lord's about to lose it!]
Meng: [Yu's little lord is showing her its power.]
Chong, busy working and not watching the livestream, fired off a string of question marks.
[I step away for a bit, and she's got a lord?!?]
[I summoned for seven years, piggybacking off Her Excellency's lord's vibe, to get one! She's not even high-tier!!!]
The livestream, laughing at Feng Ye earlier, fell silent.
Xue: [Three years for me.]
Guang Chen: [Fire elemental? One year.]
Gui Fan: […Thirteen years.]
As they spilled, they realized Guang Chen, the fastest besides Yu Yu, still took a year.
Then they looked at Yu Yu.
Envy hit like a brick wall.
Chang Ming perked up. [Where's Feng Ye? She was just here!]
Guang Chen: [Bet her mentality cracked, and she's hiding. Embarrassing.]
Feng Ye: [Heh… miss me?]
She'd finally replaced her chaotic desk and carpet, poured new water, swapped her pen and ink, and sat back calmly. Aside from a few sweat beads, no one would guess her earlier meltdown. Another day as a cool, rational Grand Archon.
With Meng's commentary, Yu Yu grasped the elemental lord's combat strength.
She summed up, "So, with my current mental strength, summoning one lord is like having a high-tier fire spellcaster who specializes in fire spells, right?"
Meng opened her mouth, then shut her eyes. "Yep, exactly."
Yu Yu: "It's a bit draining. I can't summon multiple elements now, just maintain this one. But as long as I want, the lord has no time limit—basically a permanent high-tier fire spellcaster?"
Meng's eye twitched, but she nodded. "Right."
"Then if I summon six permanent elemental lords, I'd be unstoppable!!!"
Meng's lip twitched. She opened her eyes. "Dream on. You?"
Yu Yu giggled. "I mean players~~~"
Meng had meant to tell her that even one lord could cast a single-element Elemental Legion.
But seeing her so smug, Meng zipped her lips. Not telling.
Felix, catching Yu Yu's look, was blunter. "I have three elemental lords, and I'm high-tier. How're you unstoppable?"
Yu Yu, unfazed, chirped, "Senior, which three are you missing? I'll summon those next!"
Felix: "?"
She scoffed, "Earth, lightning, ice. Try summoning those."
Yu Yu: "Are those hard?"
Meng: "Lightning and ice are tough. They're rare in the elemental plane, so they're harder for us."
"Most spellcasters' Elemental Legions are two or three types, four at most. Lightning and ice are rare."
"Of the summoning spellcasters I know, only the Grand Archon has all types."
Yu Yu griped, "Did she brute-force them?"
Meng didn't know how to warn her—the Grand Archon was watching.
Feng Ye: […Heh heh heh.]
Meng glanced at Felix.
She didn't get why Felix, a curse spellcaster and newly high-tier, had three elemental lords.
Wait…
Meng's smile faded. "Didn't you say you only had one last time?"
Felix clamped her mouth shut.
Meng: "Ha! If Yu Yu hadn't asked, you'd have kept fooling me!"
Yu Yu, guilty, cut in, "What about Senior Chong and the others…?"
Meng huffed, "With so many of them, they can pool enough."
One from you, one from me—boom, full set!
Elemental Legion wasn't All-Element Legion. It was single-element by default—some just liked collecting the whole set.
Yu Yu mused, "So I could hide and let my elemental lord wreak havoc. If it gets blown up, I just resummon…"
"Wow, summoners are so sneaky!"
Meng coughed hard.
Yu Yu blinked. "Oh, I'm one too."
She was a summoning school student!
She'd studied summoning the most, and both Meng and the Grand Archon were summoners.
Though Felix was curse and negative energy, Yu Yu's curse spells were negligible—she'd barely touched them.
Chang: [Didn't Yu study elements too?]
Feng Ye: [She's with Meng now, who can only teach summoning and enchantment. No one's teaching her elements.]
Only Her Excellency tossed her scraps occasionally, but without a system, it wasn't enough.
