Chapter 121
The divine gifts bestowed by the gods could be as short as a hundred words, or as long as four or five hundred. When checking, one couldn't stare at the other party for too long, lest they be detected, which made it even more exhausting...
But if this deputy city lord had a fondness for small animals, that would change everything.
People who love small animals can sometimes be a bit eccentric; they would almost want to squat beside a little creature just to admire its expressions while it does its business.
What was even more terrifying was that, unlike the player seen in the crystal ball, who had the ability to walk around the city in the form of a different race, she might not return to the treehouse base. However, players who could only transform into animals to move around the city would definitely need to return to the treehouse base to rest and regroup.
She couldn't afford to delay. With her left hand, she quickly grabbed a handful of gold coins from under the table and handed them to Xiao Maqi, while her right hand had already opened the chat panel to message Zhao Shuying.
At that moment, her typing speed was faster than when Yu Xunhuan had been cornered in the apartment by Su Yitong.
Her anxiety wasn't driven by any noble or grand reason; it was simple and selfish: as long as she could protect herself, the better the Special Affairs Bureau performed, the freer she, as a lone wolf, could be. With the Special Affairs Bureau taking the heat, she could roam without a psychological burden.
【Yu Xunge】: The new deputy city lord of the Dark City has a talent that allows him to browse a living being's memories from the past 30 days, and he is extremely fond of small animals. Have any players who can transform into animals been captured in the Dark City recently?
【Zhao Shuying】: Got it, reporting immediately, will chat later.
It was clear that Zhao Shuying was also anxious, barely having time to finish her message.
This talent was indeed terrifying.
Just imagine, a necromancer who loves cute little animals tenderly cooing at a puppy, picking it up for a cuddle, casually using their skill to see what adorable things it had done recently...
Only to find that the puppy had transformed into a bald, burly man in sweatpants the moment it left the city, heading straight for the Blue Star treehouse base...
Yikes...
Yu Xunge had no desire to linger here; she knew that what she had just said was already pushing Xiao Maqi to her limits.
She pulled out another small pouch, stuffed it with two hundred gold coins, and handed it to Xiao Maqi. "Thank you! I’ll remember this favor! Is there any way to erase this memory? I’m worried you might be in danger."
Xiao Maqi accepted the pouch, her smile growing brighter as she saw the increased number of coins. She was a lowly ant; if it weren't for Hufflepuff saving her life, she would have been trampled by the nobles long ago.
For her, war was a distant affair; she couldn't enjoy the fruits of victory. Without Hufflepuff's protection, she would be among the first to be sacrificed.
Moreover, before the Blue Star appeared, the Twelve Holy Races were constantly at war— even now, they were quietly competing. In Xiao Maqi's mind, the Blue Star people were no different from the other eleven Holy Races.
Perhaps in the future, the Blue Star people would become the thirteenth Holy Race, and the fighting would continue, only to pause for a truce when they grew tired, seeking out a fourteenth race.
The big shots were always like this; the flames of war in Zelan never extinguished.
Yu Xunge often praised her as a simple little necromancer, but she knew she wasn't; she was selfish, with only Hufflepuff in her heart. Since Hufflepuff valued Yu Xunge, she was willing to subtly remind her.
Most importantly, it would allow her to live better. Why not?
The big shots never cared about the lives of the little people, so why should the little people concern themselves with the glory of the big shots?
Xiao Maqi said, "Don't worry, with Hufflepuff around, I won't be in danger."
Yu Xunge took out a bottle of intermediate Forgetting Potion and pressed it into Xiao Maqi's hands. The green, bony little hands wrapped around Xiao Maqi's pale ones, four small hands layered together tightly gripping the potion. She looked at Xiao Maqi and said firmly, "What if?"
Xiao Maqi: "… Are you saying that 'what if' is actually you?"
Yu Xunge released one hand and pulled out ten gold coins, slapping them on the table. "For throat lubrication."
"I absolutely love drinking Forgetting Potions!" Xiao Maqi immediately wriggled free from Yu Xunge's grasp, one hand pressing down on the ten gold coins while the thumb of her other hand popped the cork off the bottle with practiced ease.
Yu Xunge immediately cast a Disguise Spell and retreated outside. She watched as Xiao Maqi drank the intermediate Forgetting Potion, which could erase memories of the last hour, before leaving the alchemy shop.
...
Yu Xunge's message quickly spread like wildfire through the Special Affairs Bureau.
Everyone became busy.
