Chapter 29 Swan Castle My orders are those you must obey...

However, this has nothing to do with Yu Naixin anymore.

Not wanting to care about anything anymore, Yu Naixin lay down on the bed and instantly fell asleep.

She slept for a full thirteen hours.

When Yu Naixin opened her eyes again, she glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. Instead of displaying hours, minutes, and seconds like a normal clock, it showed her a countdown timer, indicating that she had less than eleven hours left in her rest room.

After letting out a reluctant yawn, Yu Naixin still got out of bed; she felt she was going to starve to death if she didn't eat soon.

The lounge does not provide food and beverage services. For water, you can boil some tap water that is transported from an unknown source, but other items can only be purchased from the system's in-game store.

Even some consumable daily necessities, such as toilet paper and soap, have to be purchased by the show's guests from the system's online store at their own expense.

Add to that the expensive accommodation fee, and if you really think about it, the cost of resting in this lounge is quite high.

While lamenting the hardships of life, Yu Naixin ordered a single-person barbecue set meal for 32 Sweet Coins and a large cup of coconut jelly pearl iced milk tea for 10 Sweet Coins from the system store.

It's okay, she has money.

You can mistreat anything but your stomach.

The items in the system shop were indeed expensive for a reason; the barbecue and milk tea tasted quite good. After eating and drinking her fill, Yu Naixin spent 37 Sweet Coins to buy some toiletries and quickly tidied herself up.

The clothes the paper doll boy in the cocoon village made for her were torn to shreds and weren't very practical in terms of style, so Yu Naixin bought a simple tracksuit for herself in the shop for 80 Sweet Coins and changed into it.

As her account balance plummeted to 1365, Yu Naixin became much more obedient. She brought up the screen interface, ready to examine the three extra props she had acquired.

When Yu Naixin first received these three items, she didn't have much time to examine them closely. Now that she finally has the time and energy, she definitely needs to figure out what they do and how to use them.

The four jade mahjong tiles given by the White Bone Scholar all had the same pattern, with the traditional Chinese character "发" (fa). Yu Naixin took the mahjong tiles out of the props and held them in her hand, stroking the green carved characters with her fingers, fully affirming the White Bone Scholar's aesthetic sense.

"Fa" is so good!

The function of the four mahjong tiles is exactly the same: as long as Yu Naixin can get the other party to willingly accept a mahjong tile she gives, the other party will become Yu Naixin's puppet for a certain period of time and be completely controlled by Yu Naixin.

It's quite similar to the role that the jade pendant, supposedly a token of love, played for this female guest in the story of the White Bone Scholar.

The scope of this "opponent" includes not only the guests in the instance, but also NPCs; any creature with a certain level of intelligence in the instance is eligible.

Yu Naixin translated it herself, which means that if she wanted, she could send a mosquito to kill pests in the fields, or send a cat to play the drums on the street.

However, the duration of this control depends on the other party's level of intelligence and spiritual power. For example, if giving the Jade Bone Mahjong set to the paper doll boy can control him for a day, giving it to the fox demon priestess would probably only control him for a second or two, while giving it to the old lady who helped her put on her wedding dress might control her for several months.

Yu Naixin is not yet clear on what effect this prop will have; she will only know after it is actually used.

The four identical Jade White Bone Mahjong tiles gave Yu Naixin four chances to use them. With the help of the simulator, Yu Naixin felt that she could play quite a few different games.

The White Bone Scholar really gave a very nice gift.

The paper puppy given by the paper doll boy has an even clearer function: it is a small paper dog with a spiritual power coefficient of 14. It will absolutely obey all of Yu Naixin's commands and can also serve as a warning of danger in the surrounding area. If there is anything that could harm Yu Naixin, it will attack the other party at all costs to protect Yu Naixin.

