This sudden enthusiasm left Lin Qingyue and her three companions a bit dazed.
Even the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise following behind all wore expressions as if they had seen their own cats do backflips.
The White Tiger in their memories, who was so caustic and picky that he would scold anyone for breathing too much and polluting the air, was actually using this almost "pleading" tone to drag along a few mortals?
Su Wan followed behind Lin Xiyue and muttered softly, "Is this what they call, playing games until your brain rots?"
Stepping into the Main Hall, Lin Qingyue's first glance fell upon the black-haired Big Sister half-lying on a luxurious chaise longue.
Those exaggerated curves that were impossible to ignore, as well as that sense of relaxation that seeped from her bones, saying "I would rather rot on this chaise longue than get up," left Lin Qingyue lost in thought.
For the Ancient Gods of this Dungeon, besides having extreme flaws in their personalities, isn't their body development also too completely ignoring the basic laws of nature?
The Azure Dragon was the plumpness of a shut-in girl, the Vermilion Bird was a powerful and healthy physique, and the Black Tortoise was pure, rule-breaking fleshiness.
White Tiger... a violent loli, can be ignored...
Of course, compared to judging their figures, Lin Qingyue's heart was filled with a greater sense of wild joy over "successfully freeloading."
The original plan was to deal with White Tiger first, then make the long journey to the northernmost part of the continent and find a way to drag that lazy god out of bed.
Who would have thought that White Tiger would cause such a commotion when launching the game, acting like a super-loudspeaker and shaking all the Celestial Gods of the Four Directions over here?
This wasn't handling a single-person mission, this was clearly a joint team-building event for the Celestial Gods!
They'd all been caught in one fell swoop!
Lin Qingyue carefully observed Black Tortoise. From beginning to end, this black-haired Goddess just remained half-lying, not even bothering to change her posture, and even the act of lifting her eyelids revealed an energy-depleted weariness.
Strangely, Lin Qingyue couldn't detect any "malice" or "distortion" from being eroded by the Ancient God Shadow on her.
She was just pure laziness.
Too lazy to hate, too lazy to destroy, and even too lazy to harbor any malice.
White Tiger didn't give Lin Qingyue much time to observe. He excitedly pressed everyone into the metal chairs around the chessboard, his small hand waving vigorously in the air.
"Open your eyes wide and prepare to witness the true, perfect art of gaming!"
On the wide metal tabletop, following White Tiger's movement, the holographic projection sand table of "War of the Gods" boomed open.
This time, there was no violent energy leakage, nor were there runes that kept breaking down into garbled code.
What appeared before everyone's eyes was a microscopic world simulated to the utmost realism.
Over the mountains and rivers, a gentle breeze blew, causing each blade of grass to sway with a different amplitude.
The river's surface shimmered, and the angle of light refraction was identical to reality.
The troop models were so exquisite that every single rivet on their armor could be counted.
White Tiger puffed out his flat little chest and bragged to the four humans and three fellow gods sitting at the table.
"See that? This is a masterpiece!"
"Four completely different Resource Cycle Systems, 128 basic troop types, plus 3,000 types of Terrain Bonus Algorithms that counter each other!"
"From the logistics supply lines to the frontline micro-management, everything is under this god's perfect command!"
He was like a genius orator conducting a product launch, speaking with a spray of saliva as he explained the basic rules. Then he paused, his expression becoming mysterious.
"Of course, as a magnum opus with the participation of Celestial Gods, how could it be missing the most central 'Celestial God's Blessing'?"
He reached out and grasped the air, and four gold-embossed cards radiating light of different colors floated in the center of the sand table.
The artwork on the card faces was none other than the figures of the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.
"These are four unique 'Celestial God Cards' that represent the Origin Authority of our four deities, which can turn the tide of battle at critical moments!"
White Tiger extended a small finger to point at the first card shimmering with azure light.
