Under Senior Meng's cool, piercing gaze, Yu Yu opened her favor panel. Every 20 points marked a tier, with five tiers total, each offering rewards. Though Yu Yu had explained it briefly, Meng had already grasped her intent with ease. Clicking to view the rewards, Yu Yu's eyes sparkled.
20 Favor Points:Improved Overgrowth, Gift x1
40 Favor Points:Improved Stone to Mud/Mud to Stone, Gift x1
60 Favor Points:Improved Teleportation, Gift x1, 10,000 Gold Coins
80 Favor Points:Shadow Gate
100 Favor Points:[Unknown]
Overgrowth! Stone to Mud! And Teleportation!!!
It was like these were tailor-made for her!!!
Yu Yu's eyes gleamed. "Senior, I love you!!!"
Meng: "?"
She couldn't resist a jab. "You don't think this'll get you favor points, do you?"
Yu Yu logged off instantly, only to return moments later with a steaming meal, brimming with enthusiasm. "Senior, Senior! Have you eaten? Let's eat together!"
The fish soup wafted a delicate aroma, its milky-white broth gleaming like jade, with tender fish and silky tofu catching Meng's attention.
[Meng's favor toward you has increased! Favor +9]
[Meng's favor toward you has increased! Favor +7]
[Meng's favor toward you has increased! Favor +8]
A flurry of notifications made Yu Yu grin ear to ear.
After a hearty meal, Yu Yu received a small gift from Senior Meng.
"What's this?"
Meng said calmly, "See for yourself."
[Prototype Amulet]
[Rank: Epic]
Weight: 0.1
Attributes: Agility +2
Trait: Directed Teleportation
Description: A meticulously crafted amulet]
Yu Yu blinked, glancing at her. "Senior, you had this ready?"
Meng crossed her arms. "The Grand Archon's orders—how could I not put in my best?"
Yu Yu's newly-risen feeling of being touched suddenly disappeared, and she said resentfully, "Senior gave it to me as a reward!"
And skipped a proper gift!!!
Meng: "Hm? Don't like it?"
Yu Yu: "Love it, adore it! Made by Senior Meng herself!"
Meng ignored the subtext, unruffled. "As long as you're happy."
Favor: Meng [24/100]
So low!
Yu Yu had been a favor-grinding fanatic in Destiny, maxing out every NPC's favor. Her phone was filled with their likes and birthdays—a testament to her dedication.
But seeing such a low score and considering Meng's prickly nature, she was already dreading the grind.
After a glance, Meng said, "Three uses per day, 30-second cooldown. If you use all three, it takes a day to recharge—one use every eight hours."
"Max range is 10 kilometers, but with your mental strength, keep it under 5 kilometers to avoid issues."
Yu Yu studied the amulet, realizing the Grand Archon likely had Meng craft it to keep her safe in Rock Tomb.
"Senior, this is amazing!" Yu Yu gushed.
Meng shot her a look, too lazy to explain to this clueless fool, and said, "This enough?"
Yu Yu snapped to attention, stowing the amulet. "It's a start, but not quite."
"Where's your exclusive voice line, Senior!"
"And those gold coins in the rewards? Nope, can't have those!"
"Game currency taints favor systems—it's messy," Yu Yu said. "Swap the coins for [Combat Support: If a player is maliciously attacked in your presence, Senior, you'll step in to help, provided it's legal and doesn't disrupt the bigger picture]."
Meng raised a brow. "Oh? I need favor points to save someone?"
Yu Yu nodded firmly. "Exactly! How else do you show the gap between high and low favor?"
Seeing the reward list update, Yu Yu prodded, "Senior, the voice line!"
Meng, poked repeatedly, kept her cool facade. "What's there to say?"
Yu Yu: "It doesn't have to be player-specific. Just a common phrase in your voice, like 'For Silver Moon and the wolves!' or 'May the stars guard you.'"
Meng's face darkened at "wolves," but her resistance softened. "May the stars guard you?"
"Yes, yes, that's it!" Yu Yu prepped to record. "Say it again, Senior—gentler, not so icy!!!"
Meng stared, then drawled, "May the stars guard you."
"Eyy! That's the one! Perfect!"
Yu Yu found her low, faintly menacing "blessing" oddly thrilling.
That's Senior Meng—nailing the player vibe!
Meng: "…"
She gave up. "Fine, that one."
Yu Yu: "Put it at 60 favor. And 80's fine, but 100 can't be [Unknown]!!"
Meng hummed. "What should it be, then?"
Yu Yu stroked her chin. "Maybe [Unconditional Tactical Support]? [Team Contract]? New voice line?"
"Anything works—just make it tantalizing, like an unreachable carrot."
Meng stood, arms crossed, unmoved.
Compared to Lynn, she was far less cooperative.
