"One — thanks to our sponsors for supporting today's event…
Two — we must implement all Akademiya policies with diligence…
Three — responsibilities must be upheld…"
The host's speech echoed endlessly across the auditorium.
Below, rows of competitors sat in a collective comatose state.
Honestly, all that talking boiled down to one point:
they just wanted to test the new [Intelevisas] orb.
Everything else was filler.
Ye Luo stared at the stage, expression subtle.
He remembered these two organizers from the game.
One was an academic criminal.
One was a high-ranking Fatui offender.
And now look at them — cosplaying polite civilized sponsors.
Acting normal was truly their specialty.
Finally, finally, the speech ended.
Ye Luo rubbed his eyes and let out a bored yawn.
He had spent the entire time scrolling the System Forum.
Utterly useless — but time-killing.
He suddenly realized how miraculous smartphones had been in his previous world.
Without them… time passed SO slowly.
He hadn't even tried Sumeru's Akasha system yet.
He had arrived right after the Traveler and Nahida had dethroned the Sages.
Sumeru was still rebuilding; the Akademiya was severely understaffed.
Still, getting inside the institution required strategy.
Ye Luo only needed the identity of an Akademiya scholar — not the position.
It made moving through Sumeru much easier.
With a bit of Fontaine backing + some academic papers, he'd slipped into the Rtawahist House easily.
And now — he'd finally found the Traveler.
Time to start the real business.
Wait—
Where's Lumine?
Only now did he realize the comforting weight on his shoulder was long gone.
He turned.
Lumine and Paimon were gone.
They didn't seriously wander off to play somewhere, did they?
He sighed.
Probably slipped away while he was checking the forum.
Lumine might look like a responsible adult, but mentally she often operated like a mischievous kid—
…who also liked rummaging through other people's stuff.
Reality.
A player with the ID "UncleMeAhhhILoveMoneyMost" finished the cutscene but didn't go to Ye Luo right away.
Instead, he wandered around the courtyard.
Sure, new events usually didn't add treasure chests…
But hey, he had time.
Why not look around?
Then—
"Huh? What's this? Click… oh, just an event report."
"Ooh? Another sparkle? Click!"
Suddenly—
A chest appeared.
"GUAAAHH—A HIDDEN CHEST?!"
His eyes widened.
But habit demanded that he save the best for last.
He went around clicking every sparkle he could find.
After a long spree, all he got were:
piles of cabbages
useless dog food
"Okay okay, moment of truth. Let's see what THIS chest has!"
He rubbed his hands in excitement.
Clicked to open.
Suddenly—
Achievement unlocked!
[New Achievement: Well I figured… no one else wanted this chest anyway.]
And without warning, a forced Ye Luo cutscene started.
He instantly hit his OBS button and began recording.
Then began bragging in the group chat:
Uncle:[BROOOO DON'T TALK TO YE LUO AFTER THE SPEECH—THERE'S A HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT HERE]
MongoliaGeneral:[? fr? I haven't talked to him yet]
Uncle:[Yes bro watch the vid I'm posting]
After recording the whole thing, he uploaded it to his favorite site.
Within minutes—
Countless players found the hidden achievement.
Many followed the tutorial step-by-step.
But those who had already talked to Ye Luo were doomed.
Even if they came back, they could still open the chest—
…but the achievement wouldn't trigger.
And the "reward" was reduced to:
two lonely, wrinkled cabbages.
Millions of players wailed in despair.
Twenty free Primogems — gone forever.
For collectors especially, it was PAIN incarnate.
Back in-game.
Ye Luo saw the commotion and almost burst out laughing.
Seriously?
Y'all dare open the host's private chest?
The fact the organizers didn't arrest them was a miracle.
Wait…
Don't tell him Lumine is ACTUALLY the embodiment of the Fourth Calamity?
He turned and saw her:
rummaging through papers
looting vegetables
inspecting every sparkle
Like a tiny disaster gremlin.
Impossible…
Player behavior couldn't possibly influence reality…
Probably.
He shook his head.
"Whatever, don't think about it," he muttered.
He called Layla and headed toward Lumine's location.
Layla also noticed Traveler's strange behavior and blinked.
She looked at Ye Luo questioningly.
Ye Luo just sighed helplessly.
Then they arrived—
"WOW WOW!"
Paimon completely ignored the scattered cabbages, eyes locked on a chest.
"Lumine! Look!! No one's claimed this chest yet!!"
She shoved Lumine excitedly.
"Ahem, calm down Paimon. I'll open it in a second."
Lumine's cheeks flushed with excitement as she rubbed her hands together.
Was there anything more thrilling than opening a shiny box?
She had always believed good chests gave fat stacks of Mora.
A real hunter needed patience.
Then—
Bonk.
A hand smacked her head.
Ye Luo's exhausted voice came right after:
"Are you two floating, or are the Matra just decorative now?! How can you rummage through someone else's property?!"
Reports scattered everywhere, vegetables rolling around, and the massive chest in the middle—
He wanted to cry.
"You'll get arrested like this!!!"
"I mean… I figured… no one else wanted it, so… I took it."
Lumine scratched her cheek, giving him the most innocent, farmer-level-honest smile.
"…"
Ye Luo stared at her.
This child…
She's gone.
Absolutely hopeless.
He should march her straight to the Matra headquarters to confess.
Maybe—maybe—they'd reduce her sentence.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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