"[Dragon of Pride]: Consumes all Action Points for this turn, perfectly copies the card with the highest combat power on the opponent's field, and converts it into one's own unit."
He didn't stop, pointing to the second card.
"[Phoenix of Wrath]: Sacrifices this card and all allied units, dealing True Destruction Damage that ignores defense to all targets on the field, destroying everything in a mutual annihilation."
"[Tiger of Envy]: My card, comprehensively strengthens all allied units, because this god cannot stand anyone being stronger than me."
"Finally, [Tortoise of Sloth]: Possesses Absolute Defense, and upon being attacked, forcibly taunts the enemy's key unit and makes it 'Sleep' for one turn."
After finishing the introduction, White Tiger stood with hands on his hips, waiting for everyone's astonishment and praise.
However, what he got in return was a deathly silence.
And three completely different, yet equally cold, killing intents.
"Nonsense!"
Azure Dragon was the first to lose her temper, and the Azure Jade Runic Pen in her hand cracked with a "snap."
"What do you mean by 'copy'? That's the act of a literary thief! Our generation studies the Laws of Heaven and Earth to achieve 'textual-critical adaptation'! It is a tribute and re-creation of the supreme knowledge!"
She slammed the table hard, leaving a clear palm print on the high-quality metal surface.
"This is a serious insult to my intellectual property! Change this vulgar skill name immediately, and change it to 'Wind of Great Elegance'!"
"Change my ass!"
White Tiger roared back without backing down.
"The underlying logic is just code copying, Ctrl+C plus Ctrl+V! Say another word and I'll change your card's name to 'Freeloading Dragon'!"
"You dare!"
Crack.
From another direction, the precious purple clay teapot in Vermilion Bird's hand directly turned into a handful of crimson powder.
The scalding tea water didn't even have time to flow down before it completely evaporated in the high heat of her palm.
Vermilion Bird grabbed White Tiger by the collar, hoisting him into the air, her fiery red eyes spitting scorching sparks.
"Is your brain filled with mush? Why the hell is my role a self-destruct truck?!"
The sound waves made the grand hall buzz.
"My aesthetic is the ultimate instantaneous high temperature, elegantly sending enemies to cremation! Not this kind of mutually destructive death without any technical content! You've completely ruined my prestige, change it! Change it right now!"
"Let go! You violent maniac!"
White Tiger flailed his arms and legs desperately in midair.
"This is called strategic deterrence! Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!"
Lin Qingyue watched from the side, her eyelids twitching wildly.
Good lord, one copywriter complained the text was too tacky, and one special effects director complained the moves weren't cool enough.
This wasn't game development; this was a realistic documentary of the lead designer being pinned to the ground and rubbed raw by three colleagues in turns.
Just as White Tiger finally managed to break free from Vermilion Bird's grip, a soft, sticky voice that instantly cooled the entire room rang out.
Black Tortoise, who had been half-asleep the whole time, slowly rubbed his eyes and finally sat up a little straighter.
"Hmm... This effect is passable, at least I won't have to personally fight. But..."
He seriously extended a finger, waving it in front of him.
"This 'Sleep' effect only lasting one turn is way too short. Being woken up right after falling asleep is an extremely disrespectful act toward sleep."
"I think it should last at least three turns. Otherwise, what if you wake me up and my morning rage kicks in?"
This sentence became the final straw that broke White Tiger's nerves.
"Three...turns?!"
White Tiger grabbed his silver twin-tails, completely breaking down.
"Absolute defense plus three turns of hard CC! How the hell is anyone supposed to play this game?!"
"One hit and you're punished by standing still for three turns, the numerical balance will completely collapse, you know?!"
"Absolutely not! Even if you kill me, I will defend my perfect numerical balance!"
Black Tortoise didn't even get angry; he just slowly lay back down, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position, and casually threw out a sentence.
"You're not changing it?"
"Then I'm not playing."
"Go play single-player by yourself."