After all that, Yu Yu finally sealed the contract. It seemed complex, but it was just a mental contract. If you clicked, you signed instantly.
In summoning, the lord was the sucker—spellcasters, even legendary ones, were the freeloaders. Elemental power scales were so vast, they didn't care about the cost. Contract signed, the lord didn't leave, humming happily and lingering by Yu Yu. Clearly, this young elemental lord liked her a lot.
Meng: "Alright, let's move."
Yu Yu: "Senior, when the players ask, what do I say?"
Mainly, elemental lords required contracts. Could players learn that?
Meng frowned.
Feng Ye: [Tell them, but don't teach.]
Xue: [No need. I'll set the learning points high—say, a million.]
Chang: [How's Yu explaining that?]
Chang Ming: [We like her, so we teach her. Say Meng's happy and willing. They can think what they want.]
Feng Ye: [Works. Meng.]
Meng: "Tell them the Academy teaches contracting."
Yu Yu sighed in relief. "Good."
Meng eyed her. "You seem eager for them to learn?"
Yu Yu boomed, "They'll never pull it off! I love watching them see it but not touch it!"
Meng: "?"
Livestream: [?]
Yu Yu backpedaled. "Senior, I didn't mean you."
Meng smirked, "Got it."
She sped up.
Yu Yu scrambled after her. "Senior! Senior! Let me explain!"
Felix scribbled furiously, noting it all. The players reacted as Yu Yu predicted. They'd heard her and seen the lord flex its power. Honestly, their eyes were red with envy. When Yu Yu returned, they swarmed her.
After her passionate explanation, [I ate without washing dishes] raised a hand. "So, how much to learn it?"
"Magic Circle stuff is crazy expensive," [I ate without washing dishes] said. "I'm scared I'll pull one but can't afford to learn!"
Yu Yu didn't know. "No clue. Check the Academy later?"
Shang Wei, arms crossed, said coolly, "Got it. Another NPC freebie for you, huh?"
Yu Yu almost argued, then realized it was true.
She rolled her eyes. "Actually, it's a blind box drop from grinding favor! If you keep respecting seniors, maybe one'll get in a good mood and teach you a bit. Right?"
"Grind favor?" [I ate without washing dishes] asked. "I'm grinding!"
Yu Yu: "…Sure, that works."
Her expression was complex.
[I ate without washing dishes]'s "favor"… technically, it was zero. Her numbers went up, but only numbers.
Meng's temper was unusually good—she was one of the rare spellcasters who humored players. So far, Yu Yu had only seen Yun Lun, Felix, Meng, and Senior Chang do it.
Other spellcasters mostly ignored players. Senior Chong was approachable, but Yu Yu wasn't sure if that was due to Senior Chang's intro. The Grand Archon was not approachable in the slightest.
So [I ate without washing dishes], with her entry ticket, was tap-dancing on Meng's patience limit, soaring like a roc. From Yu Yu's experience, earning the Magic Circle's recognition started with one spellcaster's approval. Then that senior or mentor could guide you into others' sights.
[I ate without washing dishes], making a name through chaos, was closer to that goal than Shang Wei's group.
And yet… it was complicated.
Thinking hard, Yu Yu doubted [I ate without washing dishes] would get invited by any senior.
Even Felix.
Yu Yu pondered: would Felix, faced with [I ate without washing dishes]'s antics, have Meng's patience?
Or would she blast her to respawn?
Hmm… Yu Yu didn't know.
Probably done bamboozling, they descended the wall.
Yu Yu lagged behind. "Senior, stop looking. I'm not peeking."
Felix glanced. "Speak."
Yu Yu: "If you met [I ate without washing dishes], would you let her grind favor?"
Her eyes drifted to Felix's head.
Damn it, after all this time with Felix, she hadn't gotten a chance to check her favor bar.
Felix: "Who?"
Yu Yu: "[I ate without washing dishes]! Her! I know you replied to her forum post!"