No one questioned whether Yu Xunge would deliberately spread false information. Setting aside her ongoing interactions with the Bureau, she was a well-known figure in the game, ranking on both the level and pet leaderboards.
Such a player wouldn't go out of their way to fabricate a false message to toy with the Bureau— even if the information was false, it would be a problem with the source.
What wrong had Yu Xunge done? She was merely a red scarf reporting important news at the first opportunity!
The Special Affairs Bureau had already taken many precautionary measures. Yu Xunge was unaware that the requirements for entering Zelan had become stricter as the Bureau learned more about divine gifts.
They had even implemented precautions against talents that could search memories. All players wishing to enter the main city of a different race had to leave the treehouse base and find a safe house outside for more than three days before entering the city. The time limit for memory searches discovered on the Blue Star side was only 24 hours.
Who knew there was a talent that could view memories for 30 days...
What kind of SVIP was this?!
The consequences of this news were too terrifying; the Bureau even postponed the order to verify the truth of the information.
The first order was to arrange for all players near the 35 main cities to return to their treehouse bases immediately, ready for evacuation.
When each treehouse base was established, three skill stones capable of group teleportation were stored there, specifically for emergencies like this.
First, they would withdraw players as much as possible. Those who couldn't make it back should find a way to hide, ensuring that most players could safely return to the Blue Star at any time. Meanwhile, they would send people to verify the truth of the information, conducting both tasks simultaneously.
If it was indeed leaked, after the main force evacuated, they would send a small team back to destroy the treehouse base and erase all traces.
This was the most efficient and least damaging method.
【Chapter 155: This style of a local tyrant mixed with a turtle...】
Once the order was given, Zhao Shuying turned to the highest-ranking official sitting at the head of the table. "This kind of news is all about timeliness; even a second's delay could lead to massive losses. Yu Xunge reported the information to me as soon as she got it. If the news is false, I’m willing to take responsibility..."
The old man replied firmly, "Even if the news is false, no one is allowed to blame Yu Xunge, nor are you to be held accountable."
Others who were busy sending messages took a moment to comfort Zhao Shuying, telling her not to worry.
One person said, "Li Lao is right. Even if the news is false, we might just waste some skill crystals."
Li Changying waved his hand dismissively. "This isn't about how much we waste...
"I know everyone is afraid of taking responsibility. I understand; I've been through it too. But she isn't one of us; she represents the lone wolves. She relays information to us, and we make the final decisions. If something goes wrong, we can't just blame her. Have you thought about how other players view the Special Affairs Bureau?"
The expressions of those present were complex.
What does that mean? Are you saying that insiders can share the blame, but outsiders can't?
Is this black pot a benefit of the Special Affairs Bureau? Only insiders can claim it.
Li Changying, having come from within the system, could have phrased it more eloquently and subtly, allowing everyone to figure it out for themselves. But he was assigned to the Special Affairs Bureau not only because his divine gift was suitable but also because he rarely used bureaucratic language and understood young people well.
Today's youth wouldn't understand the hints from their leaders.
If placed in a palace drama, they wouldn't survive the first episode; if put in a bureaucratic setting for a month, they'd offend all the leaders and come home bragging to their parents, "The leaders all love me so much~!"
Those who loved to use bureaucratic language, flaunt their seniority, or deliberately speak in vague terms to make their subordinates guess their thoughts were not suited for the Special Affairs Bureau.
Li Changying continued, "Zhao Shuying, communicate this handling method to all the lone wolf players. From now on, if they receive any news, they should report it without hesitation! We will verify the truth ourselves. If the news is true, we will reward them; if it's false, we will not hold them accountable!"
They had been working to build good relationships with capable lone wolves precisely for the channels through which they could gather information and their unique abilities. Now that a significant piece of news had come through, to start assigning blame would be counterproductive.
Zhao Shuying nodded immediately. "Okay, I’ll relay that right away."
...
At that moment, Yu Xunge stood before a tombstone, deep in thought. She needed to relocate the teleportation array. Until she was certain whether the Blue Star had been exposed, this teleportation array was too dangerous... What if someone discovered it and set up an ambush?
But at that moment, she truly couldn't think of a safe place.
As far as she knew, most main cities had Special Affairs Bureau outposts; even the six beneath the sea and in the sky might have them. If the deputy city lord of the Dark City truly discovered this matter, he would immediately notify the lords of the other main cities...
For a moment, Yu Xunge felt a bit flustered. After thinking it over, she could only think of Hufflepuff.
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