Yang Zicang lay on the hotel bed, his mind entirely flooded with the image of that machine turning into a nightmare earlier today.

He then recalled what Major General Ross had said on the airplane: a plane, painstakingly developed and secretly crafted by engineers, turned into a man-eating monster the moment the ribbon was cut.

“This is the world we’re in. “

｛I was thinking, why has the world become this way?｝

“Is this other world crying out for help to Earth? “

｛I wonder if I am the child chosen by Earth to save another planet.｝

“Maybe I think too highly of myself. ” Yang Zicang turned to the side.

The memory of his younger brother’s short life, his father’s illness—these were like lingering nightmares. Added to that were the misfortunes of those who had helped him. What return could he expect from doing these things in this world?

The Golden Shell Federation, which saw no return on investment and no future for industry, had disintegrated into a fragmented kingdom of lords, regressing from the brink of an industrial revolution back to an era of manual workshops.

“This is the reality and the crisis of this world. But what does it have to do with me? Work hard for change… Can ‘Radiance’ make my lost family better? “

On the soft pillow, Yang Zicang rolled over and stared at the ceiling. He suddenly sat up, threw off the covers, put on his slippers, walked out the door, and went down to the basement floor that could only be entered by guests with a “Clover Seal. “

The third manager, wearing a hat, was sitting by the side of a small stage. Yang Zicang had already met the wind-up puppet named Coco Lang. As he pushed aside the beaded curtain, Coco Lang raised a hand, and a band of yarn-ball mice in little tuxedos struck up a long welcoming note of “Re~~. “

“Dear caretaker, it’s so late and you don’t intend to rest. What is it you want to do? “

Yang Zicang turned his head to glance at the staircase behind him.

“Don’t worry. Here, you’re not allowed to use lifespan for attacks. “

Coco Lang pointed at the small bar-like music hall, “Because this is a place born solely for joy! But… we’ve also prepared some shows. If you think your musical and artistic skills are quite something, you could apply to be our special guest. “

“We can talk about those things later. ” Yang Zicang said, his eyes scanning the corner and spotting Hua Mi was still there. She had turned her head and was greeting him with a smile.

“Do you have any song in mind? Each piece costs only half a day’s time. “

The band mice, sitting on the circle of small chairs by the stage, looked expectantly at Yang Zicang.

He ordered a glass of iced fruit wine, “Then just play whatever you’re best at.“

｛I spent 0.5 R to request a song.｝

He walked with his wine glass toward the sofa where Hua Mi was. The retro light show on the small stage lit up, and the orchestra mice simultaneously drew out long, resonant string notes on fixed strings with their tiny steel wire arms.

“This is a tune that was once popular. “

｛I spent 1.5 R in total.｝

Yang Zicang sipped his fruit wine, which seemed to quickly relax his body a little.

“President, why aren’t you asleep either? “

He caught a glimpse of scattered papers covered in magic runes in front of the graceful young woman. To a stranger, they could have looked like lace patterns for a fashionable collar.

“Some things crossed my mind, so I can’t fall asleep. What about you? Why don’t you get some rest, and why insist on researching these at this hour? “

— “Music: ~ The one who leaves the score steps into his own lonely suite…“

“This is the only time when the atmosphere’s right,” she said, leaning forward slightly with her eyes curving into a smile. “Let me tell you, it won’t be long before I can master a new second-level magic pattern.“

Seeing this girl who felt like the little sister next door, Yang Zicang truly had no idea how she managed to maintain such a good mindset back in the city before. After most people go through that “test ” of being Chosen, their temperament and spirit become markedly different from normal folks.

“Got any handy magic patterns to share with your ‘President’?” Yang Zicang crossed his arms and leaned on the table. “The memory pattern from last time was pretty good.“

“Hearing a compliment like that makes me so happy!” Hua Mi flipped open the companion grimoire at her side and started browsing the separate patterns inside. Some of them had brief notes beside them written in her hometown dialect.

“How did you get here?” Yang Zicang asked casually as he watched her movements.

The music was already more than halfway through, and a colorful toy parrot was perched on the lead singer’s microphone, belting out lyrics in a language from Earth.

Amid the music.

Without looking up from the journal she was flipping through, Hua Mi said, “Well, I followed someone to a strange place. After we went in, those guys who tried to mess with me all passed out at the sight of it, so I jotted it down and drew it out.“

“Truly a natural-born genius.“

“It’s nothing much. In the beginning, I just used it as a protective charm. Whenever someone tried to mess with me, I’d show them the magic pattern, ” the girl chuckled. “And then they’d pass out. Within two days, a big team found me and asked me to join them—that’s when I realized how precious it really was. “

At this point, Hua Mi sighed. “Then I ran into this other guy. He wanted to buy the magic pattern I’d researched, but I named a price of five thousand years of extra life. He still haggled, asking me to lower it, and in the end… “

— “~ The purse doesn’t need to stay here, for the price of your stay isn’t thus… ” The parrot’s song turned melodious.

Yang Zicang’s hand froze, the glass coming to a halt before his lips.

