Chapter 109: The Town of Twisted Hopes
š Act I: A Troubled Town
Ne Job and the interns walked through the mortal town square.
Children played, merchants shouted, bells rang ā but something felt wrong.
Twinkle buzzed uneasily.
Ao Bing frowned. "The laughter hereā¦ it sounds cruel."
Taiyi Zhenren muttered, "Unprofessional."
Lord Xian's voice echoed faintly from the Bureau:
> "Interns, the Mask of Misrule has returned. He twists mortal hopes into despair. You must restore them."
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š§ Act II: The Villains' Plot
The Bureau of Misrule had regrouped in the mortal world.
Their plan: corrupt everyday hopes.
- A child's dream of courage became recklessness.
- A merchant's hope for patience became stagnation.
- A family's joy became mockery.
Ao Bing clenched his fists. "We can't let them ruin lives!"
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted the evidence.
Ne Job whispered, "We must restore hope."
Twinkle pulsed softly.
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š Act III: The Investigation
The interns searched the town.
They found corrupted scrolls hidden in everyday objects.
- A toy that mocked instead of cheered.
- A ledger that delayed instead of balanced.
- A bell that rang with cruelty instead of joy.
Ao Bing tried to smash the toy, but it hissed.
Taiyi Zhenren annotated the corruption.
Glimmer giggled nervously.
Ne Job unrolled Miracle #380-J ā the Journey Beyond the Bureau.
The scroll pulsed.
Hope resonated.
The corrupted objects trembled.
Their disguises cracked.
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š§µ Act IV: The Confrontation
The Mask of Misrule appeared in the town square.
His cracked mask shimmered with cruel laughter.
He hissed:
> "Mortals are fragile. Their hopes are easy to twist."
Ao Bing hurled thunderfruit sparks.
Taiyi Zhenren annotated his tricks.
Glimmer giggled, distracting him.
Ne Job stood firm.
He whispered, "Hopes are not fragile. They are resilient."
Twinkle hummed brightly.
The town square glowed.
Mortals felt hope again.
The Mask faltered.
His disguise cracked further.
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š Act V: The Resolution
The Mask fled into the shadows.
His voice echoed:
> "You may win today. But masks always return."
Ao Bing tossed confetti.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted the silence.
Glimmer hugged Ne Job.
Twinkle hummed triumphantly.
Lord Xian's voice echoed through the door:
> "Intern Ne Job, you have defended the town against the Mask of Misrule. Well done."
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š Epilogue: A New Registry Entry
The next morning, a new entry appeared in the Miracle Registry:
> Miracle #390-H: The Town of Twisted Hopes
> Status: Defended, triumphant, unresolved.
> Effect: Teaches that hopes must be protected from corruption. Activated through courage and unity.
Ne Job added a note:
> "Some miracles are threatened by despair. But hope always returns."
Twinkle hummed.
And somewhere in the mortal world, shadows lingered ā but the interns were ready.