Chapter 91: The Birth of a Number One Fan
The City of Mysteries, Ice-Drinking Manor.
It was late at night. The magic crystal lamp in Xiao Qiao Yi’s office was lit as she sorted through the manuscripts received that day, a knowing smile gracing her lips from time to time.
Indeed, everything had unfolded exactly as that scoundrel had predicted.
Even though he had bullied her terribly, making it uncomfortable to walk now, seeing the mages of the City of Mysteries running around in circles due to his machinations gave Xiao Qiao Yi a peculiar sense of superiority.
“I know I was bullied by that scoundrel, but these fools still don’t realize it and are still feeling smug!”
Lost in the throes of love, the young woman saw the world as if it were constantly emitting pink, heart-shaped bubbles.
However, Xiao Qiao Yi’s complaints were not unfounded.
The mages, who usually commanded immense respect and authority, regardless of their status, had all been successfully drawn into a debate by “New Arcana.” They were now participating in a discussion that could potentially redefine the very existence of mages.
As the scoundrel had said, “A gentleman can be misled by sophistry.”
These mages, who had delved into the deepest mysteries of magic, might not care about fame or fortune, but when it came to discussions about the “path of progress,” they were like chickens pumped with adrenaline.
Dean Hoare led the charge against the tower, while the Antiquarian Faction flashed in to join the fray!
And this was different from the papers required by “New Arcana.” Submissions to “Arcane Ramblings” only needed to be substantial.
As soon as Xiao Qiao Yi sent out the invitations for commissioned articles, hundreds of sprawling masterpieces were received within half a day.
While not every word was a gem, they were all logically coherent and well-supported by evidence.
Coupled with those illustrious names, they were bound to have a significant impact when released—
Guaranteeing that the waters of the mage world would become even murkier!
The only challenge for Xiao Qiao Yi was the limited space in “Arcane Ramblings.” She couldn’t possibly accommodate all these brilliant discussions and would have to make difficult choices.
“Isn’t that scoundrel coming back yet? Oh well, there’s nothing else to do in the room anyway. I’ll just continue working…”
Xiao Qiao Yi glanced at Roger’s office, which remained dark, and felt a pang of emptiness in her heart. She could only redirect her attention to her work.
However, unlike the unease and loneliness that had plagued her brow yesterday, thinking of him today filled her with joy and contentment.
It felt as though the entire world had become beautiful because of Lord Roger’s existence; even the air seemed sweet!
Work was tiring and tedious, but the thought that this was a endeavor they were building together, one that benefited the entire empire and had even captured the personal attention of the Empress of Eternal Night, filled her with pride!
“Look at what an incredible genius boy I’ve fallen for!”
But falling for a genius also had its drawbacks: he was too busy, which meant less time for her…
While it wasn’t a case of “the more capable, the greater the responsibility,” it was clear that with the abilities Lord Roger was now displaying, he wouldn’t have the opportunity to clock in and out on time like an ordinary civil servant, just completing his duties, and then have alone time with his girlfriend.
Xiao Qiao Yi sighed softly, a hint of wistfulness creeping in.
Just like today, she had slept until the afternoon, only to wake up and find Roger gone, leaving behind only a note saying he had gone to the front lines to observe the battle.
At that moment, Xiao Qiao Yi’s heart ached. After such intense and passionate intimacy, to wake up without her boyfriend’s embrace and sweet nothings, only to find an empty bed…
If Meng Guomali found out, she’d be teased mercilessly again.
But she should be content.
At first, she only wished for a place where she could see him. Now, she had seen everything she should and shouldn’t have…
How embarrassing!
The coming days might be full of dramatic changes and grand adventures for Lord Roger. But as long as she kept the Ice-Drinking Manor running smoothly and helped shoulder some of his work pressure, he would have more time to spend with her when he returned and settled back here~
The plan was perfect~
The energetic young girl quickly adjusted her mood, breaking into a radiant smile.
She never demanded much from the world, and even less from the person she loved.
