Tao Yao gently rubbed her temples, contemplating the upcoming new activity.
A sly smile crept onto her lips, her eyes sparkling with cunning light.
"Xiao Xiao, I have an idea."
Tao Yao excitedly said, "We can create a 'Fairy Capture' game!"
[The Master seems to really enjoy games...]
[In that case, please elaborate on your thoughts.]
The system sprite Xiao Xiao floated in midair, tilting her head in curiosity.
Tao Yao stood up from the bathtub, casually draping a silk bathrobe over herself as she walked and spoke: "In this special event, players will 'wake up' one night to find themselves 'hypnotized' by me."
She walked to the window, gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky, continuing,
"Then, I will tell them that to break free from my control, they must complete various mini-games with me to collect enough fairy power. This will not only increase the fun of the game but also allow players to experience a thrilling sensation."
[Sounds interesting, Master. So what exactly will the mini-games involve?]
Xiao Xiao asked curiously.
Tao Yao turned around, her eyes sparkling with excitement:
"We can design all sorts of fun mini-games. For example, 'Fairy Capture,' where players must catch as many little fairies as possible within a limited time; 'Rune Puzzles,' where players will decipher various mysterious runes to gain fairy power; and 'Illusion Exploration,' where players search for rare fairy power crystals in a maze-like illusion…"
She became more excited as she spoke, gesturing animatedly.
"And we can also add some competitive elements, like players being able to 'steal' fairy power from each other or cooperate to complete more challenging tasks."
"At last, the more fairy power collected, the better the rewards for the players…"
Mentioning game-related arrangements seemed to lift Tao Yao's spirits.
She started talking more with the system sprite Xiao Xiao.
This further confirmed to Xiao Xiao that the Master, like the previous Goddess, really enjoys games.
No wonder she was chosen by the Goddess.
...
Just as Tao Yao was contemplating the details of the game event.
On the other side of Qingyang City, not far from Tao Yao's residence.
The tall fairy apostle Black Rose strolled through the quiet streets.
Two members of the Apostle Church followed her from behind.
Moonlight bathed her black long hair, reflecting a faint glow.
Her gaze was icy, a barely detectable smile at the corners of her lips, giving off an elusive aura.
The three arrived at the core area of Qingyang City and stopped in front of a bustling square.
Black Rose looked around, then turned to ask, "What do you think of this location?"
One member of the Apostle Church immediately replied respectfully, "Milady, this is the most prosperous commercial area in Qingyang City. If we can deploy a despair-class disaster beast here, it would definitely paralyze this place."
Another member agreed, "That's right, with a large flow of people and densely packed buildings, once a disaster beast appears, it will certainly cause immense chaos and panic."
Black Rose nodded in satisfaction, a cruel glint passing through her eyes.
As one of the four main cities of the Dawn Land, Qingyang City has always been a trade center for the entire region.
It gathers merchants, adventurers, and travelers from all over, serving as the lifeblood of Dawn Land's economy.
If Qingyang City were to experience turmoil, it would surely trigger a domino effect, impacting all cities within the Dawn Land.
Economic recession, resource scarcity, social turmoil…
All of these would become a reality.
And the more chaos ensues.
The more likely she would witness the birth of fairies.
Thinking of this, a cold smile crept onto Black Rose's lips.
She turned to the two members of the church and said:
"Then go prepare for the ritual nearby, open the rift, and release the disaster beast. Remember, you must be discreet and not let anyone find out."
"Understood, Milady!"
The two members of the church responded in unison, then quickly disappeared into the night.
Black Rose stood alone on the street, looking up at the full moon in the sky.
She murmured, "Tao Yao, when everyone mistakenly believes you released the disaster beast and vehemently condemns your actions, how will you respond?"
Another reason for choosing this location.
Is that Tao Yao visits here almost every week to procure supplies for the orphans.
Thinking of this, Black Rose wore a smile.
Then, she turned and left, melting into the night.
In the following days, members of the Apostle Church began secretly preparing everything needed for the ritual.
They carefully carved mysterious runes in various corners of the city, burying extraordinary crystals containing powerful energy, readying for the impending disaster.
However, all of this took place in the shadows, unnoticed by anyone.
Residents of Qingyang City continued to live their peaceful lives.
Unaware of the disaster that was about to descend upon them.