Wolf recalled briefly, her eyes glinting with disdain. "No."
"I'd kill her," Felix said coldly, pulling out her notebook to jot Yu Yu's words. "I'm not as patient as Senior Meng."
Meng, nearby, chimed in, "It's not patience. It's…"
Yu Yu stared.
Meng thought. "I don't want to mess up the Grand Archon's plans. Killing outsiders without knowing the fallout—I won't act until someone tests it."
Like a certain wolf.
Felix paused, thinking.
Yu Yu got it. Wolf clearly hadn't thought that far.
Kill and done. What could the Grand Archon do?
Yu Yu figured the Grand Archon wouldn't do much—maybe a light scolding.
Feng Ye, pleased: [Meng knows my heart.]
She adored this subordinate. She'd have to nudge Yu Yu toward the potion later. But thinking of her wolf, Feng Ye's chest tightened. Why didn't you consider your teacher, pup?
Felix finished musing. "We'll see next time."
It was hypothetical. Yu Yu wouldn't anger her, so no issue. Senior Meng, veteran worker, enduring for the job!
Yu Yu slapped another label on Meng.
Catching Yu Yu's pitying look, Meng's eyelid twitched. "If you care, cause less trouble. I'm too busy to sleep."
Yu Yu shot back, "Liar. Last time I went for Academy exams, you were napping at home."
"When I got back, you'd just woken up, yet you had the nerve to lecture me—'Youth should study, not sleep all day, blah blah…'"
Meng, conscience clear, said confidently, "Was I wrong?"
"Don't you outsiders say, 'Why sleep long in life? Death brings eternal rest'?"
"Pretty wise, right?"
Yu Yu: "! Then what about you?!"
Meng, righteous, said, "I'm older. Different."
"How's that different? Are you older than the Grand Archon?! I saw her napping last time—couldn't even wake her!"
Feng Ye hadn't expected to get dragged into this.
Chang Ming teased, [Got it. Reporting to the Council—Feng Ye's slacking!]
Guang Chen: [That saying's got truth.]
Xue: [Pasting it on the Academy wall.]
Yu Yu and Meng bickered as usual, Felix listening and scribbling.
Wolf never forgot her duty.
"Wow, all these exclamation marks," Yu Yu said, descending. "Senior, can I do a quest?"
Meng's eyelid twitched. "All… all these?"
She looked out—blood and fire everywhere, elements clashing with monsters, occasional anomalies, ruined walls, a post-apocalyptic scene.
"You don't believe me? Ask them."
Yu Yu pointed. "It's a ton of exclamation marks. This building alone has five!"
"Huh? There are some, but not that many!" [I ate without washing dishes] was shocked. "I see a sparse few. I was worried there weren't enough quests. Aren't you exaggerating, boss?"
Yu Yu: "?"
For real?
She looked again. Rows of exclamation marks clamored in her vision.
"There's tons… I can't see them all, but just here, hundreds at least."
[I ate without washing dishes] insisted, "No way. I see a dozen, tops."
Yu Yu was lost.
Shang Wei: "You're both wrong. It's a moderate amount, maybe a few dozen, nicely spread."
Qian Qing: "Same as Shang Wei."
As they chimed in, Yu Yu realized most aligned with [I ate without washing dishes], seeing a handful. Shang Wei and Qian Qing saw dozens. Only Yu Yu saw a flood…
"How's that possible?"
Meng's eyes lowered subtly.
Feng Ye: […It works like that? Only Little Yu's Spirit 9, right?]
Chang Ming: [Per the Purification Department, Qian Qing and Shang Wei are Spirit 8.]
Feng Ye, intrigued: [Chong, you in a rush? If not, I want Yu to try a quest.]
Chong: [Not urgent. The HQ array's sturdy, and moving takes time. The Duchess needs time too. Let her go.]
Feng Ye: [Meng, let the others do their so-called quests. Take Yu, one Spirit 8, and one Spirit 7 to the Restoration school ruins.]
