Bai Yue Ling let out a soft whimper, feeling a tightness in her chest and struggling to breathe.
She took a deep breath, inhaling a cool, night-like fragrance.
Another breath, and this time, it was a fresh, sunlit aroma.
Confused, she wondered, ‘Is it day or night right now?’
With that question in mind, she slowly opened her eyes.
“Ugh… Did I fall asleep?”
Her vision was filled with a heavy, trembling chest, rising and falling with the faint breaths of a sleeping Ying Ye, whose lap Bai Yue Ling was resting on as she leaned against the wall, fast asleep.
Across from her, Aiya was wide awake, calmly holding Bai Yue Ling’s plump thighs, meeting her gaze with serene composure.
“…”
Seeing Bai Yue Ling awake, Aiya slowly stood and walked to a corner to meditate, acting as if nothing had happened.
Bai Yue Ling blinked, her mind full of question marks.
What’s going on?
How long was I out?
She opened her game panel and saw the clock pointing to 3.
Almost 10 hours…
She quietly slipped off Ying Ye’s slender, snowy thighs, glancing at her peaceful sleeping face.
Instinctively, she reached for her slime cloak to cover her.
No, the slime cloak is cold. It’ll only make her colder.
She rummaged through her inventory, pulling out a wolf pelt and sniffing it.
Nope, this smells like blood.
After some digging, she draped the sleeveless ninja outfit over Ying Ye.
With that done, Bai Yue Ling found herself with nothing to do.
It was 3 a.m., and having just woken up, she wasn’t sleepy.
Her stomach rumbled faintly, but she decided to hold out for breakfast.
Suddenly, a cold hand rested on her shoulder.
Ming Die had appeared behind her, her smoky, alluring eyes gazing deeply, her voluptuous figure wrapped in a deep purple mage robe nearly brushing Bai Yue Ling’s face.
“You scared me!” Bai Yue Ling’s heart pounded. “Why are you creeping around like a ghost?”
“I am undead,” Ming Die said with an eye roll. “I need to talk. Follow me to the second floor.”
Bai Yue Ling shrank back, instinctively wary.
“Hmph… Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning! The second floor’s empty—you’re just a weakling big sister trying to lure me up there for some shady business!”
“Shady business?”
Ming Die snorted, stepping forward with elegant grace and looming over Bai Yue Ling with an imperious air.
Her ample chest, like two massive meteors, exuded an overwhelming presence, drawing Bai Yue Ling’s gaze into their shadowy depths like a black hole.
[You have been afflicted with the Intimidation status from NPC “Ming Die.”]
[You have been afflicted with the Intimidation status from NPC “Ming Die” x2.]
[You have been afflicted with the Intimidation status from NPC “Ming Die” x3…]
“If I really wanted to do something shady, your first mission would be ‘Survive Ming Die’s Curl-Feet Assault,’”
Ming Die said, her gaze piercing through Bai Yue Ling’s soul.
“Pathetic little gremlin, want a taste of an adult’s power?”
“Ugh… S-Sorry…”
In the end, Bai Yue Ling obediently followed Ming Die upstairs.
On the way, she saw Luoluo Yue sprawled at the stairwell, sleeping messily, her enchanting face drooling in a most un-succubus-like manner.
Sigh… Luoluo Yue’s such a disgrace to succubi.
On the second floor, Ming Die asked gravely, “You’re now the master of White Night Castle. Do you feel a strange connection to it?”
“Huh? Not really,” Bai Yue Ling tilted her head, opening her faction panel.
“Is it because my construction value is too low?”
[Current White Night Castle Faction Level: 1, Construction Value: 0%.]
To level up a faction, its construction value had to increase, influenced by factors like combat strength, defense, and influence.
At 100% construction value, the faction could advance to the next level, unlocking more faction skills.
White Night Castle was only level 1, with just one skill:
[Marching Speed: +5% movement speed within faction territory.]
Unlike other factions, White Night Castle, influenced by Land of Fallen Heaven, could only increase its construction value by absorbing negative emotions.
“So it’s because the faction level is too low,” Ming Die murmured, then stepped forward, pinning Bai Yue Ling against the wall with her mature, curvaceous figure. She whispered,
“Lust counts as a negative emotion, right? Why don’t we sleep together and see how much construction value we can gain?”