— “~ If you wish to stay here… “

He set down the glass and said, “Don’t tell me he just invested ten thousand years in you and sent you over. “

— “~ Then you won’t need to pay your room fee… “

Hua Mi pouted and gave a bitter nod.

“I had no idea. I just woke up in the middle of the sea. This notebook belonged to my teammate, and it got brought along too. But thank goodness, it remembered so many magic patterns I’d otherwise forget. “

Just then, the eye pattern on the notebook’s cover gave a lively roll.

{I am free! Mimi. }

Yang Zicang, still baffled that a living nightmare could manifest on its own, pursed his lips in speechless exasperation. Nightmares truly were traitors waiting to happen.

“What was your first magic pattern? “

Hua Mi picked up the pen and skillfully drew a magic pattern. By the time the band stopped and the yarnball mice twisted their bodies for a rest, she had already pushed the paper over to Yang Zicang.

“What effect does this have? “

“‘Hat Disappearance Spell,’ a trick-type magic pattern that can make a hat vanish, along with anything inside it. You can stuff other items like scarves and socks into it, but the volume cannot exceed two-thirds of the hat’s depth. “

Yang Zicang raised his hand and snapped his fingers. “Darling, switch to a ‘Lullaby,’ will you? ” Then, he straightened his face, raised an eyebrow, and said to Hua Mi:

“This sounds like a magician’s technique… Can you perform this trick? “

The parrot stood on the microphone like a brain-dead statue.

Hua Mi nodded furtively. “Only one hat can be used at a time. I’ll show you. “

With that, she stood up and did a little stretching, then took a look at the magic pattern paper in her hand. Next, she pinched a thumb-sized cyan gem from her waist pouch. The gem’s surface seemed adorned with delicate, brush-like patterns. Before Yang Zicang could get a clear look,whoosh—a tall, black top hat appeared out of thin air with a flick of her wrist.

Though the world was full of astonishing things, Yang Zicang still couldn’t help but marvel at that moment.

“Clap, clap, clap! “

From afar, there came light, rapid applause; the Rat Swarm Mice squeaked “Zhi ya ya, ” hopping excitedly on their stools as they stared at a rather embarrassed Hua Mi.

“Oh dear, I’ve been taken for a real street performer. “

“What’s inside? ” Yang Zicang asked, craning his neck.

“Well, that… I can’t show you, hmph. “

“Alright then, I won’t press. ” Yang Zicang withdrew his gaze and noticed the blue-green gem in her hand, along with the delicate magic patterns on its surface. Since he hadn’t tried to memorize them, his mind hadn’t induced a dizzy swoon through spiritual feedback, yet the patterns felt eerily familiar at first glance.

“What’s the gem for? “

“Energy storage. Without it, I’d find it very difficult to use this pattern because it is of the second tier. ” She toyed with the gem. “As for this one — seeing how much care you’ve shown, Chieftain, I’ll gift it to you. “

She handed the gem over, adding, “Once you get a hat that resembles this stone, make sure it is bought — bought the very first time Fate makes you two meet. Write this second-tier magic on it using pigment. When it’s dry, let magic crystals or elemental force fuel the reciting of the pattern inside your mind. Then it will appear as you reach for it. “

The way it activated felt rather similar to a ‘ether beacon.’ Could it be that this magic pattern anchored a small 『Ether sub-warp field』 within the Aether Sea?

“This gem… Hmph, fine. I’ll take it for now. “

He had already made up his mind to equip everyone around him with such a gem in the future, to serve as a replacement for a wallet, perfect for storing business cards, items to disguise one’s identity, and so on.

“Quite interesting. From now on, it’ll be called ‘Hat Trick.’ “

“Hehe, I was thinking the same thing. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the energy-storage magic pattern on the gemstone is the one we recorded on Cheqing Island! “

Hua Mi pinched the brim of her hat and said with a humph:

“I tested it, and basically, half a day is enough for a high-quality gem inscribed with the magic pattern to store the elemental energy needed to conjure the hat. That’s why I said I’d give this one to you. “

“I see. “

Feeling somewhat better, Yang Zicang sensed a hint of drowsiness. He put away the magic pattern list and stood up, saying,

“I’ll be bringing two people from Stiffen into the hotel in a couple of days. He Yishu is still here, right? I haven’t seen anyone else come back these past few days. What do you think—should we discuss reassigning the rooms? “

Hua Mi thought for a moment.

“President… of course, this is just my personal feeling. Could we wait until next month? If we reclaim it, a lot of people are still on this continent. I dare not imagine if I couldn’t come back… If they also run into danger and can’t return, how heartbreaking that would be. We’ve all already become friend-released-acquaintances. And besides… “

“Hmm?“

Hua Mi looked up, speaking with some concern:

“If we lose the rooms here, I’m worried some guests might get angry and even deliberately leak the hotel’s information. That would be some unnecessary trouble. “

Yang Zicang rubbed his chin, “I haven’t really thought much about that question. You do have a point, let’s give them another month. “