The Clash of Rules

With 10 hours left, Chen Miemie left Room 403 and went to Room 405.

He could go a whole day without sleeping, but Mian Ruyan and Mengmeng couldn't hold on much longer; they needed to catch a little shut-eye.

After Chen Miemie left, it was time for some private girl talk. The two lay on their sides on separate beds, facing each other across the narrow aisle.

"Sister Ruyan, I'm sorry. I dragged you into danger today. I thought we were just coming to cook a meal for Yarn Ball. I didn't expect so much to be going on behind the scenes. I owe you one. From now on, no matter what happens, I'll help you."

"You said it. No matter how dangerous it is, you have to deliver. You can't back out." Mian Ruyan didn't decline, directly accepting Mengmeng's promise.

"Mhm, I'll do what I say."

Mengmeng and Mian Ruyan had a genuine friendship.

Back in school, the only person Mengmeng could call a friend was Mian Ruyan.

Inviting Mian Ruyan this time was partly to use her magical cooking to help Yarn Ball, and partly to help Mian Ruyan meet a big shot.

Without someone to pull the strings, an ordinary mystic wouldn't be qualified to befriend a Level 7 Danger Anomaly.

Even close siblings need to settle their accounts clearly, and close sisters need to speak openly.

This time, things had gone awry, putting Mian Ruyan in life-threatening danger. If Mengmeng didn't show some appreciation, a rift would form between them.

"Mengmeng, do you think Yarn Ball can make it through today?"

Mengmeng pointed at [Mengmeng]: "I think there's a chance. Great-grandmother's [Mysticism] is about the same as mine—no, hers is even stronger. My [Mengmeng] is a ragdoll, originally an inanimate object, while Great-grandmother's Yarn Ball is an orange cat, originally an animal, so its vitality is much more tenacious."

"Then did you notice that Chen Miemie seems to have changed a lot? When he led us through the corridors, it was as if this was his home, and both Yarn Ball and Baibai were very polite to him."

"It's not 'seems like'. Chen Miemie is terrifying. My [Mengmeng] told me that it doesn't dare to get close to his body."

"Huh? What do you mean it doesn't dare to get close?"

"[Mengmeng] means that its intuition tells it that getting close means death. This is something even the teachers at school can't do."

Mian Ruyan realized it belatedly: "Really? Why didn't I feel anything?"

"I couldn't feel it myself either, but I trust [Mengmeng]."

"By the way, what do you think about that mysterious secret society Chen Miemie mentioned? Do you want to join?"

Mengmeng shook her head. "He didn't invite me, and I already have a society."

The two continued chatting intermittently like this, slowly drifting off to sleep.

At 11:50 PM.

When Chen Miemie came to Room 404 again.

Yarn Ball was already on its last breath.

It had its eyes closed, curled up into a ball of fur, and didn't respond even when called.

"You know what to do later, right?"

"I know, but will this really work?"

After calculating in his mind, Chen Miemie said, "This is my first time encountering a situation like yours, and it's also my first time using this method. I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee absolute success. Probabilistically speaking, there's a 50% chance it will work. If it fails..."

Baibai hugged Yarn Ball, her tone firm: "Fifty percent is high enough. I'm ready."

At 12:00 AM.

[Tomorrowless] ended.

[Orange Cat Hotel] reappeared in Sixiang City, fitting perfectly as if it had never left.

Then, three things happened.

First.

[Chubby Orange Hotel] returned to the city, and the hotel rules that had been invalidated in the wild took effect once again.

As the rules took effect, Baibai and Yarn Ball, whose victor had already been decided, began to transfer authority. Baibai was about to gain the highest authority.

Second.

Yarn Ball's power was exhausted. The death settlement that had been chasing it for 88 years arrived once more, and the law that failure to ascend meant certain death was about to take effect.

Baibai shouted, "The failure to ascend is my personal action; death should fall upon me."

Yarn Ball also followed suit: "I am a Tier 7 Anomaly with no history of ascension failure; I should not be punished."

Third.

The Eternal Moon hung in the sky. Chen Miemie disappeared, and [The King in Yellow] appeared.

"[Chubby Orange Hotel], are you willing to follow me?"

Baibai and Yarn Ball: "We are willing."

[Invitation of the Moon] completed.

The light of the Eternal Moon enveloped the entire hotel.

Next, a game between three rules began.