As long as she had a place in his heart, even a tiny one, and he noticed her efforts, a gentle pat on the head would suffice.
A hug would be even better!
An owl jumped out of the old magic clock on the wall, hooting to remind her that it was midnight.
Xiao Qiao Yi realized she had been lost in thought about him for another half an hour and quickly tapped her head.
“I’ve already received more affection than I ever dreamed of. I can’t be too greedy, Qiao Yi-chan!”
Without saying good morning or good night, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep if she went back to her room, so she decided to continue working.
Actually, she wasn’t sure if he would come here.
It had been twelve hours since she last saw Lord Roger. She missed him, she missed him, she missed him.
She wondered where he was now, if the battle was going well, if he was injured, and if he was in a good mood…
***
The Astral Plane, Tasika’s Sea of Consciousness.
Roger had not left.
It wasn’t that he was lingering in the Half-Dragon Princess’s body, but that the Empress of Eternal Night had given him a one-way ticket and hadn’t told him how to return to his own body.
As a novice mage, he wouldn’t dare to venture across the sea of consciousness on his own.
If he couldn’t return to his own body, he’d be done for!
He couldn’t let anyone see that he was out of his depth. After all, he was maintaining a façade of strength in front of Tasika to provide a guarantee for the beastmen tribes.
If his true nature as a useless little brother were exposed, Tasika would inevitably worry tenfold about whether Roger had enough power to offer them a glimmer of hope…
So, after answering Tasika’s question, Roger pressed the magic beacon on his leg and silently summoned the Empress of Eternal Night to pull him back.
But the response he received was: “Your Majesty is busy. Please try again later.”
When he pressed it again, the response was the same, only this time it was in a more refined tone.
At that moment, Roger wished he could dig the symbol on his leg off.
Damn it, why?
The Empress could cause trouble by posting selfies while he was sleeping, but now he couldn’t even send a message?
They had finished all their conversations. He wanted to go back to the city, Your Majesty. What was he doing staying here any longer?
Chatting about inappropriate things with the Half-Dragon Princess?
He felt that this useless Empress was becoming more and more outrageous and unreasonable.
But he was utterly helpless.
This was a magic beacon cast by the Empress of Eternal Night, and she had absolute control over it.
The Empress of Eternal Night was currently busy constructing a virtual combat mental space for other mages within the Heart Demon Domain of the Eris Demon Worm!
The inter-spatial signal was already poor, and it annoyed her. So, she decided to temporarily block all magic devices and constant spells that could contact her.
“Let’s see what bold ideas I can experiment with!”
Having been trapped and tormented in the Heart Demon Domain before, the Eris Demon Worm now obediently handed over its highest authority. The Empress of Eternal Night immediately discovered how fun creative mode was.
Did you like “Minecraft,” a world with infinite vastness and realism, where you could instantly build magnificent structures with a single thought, plus various magic effect mods?
Here, she could truly build an infinitely vast world if she desired!
The Empress of Eternal Night regretted releasing those lost souls back then. Otherwise, the NPCs in this world would have been several levels smarter.
But it was okay. She could slowly nurture this noisy cicada later.
The Eris Demon Worm was a rare species in the Astral Plane, and the one chosen by Shady was a strong representative.
These little creatures, which were close to becoming spirits, were naturally cautious, masters of deception, and also top-notch at escaping.
As long as they hid in their own Heart Demon Domain, no one could catch them.
It was only with the knowledge accumulated over countless years by the Church of Knowledge that Shady knew how to control the Eris Demon Worm and, to some extent, make it serve him.
When the Empress of Eternal Night broke through the Heart Demon Domain, she spared its life because she intended to capture the Eris Demon Worm alive and locked down its Heart Demon Domain coordinates.
With just a wave of her hand and terrifying magic power, she scared it into playing dead and easily captured it.
The Eris Demon Worm was indescribably miserable. If it hadn’t been blinded by Shady’s magic formation, it would never have provoked this woman, no matter what!
