[The Regent's Manor · Rear Garden]
The space-time currents exploded open, and two figures tumbled out of the rift, crashing hard into a cluster of decorative rocks.
Yin Wuwang landed headfirst in a flower bed, mouth full of dirt. He choked and coughed, spitting out soil as he scrambled upright. Brushing dead leaves from his robes, he surveyed his surroundings.
Elegant pavilions. Winding streams. Artfully arranged stone gardens. Moonlight filtered through the branches of ancient osmanthus trees.
This was clearly the rear garden of some wealthy estate. The air carried a faint fragrance of osmanthus, and in the distance, servants' voices murmured in quiet conversation.
So this was the ancient world that old fossil mentioned.
He turned to look for Xie Qingyan—and found him already rising from behind a decorative boulder. His snow-white robes were smudged with mud, yet he still radiated that same cold, untouchable elegance. As if the one who had just tumbled into the mortal world wasn't him at all.
Ding!
"Saviors #9527 and #9528 have entered World #39284—Ancient Court Drama: 'Power Over the World.' Downloading character profiles. Please wait."
Little Deer Assistant #9527's voice echoed in Yin Wuwang's mind, choppy and interspersed with static.
"Bzzt... download progress: 10%... bzzt... 30%..."
Yin Wuwang rubbed his temples in irritation. This broken artifact spirit's voice was genuinely grating.
"Wait." He spoke suddenly, tone wary. "Don't download yet. This sovereign has questions."
The disaster in the ABO world was still fresh in his memory—thrown in without warning, rules completely unknown, nearly getting marked. He'd learned his lesson the hard way. This time, he would ask first.
"What's the mission? What are the rules? What happens if we break them?" The questions fired out in rapid succession. "And how do we clear this world?"
He paused, then added: "Also—my storage ring. Does it work here?"
"Storage rings function across worlds." Little Deer's voice crackled. "Items stored inside remain accessible. However, spiritual artifacts lose efficacy in low-spiritual-energy worlds. Spirit stones retain value as currency exchange but cannot power formations or cultivation."
So I can still access my things, but they're mostly useless here. Yin Wuwang grimaced. Except for bribing this broken system, apparently.
Xie Qingyan inclined his head slightly upon hearing this. He clearly shared the same concerns. After all, their last experience had been... educational.
Little Deer Assistant #9527 buzzed and crackled, seemingly processing these queries.
"Mission objective: Repair the collapsed storyline. Guide the plot toward a logical conclusion."
"Logical conclusion?" Yin Wuwang frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Original ending: The Regent and the Duke of the Realm perish together. Prince Huai successfully usurps the throne. The Prime Minister seizes absolute power. This ending contains logical collapse. World stability compromised."
"So our mission is to change this ending?" Xie Qingyan asked.
"Correct. Mission objective: Ensure the Regent and Duke of the Realm survive. Prevent Prince Huai's usurpation. Establish a logical power structure. Completion grants clearance."
Yin Wuwang and Xie Qingyan exchanged glances.
This mission didn't sound too difficult.
"What about rules?" Xie Qingyan continued. "What restrictions apply?"
"Core rule: No OOC—Out Of Character. Saviors must maintain their character personas. NPCs must not detect anomalies. Otherwise, world stability decreases. Severe violations may cause world collapse."
"Wait." Xie Qingyan's eyes narrowed. "Define 'violation levels.'"
"OOC violations are categorized into three tiers." Little Deer's voice crackled. "Tier One: Verbal slips—minor penalties such as lightning strikes. Tier Two: Behavioral contradictions—escalating lightning strikes until unconsciousness. Tier Three: Complete character collapse—world destabilization."
"And what about changing the plot?" Xie Qingyan pressed. "Our mission is to repair this world. That inherently requires altering the original storyline."
"Correct. Plot modification in service of world repair does not trigger OOC penalties. The system evaluates intent and outcome. As long as the result increases world stability, the method is permitted."
So we can rewrite the story as long as we stabilize it. Yin Wuwang filed that away. Good to know.
"Character persona?" He scoffed aloud. "This sovereign doesn't even know what his persona is."
"Downloading character profiles. Download complete."
Little Deer Assistant's voice cleared slightly—still scratchy, but comprehensible now.
The signal finally stabilized? Yin Wuwang noted. Seems like this broken system can handle simple queries and data retrieval, but anything requiring complex calculations or predictions causes it to glitch out. Good to know.
"Savior #9527. Character name: Yin Lie. Identity: Duke of the Realm, First-Rank Military Commander. The Empress Dowager's younger brother. Commands thirty thousand elite troops. Persona: Loyal, brave, and simple-minded. Hot-tempered. Manipulated by the Prime Minister as a pawn. Original ending: Framed for treason by the Prime Minister. Entire household executed."
Yin Wuwang's mouth twitched violently.
Loyal, brave, and simple-minded?
SIMPLE-MINDED?!
He, the supreme Demon Sovereign who had schemed his way to the top of the demonic hierarchy, was being asked to play a SIMPLETON?!
Manipulated as a pawn? Entire household executed?
What kind of pathetic loser role was this?! Even the cannon fodder in cultivation novels got better treatment!
His eye twitched uncontrollably. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could almost hear that crusty old fossil Elder Mo cackling with glee.
That old bastard definitely did this on purpose.
He was about to voice his complaints when Xie Qingyan's Little Deer Assistant #9528 chimed in:
"Savior #9528. Character name: Xie Lan. Identity: The Regent, First-Rank Official. Controls the imperial court. Persona: Ruthless and cunning. Deeply scheming. Merciless in his methods. Original ending: Silenced by Prince Huai. Dies a violent death."
Xie Qingyan's brow furrowed slightly. He was evidently not pleased with this "persona" either.
Ding!
Little Deer Assistant #9527 suddenly spoke up again:
"System recommendation: Since you two are mortal enemies in the original story, why not go with the flow? Kill each other and achieve quick clearance!"
Yin Wuwang's expression darkened. "Kill Fuguang? Is this broken system serious?"
Xie Qingyan's Little Deer Assistant #9528 added: "Supplementary recommendation: The Regent could poison the Duke's tea. This aligns with the original persona."
"Hold on!" Yin Wuwang's eyes widened as realization struck. "You just said our mission is to 'survive.' Now you're recommending we 'kill each other'?"
He stared in disbelief.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?! The mission says we need to live, but your recommendation is mutual murder? Isn't that a complete contradiction?!"
Little Deer Assistant #9527 fell silent for a moment, then replied:
"Recommendations are based on original plot. In the original story, the Regent and Duke are mortal enemies. Mutual killing is the natural progression of the narrative."
"Bullshit!" Yin Wuwang was practically hopping with rage. "What kind of garbage recommendation is that?! This sovereign doesn't believe a single word!"
Xie Qingyan remained silent, studying the floating point of light with a thoughtful expression.
The artifact spirit's "mission" and "recommendations" were indeed contradictory. The mission required their survival, but the recommendations pushed them toward mutual destruction.
Something was off. But with so little information, he couldn't see through it yet.
"Ignore it for now." He spoke calmly. "This artifact spirit's recommendations cannot be trusted. We act according to our own judgment."
Yin Wuwang nodded vigorously. "Exactly! This broken thing is probably trying to get us killed!"
[End of V1_Chapter 07]
Next Chapter Preview:
"Your Highness! Why are you out here?" An elderly butler hurries over. Xie Qingyan doesn't miss a beat: "This prince wished for some fresh air." Time to split up and play their roles.