After releasing the projection’s **[Perception Block]**, the white mist dango landed on the ground.
“Hey, you two.”
“Who’s there!”
Du Lin shivered in fright, quickly tucking the bracelet into her cleavage.
“Who is it?”
Su Yue jerked her sword upward, spinning around to stand on guard.
Then, both of them froze.
That familiar white mist dango!
“…”
“Your Crownship! Why are you here?”
The two cried out almost in unison, their eyes filled with astonishment as they stared at the white dango.
They couldn’t understand why this newly born, nameless ‘god’ would appear here.
“Hmph, I’m here to find some fun, of course.”
‘Since they recognized me, I don’t need to introduce myself.’
“Anyway, stop opening those chests. Placing treasure chests is exhausting, okay?”
“Sorry, sorry! We didn’t mean to interrupt your game…”
“Our apologies!”
The two hurried to bow and apologize.
Although they weren’t sure what they had done wrong, apologizing first was never a mistake.
After all, the gods in *Estella* all had rather strange eccentricities.
“I came to save my own believer (lying). What about you two? You aren’t following those old fogies from the Church… just to catch a girl, are you?”
The white dango floated forward, radiating a youthful yet heavy pressure.
“Cough, cough…”
Du Lin choked on the words ‘believer’ and ‘old fogies.’
Her face flushed red as she hurriedly explained, “That… Your Crownship, we did come with the Church’s… old fogies, but we really want to help Miss Yinuo.”
“Right, right,” Su Yue nodded vigorously, saying indignantly, “That girl is so pitiful. We absolutely cannot let the Church take her away!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
The white dango narrowed its eyes, looking the two up and down.
“Of course, Your Crownship!”
Su Yue straightened her back and patted her chest, but she spoke in a tiny voice, “We’ve been spreading fake news.”
She looked around as if afraid others would hear.
“At the beginning, we were the ones who led the pursuers away!”
Du Lin added with a serious expression.
“I see… Then it seems you still have a bit of a conscience. A reward!”
*Bang, bang, bang.*
Several massive treasure chests appeared on the ground.
“You don’t need to worry about my believer. But if you help me create some more chaos… an orange item isn’t out of the question.”
With those words, the white dango scattered with the wind, leaving behind only a faint milky scent.
“Du Lin…!”
Su Yue’s voice was trembling.
“Hmm?”
Du Lin looked back, only to see Su Yue hugging her arms, twisting and shaking.
“You’re truly beyond help.”
“What right do you have to judge me! Urgh, it hurts so much… Why didn’t she introduce herself? Why!”
Su Yue writhed on the ground, squirming while she collected the treasure chests.
One, two, three, four…
“Hey!”
Du Lin was quick, pushing Su Yue aside.
“Three each! That one is mine!”
“Did she just say… an orange item? Does she mean an Epic chest?”
“I don’t know. Anyway, we need to make some big noise first.”
“We’re just two low-level players in our teens. What kind of noise can we make?”
“You dummy, haven’t you noticed? We’re currently inside her Domain!! What can you do in a Domain?”
Su Yue scratched her head and paused.
“Uh… Beam struggles? A butt competition?”
“…It’s imagination, baby.”
Du Lin raised her hand to smack Su Yue’s head but eventually pulled it back.
She was already not that bright; smacking her might make her stupider!
***
Fur as white and pure as moonlight fluttered in the wind.
A sleek, powerful figure cut through the mist, weaving through the forest.
The air gradually became tinged with moisture, and a spiritual glow flickered within those sky-blue beastal eyes.
*Vroom—*
A sudden drone echoed from the south of the forest.
Immediately after, a pillar of Holy Light, resembling divine punishment, shot into the sky, colliding with a black vortex that had appeared in the firmament.
The light illuminated the heavens and the earth.
A massive shockwave expanded, uprooting trees and tossing boulders outward…
At least, that was the scene everyone within the Domain witnessed.
The beastal eyes merely gave a sideways glance.
The Moon Wolf continued on her path; that had nothing to do with her.
In a corner of the barrier, the white mist dango poked its head out and let out an “Ooh!” of wonder.
Such imagination was definitely the work of Players.
Those were things that only appeared in the *Estella* documentaries: the Goddess of Light’s **[Holy Light Cannon]** and the Demon God’s **[Black潮螺旋]**.
Hardly any NPCs in this world knew what those two skills actually looked like.
“Ugh…”
A sudden wave of dizziness hit, causing the white mist dango to wobble.
Lucoco knew her half-baked Domain couldn’t hold out much longer…
But before the Domain collapsed, she still wanted to try and mess with those Church fellows.
If she could break a corner of the barrier, it would be perfect.
Those guys from the Dark Camp loved using teleportation techniques to move their forces.
The monsters in the forest suddenly began to flee in panic.
Relying on the cover of the **[Perception Block]**, the white dango charged aggressively toward a node of the barrier.