Yu Yu mused, "Or something else? Like combat assistance?"
Meng glanced up. "You want me to offer unconditional combat aid?"
Yu Yu: "…I mean for the favor rewards! The kind players see but can't touch!"
She sighed. "Senior Meng, you're elusive—hardly ever seen. Except for me and [Eating Without Washing Dishes], who you keep tabs on, other players can't even grind your favor."
"I won't hit 100, and [Eating Without Washing Dishes] probably won't either. It's just a shiny carrot for her! Get it? A big, juicy carrot!"
Meng saw the logic, since she controlled the system. "So I just list it?"
Yu Yu nodded. "List it, and make it extra tempting—think butler, retainer, whatever sounds irresistible! It's all fake; players won't reach it!"
Meng shot her a look, then casually added a few.
100 Favor Points:[Unconditional Combat Support], [Combat Assistance], [Butler], etc.
Yu Yu, remembering to check, asked, "Senior, you're sure you control the favor, right?"
Meng nodded. "Of course."
Yu Yu relaxed, guessing Meng had capped her favor at 80, no higher.
"Alright, let's bait [Eating Without Washing Dishes] to test it!"
Yu Yu rubbed her hands eagerly.
She logged off and posted, [NPCs have favor systems now, @Eating Without Washing Dishes]
Moments later, [Eating Without Washing Dishes] replied.
[What? Favor system?]
Yu Yu: [Senior Meng… has favor now. Seen it?]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [What?! That dumb bird NPC has a favor system?! Am I in the negatives?!]
Meng: [Some self-awareness, but not much.]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [@Meng, you dimwit, hooked on cosplay, huh? Name a place—I'll come face you!]
Yu Yu: [She's at XXX Street. Don't believe me? Go check. The favor rewards are awesome~]
Passerby A: [Boss, I love you! I'm on my way!]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [?! I'm first in line! Why're you all grinding her favor?!]
[I'm off to confront that dumb bird NPC.]
She logged in hurriedly.
Yu Yu logged back in to find Meng smirking at the interface.
Yu Yu paused, realizing, Oh no, I've handed Meng a new toy…
Meng teleported away.
Yu Yu logged off to monitor the thread.
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [She actually has favor!!! Mourning.jpg]
[I'm really in the negatives! And when I curse her, she not only ignores me, but my favor keeps dropping!]
[It's over, -46 now!]
[If I piss her off more, will she go red-name NPC?!]
Before Yu Yu could reply, Meng responded, [Red-name?]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [Like attacking me in the city!]
[I can't beat her! Help!]
Meng: [Maybe you will.]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [Got it!]
[She must've been red-name before!]
[Why else would I randomly get frozen while walking?!]
[Waaah, what do I do?! This rotten NPC!]
[@Yu, big shot, you seem tight with Meng. How do I grind her favor?!]
Yu Yu smirked. See? It's working already.
[First, don't call her a rotten NPC,] Yu Yu typed. [Call her Senior Meng.]
[I'll try.] Eating Without Washing Dishes logged in, then returned with a sobbing emoji. [I called her Senior Meng, and she looked like she ate garbage. Favor's at -56!]
Yu Yu: [Uh… try Senior Meng?]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [-58! Two more points, and it's permanent enmity?! Help!]
[She's a magic circle high-tier NPC! I can't win! And if I do, the magic circle will hunt me! Waaah, big shot, save me!]
Yu Yu: […You seem to know the stakes pretty well.]
She pondered. Not "Senior," not "Elder"?
Chang: [Try calling her Steward Meng.]
Yu Yu: [Yes, try Steward! That should work.]
She privately messaged Meng, [Senior, using your real name—aren't you worried about exposure?]
Meng: [No. I said my surname's Meng. They didn't question it.]
Later, Eating Without Washing Dishes posted, smug. [Her rewards are great! 100 favor gives 1,000 gold coins and tons of books—looks super fancy. Didn't expect a cultured NPC.]
[Wait for it—I'll be the first to max her, hmph.]
Books? Gold coins?
Yu Yu blinked, messaging Meng, [Senior, her reward list is different?]
Meng: [What, you think I'd teach her my spells? Dream on.]
Yu Yu: "…"
Fair enough…
Eating Without Washing Dishes tagged her, [She even has an exclusive voice line! Is her voice nice?]
Yu Yu: [You've heard it, haven't you?]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [That was ages ago. Forgot. Just remember she's no good. After that, I'd randomly get frozen walking around—never saw her.]
Qing Qing: [Lurking. @Yu, are all NPC favor rewards the same? You included?]
Yu Yu: [Yup.]
Sorry, mine are exclusive, heh.
Yu Yu: [Don't worry, Senior's voice is gorgeous—super crisp!]
She was tagged again, diving into the main chat.
[QAQ Grand Archon, I'm here!]