The streets remained bustling, vendors shouting, pedestrians hurrying by.
Children played in the square, while the elderly chatted and played chess in the shade of the trees.
...
On this day.
Jasmine led Violet, Hiyakura, along with two extraordinary beings borrowed from the city lord and a squad of Qingyang Army, to the place where Tao Yao resided.
They stood before a delicate villa, Jasmine turned to face everyone, her gaze determined as she said:
"Everyone, pay attention. We must capture Tao Yao this time. As a fairy apostle, she lives in this city and surely has unknown secrets. No matter what, we cannot let her succeed."
Violet gently nodded, softly saying:
"Jasmine is right. We need to be cautious and avoid alarming the snake."
Hiyakura stood by silently.
Her eyes flickering with complex emotions, seemingly embroiled in an internal struggle.
Noticing Hiyakura's silence, Jasmine suddenly said, "Hiyakura, if Tao Yao appears, you go attract her attention. Find a way to draw her into our trap."
Hiyakura mechanically nodded, a flicker of barely perceptible hesitation in her gaze.
In the following days, they took turns monitoring Tao Yao's residence.
However, there were no signs of Tao Yao stepping outside.
The day-to-day waiting made everyone increasingly restless.
Finally, on the evening of the fifth day, Jasmine could no longer hold back her complaints: "What is this Tao Yao doing at home? Who could stay in for so long without going out?"
Violet comforted her, "Maybe she is planning something. We need to be patient."
Hiyakura remained silent.
But her brows furrowed slightly, as if feeling anxious about the upcoming action.
Two more days passed, and finally, it was the day Tao Yao routinely visits the orphanage.
That morning, Tao Yao left with her maid Shiro.
Jasmine excitedly said:
"The opportunity has come! Hiyakura, you go attract Tao Yao's attention. Remember, be natural."
Hiyakura took a deep breath and walked toward the strolling Tao Yao.
As soon as Tao Yao saw Hiyakura, a bright smile spread across her face: "It's you! I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"
Hiyakura forced a smile in response, "Yeah… what a coincidence…"
Tao Yao said enthusiastically, "Just like before, I'm preparing to get some supplies for the children at the orphanage. Do you want to join me?"
Hiyakura nodded vacantly, internally filled with conflict and guilt.
At that moment, Jasmine commanded, and the already ambushed Qingyang Army sprang into action.
They swiftly surrounded Tao Yao and Shiro.
Jasmine announced loudly:
"Tao Yao, don't even think about escaping!! This time, not only did we bring enough manpower to catch you, but we also specially prepared the sealing item, the Star Chain, to seal your extraordinary powers."
Tao Yao looked at the suddenly appearing soldiers in surprise.
Then her gaze fell on Hiyakura.
She softly asked, "Do you, like them, also want to capture me?"
Hiyakura lowered her head, remaining silent.
"I see."
Tao Yao looked at Hiyakura's reaction and softly said:
"Don't worry, I won't put you in a difficult position."
After saying this, she voluntarily raised her hands, indicating she would not resist.
The Qingyang Army immediately advanced, using the Star Chains to bind both Tao Yao and Shiro.
Jasmine stepped forward, smugly saying, "Hmph, this time you can't escape, right? Soon, we will interrogate you properly to find out your fairy apostle's conspiracy."
Violet, with a relatively kinder disposition, gently said to Tao Yao: "It's okay, if you're willing to cooperate, we will grant you the treatment you deserve."
Tao Yao smiled and glanced at Violet, then at Jasmine, finally her gaze settled on Hiyakura.
She softly said:
"Do you really think capturing me will solve the problem?"
Jasmine frowned, "Stop acting mysterious! Take her away!"
However.
Just as they were about to take Tao Yao away.
A guard in the standard uniform of the Qingyang Army rushed over in a hurry.
He was panting, beads of sweat continuously dripping down his face, his eyes filled with fear.
The guard rushed to the extraordinary being sent by the city lord beside Jasmine, gasping for breath, and shouted:
"Milady, something bad has happened! The vibrant square in the city center suddenly had members of the Apostle Church appear! They seem to be carving strange runes, as if they want to open some rift!"
This sudden news left everyone present dumbstruck.
Jasmine furrowed her brows, a hint of unease flashing in her eyes.