Even among the legendary powerhouses of the Multiverse, the Empress of Eternal Night’s strength ranked among the top.
She was not flashy, but exceptionally formidable through sheer brute force.
After this, its act of playing dead was seen through, and it could only obey the Empress of Eternal Night’s command and cooperate with the modifications.
Researching magic was one of the Empress’s greatest interests; otherwise, she wouldn’t have achieved such power.
Now that she had new materials to play with, the Empress of Eternal Night was completely engrossed, having forgotten all about blocking the signal, and was dedicated to preparing some grand entertainment for the mages.
“Later, I’ll throw that lecherous man from Tasika’s body in as the final boss, and let the empire’s mages torment him three thousand times a day!”
The Empress of Eternal Night grinned wickedly and gave her bold idea a thumbs-up.
Old Joestar, who was working hard to break through the异空间 (Spatial Anomaly), suddenly felt a chill down his spine and increased his efforts.
Whether the Empress of Eternal Night was working or lost in her play, Roger was the one suffering.
Without her help, he was truly trapped in Tasika’s Sea of Consciousness.
Moreover, the Empress was not an operating service provider; she didn’t differentiate between calls, texts, or data. Once blocked, everything was blocked, and he couldn’t even leave her a message.
Roger could only send messages from time to time to check if Her Majesty was still busy, all while maintaining a smile and finding topics to chat about with Tasika.
The conversation couldn’t be too awkward. It at least had to be about serious matters so that Tasika wouldn’t realize that this “young powerhouse” was forced to stay there with her due to the Empress’s teleportation delay.
Fortunately, Roger had experience with live streaming, so his skill in making up conversation topics was already quite high.
He was painting a picture for Tasika, describing the grand prospects of a magically industrialized future.
This topic actually had a lot to discuss. All he needed to do was to reframe Rabbit’s years of development achievements with a “magipunk” skin to fool the Half-Dragon Princess, who was already filled with immense admiration and faith in him.
Unlike the Empress of Eternal Night, who preferred war machines, Tasika, having lived in poverty for so many years, was clearly more concerned with people’s livelihoods.
Magic-enhanced rice, solar magic collectors, artifact spirit assistants, interconnected dream worlds, anti-gravity magic trains…
Roger casually spewed out the possibilities of achieving technological products through magic. Tasika listened, dumbfounded, her beautiful eyes looking at Roger with nothing but admiration.
“Lord Charles is truly a million times greater than those blood-sucking gods!”
He was also different from the ordinary powerhouses in this world.
Ordinary powerhouses only thought about becoming faster, stronger, and more powerful, and usually focused on their fellow mages.
They never wasted time thinking about how people without magical talent could live better lives.
But Lord Charles possessed a saintly compassion from birth; he cared about the common people’s lives and deaths.
Tasika increasingly felt that Roger was a miracle sent to her as a reward for her prayers.
She was fortunate to have met him in three lifetimes, and the beastmen tribes were fortunate to have met him in three lifetimes. It was like a rebirth…
What Roger spoke of were merely common inventions of later generations. To Tasika, they were manifestations of his wild and imaginative creativity.
As long as Lord Charles was willing to speak, she could listen for three days and three nights without getting tired!
But even if he didn’t speak, just looking at Lord Charles like this for three days and three nights was enough—
By chance, Roger had unwittingly gained his most loyal fan, a number one fangirl.
Tasika’s gratitude, dependence, admiration, and respect for Roger were such that she viewed him as a saint in her heart, executing his every command without hesitation.
With just one command from Roger, she was willing to dedicate everything and believed he would never harm her.
Unlike Xiao Qiao Yi’s unquestioning obedience to Roger, Tasika’s feelings couldn’t be classified as romantic love between a man and a woman.
It was a dependence born from salvation in despair, yet because Roger’s way of thinking was so fundamentally different from this era, many of his inspirations stemmed from the perspective of “those without magic or the weak,” thus appearing unique.