‘A **[Teleportation Shield Barrier]**, huh? I’ll knock your head crooked!’
‘Uh… Sorry for the interruption…’
When she saw that the ones maintaining the barrier were two Level 30 old fogies wearing **[Holy Armor]**, the white dango slipped away dejectedly.
The monsters in the forest, who had been driven by indescribable fear to run toward the barrier node, also stopped in their tracks.
Level 10 weaklings were just food, no matter how many there were.
There was no point.
*Vroom—*
Another drone sounded.
Another big event was happening in the south.
On one side were massive black wings that blotted out the sun and a terrifying blood snake twisting across the sky!
On the other side was a twelve-winged, golden shining Supreme Angel holding a hundred-meter divine sword!
Anyway, whether it made sense or not, the goal was to intimidate them first.
Those trapped in their own fantasies, who had already been scared half to death by the previous commotion, felt their courage fail.
They fled even faster.
The people who thought they had found ‘Yinuo’ were running while carrying tied-up logs, monsters, or even half-dead Deceptive Chests.
Along the way, more and more desperate fugitives who hadn’t found ‘Yinuo’ gathered together.
“Du Lin, did you imagine this?”
Su Yue pointed at the sky, her eyes wide as she watched the special effects that looked incredibly real.
She couldn’t understand how Du Lin could have such a vivid imagination that even the feathers on the angel’s wings looked lifelike.
“I don’t know! Didn’t you imagine it?”
Du Lin’s mouth hung open as she looked back in confusion.
She was also wondering how her airheaded best friend had imagined such an intimidating existence.
“I’ve never even seen these two things!”
“Is there another expert?”
“An expert? Are you praising me?”
A familiar voice came from the mist as the white dango slowly drifted out.
Du Lin froze and immediately put on a flattering smile.
“Your Crownship!? Why are you here? I knew it! Only you could have such an incredible imagination.”
“So cool!”
Su Yue’s eyes sparkled as she continued to watch the angel illusion.
“Stop making a fuss!”
The white dango wobbled and gave them a side-eye.
“Now that you’ve set it off, why aren’t you running? Once the secret’s out, those old zealots will be the first to grab you for interrogation. Do you believe me?”
Hearing this, Du Lin rubbed her hands together.
“Hehe… Your Crownship, then… that… orange thing…”
She looked completely sycophantic.
“**[Crossroads Market]**… I will have my believer find you.
Stop wasting time and get out of here!” the white dango said crossly.
“Understood! My Crownship!”
Du Lin grinned, bowed, and then *thud*, she collapsed to the ground.
The equally excited Su Yue tilted her head.
“Du Lin! Give me a quick—”
She unexpectedly caught on quickly.
“Fine!”
She followed suit and collapsed.
“Six.”
Lucoco watched, amused.
The two idiots had force-closed their connection, but their bodies didn’t disappear, meaning they hadn’t successfully respawned at the revival point.
The Church’s **[Teleportation Shield Barrier]** was still there!
They wanted to respawn?
‘Heave-ho!’
*Thud, thud.*
Two Deceptive Chests landed.
Lucoco extended her tendrils and shoved the two ‘corpses’ into the bellies of the chests, then tossed them into a nearby river to sink to the bottom.
Perfectly solved.
***
*Boom!*
The twelve-winged angel swung its divine sword, colliding with the massive black wings.
The terrifying aftershocks of the battle seemed to make the ground sink a few inches.
The one in charge of directing the pursuit of Yinuo was a young priestess standing on a high tower erected at the edge of the forest.
At this moment, her shoulder-length blonde hair and her beautiful gold-threaded robe were soaked with cold sweat.
She desperately hoped someone would appear before her, even if it was just news of a faint trace of Yinuo.
At least that would confirm Yinuo was still alive.
The terrifying battle in the distance occasionally sent gusts of wind her way.
If the **[Saintess Candidate]** was hidden within the range of that horrific combat, she would have absolutely no chance of survival.
At the thought of this possibility, she felt her very soul tremble.
In her heart, she had already cursed the Bishop sitting back in **[Crossroads Market]** hundreds of times.
‘A Trial.’
‘They could have protected her properly and made contact slowly, but no, they had to pull some stunt they thought was impressive.’
Not only did it attract high-level assassins from the Dark Camp, but it also forced the **[Saintess Candidate]** to flee and put the resident town in crisis.
Now they finally knew fear, and the high-level combatants were locked down in the town to keep the assassins in check.
In the end, among the people sent out, she was barely Level 40.
The others were a few Level 30 ‘idlers’ maintaining the barrier, and the rest were all Level 20 lightweights.
With this level of strength, they didn’t even have the ability to stop other factions from interfering.
As a result, at the slightest hint of trouble, all sorts of random people came buzzing in like greenbottle flies drawn to the scent of filth.
