With this in mind, Yu Yu began to think. Besides the keen senses Zhou Zhenxi mentioned, there was also her strange intuition. The day Wang Rui came, she suddenly woke up alarmed.
Today when passing by the emergency department, she felt a sudden sense of crisis. And this morning's unexpected hunger, followed by subtle changes in her body. After all, she had just gained +1 to all attributes in the game!
Yu Yu sat on the sofa, touching her arm and pondering deeply. If it was true, how could she prove it?
The changes in her body were too subtle, and she had always been unfit, never exercising, with no baseline physical data to compare against. She feared there was no way to confirm from this angle.
As for her sense of crisis... Yu Yu rejected any possibility that involved risking her life.
Keen senses...
Yu Yu became frustrated; everything was too subtle, impossible to prove. If only she could cast spells in reality.
Yu Yu laughed at herself for thinking this. "I must be watching too much fantasy."
How could something so wonderful happen?
Due to years of financial struggles, reading was her most convenient and portable form of entertainment. Of course, the unmotivated Yu Yu only loved reading. Coming home exhausted every day and opening a book to read two chapters was her most relaxing time.
So, Yu Yu's imagination sometimes ran a bit wild. After thinking for a while, Yu Yu still felt a flutter of excitement.
What if? What if?
What if it worked?
Yu Yu stood up and paced around, threw her long pants into the washing machine, changed into shorts, and began running up and down. She took out her notebook. She had written down her spell list and stats, occasionally reviewing them to plan which skills to level up, or what spell to learn next.
After considering her options, Yu Yu chose Gust of Wind.
Among all cantrips, it was the one she used most frequently, requiring a short incantation and low energy consumption—perfect for testing.
The woman in white sat cross-legged on the sofa, concentrating intently. The deep blue bracelet on her wrist emitted a mysterious, dim light.
A moment later, Yu Yu recited the incantation she had noted: "Wu Ma Xu Cong Sheng!"
Nothing happened. Yu Yu thought she might not have pronounced it clearly enough, so she tried again. Still nothing happened. Yu Yu fell into deep thought. She struggled between giving up and continuing...
"It's not like I have anything else to do at home," Yu Yu convinced herself. "I'll try again."
Some spells in "Eternal Darkness" were quite long, and one mistake meant failure, so Yu Yu had written them down phonetically to review frequently, afraid of forgetting at crucial moments. As the top spellcaster, she couldn't make such mistakes. Theoretically, she shouldn't be pronouncing it wrong, so was something missing?
With this doubt in mind, Yu Yu logged into the game. Coincidentally, the farming team invited her to eat something, and Yu Yu immediately went to the plantation.
Upon arrival, she saw Bagen holding a bowl of porridge, eating it with tears streaming down his face.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Conquered by the food," Tail said. "I told him he was making pig feed, but he wouldn't believe me."
Hearing this, Bagen continued eating through his tears, "Once, on the Main Continent, I also ate food like this..."
"I was still young then," tears glistened in his eyes, his tone unexpectedly heavy, "At that time the main continent had not yet fallen. The Kingdom, the Magic Circle, the Guild, the continent was prosperous and bustling. Fleets from the Allen Peninsula, the Maquis Islands, and the Windward Islands worked day and night to bring their goods to the main continent. Unfortunately, the main continent fell later, and we were forced to retreat to the Allen Peninsula..."
He suddenly realized something and wiped away his tears, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure."
The young players were stunned, never having seen such an emotionally expressive NPC. They whispered softly, "It's okay, it's okay. Keep eating. We won't tease you anymore."
Yu Yu, however, had been listening intently. Looking at the porridge in the bowl, she asked, "What is this?"
"The crops haven't grown yet, so we had him take out the bread-making materials."
"It's not entirely his fault that it tastes bad," Freeze-dried said. "This stuff looks like flour but has an inherent astringent taste that's very unpleasant. Plus, he has no seasonings. We tried many ingredients before discovering that a certain acidity could neutralize the strange taste."
"Then we added a little salt, and this is the result."
"They don't even have oil, only that lamp oil, which can't be used for cooking at all."
They chattered about the harsh conditions in the game, leaving Yu Yu bewildered. "What ingredients? Can they be sold?"
Yu Yu began considering the food business again.
Tail's eyes brightened, "Yes, yes, it's Black-tailed Red Heart Grass. It grows quickly and often appears in academy missions. We just don't know if there are any side effects."
Bagen, who had already licked his bowl clean, said, "There aren't any. It's an herb we use to make stamina recovery potions. It's not valuable and not poisonous."
"I think this business could work, but the supply of Black-tailed Red Heart Grass is consistently insufficient. Even though outsiders are diligent, using it for food might be..."
"What if players bring their own?" Tail and the others discussed. "If not, we could hire players to farm for us?"
"Find long-term farmers!"