She turned around, glaring fiercely at the chained Tao Yao, her voice low and chilling as she questioned:
"What does your Apostle Church intend to do?"
Tao Yao initially displayed a puzzled expression.
But soon, her eyes became deep.
She seemed to think of something, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face.
In Tao Yao's mind, the originally intended plot trajectory swiftly flashed by—
Black Rose releases a despair-class disaster beast, and Qingyang City falls into chaos.
And because of the disaster beast's influence, she would have to use unstable fairy power, eventually losing control, causing larger-scale destruction, leading to Qingyang City being completely destroyed.
Thus, in the aftermath, she became the first boss to be hunted down by the main characters.
However, the current situation seemed somewhat different.
Tao Yao slightly squinted her eyes, contemplating the impact of this unexpected situation.
Seeing that Tao Yao did not respond, Jasmine gritted her teeth and whispered a few words to the two extraordinary beings beside her.
Finally, she made a decision:
"We'll deal with the Apostle Church issue first; I need to see what they really want to do!"
After speaking, Jasmine led a group to hastily rush towards the incident location while sending people to guard the chained Tao Yao and Shiro.
However, just as they were about to reach the vibrant square, a terrifying wave of energy suddenly swept in.
Then, they saw a large crowd of people panic-stricken, fleeing in the opposite direction.
The entire street instantly fell into chaos.
People screamed, pushing and shoving, rushing to escape the scene.
Some fell to the ground, only to get trampled by those behind them as they scrambled to continue fleeing for their lives.
Vendors on both sides of the street were knocked over, goods scattered everywhere, but nobody cared.
"Oh my god! What kind of monster is that?"
"Run! That thing is too terrifying!"
"It destroyed the entire square! My shop…"
"Who will save us? Where is the Qingyang Army?"
"It's the Apostle Church! It must be the work of those apostle people!"
Various terrified cries rang out, drowning the scene in panic like a plague.
Jasmine and the others had to separate from the crowd, struggling to move towards the incident location.
When they finally reached the edge of the square, the scene before them made everyone gasp.
They saw a gigantic, dragon-like terrifying creature rampaging in the square.
It was pitch black all over, exuding a suffocating aura of evil.
Each beat of its massive wings stirred up strong winds; its sharp claws easily tore through the ground, and buildings crumbled at the sweep of its tail.
Violet's eyes widened, her voice trembling as she said, "That's... the Abyss Dragon…"
Her tone was filled with disbelief and deep fear.
The others were also struck dumb by this sudden disaster.
Jasmine abruptly turned around, facing the bound Tao Yao again.
Fires of anger burned in her eyes, her clenched fists trembling slightly from the force.
Gritting her teeth, she said:
"The Apostle Church really can do anything!!"
Saying this, Jasmine raised her fist, ready to swing it at Tao Yao.
Her face was full of anger and hatred.
As if she couldn't wait to teach this "culprit" a lesson right away.
However, at this critical moment, Violet timely reached out and stopped Jasmine, firmly saying:
"Calm down, Jasmine! We need to figure out a way to seal this rift. If it continues to spread, the disaster beasts inside will all escape, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Violet's words were like a bucket of cold water doused over Jasmine, slightly calming her down.
She took a deep breath, lowering her raised fist.
But her gaze still coldly fixed on Tao Yao.
"I'll deal with you later." Jasmine gritted her teeth and said, then turned to the others, "Now, everyone listen to my instructions and find a way to address the crisis before us."
At that moment, the Abyss Dragon emitted an ear-splitting roar, shaking the entire square.
More buildings began to collapse, dust filling the area, and screams rang out.
Jasmine spoke: "Hiyakura, Violet, you two work with me; let's find a way to hold it off! The rest, quickly figure out a way to contact the city lord's mansion for support."
However, facing such a powerful enemy, their strength seemed insignificant.
The Abyss Dragon's attacks effortlessly destroyed vast areas, and they could only barely defend themselves, let alone effectively stop it.
Amidst the chaos, the bound Tao Yao stood quietly in place, her complex gaze observing everything before her.
Her eyes moved between the rampaging Abyss Dragon and the struggling Jasmine and others, as if lost in thought.
Shiro looked at Tao Yao with concern, softly asking:
"Miss, what should we do?"
Tao Yao looked at the scene before her, a smile appearing on her face.
"What else can we do? Of course, we help!"