This paper puppy immediately reminded Yu Naixin of the "Slime Wand" she had seen in the special shop before. Both are summoning items, but the paper puppy is not as powerful as the slime with a 15-point spirit power coefficient. The paper boy's strength is indeed not very good.

However, the paper puppy has an advantage that the slime wand can't match: it can keep running. As long as Yu Naixin supplies it with some more spiritual energy before it runs out, the paper puppy can continue to be used, theoretically making it possible to operate indefinitely.

This aligns well with the paper doll boy's wish to be with her forever.

The Slime Wand is a one-time use item; once the 15 spirit power coefficient is used up, it's gone, and you have to spend 350 Sweet Coins to buy it again.

Having read so much related information, Yu Naixin has a pretty good understanding of what the spiritual power coefficient is. It is a numerical representation of one's strength level, and the higher the spiritual power coefficient, the stronger one is.

Her current spiritual power coefficient of 10 is still far inferior to that of the paper doll boy.

There should be opportunities to improve in the future, but it's unclear when those opportunities will arrive.

After examining the two items she had seen before, Yu Naixin's gaze shifted to the last item in the weapons and props inventory.

It was a fan that Yu Naixin recognized very well. The fox demon priest used to hold it in his hand, and even after he crushed it, he made a replica of the same fan.

[Priest's Folding Fan: A special spiritual artifact of the Domain Lord level, already bound to guest "Yu Naixin" as its sole user.]

Compared to the Jade Bone Mahjong set and the paper puppy, the description of the Priest's Folding Fan added the words "Domain Lord Level".

When Yu Naixin summoned the Priest's Folding Fan from her inventory, a folding fan exactly like the one she remembered floated in front of her at eye level.

Then, a fox face painted in ink wash slowly emerged from the blank surface of the folding fan.

The fox face is drawn in a simple line drawing style, somewhat cartoonish, and looks quite adorable.

The fox's eyes curved into a smile, and the fox demon priest's familiar voice came from its mouth: "We meet again, Miss Yu."

It was just a casual greeting, but the priest's tone was so smug and arrogant, as if to say, "You didn't expect this, did you? I'm back again."

Yu Naixin stared in disbelief, looking utterly devastated.

The priest's folding fan clearly liked Yu Naixin's expression; even the simple fox ears he drew twitched happily.

"How can you stare at such a cute face and speak in such a rough voice?!" Yu Naixin pointed at the priest's folding fan in anguish. "Why don't you close it a little! Lower your voice!"

Priest's Folding Fan: "...??"

At this moment, the priest with the folding fan finally realized that the person in front of him was Yu Naixin, who had tricked the fox demon priest countless times and had never failed.

...He shouldn't have had such unrealistic expectations of her!

But what exactly does "夹一下" mean?

"Pinch your throat, squeeze it." Yu Naixin earnestly instructed the folding fan, "You must make your voice sound like mine, understand?"

The priest with the folding fan: "???"

Hearing Yu Naixin's sweet voice, the simple fox-drawn face showed a suspicious expression.

How could it possibly change its voice to sound like hers?!

"Hahahaha!" Yu Naixin was amused by its expression. "Hey, I've noticed, you don't seem to be the same as a fox spirit priest, do you?"

To be honest, when Priestess Folding Fan first spoke, Yu Naixin thought it was the fox demon priestess resurrected, but judging from her performance just now, Priestess Folding Fan is much cuter than the fox demon priestess.

The priest's folding fan finally realized that Yu Naixin had been deliberately teasing it.

It glared at it with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance: "The domain has collapsed, how could the domain lord still be intact? I am a remnant soul of the fox demon priest, and I am not the original fox demon priest!"

"Alright, alright." Yu Naixin casually reached out and ruffled the priest's folding fan. "Do special spiritual artifacts like yours, which are at the domain lord level, all possess their own sentience?"

Yu Naixin had already experimented with this before. Neither the jade bone mahjong set nor the paper dog had any life force. Even if the paper dog could run and jump, it was essentially closer to a programmed tool than a living thing.