The three rules were: Hotel Rules, World Rules, and Eternal Moon Rules.

The Hotel Rules were merely a bystander, instantly vanishing in the face of the latter two.

The real game was between the World Rules and the Eternal Moon Rules.

World Rules: Failure to ascend means certain death.

Death shrouded Baibai and Yarn Ball. After their declarations just now, every wrong has its cause and every debt its debtor; the death penalty should seek out Baibai.

Eternal Moon Rules: Contracted Anomalies can autonomously control their passives.

The power of death was silent and formless, an inexplicable great terror descending.

The yellow light of the Eternal Moon and the great terror of death overlapped.

Chen Miemie had said earlier that he wasn't completely sure because he himself didn't know which held a higher status: the Eternal Moon or the Hundred Cities World.

If the gap was too large, the two rules would instantly determine a victor.

Looking at the current situation, they seemed evenly matched, forming a stalemate.

At times like this, one needed to reason.

[The King in Yellow] seemed to be muttering to himself, or perhaps speaking to the void:

"All Anomalies have passives, and all passives cause harm.

The consciousness of the [Chubby Orange Hotel] is its boss, Yarn Ball. The hotel's harming and killing of people stems from Baibai, meaning Baibai is the hotel's passive.

Contractors of the Eternal Moon turn the passive into the controllable, not eliminating it. Both can coexist."

The yellow moonlight grew brighter and brighter, but the great terror of death did not yield or leave.

[The King in Yellow] continued, "The naturalization of Anomalies into new races is the general trend of the new era. One should conform to the torrent of the times' development, allow everything to renew, and compose a new chapter for the Eternal Moon!"

After these words.

The aura of death surrounding them began to dissipate, and the heart-palpitating great terror instantly vanished.

[The King in Yellow] had hit on a key point—"It is now the era of the Eternal Moon," which was also a World Rule.

Baibai and Yarn Ball suddenly collapsed onto the hotel floor.

"Finally, we survived!"

They didn't start celebrating, but quickly and respectfully bowed to [The King in Yellow] to express their gratitude.

While Chen Miemie was in the state of [The King in Yellow], it wasn't easy for others to see his expression, but in reality, he felt like breaking out in a cold sweat.

The Eternal Moon Rules couldn't suppress the World Rules; the two were equally matched. To win, he needed to provide a reasonable explanation.

Just like explaining Baibai as the killing passive of the [Chubby Orange Hotel] was a reason.

If there was no reason at all and he just provoked it at will, the World Rules wouldn't care.

Soon, Chen Miemie saw the yellow text panels of the two new members.

[Chubby Orange Hotel / Yarn Ball | [Mysticism] 7.0 | [Immortality] 7.3 | Abilities: Formulate Hotel Rules, Management, Hotel Manipulation, Eternal Moon Kin]

[Consciousness Entity / Baibai | [Mysticism] 6.9 | [Immortality] 7.3 (Same as Hotel) | Abilities: Room Inspection, Cat Herding, Consciousness Sharing, Eternal Moon Kin]

"Alright, the moonlight here was too bright just now, which probably attracted some attention. I'll pretend to be an ordinary guest again, you guys figure out the rest." The King in Yellow transformed back into Chen Miemie.

Baibai: "The municipal government has a liaison officer in the hotel. I'll tell him that I have successfully seized control. They will treat me as the city's trump card."

Yarn Ball licked its paws: "Really, meow? Then I'll leave all the hotel's affairs to you from now on, and I can just enjoy basking in the sun~"

Baibai sneered: "In your dreams. There were a lot of useless rules before, and you'd better revise them properly. No cat food for you until they're fixed."

"Ah! How terrifying, meow!"

Room 404.

Just as the clock struck midnight, messages kept popping up on Mian Ruyan's wristwatch.

"Mengmeng, my family is here to pick me up. Are you coming with me or...?"

Mengmeng carried [Mengmeng] and pondered for a few seconds before replying:

"I originally thought I had no relatives left in this world, but now I've discovered I still have a great-grandmother. I want to stay here."

"But, after all, this is inside the body of an anomaly. There are passive effects you don't know about. Even if your great-grandmother subjectively doesn't want to hurt you, once..."

"It's fine, let her stay if she wants to." Baibai appeared at the door.

Chen Miemie didn't actually go back to his room to sleep, even though he hadn't slept for a whole day.

"It's time to hold a general assembly of [Everlasting as the Moon]."