The next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the curtains, casting a warm golden hue over the room.
Shiro woke up early as usual and prepared breakfast for Tao Yao.
She gently knocked on Tao Yao's door.
After hearing a lazy "Come in" from inside, she pushed the door open and walked in.
"Ms. Tao Yao, breakfast is ready for you."
Shiro said with a smile, simultaneously drawing back the curtains.
Sunlight instantly filled the entire room, and Tao Yao squinted her eyes, adjusting to the sudden brightness.
Tao Yao sat up, looking at the busy Shiro, and suddenly asked, "Are you going out today?"
Shiro paused for a moment before nodding:
"Yes, Ms. Tao Yao. I want to visit those children."
Tao Yao nodded thoughtfully: "Then you need to be careful."
Shiro smiled in response, "I will, Ms. Tao Yao. You don't need to worry."
After saying that, Shiro turned to leave the room.
Just as she was about to step out the door, Tao Yao suddenly spoke up:
"Shiro."
Shiro stopped, turning back: "Ms. Tao Yao, is there anything else you need?"
Tao Yao gazed at Shiro, her eyes containing a hint of complex emotion: "It's nothing, you can go. Just remember to come back early."
Shiro was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a gentle smile:
"I understand, Ms. Tao Yao. I will hurry back to cook."
The two exchanged glances, as if countless words were being exchanged in that brief silence.
Finally, Shiro bowed lightly and turned to leave the room.
Tao Yao listened as Shiro's footsteps gradually faded away.
Only when the sound of the front door closing echoed did she let out a long sigh of relief.
At that moment, a gentle breeze swept through, and the system sprite Xiao Xiao suddenly appeared, flapping her small wings and lightly perching on Tao Yao's shoulder.
Xiao Xiao asked with a hint of worry.
["Master, won't your little maid harm our plans?"]
Hearing this question, a mysterious smile crossed Tao Yao's face.
She reached out to gently stroke Xiao Xiao's head and spoke softly:
"Xiao Xiao, you must trust Shiro. And trust me even more."
She stood up and walked to the window, gazing into the distance: "Shiro has her own mission, and we have our own plans. These two do not conflict and may even produce unexpected chemical reactions at some point."
Xiao Xiao seemed a bit bewildered, but upon seeing Tao Yao's confident expression, she no longer asked further.
Tao Yao turned around, her smile more evident: "Let's go, the game version is about to be updated. Before that, we need to finish this last plot segment."
After saying that, she took one last look at the house where she and her maid had lived for some time.
Though staying at home felt nice.
It was time to look ahead.
With Xiao Xiao, Tao Yao left her home, heading towards the residence of Black Rose in the Twin Cities.
Black Rose's residence was located in the heart of the Apostle Church.
It was an extremely concealed and mysterious complex of buildings.
The entire complex was shrouded in a faint purple mist, giving it an eerie and strange feeling.
Tao Yao rarely came here, but she was always struck by the atmosphere every time she did.
Though she was also an Apostle, she preferred to stay in her cozy little house.
As Tao Yao walked through the church's main gate, people around her cast surprised glances.
Though Tao Yao rarely appeared, everyone recognized her as an Apostle.
"Is that Lady Tao Yao?"
"Why is she here?"
"Is something big happening?"
Whispers around her reached Tao Yao's ears.
But she just walked past indifferently, heading straight for Black Rose's living quarters.
When Tao Yao pushed open the door to Black Rose's room, the person inside clearly froze for a moment.
Black Rose was sitting on an ornate chair, holding a thick tome.
Seeing Tao Yao, her eyebrows shot up, and a surprised, amused expression appeared on her face.
"What a rare guest!"
Black Rose set the book aside and stood up:
"I didn't expect you would take the initiative to come to the church."
"I thought you'd stay at home until the Twin Cities conflict completely erupted."
Tao Yao walked into the room with a smile, her demeanor relaxed as if she was just a neighbor visiting: "What, can't I come to see my companion? Don't forget, I'm also an Apostle, and we have a common goal."