"Large-scale cultivation!"
"We'll sell our delicacies all over the Alen Peninsula!"
"Establish a chain of restaurants!"
"Hehehehehe!"
Bagen: "..."
Yu Yu: "Good idea. Let me know if you need anything. Do you have something nicer looking? I'd like to take it to senior sister to try."
Felix was a cold beauty who didn't lick her bowl like Bagen.
She simply ate the ordinary-looking porridge calmly and finished it. "You want to ask how we apprentice spellcasters cast our first spell?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Yu Yu's eyes sparkled. "Without incantations to guide me, I seem unable to cast spells."
Actually, she meant in reality.
Felix gave her a strange look. "You're the first outsider to ask this question."
"I thought you would only realize this at intermediate level at the earliest."
"You outsiders are naturally gifted; spellcasting is very convenient for you. You don't need to learn meditation, don't need to construct or derive spell models, and don't even need to recite incantations. However..."
"Being a spellcaster was never an easy profession. The shortcuts you take now will have to be paid back later."
"Didn't I teach you?" she said. "The Nightingale Meditation Method."
"All of us spellcasters use this meditation method, including the legendary lords."
Yu Yu tried hard to digest this information.
Felix was unexpectedly patient. "If you have any questions, you can tell me, and I'll answer them for you."
Yu Yu was extremely touched. "If, and I'm just saying if, I'm not using it on the Alen Peninsula, and even the language and writing system are different, would it affect the spell?"
Felix narrowed her eyes. "You mean using it in your world?"
Yu Yu: "..."
Stay calm, stay calm. Isn't it normal for NPCs to have concepts about the player's world? No big deal.
Felix: "As long as you have spiritual power, a spell model, and your world has basic forces that can support spell casting, then theoretically you can cast spells. Language has minimal impact on spells."
She said calmly, "At most, you'd need to translate the Alen language and writing."
Yu Yu's mouth twitched. She was just playing a game; don't make translating a language sound so easy, okay?
Oh, and there's even writing...
Spiritual power, meditation method, basic forces, spell model?
Yu Yu was confused. "What's a spell model?"
Felix looked into her eyes. "If you want to cast spells instantly, you need to construct your own spell model, unless you don't plan to be a battle mage."
"First-level spells already include many that require ten or even thirty seconds of incantation. The battlefield doesn't give you that much time for chanting."
Yu Yu seemed to understand but not quite.
"If you use a spell model to cast, you can modify the spell: extending range, delaying effects, instant casting, silent casting, mobile casting, and so on—all require spell models," Felix was truly very patient. "Each person's spell model is different, related to spiritual power, construction method, model complexity, and even size."
"Including the metamagic techniques after truly mastering a spell—spell empowerment, spell maximization—all require models to implement. The fact that you're asking now will save you from many detours."
Yu Yu was deeply moved. "Senior Sister, you're so kind."
Felix smiled rarely, with deeper meaning. "Because you call me Senior Sister."
Yu Yu was momentarily stunned. She had just followed Yun Lun in calling her that. Was there some hidden meaning here?
You NPCs have so many tricks!
Felix walked to the bookshelf and casually handed Yu Yu a book. "This is my spell book from when I was at the initial stage. It contains some first-level spell models that I've slightly modified. You can try constructing them yourself."
"You can start with cantrips. They have the simplest and most stable models, passed down for many, many years."
This was extremely precious. Yu Yu accepted it with both hands respectfully. "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Felix sat back down. "How to construct it—you'll know after one meditation session."
"Remember, no shortcuts. You must meditate yourself."
Yu Yu nodded solemnly.
Felix turned her head, her cold little eyes seeming to question: Why haven't you left yet?
Yu Yu: "We outsiders can find skill books. Does Senior Sister know about this?"
Felix nodded. "Yes, I do. Yun Lun told me about it. You told me..."
She fell into thought, gradually raising her eyes to look at Yu Yu. Yu Yu felt that the NPCs in this game were too smart, which was quite pressuring.
"That's right. Previously, I gave a [Shadow Jump] book to a rogue friend, and she successfully learned it."
Felix froze.
A moment later, she finally reacted. "I understand now. I will report to the Crown," she said solemnly. "Your information is timely."
Yu Yu immediately became happy. "Hehe, then I'll be going."
Felix called her back. "Prepare early. The Grand Archon is very interested in outsiders. After you all enter the first level, she will hold a competition. You'd better participate. If you can win the championship..."
Yu Yu's eyes brightened. "Does the academy have rewards?"
Felix gave her an odd look. "The Grand Archon is a peak spellcaster. She naturally represents the Magic Circle..."
Yu Yu was stunned.
Wait a minute, why are all your archons spellcasters?
Isn't it said that the Allen Peninsula is the territory of the Duke of Silver Moon?
Is he just a figurehead?