“W-Wait! Calm down!”
Bai Yue Ling frantically shielded herself with her hands.
One Ying Ye was enough to make her dizzy; she couldn’t handle a Ming Die, who was even more “imposing.”
“Just kidding,” Ming Die said, adjusting her monocle.
“No rush on the construction value. I called you here for something more important.”
She reached into her deep purple robe, pulling a ring from the soft, shadowy valley of her chest and placing it gently in Bai Yue Ling’s hand.
Bai Yue Ling’s hand trembled, nearly dropping it.
“W-What’s this? A proposal?”
“This is a ring crafted from black crystal,” Ming Die said calmly.
“It’s a communication tool for Dark Faction Otherworld Travelers.”
[Equipment Name: Ring of the Dead]
[Quality: Perfect]
[Defense: None]
[Requirements: None]
[Attribute Bonuses: None]
[Additional Skill: Stygian Dialogue – Freely communicate with other ring wearers.]
[Description: Crafted by the necromancer “Ming Die” using black crystals from the Styx River’s depths, infused with the lingering thoughts of countless spirits. This allows wearers to communicate across any distance.]
[Note: Ming Die guarantees your privacy, so feel free to flirt with your favorite big sisters in the ring’s chat—just be ready for the consequences when you meet in person…]
Isn’t this just an in-game chat group?
“Over the past few days, I’ve set up trials worldwide and given this ring to every Otherworld Traveler who passed,” Ming Die said. “You’re one of them.”
Bai Yue Ling raised an eyebrow.
“Worldwide? Didn’t know you could make shadow clones.”
“It’s not that hard for a necromancer,” Ming Die replied.
“I passed the trial, but what about Ying Ye?”
“Ying Ye doesn’t count,” Ming Die said. “She was supposed to be killed by a Tree demon and respawn in Novice Village #4443. But you saved her, altering her fate.”
Bai Yue Ling narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been watching us from the start?”
“I’m the head of the Novice Village. What’s wrong with observing two alien travelers who are about to join my Novice Village?” Ming Die shrugged.
“Kill a level 5 monster alone when you are level 1. This is my assessment. If you pass, you can join my Dark Camp Novice Village. If you fail, you will be resurrected in a nearby Novice Village and join the Light Camp.”
She paused and sighed, “But unfortunately, apart from you, only seven people passed the test.”
She paused, sighing faintly, “But unfortunately, aside from you, only seven others passed the test.”
“No kidding! A level 1 player soloing a level 5 monster is as tough as a useless nobody facing the Tree demon for the first time!”
At this moment, Bai Yue Ling finally understood Ming Die’s purpose.
To revive the Dark Faction, she was gathering a force from otherworldly travelers.
Though few in number, each was an exceptional prodigy, chosen from thousands.
Normally, they remained scattered across the world, biding their time and honing their strength.
But one day, they might answer Ming Die’s call, uniting to form an unstoppable blade!
“This ring is our secret. You must never tell anyone,” Ming Die said, stepping closer and looming over her with an oppressive aura.
“Not even Ying Ye or Aiya, whom you’ve corrupted.”
Bai Yue Ling asked curiously, “What if someone accidentally finds out?”
Ming Die smiled faintly, “Then I’ll crush you~♡”
Terrifying…
Bai Yue Ling’s delicate frame trembled uncontrollably, silently vowing to keep the ring’s secret hidden.
She slipped the ring onto her ring finger and activated its attached skill, Styx Communion.
Instantly, a translucent screen appeared before her eyes.
This hidden interface was visible only to Bai Yue Ling; to others, she would merely seem to be daydreaming.
“Everyone in the group uses a color as their codename. Aside from me, no one knows your real names,” Ming Die said softly.
“In the group, my name is ‘Jet Black.’”
Bai Yue Ling saw her own codename as “Pure White,” while the other group members were “Crimson,” “Tangerine,” “Golden Yellow,” “Jade Green,” “Indigo,” “Sky Blue,” and “Violet.”
The layout of the screen resembled a chat group, with the group’s name prominently displayed at the top—
“Dark Players Mutual Aid Group”!