Meng looked up. "Fine, since you're saying that, let's test it with a quest."
She scanned, grabbing Yu Yu with one hand and waving Shang Wei and [I ate without washing dishes] into the air. "For comparison. Everyone else, free action."
Qian Qing stared, then his handsome face darkened.
Gender discrimination again, huh?
Trash Magic Circle!
He and Shang Wei said the same thing, yet they took her, not him.
[Little Ball curses!]
Under Qian Qing's glum gaze, Meng whisked the trio away, Felix trailing.
Yu Yu muttered, "I really saw them. Believe me, Senior."
Meng soothed, "I do. We just need to see what's different."
[I ate without washing dishes] and Shang Wei, floating behind, were buffeted by wind, unable to speak.
Holy crap, how's she flying so fast?
Moments later, they landed before a rather ordinary building.
Yu Yu: "Where's this? Whoa, Eternal Darkness has golden exclamation marks!"
Shang Wei: "Just one blue mark."
[I ate without washing dishes] noticed the issue. "…Not a single mark within a hundred meters."
She'd have totally missed this place!!!
Meng glanced at Yu Yu. "Golden?"
Yu Yu pinched her chin. "Even at Rock Tomb, the seniors' marks were blue."
"Senior," Yu Yu tugged Meng's sleeve, "I don't know if golden means high difficulty or big rewards. Maybe you shouldn't go in?"
Shang Wei, alarmed, "How'd we beat that?"
Yu Yu ignored her. "You and Senior wait outside. I'll livestream. If there's trouble, I'll call. Sound good?"
[I ate without washing dishes], rare brainwave aligned with Yu Yu, said, "Makes sense. I've grinded so much favor—if Meng dies here, it's all for nothing! No way!"
Meng, sleeve tugged, hesitated.
Felix frowned. "Would golden be that tough?"
Yu Yu: "In Eternal Darkness, colors show quality. Better gear is purple—epic."
"Quests too. I've seen fine quests, epic quests, but never golden."
"Take Her Excellency's quest, or the Lynn Escape quest—both epic."
Yu Yu said, "Her Excellency aside, helping Lynn escape Silver Moon without Senior's help would be epic-tier, proving Eternal Darkness's judgment."
She paused, realizing, "And both those quests, I only barely scraped through."
One with Felix's help, the other with the Grand Archon stirring things up and going easy.
Feng Ye wavered. [If you put it that way, I get it.]
[Let Shang Wei and [I ate without washing dishes] go in?]
Chang Ming: [Only Yu sees golden. What if…]
They debated. Shang Wei, done waiting, strode into the building.
[I ate without washing dishes] hurried after. "Boss, golden quest! Move! Even if we fail, we respawn and try again! Charge!"
Yu Yu thought the same. "Worst case, we die and come back. Senior, wait—I'm streaming."
Feng Ye logged off instantly. [Xue!]
Xue cut the line.
Yu Yu fiddled, starting the stream. "Senior, come in!"
"Huh? Why're the Grand Archon and them here? Can I block requests?"
Xue: [Sadly, no.]
She'd already barged in.
Soon, Yu Yu's stream was "packed with VIPs," and Felix got an invite.
She jolted. What's going on?
Why's the Magic Circle brass all here?
Yu Yu, face dark, said, "Are the seniors always this free?"
Seniors: "…"
Damn, called out.
Chong: [I'm late. How's it going? Your senior cool or what?]
Yu Yu shot back, "Cool, super cool!"
She waved to Meng. "Senior, hide. I'm going in."
"Don't stand here and get hit by anomalies," Yu Yu said, entering the building. "Your luck's kinda bad!"
Meng's face darkened. "This kid."
Felix silently cloaked, masking her presence.
Meng vanished on the spot.
Yu Yu stepped into a resplendent hall, scanning it. [I ate without washing dishes] was scampering around, while Shang Wei stood below, deep in thought.
Her voice rang out, vibrant. "Ladies and gentlemen, join me, Yu, to explore the allure of ancient ruins!"