This coincidentally aligned with Tasika’s deep desire for the beastmen tribes to become strong together, making her even more resolute, viewing Roger as the miracle granted to her by heaven.
Roger was the type who was good at conversation. Not only did he speak himself, but he also inspired Tasika to participate in the process of magicalizing her fantastical ideas for future life.
Some guys just love to brag endlessly, and girls just keep saying “You’re amazing,” but it might just be mere agreement.
Only conversations that ignite passion in both parties can make both feel comfortable.
The progress of civilization often makes spiritual connection more intoxicating than physical connection.
Roger and Tasika found common ground and became increasingly congenial.
Tasika gradually became serious, no longer just nodding along. She dared to refute the logical flaws in Lord Charles’s reasoning.
As her intelligence and wisdom gradually emerged, she became even more appreciated by Roger compared to her initial timidity.
In the Sea of Consciousness, a man and a woman sat on the ground, conjuring up delicious food and drinks at will, without worrying about gaining weight, exchanging ideas in a very pleasant atmosphere.
Both had forgotten the passage of time until the Empress of Eternal Night finally responded. Roger felt a little reluctant to part.
“When Your Highness arrives in the capital, we can continue our conversation today,” Roger said as he said his goodbyes, making an invitation for next time.
“As long as it doesn’t interfere with Lord Charles’s arrangements, I’m fine with anything,” Tasika replied submissively.
Although she didn’t show it, she felt even more distressed by the sudden farewell.
Roger, being a modern person, found it easy to connect with like-minded individuals through chat tools.
But Tasika had no one around her except nobles who only cared about war and plunder, or impoverished people who couldn’t even afford to eat. This was her first time discussing such topics with someone…
It was special, different, she loved it, and it made her happy…
And now that Roger was leaving, she would be alone again, in what felt like a cage at the bottom of the sea.
However, the good news was that Charles had promised her that Your Majesty would resolve Old Joestar’s problem.
And she would also be studying in the City of Mysteries for a while before becoming the leader of the beastman kingdom.
At that time, she would be able to see Lord Charles again, right?
The old Tasika had naturally detested the Azurevine Empire. It was an insurmountable enemy for the beastmen tribes, occupying fertile lands and blocking their eastward expansion, forcing them to subsist on meager scraps in the barren sands.
Now, because of Roger, she had begun to believe that not all imperial citizens were war criminals and megalomaniacs.
Among them were strong individuals like Lord Charles, who were kind-hearted, noble, far-sighted, and also good-looking!
Tasika Kachenie’s favorability towards the Empire increased by 99!
***
The City of Mysteries, Maple Spirit Moon Shadow Palace.
When Roger woke up from the clean, soft bed, it was already a new day.
Although the Empress of Eternal Night had pulled him back, there were still some matters she needed to handle, so she asked him to wait temporarily in the palace.
Roger was also helpless.
Upon returning to the capital and checking the time, he worried that his little woman might be waiting for him foolishly.
But only the Empress could teleport people into her sleeping quarters, so Roger had no chance to sneak in using his flying shoes.
He decided to check the two system notifications he had received after returning to his body:
“Ding, Stagnation System detects that the host’s emotions were stable yesterday, and has received a random treasure chest. Would you like to open it?”
“Ding, Stagnation System detects that the host’s integration with this World has increased, unlocking a new function: ‘Guaranteed Draw’.”
Two notifications in a row, which somewhat surprised Roger, but also filled him with anticipation.
This darn system had been useless for so long, constantly sending him various cooking skills, making him proficient in French cuisine, Japanese cuisine, winemaking, and even molecular gastronomy for Mexican food.
He even wondered if his transmigration was just to improve the Empress of Eternal Night’s meals?
This time, the darn system should finally give him a surprise and strengthen him, right?
He was quite looking forward to the “Guaranteed Draw” function.
P.S. *Ahem*, it’s finally time for the system to appear.
Bounty Progress (40/51)