Furthermore, many of the **[Saintess Candidate]**’s friends and acquaintances had joined in, tripping people up and spreading fake news everywhere.
After all these days, they hadn’t found a single trace of the **[Saintess Candidate]**.
‘Those damned old fogies!
When this is over, let’s see if the Archbishop doesn’t skin you alive!’
‘…I’ll probably get punished along with them. Maybe I’ll even be branded with the **[Atonement Mark]**, unable to hold my head up for the rest of my life…’
Amidst her wild thoughts, she noticed the mist in the forest had thinned considerably.
To the west, a solitary white shadow was moving rapidly toward a certain lake, appearing and disappearing fitfully.
Just as she wanted to take a closer look, she was suddenly distracted by a chaotic sound of footsteps.
The priestess focused her gaze.
It was a crowd of people pushing and shoving, cursing as they ran, fighting over something.
In a daze, she saw a girl—the one they were desperately searching for—being snatched back and forth in one of the groups.
Her heart leaped.
Just as she was about to move, the crown set with holy stones on her head suddenly pierced through the miasma and activated instantly.
Her vision cleared immediately.
She finally saw clearly—what those people were fighting over wasn’t a girl at all; it was a rotten log tied up with rope!
Looking up again, where was the terrifying battle between supreme beings in the distance?
“Not good! It’s an illusion!”
Her pupils shrank.
The priestess immediately understood someone was playing tricks.
“Everyone, send word immediately! Cast Clarity!”
Her roar, infused with magic, echoed all around.
The glow of magic lit up, spreading forward until it encircled the entire outer perimeter of the forest.
The people fighting over ‘Yinuo’ also recovered.
They cursed and threw down the junk in their hands.
The Deceptive Chests were hacked into splinters by the angry crowd.
Suddenly, the priestess remembered something and turned her gaze back toward the direction where she had glimpsed that white shadow.
The mist was almost gone.
She saw a golden brilliance light up by the lakeshore, like a beacon for a ship, and that white shadow had already neared the light.
“Detain all of them!” the priestess said, her voice icy as she swept her cold gaze over the crowd below.
“What!? You want to detain us? What right do you have!”
A youth dressed as a noble was the first to protest.
“Exactly!” the crowd echoed.
“Disgusting lapdogs!” people who knew Yinuo cursed.
“By the very act of you fighting over the ‘Saintess Candidate’ just now! I could strike you dead right here, and no one would hold me responsible! Even if it was an illusion. Don’t think I won’t!”
Her wrathful, judgmental question immediately silenced the scene.
Or perhaps the magical pressure gathering on the priestess’s scepter, ready to fall at any moment, was too terrifying.
“Tie them up!”
“Yes!”
The Church’s monks stepped forward one after another, tying up those who had dared to fight over the **[Saintess Candidate]** and sending them to the rear.
“Notify the members in other directions: no one is allowed to leave! The one who cast the illusion might be hidden among them.”
“Understood!”
“Squads four and six, follow me in! Everyone else, maintain the defensive line! You, maintaining the barrier, can you stop shaking?”
“Priestess… Lady… aren’t… aren’t you shaking too?”
“Shut up! If the barrier breaks, I’ll skin you first! Those rats in the dark have been watching us the whole time.”
“…”
Amidst the urgent, chaotic sound of hooves, those responsible for guarding the perimeter watched as over twenty people galloped toward the lake to the west.
***
By the lakeshore covered in wild chrysanthemums, the mist surged and gathered, condensing into a new white dango.
Its pupils rolled, looking toward the edge of the forest where the white light was gradually brightening.
“Oh, finally found out.”
Lucoco recognized it as Clarity at a glance.
She knew that those who were carrying their imaginations had bumped into those on the outside who could only see other people’s imaginations.
Although she didn’t know who had broken free from the Domain’s control so quickly, it didn’t matter anymore.
Within the range covered by the **[Map Radar]**, there were no more red dots.
There was only a single yellow dot rapidly approaching the shore; it was already very close.
The mist thinned further, signaling that Lucoco’s Domain was about to end.
The two massive figures in battle also began to show strange cracks.
Lucoco closed the map, and her projection returned to wake her main body.
The distance was close enough.
The authority of the **[Saintess Domain]** to dispel all mental-related negative effects activated instantly.
The younger a Moon Wolf was, the less self-awareness they retained after transformation, and the more combat instincts took over.
It could be considered a protection mechanism, allowing young individuals with immature mindsets and weak combat awareness to have sufficient fighting power.
But for Yinuo, whom Lucia considered an ally, the effect of transforming into a Moon Wolf was treated as a negative status and was cleared in this instant.
The running Moon Wolf felt her mind clear as Yinuo’s consciousness fully returned.
She saw it.
Not far away, on the shimmering lakeshore covered in wild chrysanthemums, a chubby little girl stood among the flowers, waving at her.
And in the girl’s palm flickered the glow of an **[Imprint]** almost identical to her own.
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