Felix didn't understand her confusion and politely asked her to leave. She needed to write to the Crown to report. Yu Yu left rather dumbfounded, only now realizing how nice Senior Sister had been to her.
Is this how NPCs show that the academy values her specially?
She delivered a bowl of porridge and walked out with a spell book.
Yun Lun was licking her bowl, looking quite undignified. "This is delicious. I didn't know food could be this good."
Yu Yu stuffed the book inside her robe. "This is far from delicious."
"Huh? This isn't delicious?"
Yu Yu put on a serious face. "Save your money. There will be even better food appearing soon."
Yun Lun immediately became excited. "I'm looking forward to it now."
As an old friend, Yu Yu certainly wouldn't forget Yun Lun, so whatever Senior Sister had, Yun Lun would have too. After chatting for a while longer, Yu Yu took the spell book to the library. There were tables and free paper and pens there. Yu Yu needed to transfer the spell book's contents to the outside world, which was no small project.
Three days later.
Yu Yu sat on the sofa, staring thoughtfully at the book. The Alen language and writing were quite difficult. She had worked for a long time, barely managing to translate the cantrip entries. Thanks to her "language and writing" passive skill.
If she had some doubts before, after actually translating the spell book, Yu Yu no longer doubted.
No matter how realistic a game might be, game content couldn't possibly include a real book, let alone create an entire language and writing system.
So...
Was this really a game?
Was Senior Sister Felix... really an NPC?
Big Fool Zhou wasn't nearly as smart as Felix...
Yu Yu meditated for three days and searched online for various techniques, barely managing to enter a meditative state for a short while. Then she immediately understood what Senior Sister Felix meant. After meditation, she appeared in a large sphere. The sphere was gray and empty... hmm, perfect for drawing.
Last night, Yu Yu had drawn the Gust of Wind model on it. The model's pattern didn't look like wind at all, but rather a special planar geometric figure that looked strange. Now, she was struggling with the incantation issue.
Should she translate it as "wind" or "breeze"?
The grammar of her Xia language seemed completely different from that of the Alen Peninsula language?
Yu Yu was troubled, anxiously pinching her ears. Well, she might as well try both. Yu Yu tried hard to enter a meditative state, connecting with the model. The abstract wind model emitted a faint white light on the gray sphere wall, indicating it had been awakened.
"Wind!"
The white light dimmed.
Perhaps the word wasn't precise enough?
Yu Yu tried again. "Breeze!"
The white light hesitated for a moment but still dimmed. Yu Yu was dumbfounded.
"Gentle breeze!"
A light wind slid by, blowing away the small notebook on Yu Yu's knee. The pen rolled on the ground, making a gurgling sound. Yu Yu opened her eyes.
Gust of Wind?
It worked?!
She needed to stay calm.
She needed to stay calm.
She needed to stay calm.
Damn it, she couldn't stay calm!
Yu Yu attempted several failed backflips in the living room before ending her excitement, sitting on the floor and laughing. After a while, Yu Yu fell into deep thought again. Now she was in big trouble.
Shu Tu had been very busy lately. Besides completing missions, she also had to help someone collect insect silk. Meanwhile, some people seemed in no hurry after leveling up, spending all day in the library doing who knows what.
After leaning against the wall and waiting for a while, Shu Tu glanced sideways. "Finally decided to come out?"
Yu Yu walked with her hands behind her back, swaggering, barely suppressing her smile, and said seriously, "You were looking for me?"
Shutu knew her all too well; one look at her expression, and she understood. "Did something good happen?"
Yu Yu couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, then composed herself again. "What have you been doing these past few days?"
Shutu: "Doing missions."
"I mean outside."
Shu Tu glanced at her for a moment. "Investigating."
"I knew it," Yu Yu sighed. "Have you found anything?"
"A little bit..."
Yu Yu thought for a moment. "Tell me about it tomorrow."
Possibly because she had reached level 5, she had managed to draw all cantrips on the sphere wall in just one night. Tonight she would try to draw "Lightning Arrow." That way, she would barely have some self-defense capability.
Shu Tu looked at her with surprise and after a while said, "Alright."
"Shall I come find you?"
Hearing her casual tone, Yu Yu sighed. "I'll come find you."
Shu Tu: "Fine."
Today, Yu Yu completed her missions with extreme seriousness. She no longer treated it as just a game. "Eternal Darkness" held great secrets. Worth mentioning is that the young players didn't come online today either. Yu Yu was quite worried, wondering if something had happened. Recently, things outside hadn't been peaceful, and some people were quite unfortunate...
On a beautiful sunny noon, Yu Yu hopped on her electric scooter and happily went out. She passed by a large, bright yellow cat near the entrance of the residential area. They looked at each other, both momentarily bewildered. The big cat took small steps, while Yu Yu rode her electric scooter, growing further apart in this state of confusion.
Huh...?
Why was it here again?!