Wan Tong was afraid she would lose track of time again, so she exited <Forest Elves>. The page was filled with all kinds of games, making her dizzy just looking at them, so she simply returned to her small cabin.
Meanwhile, not far away, a group of players stared at their optical computers, watching in despair as the red marker on their map suddenly disappeared, instantly triggering a wave of wails and complaints.
Many were unwilling to give up and continued to linger nearby.
Over the years, various parallel-time VR games had emerged, but the slums were always ignored by game companies. In <Forest Elves>, the slums were depicted as the remote edge of the forest, a place where no one ventured, let alone where elves would appear. But now, the game had suddenly alerted them to the presence of an elf in this area, sending them into a frenzy.
Late that night, the news that a high-level elf had appeared in the slums spread across the game’s world channel. Many players were even planning to travel from all over to capture this rumored high-level elf.
In reality, the game had generated only twenty different types of elves, and so far, fewer than ten thousand had been captured. High-level elves were exceptionally rare and difficult to catch. The appearance of a single one was enough to send thousands of players into a frenzy.
At the same time, the programmers at Ruili Games, the developers of <Forest Elves>, were in complete disarray. Every one of them was frantically checking the code, their minds in shambles. An elf appearing in the slums? That was absolutely impossible, let alone a high-level one!
It had to be a bug. But despite so many people scouring the code, they had found nothing for hours, and it was driving them insane.
As darkness slowly receded, the sun illuminated the entire slum area. Compared to usual, it was noticeably livelier today. Many young people, mostly well-dressed men, were roaming the narrow alleys with VR headsets on, searching frantically.
Lou Yan had barely slept. When he woke up, he turned on his optical computer.
Among the pop-up notifications, one mentioned the elf sighting in the slums. However, he paid little attention to it. He had long grown bored of all games, and even if there really was a high-level elf, he had no interest in capturing it.
Wanwan’s cabin was empty. After thinking for a moment, Lou Yan opened the LingTing Video app.
Sure enough, thanks to the recently lifted viewing restrictions, the watch history had updated overnight. Clearly, Wanwan had been binge-watching dramas again.
“Wanwan?” he called out.
From the homepage of LingTing Video, Wan Tong emerged from under an icon. “Master, good morning.”
“Morning.” Lou Yan had long grown accustomed to greeting this digital companion. He eyed her waist-length, light chestnut hair and even had the sudden urge to reach out and touch it.
Stepping out of his basement, he noticed the sudden influx of familiar faces in the area. Lou Yan frowned. These people were way too noisy.
“Hey, bro, do you live here?” A blond-haired teenager, around seventeen or eighteen, approached him eagerly. “Did you get the alert last night? They said there’s a high-level elf here. Did you see it?”
Lou Yan had no interest in entertaining him, so he simply shook his head and walked away.
He had turned off all game notifications.
“No way, this guy lives right here and didn’t see anything? He’s not messing with me, is he?” The blond youth stared in disbelief at Lou Yan’s retreating figure.
“This area’s virtual and real terrain are both super complex,” his companion reminded him. “Even if it’s close by, finding it won’t be easy. And judging by his appearance, he probably can’t even afford a VR headset, how would he even play the game?”
The blond youth shook his head and put his VR headset back on. In an instant, the surroundings transformed into a dense, primeval forest. He adjusted the transparency so he could still see the real-world environment beneath.
Comparing the maps, he realized the spot where that young man had emerged from was extremely close to where the elf had appeared last night, only about ten meters away before it vanished again. Where could it have gone?
Based on forum discussions about elf reappearance probabilities, it was highly likely that it was still within a hundred-meter radius. Their optical computers could detect up to five hundred meters, so camping out here might actually yield results!
Lou Yan entered his usual noodle shop. Normally, it was quiet, but today, every seat was taken. Some players were even standing while slurping noodles. It wasn’t the first time they had gone to such extremes.
Lou Yan lowered his head and focused on eating. Beside him, on the optical computer screen, Wan Tong was standing in front of a wardrobe, trying on clothes.
He found it hard to look away. She was tirelessly tapping on different outfits and shoes, making her clothes change repeatedly. Even the system’s crisp notification sound seemed to become more pleasant.
Wan Tong selected a black, batwing-sleeve hoodie. Unexpectedly, the size was too big—the hood fell over her head, the brim sagging low enough to cover most of her face, leaving only her small mouth visible.
She reached up to push the hood back, but the sleeves were too loose and long, getting in the way. After struggling twice, she finally managed to lift it off, but in the process, her once neatly combed hair became a mess, and her bangs stuck up in a few places.