"What do you mean by 'a special spiritual artifact of the Domain Lord level like me'?" The priest with the folding fan was quite dissatisfied. "Whether it's a Domain Lord level artifact or a special spiritual artifact, they are rare and extraordinary existences in the world. For an ordinary person to encounter one is already a stroke of good luck, let alone a special spiritual artifact of the Domain Lord level!"

"I guarantee I'm one of a kind!"

"Oh, that's amazing." Yu Naixin praised insincerely, "So, as a spiritual artifact, what is its function?"

The functions of the Jade Bone Mahjong set and the Paper Dog are displayed in detail on the system screen, but the folding fan only has a simple one-sentence description, which makes it impossible for Yu Naixin to understand what its function is.

"Heh." The priest with the folding fan let out a cold laugh. "Miss Yu, don't forget you're asking me for a favor. Is this your attitude?"

"Hurry up and praise me sincerely—"

The priest, with his folding fan, suddenly fell silent.

Because it saw that Yu Naixin, who was standing in front of it, suddenly turned cold.

Yu Naixin has a sweet and beautiful appearance. Her big, bright eyes are moist, and her small lips have a slight upward curve. Even when she is not smiling, she looks like she is smiling and very lively.

However, when Yu Naixin's face turns completely cold and the curve of her lips disappears, she looks even more frightening than the average person with a cold face.

Because the shimmering water in her eyes had all turned into a thin layer of ice.

Yu Naixin's voice was flat and cold: "Have you forgotten that I am your master?"

"I am the only user you chose to bind, and even if I want to destroy you, you have no right to refuse."

Priest's Folding Fan: "...!!"

Yu Naixin's appearance instantly reminded it of the feeling of the fox demon priest looking up at the center of the altar, when Yu Naixin had become the "mountain god".

—An overwhelming sense of oppression, a natural sense of being high above.

The priest's folding fan trembled slightly.

The way Yu Naixin said those words was terrifying enough, but what's even more terrifying is that what Yu Naixin said was true!

As a special spiritual artifact that has been bound to its master, it can be said to be completely under Yu Naixin's control.

If it were a cursed artifact, it could still use its negative effects on the user to negotiate with Yu Naixin.

However, when the fox demon priest was formed, its strongest emotion was simply to follow Yu Naixin and experience more of the world's scenery. This meant that all of its functions were to benefit Yu Naixin!

If the user is bound to an ordinary person, the priest's folding fan can also make demands on the user by not working properly or going on strike.

But is Yu Naixin an ordinary person?! No matter how powerful its function is, or how helpful it is to her, the priestess fan has no doubt that Yu Naixin could completely destroy it just because she's in a moment of displeasure!

It has absolutely no right to go against Yu Naixin!

Yu Naixin could feel the wind from the priest's trembling folding fan on her face. She chuckled and her expression returned to normal: "Hey, that's more like it."

“Remember,” Yu Naixin said with a slight smile, “my instructions are the rules you must follow.”

**********

With less than three hours left in the countdown in the lounge, Yu Naixin finished resting and clicked the "Go to the next show" button on the system screen.

This time, the time travel experience was somewhat immersive. Yu Naixin felt a blur before her eyes and a dizzying sensation in her head, and she found herself in a... pitch-black little room.

The light in the small room was so dim that for a moment, Yu Naixin thought she had traveled back to Cocoon Village.

But once the initial dizziness subsided, she realized that wasn't the case.

The room is very small, maybe no more than a few square meters, but it is filled with a lot of miscellaneous items, such as mops, brooms, buckets, and rags. It is obviously a storage room for cleaning supplies.

And Yu Naixin herself wasn't wearing that tracksuit, but rather... a maid outfit dress?!

Yu Naixin touched the unfamiliar and rough fabric and opened her mouth in surprise.

What's going on?

[Congratulations to the female guest on starting her new show! The "Heartbeat 1000%" production team wishes you a sweet journey!]