Xue: [Playing cute now?]
Yu Yu: !!!
That's not polite!
Xue: [A favor bar just popped up over my head. Your doing?]
Qiong: [Mine too.]
Chong: [Same.]
Dai: [+1]
Chang: [.]
Familiar seniors popped up—they were way too free.
Yu Yu: [Here's the deal…]
She explained, then played cute, [QAQ I thought only Senior Meng could use it. Didn't expect Eternal Darkness to update so fast, slapping favor on all the seniors.]
The group fell silent.
Yu Yu: Pitiful, weak, helpless.jpg
Feng Ye: [Explain. How does this system restrain players?]
Yu Yu: [Favor guides players to act better. Knowing bad deeds or loose talk has consequences makes them think twice.]
[Plus, the red-name system: if an NPC's favor drops to -60, they go hostile and attack the player on sight unless the player grinds favor back up. It teaches them what to do.]
[Do right, get rewards. Do wrong, face punishment. Even if favor's mostly cosmetic, it subtly keeps most players in check.]
[Once, in some game, a chicken in Riverwood got attacked by a player, turning guards hostile. The player was hunted city-wide, couldn't progress the main quest, couldn't win fights, and had to restart. That chicken became legend.]
[We should totally borrow that approach.]
Feng Ye, after a pause: [Another challenge. Sounds good, but how do I explain to Silver Moon's people how to use this favor system?]
[And if someone exploits it to maliciously oppress outsiders, what then?]
Yu Yu was surprised.
The magic circle cared about players being bullied?
Though caught off guard, she replied, [Players have forums. If an NPC's unfair, we'll call them out and warn others.]
[Also, Silver Moon has a judicial system. If players provide evidence and report, the magic circle can handle it fairly. No issues.]
Chang couldn't hold back. [Giving me more work, huh?]
Guang Chen: [You're loafing all day, delivering papers. What work?]
Feng Ye: [Understood.]
Even online, Yu Yu could picture her pondering deeply.
Honestly, the magic circle was remarkably open to new ideas and quick to adapt.
Yu Yu wasn't sure if it was just the Grand Archons or the whole magic circle.
Soon, she got a notification.
Eternal Darkness was down for another update.
Zi Shu and the others stirred, and Yu Yu set her computer aside to head downstairs.
"Why'd they suddenly add a favor system?" Wei Zishu was already browsing. She muttered, "So many NPCs—how can players grind them all?"
Fuyu griped, "And the magic circle big shots teleport everywhere. Who can catch them?"
She was on the official site, spotting Yu Yu's post. "Why do I feel like you and that Meng big shot are scamming Eating Without Washing Dishes?"
Yu Yu descended. "Scamming her? Me?"
Wei Zishu looked up. "You've been so busy you're skipping meals, totally out of sync with us. You're not taking care of yourself."
"Your tiny frame can't handle this."
Yu Yu: "Can't help it. Just a lot going on lately."
Wei Zishu glanced at her. "Someone's asking for a guide. They say you're acing magic circle favor grinding and want your secrets."
"Then post one for me, using my account."
Wei Zishu raised a brow. "What's it say?"
"Title it 'Quick Guide to Grinding Magic Circle Big Shots, Part One.'"
Wei Zishu typed it up. "And?"
Yu Yu blew on her steaming cup. "First, when you see a high-tier spellcaster, don't call them 'NPC.' Use Senior/Senior Brother, Elder, or Steward. Otherwise, you're begging for a beating."
Wei Zishu: "Posted. Someone's flaming you."
Yu Yu perked up. "Who? Let me see."
FreeLittleBird: [Bull! Utter nonsense. I've practically groveled, and they still ignore me. Calling them grandma didn't help!]
[Don't wanna share? Fine. Don't feed us garbage!]
Oh, an old pal.
Yu Yu: [Oh? Got any better ideas?]
Meng: [Do tell.]
Chang: [Do tell.]
Xue: [Do tell.]
FreeLittleBird: [Think you can fool me? Is this an Eternal Darkness staffer? I was muted until just now!]
[Think grinding magic circle favor matters? Don't be naive. They're the main faction, sure, but they just use us players as pawns. They'll never share the real good stuff!]
[Join the Machine Cult instead! We'll blood-wash the magic circle and rule Silver Moon someday.]
Yu Yu: [You joined the Machine Cult?]
She asked earnestly, [Never heard of it. Are they strong?]
FreeLittleBird: [Obviously. The magic circle just pretends to be tough, squatting on their Allen Peninsula scrap. The Machine Cult holds the Windward Archipelago, has bases in the Maqi Isles, and even infiltrated Allen. The magic circle? Pfft.]
[Don't think they're hot stuff just because they're the main faction.]