Upon hearing this, Black Rose's expression showed more skepticism: "Really? Given your current temperament, shouldn't you be stopping the upcoming conflicts between the two main cities in Dawn's Land? Instead of allowing me to stir up trouble."
Tao Yao chuckled lightly at this: "You're right, but have you considered that even without you leading the church to cause trouble, the increasingly tense relationship between the two cities would eventually lead to chaos? You merely advanced that day; it actually could help solve things earlier."
Black Rose nodded thoughtfully after hearing this:
"You're right; chaos will eventually happen between the two cities. But if there's no chaos, how can I expect the fairies to descend? Tao Yao, did you come to see me for the purpose of stopping it?"
Tao Yao shook her head, her expression becoming serious: "I would like to stop you; however, I also know that it's impossible. So, I just wanted to come over and see how you plan to bring the fairies down."
Upon hearing this, Black Rose's expression grew even more puzzled.
She stared at Tao Yao, as if trying to see through her mind:
"Tao Yao, I really can't understand you more and more. What are you thinking?"
Tao Yao merely smiled mysteriously, not answering Black Rose's question.
She walked to the window of the room, looking down at the busy members of the church below.
"Rose,"
Tao Yao suddenly spoke, "Have you ever thought that even if I went along with your idea of letting the fairy's personality and will appear in Hiyakura's body, what should we do to control the fairies who hold a deep hatred for humanity?"
Black Rose showed a hint of surprise upon hearing Tao Yao's question.
She slowly approached Tao Yao, her eyes sparkled with wisdom.
"I didn't expect you to ask this question, Tao Yao."
Black Rose chuckled lightly, "But you're correct; fairies are not friendly to humans, and controlling this power is indeed harder than one might expect."
She walked to the nearby bookshelf and pulled out a hefty ancient tome, flipping to a page inside.
"But you can rest assured, I have conducted thorough investigations."
Black Rose spoke with a hint of pride, "From the responses shown by Hiyakura when you let the 'seed' merge with her last time, if nothing else, she corresponds to the fire fairy that has appeared in human history."
She looked up at Tao Yao and continued:
"From past history, it is not difficult to discover that this fairy is indeed very powerful."
"But you should know, she has been asleep for a long time, and the recently awakened her will certainly not be in her prime."
"We can take advantage of this moment to control her."
A spark of fervor flashed in Black Rose's eyes, "At that time, we can naturally conduct further research. Just think, if we can control such a powerful force, how much can we accomplish!"
At this point, Black Rose paused slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
Then she continued: "Of course, I'm not an arrogant person. Just relying on me alone as an Apostle may not give us total certainty. But Tao Yao, as long as you join me, together we can definitely capture the fire fairy."
The fire fairy, this name left an indelible scar in human history.
It is recorded that she once roamed during the pre-civilization period of humanity.
At that time, humans had just grasped the mysterious powers in meteorites, and the whole civilization reached an unprecedented peak, also thinking they could dispel the disaster beasts from the stars and restore peace.
However, the arrival of the fire fairy completely shattered humanity's pride.
Wherever she went, the land turned to scorched earth, rivers evaporated, and forests turned to ash.
The entire civilization was nearly destroyed under her fury, standing on the brink of collapse.
Even the most powerful extraordinary warriors at the time could only barely push her back to her original form but not eliminate her completely.
After this disaster.
The losses of the pre-civilization were severe.
Tao Yao fell silent for a moment after listening to Black Rose's words.
She turned around, looking deeply at Black Rose.
Then she slowly spoke: "I haven't used fairy power in a long time..."
Upon hearing this, a hint of confusion flickered in Black Rose's eyes.
She swiftly approached Tao Yao, her tone a bit urgent: "But Tao Yao, didn't you already use it once in Qingyang City last time? Since you've broken your vow, why can't you use it again?"
Her voice gradually rose, speaking loudly.
"You must understand, this is for a greater goal. We can change this world for the better! Isn't it worth using your fairy power again?"
Hearing Black Rose's passionate words, a complex emotion flashed in Tao Yao's eyes.
