Hearing Lin Yu grant her permission to speak,
Ye Mengfu said softly,
"Actually, I think... there's no need to be nervous."
"Aren't we... the neutral faction?"
"They... probably all want to win us over."
"Besides, the game Ying'er designed... losing might mean winning, and winning... might mean losing."
Lin Yu nodded thoughtfully.
He had almost let his nerves drag his IQ offline!
Little Fufu made a good point!
Right now, Lin Yu had no reason to be so tense—they were all highly sought-after treasures.
In the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu, his supposed allies might not be real allies—they could even be spies.
But winning over the neutral faction as teammates? That would guarantee loyal, righteous allies!
If Aunt Ruxue showed any hostility...
They could just latch onto a powerful figure in Shu or Wu and fight back, couldn’t they?
Lin Yu gave Ye Mengfu a thumbs-up:
"In desperate times, it’s always Little Fufu who shines—what an eye-opener!"
[Ding!]
[Brilliant move! The Saint’s sincere praise fills his Dao Companion with joy!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]
Ye Mengfu pursed her lips, stealing a glance at Lin Yu with a faint smile.
Meanwhile,
Ying'er announced the tasks to be completed before the first round began.
Forming alliances by recruiting the neutral faction would only start in the second round.
The first round was more like a preliminary showcase—
A chance for each faction to demonstrate their strength, making it clear to potential defectors which side had the best shot at unifying the realm.
Each faction had to elect a "Lord" before the first round.
Being Lord wasn’t just for show—it came with a private badge.
Ying'er didn’t reveal the badge’s effects yet.
She also clarified that elections would be held before every round,
So securing the position in the first round didn’t guarantee anything.
Of course, becoming "Lord" meant taking responsibility for the faction.
During this round,
If any faction member took damage, the Lord could choose whether to let the teammate bear it or take the hit themselves.
In other words,
This wasn’t just a test of teamwork—it also tested whether the Lord could win greater loyalty moving forward.
While other factions debated,
Lin Yu’s team also began their election discussion.
Though it seemed heated, the Lord position went to Lin Yu without much dispute.
Not because of his charisma,
But because his undead race had no health bar!
Others had three or five HP.
His stat sheet just said: ∞!
Electing an overpowered meat shield like him—was there even a debate?
Since he was already a corpse, wasn’t he meant to take the hits?
Lin Yu accepted the role calmly and moved the discussion forward:
"Even though the game hasn’t started, I want to ask everyone..."
"Do you want to join Wei, Shu, or Wu—or should we carve our own path?"
Ye Mengfu was the first to speak:
"I-I’ll follow the Lord’s lead."
Shen Buyao and Huang Feirong exchanged a glance.
Shen Buyao: "Are kings and nobles..."
Huang Feirong: "...born to rule?"
Lin Yu nodded in satisfaction.
Good. Very good.
Ying'er’s design, though just a game,
Really put human nature to the test!
Especially for their neutral faction—the decision-making process was even more complicated.
Wei, Shu, and Wu were clearly powerful.
Joining them might even land someone the "Lord" role, maybe even the "Ruler of the Realm" someday.
But choosing independence? That was the hard path.
The game hadn’t even started, and they were already facing a trial of conviction.
"Alright, at least we know there are no spies among us."
"For the first round, let’s teach them a lesson—show them what it means to..."
"Start from nothing, grow strong, climb step by step, and rise to glory!"
Shen Buyao: "Hell yeah! Let’s wreck ‘em!"
Huang Feirong: "When Big Yu becomes emperor, I’ll be a founding hero! What should we call our dynasty... the Yu Dynasty!"
Ye Mengfu clenched a small fist under the table: "Go for it."
Lin Yu: "Go for it!"
Yu Dynasty...
Hah, seriously though,
The chuunibyou spirit was burning wild now.
What man could resist the allure of "Heaven’s Mandate, Eternal Prosperity"?
Next,
The neutral faction members laid their cards on the table, sharing their skills.
Only the "hidden skill" column was blank for everyone.
Once discussions wrapped up,
Ying'er recorded each faction’s elected Lord.
The first round officially began!
Standing behind the group, Ying'er raised her voice:
"Everyone..."
"Night falls. Close your eyes!"
The room erupted in shock: "???"
Lin Yu was no exception—joining the collective bewilderment.
He was also shocked that everyone else seemed equally stunned.
Did no one know the rules?
He thought it was just his faction in the dark!
Were there even fixed rules to this game?
Once all eyes were shut,
Ying'er continued:
"Lord with the highest HP, quietly open your big, beautiful eyes~"
Player 1: "Pfft—"
Player 2: "Hahaha, Lin Yu’s gotta open his eyes now."
Player 3: "Next time, just say ‘Lin Yu, open your eyes.’"
All players: "Hahaha..."
Lin Yu: "..."
Did they really need this pointless narration?!
Earlier, Shen Buyao had already revealed Lin Yu’s infinite HP to prove his undead status wasn’t weak.
Lin Yu opened his eyes to see Ying'er holding two cards.
Her left hand held a red "Medicine" symbol, her right a black "Sword" symbol.
"Lord with the highest HP, these are the skills your race can use in the first round."
"Choose left or right, and which faction to target."
Lin Yu steadied himself, sinking into thought...
The symbols’ meanings were easy to grasp—
One was healing, the other attack.
But as an undead, how would his skills play out? That was still unclear.
After a moment’s consideration,
His gaze landed on Du Ruxue, who was still smirking...
Oh really?
Still laughing?
Think it’s that funny?!
Whether Lin Yu attacked Wei or not,
Du Ruxue would probably assume he did anyway.
Better to strike first than be wrongfully accused!
...
(Bonus chapter delivered! Today’s updates are done. Back to the grind tomorrow, dear readers. Your free "Powered by Love" votes mean a lot to this little author—thanks a million!)
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