The theme of this program is: "Swan Castle".

Your role on the show is: the cleaning maid at Neuschwanstein Castle.

[The background of this program is as follows: In order to choose a suitable husband for the princess, Neuschwanstein Castle invited outstanding men from all walks of life to attend a grand banquet.]

The male guests on this episode are: the Elf Prince, the Vampire Duke, the Werewolf Knight, and the Ghost Wizard.

[The program concludes when you have had an unforgettable wedding with your loved one in the main hall of Swan Castle.]

The program team displayed all the prompts clearly at the first moment.

Yu Naixin looked at the records on the system screen and couldn't help but squint.

Before starting this episode, Yu Naixin had already extracted a lot of information from the priest's folding fan.

Although their personalities differ somewhat, the Priestess Folding Fan's memories are completely shared with the Fox Demon Priestess. As an extremely rare Domain Lord, the Priestess Folding Fan possesses a considerable amount of information, which can be said to have greatly enriched Yu Naixin's riddled knowledge of "Heartbeat 1000%".

This includes the fact that each guest receives this simple but extremely basic and important information as soon as they enter the program venue.

However, during the first instance of the program, she received nothing and could only enter the instance in complete darkness.

This time, however, there were no unexpected issues in that regard.

But it appeared in other places.

The priestess with the folding fan had told Yu Naixin that in most variety show segments, there are two guest participants of the opposite gender to the main guest. At the beginning, the main guest is required to choose one of them as their "heartthrob," and then the "heartthrob" leads them into the show's venue.

The priest with the folding fan also told Yu Naixin that when the show's guests travel through time, they are always fully clothed. Except for the beginner dungeon, where they cannot bring all the equipment they had in their original world, the guests can bring all the items they have with them into the dungeon.

As a result, neither of the two goals has been achieved.

The live stream had already started.

[Holy crap, am I seeing things? Is that record-breaking, top-tier newcomer guest back on air again?!]

[Oh my god, how long has it been? The little witch is already on her second episode? She definitely has plenty of Sweet Coins; she could easily rest in the lounge longer, after all, she's a newbie who just finished her first episode.]

[What little witch? She's clearly a big devil! She could do this anytime she wanted; maybe the big shots just find the show interesting?]

[Wow, the rate at which the audience is increasing is still so impressive. Are they all here because of its reputation?]

[Yes, I heard there's a newbie at the Purple Star level here. What kind of dungeon is she in? It's so dark I can't even see her at maximum brightness!]

[Where's the male guest next to her? Apparently, in the last newcomer segment, this female guest brought all three of the other guests to the show. Even if she doesn't bring two of them this time, she should at least bring one, right?]

Wait, I adjusted the angle. Isn't there a floating, moving fan next to her?

Yu Naixin directly pulled out the priest's folding fan.

Just when the priestess was finally able to escape her terrifying master, Yu Naixin, from her inventory, she was suddenly summoned out by Yu Naixin again.

Even though the light in the storage room was barely enough to see anything, the priestess trembled slightly the moment she saw Yu Naixin.

In particular, Yu Naixin looked at it and only said two words: "Explain."

The priest's folding fan was almost in tears.

However, it does not have the function of crying.

“This situation is an extremely rare exception…” Priest Folding Fan could only explain with a sob in his voice, “Not all program segments can be successfully cleared by the guests. Some segments that cannot be cleared for a long time will undergo mutations.”

"The altered instances have all lost the part where you choose your favorite instance guest at the start."

"There are many types of mutated instances. The one you've encountered now is probably a fusion of two original instances, which is why there are four instance guests in total, representing two instances..."

The viewers in the live chat finally realized what was going on.

[Holy crap?! I thought the last episode with three male guests was already amazing, how come this episode has four male guests?!]

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-07-02 23:57:24 and 2024-07-03 20:59:27!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 1 A+;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!