She instinctively glanced at Lou Yan. He was focused on his noodles.
Just as she thought he hadn’t noticed her embarrassing moment, he suddenly choked and coughed softly twice. Even though his hand covered his mouth, it couldn’t hide the slight upward curve of his lips.
From her angle, his distinct features were filled with amusement.
He was laughing at her!
After a brief pause, Lou Yan turned to her, his expression serious. “Wanwan, I didn’t see anything.”
Then, he simply continued eating.
Wan Tong : “…” The audacity of this blatant lie.
With a soft huff, she changed back into the doll dress he especially liked, hugged her teddy bear, and sat by the window.
“Master, what’s wrong? What is this high-level elf they are looking for?” The murmurs from the side kept reaching her ears, and she became a little curious.
Lou Yan lowered his head, looking at the tiny figure on his optical computer, and carefully answered.
Wan Tong immediately understood. Wasn’t she in <Forest Elves> just yesterday?
It was quite a fun game, but unfortunately, she couldn’t play it; she could only go in and enjoy the scenery.
“There are many similar games. I put them all on the same page : <Wish Wand>, <Dragon’s Source>… They all involve capturing and contracting spirits or hatching pet characters.” Lou Yan continued explaining while leaving the bustling noodle stall.
“They just need to wear glasses, and they can see the virtual world of the game in reality?”
“Yeah.” Lou Yan thought for a moment before adding, “My glasses are broken, so I haven’t been playing these games.”
Wan Tong grew even more curious. It seemed she had a lot to catch up on about this world. Tonight, once Lou Yan was asleep, she would have to check the encyclopedia.
As Lou Yan walked, Wan Tong immediately entered <Wish Wand>. The virtual world of this game had a more girlish aesthetic. Players could find randomly generated ‘Wish Ambassadors’, attract them with items, and sign a master-servant contract to make a wish.
The special part was that after making a wish, depending on the Wish Ambassador’s ability level, the player could exchange it for a corresponding-level gift from the game company!
Just as Wan Tong was getting familiar with the game rules, Lou Yan suddenly stopped walking.
He heard the same notification sound coming from the optical computers of the people around him.
It was the alert for detecting a <Wish Wand> Wish Ambassador.
Sure enough, the surrounding people quickly checked their optical computers, scrambling to switch to the game!
“It’s <Wish Wand>! A Wish Ambassador appeared!”
“No way! Right now?”
“How long has it been since <Wish Wand> last had an Ambassador appear?!”
Wan Tong also heard the commotion and hurriedly returned to the main screen. “Master, what’s happening?”
Lou Yan glanced around and replied indifferently, “A Wish Ambassador appeared in <Wish Wand>.”
“Huh? Then I have to go see!” Wan Tong’s excitement made her voice sound a little sweeter.
Lou Yan lightly tapped the screen with his index finger, the corner of his mouth slightly raised. “They said it disappeared again.”
“Ah…” Wan Tong crouched down in disappointment, cupping her cheeks in her palms as if she were genuinely let down.
Lou Yan noticed the people around him moving closer, so he quickened his pace.
“What? It disappeared again? So weird! I only switched games for a second, and it’s gone!”
“This is too fast. That money-draining <Wish Wand>, getting a Wish Ambassador is impossible!”
“It was right within three meters of me! I just switched games for a second, and poof, gone!”
A chorus of regretful voices filled the air. Wan Tong leaned over the edge of the optical computer, watching the frenzied players through the camera.
“Master, have you ever seen a Wish Ambassador?” Wan Tong suddenly asked Lou Yan.
Lou Yan nodded. “I contracted one before. It had a decent ability level. That game pod in the attic, it was the gift.”
Wan Tong clapped her tiny hands. “Master is amazing!”
Lou Yan couldn’t help but curl his lips slightly.
The most criticized thing about <Wish Wand> was the appearance of the Wish Ambassadors. They were notoriously ugly, resembling gruff-voiced little old men.
“Hey man, it’s you! Did you see the Wish Ambassador just now?” A blond-haired youth, panting, blocked Lou Yan’s path again.
“Wow…” Wan Tong whispered in admiration as she saw the blond youth’s face.
Lou Yan pressed the optical computer back into his palm and looked at the blond youth with a colder expression. “Didn’t see it.”
Then he brushed past the youth.
After walking a few steps, he lifted the optical computer again. On the screen, the little girl kept sneaking glances behind him. A faint wave of jealousy bubbled in his chest. “Very good-looking?”
Wan Tong gave an honest evaluation. “Mhm. He’s the second best-looking person I’ve seen.”
“…” Lou Yan’s voice dropped a little. “Then who’s the best-looking?”