She gently sighed and said, "Rose, the fairy power brought to us by the fairy seed has never been a good thing. If I could, I wouldn't want to use it too much, and I don't want you to use it too much. That would make you unhappy..."
Being an Apostle means more than just being chosen by the fairies to serve them for life.
It also signifies that one will become the vessel and shell for the descent of the fairies.
Each use of fairy power brings the Apostle's body closer to the essence of the fairies, meaning they are one step closer to losing their self and becoming a fairy.
It is a double-edged sword that brings great power while eroding the user's humanity.
After hearing Tao Yao's words, Black Rose seemed to understand what she was trying to convey.
Her expression became more resolute, a passionate flame burning in her eyes.
Black Rose tightly grasped Tao Yao's hand, "As long as we can thoroughly explore the secrets of the fairies, why can't we control this power in reverse?"
"Tao Yao, listen to me. I need your help; as long as we can succeed, we can fulfill our original vision and change this world."
"We established the church for this very purpose, didn't we?"
Tao Yao looked at Black Rose's determined gaze, gently shook her head, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.
"I know I can't argue against you."
She took a deep breath and continued:
"I can promise you to let the fire fairy descend and I can confront her with you. But if I feel it's wrong, at that time, you have to listen to me."
Upon hearing Tao Yao's words, a radiant smile instantly blossomed on Black Rose's face.
She excitedly embraced Tao Yao, exclaiming, "That's great! This is the Tao Yao I remember! I knew you wouldn't let me down!"
Just as Tao Yao and Black Rose were discussing and choosing to actively participate in this matter.
Outside the game world.
On Blue Star, a major update was quietly underway.
The update for the game "Fairy Journey" Version 1.2 has been launched.
This highly anticipated update sparked a huge response among the player community.
And in the group chat named "Sakura Fubuki's Den," various reactions began to pour in.
The group's active member "Pure Widow" immediately popped up at the first moment of the update, consistently posting the message:
"Piglets, Version 1.2 has been updated in advance, quick, get up and log in!!"
Once this message was posted, it immediately triggered a series of responses.
"Is it true? It won't be a trick again, right?"
"Really! Maintenance has ended, and I've already logged into the game!"
"Goodness, finally waiting for you, good thing I didn't miss it! Fairy Journey, activate."
Next, as if following some ritual.
The group began a round after round of repetition.
"Fairy Journey, activate."
"Fairy Journey, activate."
"Fairy Journey, activate."
This simple phrase was repeatedly sent.
As if it were the players' love for the game.
With the game update, the discussions in the group grew increasingly heated.
Some began to speculate what kind of content the new version would bring, while others discussed how their characters should adjust to cope with possible changes.
At the same time.
Game streamer Sakura Fubuki.
At this moment, began her live stream.
As the update for "Fairy Journey" Version 1.2 took effect, a large number of viewers flooded into Sakura Fubuki's live room.
The bullet comments poured in like raindrops, filled with anticipation and excitement for the new version.
"Streamer, hurry up and log into the game!"
"Finally waiting for the update, let's see the new content!"
"Sakura Fubuki yyds!"
Watching the continually refreshing number of viewers and the lively comments, Sakura Fubuki revealed a satisfied smile.
She adjusted her microphone, cleared her throat, and started today's live stream.
"Hello everyone, I'm Sakura Fubuki. It seems like everyone is as excited about this update as I am!"
Her voice was full of energy, "Alright everyone, it's time to witness the results."
Sakura Fubuki's tone grew serious:
"I know everyone wants to see all the new content at once, but I need to remind you that the story is separated by time segments, and it will take a few days to unlock everything."
"However, I estimate that we should be able to reach the final battle today."
"This progress is enough to prove what I said; Tao Yao is a character who flips from sweet to dark!"
The bullet comments in the live room also began to urge.
"It seems the streamer still remembers that bet..."
"Hurry, hurry! Streamer, push the main storyline; I can't wait to see you turn into a pet dog!"
"Tao Yao, hurry and enter the weekly dungeon; I just need your breakthrough materials!!"
Sakura Fubuki ignored these skeptical voices and focused on operating the game interface.
She skillfully opened the quest list and began the new main storyline.