He goaded, [Think about it—main factions are usually sacrificial lambs. Soon, a big disaster'll hit, wiping out 90% of the magic circle. The survivors'll be clinging to life…]
[By then, it'll be too late to switch sides!]
He added, [Besides, unless you're a spellcaster, what benefits do we get from the magic circle? Spit. Might as well jump ship!]
His tirade sparked curiosity. [How'd you join? Spill.]
Yu Yu pondered, unable to fathom the magic circle losing 90%...
A chill ran through her.
If the magic circle collapsed, could Silver Moon hold? And the rear islands, without the magic circle as a shield—could they survive???
Yu Yu didn't buy it.
Still, she was curious what FreeLittleBird would say.
No need for her to report—the seniors were watching.
Xue: [Interesting. 90% dead, huh?]
Somehow, their messages became visible and replyable only to Yu Yu.
Wei Zishu: "Don't bother. It's just for you."
Chang: [Without the magic circle, the wolves alone can't maintain order. The last bastion would fall, and we'd truly be extinct.]
Meng: [If they're so eager to leave, why not grant their wish?]
Yu Yu lit up. [Add exile as a punishment!]
Xue: [Feasible.]
Their chat was invisible to players, but the thread had become FreeLittleBird's solo stage.
Seeing he'd posted the Machine Cult's joining method and location, Yu Yu jumped in.
Yu Yu: [What's wrong with the magic circle? Their quest rewards are huge. You've mooched off them. What's the Machine Cult offering? Show us.]
FreeLittleBird: [Their rewards are great, but why should I tell you?]
Yu Yu: [No way, no way, no way! Someone's trying to freeload without proof?]
She posted screenshots—fresh from Senior Xue, since in-game recording or screenshots weren't allowed. Xue had converted them.
[Look at this. And this. And this. Got a Machine Cult reward screenshot?]
Yu Yu mocked, [Pathetic wannabes challenging the magic circle?]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [Exactly. What's this moon-landing nonsense? The magic circle's quests are a slog, but the rewards are sweet. Tons of pricey supplies are dirt-cheap with points. Leveling up gets you free staves, robes, the works. NPCs treat you like royalty, terrified you'll drop dead. It's awesome.]
[Switch to the Machine Cult? What, to scurry like rats, hated by all?]
FreeLittleBird: [They won't shine long. The Machine Cult's planning to summon an evil god in Allen. When it happens, don't log in, or you'll be buried with the magic circle.]
[The magic circle's duty-bound to defend. Hah, where'll they run?]
Yu Yu: [?]
Stunned, she typed, [For real? When? You ready?]
FreeLittleBird: [Not yet, but soon. Won't be long.]
Yu Yu: [So it's still in the brainstorming phase, huh?]
[Scared me silly. Thought the magic circle got backdoored for real.] She sighed, [Summoning an evil god? No offense, but can it break the Will of the Stars?]
Evil gods had surely eyed Silver Moon forever. If they hadn't broken through, it wasn't for lack of trying.
FreeLittleBird: [Will of the Stars? What's that? What can't an evil god break?]
Yu Yu: […Be happy, I guess.]
Xue: [Laughable. Absurd.]
Meng: [Hmph.]
Chang: [Hmph.]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [You cosplayers done yet?]
[Noob question: what's the Will of the Stars? @Yu]
Yu Yu: [You know nothing about the magic circle and still talk big? Nearly had me fooled.]
[If the Will of the Stars couldn't protect Silver Moon, why wait for an evil god summon? The mainland's evil gods would've nested here ages ago.]
Eating Without Washing Dishes: [Mainland? Where's that? I'm clueless! Big shot, how much insider info do you have?]
[Daily NPC scolding for my lack of education.] She sent a teary emoji. [Big shot, can you make a magic circle lore guide?!]
Yu Yu was fuming when Chang tagged her in the group. [Useless. Scared by such an idiot.]
Xue: [Rotten wood. Go let Meng teach you properly.]
Yu Yu: [QAQ His tone was so grand, how was I supposed to know he was bluffing?!]
90% dead, blood-washing the magic circle, summoning an evil god—terrifying!
Xue: [As a spellcaster, you're clueless about the magic circle. You need a lesson.]
[Post a thread thoroughly explaining the magic circle's power.]
Yu Yu fell silent, then typed slowly, [Um, I'm also clueless about the magic circle's power…]
Guang Chen: [?]
Feng Ye: [?]
Gui Fan: [?]
Chang Ming: [?]
A cascade of question marks made Yu Yu's heart race.
Big shots, what's that supposed to mean?!
Xue: [Rotten wood. Useless.]
Feng Ye: [Meng didn't teach you well?]
Yu Yu rushed to reply, [It's not Senior Meng's fault! I didn't ask. Elder Xue, don't be mad—I'll go ask Senior properly, compile it, and post a huge lore guide!]