“Master, of course~”
“Oh.” Lou Yan looked away. His face appeared indifferent, but a faint glow of satisfaction sparkled in his eyes.
Wan Tong : “…” Tsk, men.
Luckily, she could hear the jealousy in his tone.
Before long, Wan Tong noticed something rare. Several cute girls wearing frilly dresses.
They had probably come after their optical computers detected the Wish Ambassador too. But the moment they saw Lou Yan, they swarmed toward him.
“Handsome guy, do you play <Wish Wand>? I heard there’s a Wish Ambassador here, is it true?” A long-haired girl with black hair removed her VR glasses, her bright eyes locked onto Lou Yan.
—This guy was too handsome!
Lou Yan knew they were trying to flirt with him, so he ignored them and walked straight past.
“Wow, so cold.” A bob-haired girl consoled the long-haired one. “Forget it. What kind of decent person comes from the slums anyway? Acting all aloof, just a filthy beggar.”
Wan Tong not only heard the remark, but she also caught the unwilling and disdainful looks in their eyes.
She felt indignant for Lou Yan.
She wondered, could she hack into their optical computers through the network? Maybe give them a little scare?
Since they were logged into <Wish Wand>, could she track them through the game servers?
The thought stirred something in Wan Tong, and she immediately entered Wish Wand, but she quickly realized something was wrong.
As soon as she entered the game, Wan Tong could only see her surroundings, a pink castle, but not a single person was in sight. Yet, in what felt like just a moment, people had appeared around her!
Not far away, two girls caught her attention, weren’t they the two friends of bob-haired girl and black-long-straight-haired girl? They were wearing VR glasses, looking excitedly at their palms, and even pulling at something in another direction.
Before long, the bob-haired girl and the black-long-straight-haired girl appeared as well.
In just the blink of an eye, Wan Tong saw figures emerging one by one onto the pink street.
[What’s going on? Shishi?] Had she turned into a human?
No, no, this was still a game!
[Tongtong, something’s off. In this game, it seems like they can see you when they put on VR glasses.] Shishi sounded a little surprised too.
Wan Tong’s mind struggled to keep up. It felt like everyone’s gaze suddenly turned toward her, and some were even running in her direction!
The black-long-straight-haired girl was the closest to her. She examined Wan Tong with an incredulous look before quickly tossing a strawberry cake at her.
The cake floated in front of Wan Tong as the black-long-straight-haired girl spoke, “Please form a contract with me!”
The moment she finished speaking, the bob-haired girl and the other two girls also threw their items.
“Please form a contract with me!”
Wan Tong stared at the floating assortment of desserts, her mouth twitching. What the heck was going on?
Did they mistake her for a Wish Ambassador?
At the same time, she vaguely heard the voices of others running toward her, shouting—
“Is that girl the Wish Ambassador? Damn, the game company finally listened to the players and changed the character design!”
“What an adorable Wish Ambassador! Quick, buy high-tier items! She looks like she has a really high ability level!”
“Ahhh, I want this Wish Ambassador! Go buy a crown!”
Wan Tong : ???
Should she make a run for it?
Meanwhile, Lou Yan had been forced to stop in his tracks as more and more people ran toward them. Several girls were even shouting contract requests at the space beside him, leaving him utterly bewildered.
Was the Wish Ambassador really that close to him?
Frowning slightly, he shifted to the side, but something still felt off.
He lowered his head to check his optical computer. He had just watched Wan Wan enter <Wish Wand>…
“Wanwan?” His voice carried an inexplicable urgency.
After a moment, he finally saw a new figure appear beside the <Wish Wand> icon. At the same time, the crowd around him grew more restless.
Clenching his optical computer, he quickly pushed his way out of the crowd.
“She disappeared. Feels like it’s really hard to form a contract with her, even the crown didn’t get a reaction,” a blond-haired youth sighed, taking off his VR glasses.
“This is unbelievable. Are the two game companies competing? First, it’s a high-level elf, and now a Wish Ambassador, players are getting played with.”
“Let’s stay here for a few days. I feel like I’ll definitely get something out of this!”
“But that Wish Ambassador was so cute. Too bad she didn’t say anything.”
“Even the highest-tier crown couldn’t get her to form a contract, does she have specific preferences?”
“No matter what she likes, I’ll buy everything and try them all!”
…
The voices of discussion behind him grew louder, but Lou Yan’s expression darkened further.
Wan Tong stood obediently in place, staring at Lou Yan with wide, expectant eyes.
Oh no, she had a bad feeling about this.
Lou Yan was too smart, he must have figured it out already.