Entering the Game

Chen Miemie didn’t have an eye for reading people, but he couldn’t help that he had too many eyes on him.

Ever since the [Stone Speaker] had made an exception for his registration, he knew something would go wrong with the [Gravity Moss].

“First give people hope, then stir trouble behind the scenes—you play the good guy while shifting the blame.” That was Pure Water’s guess.

As for the [Gravity Moss], Chen Miemie didn’t absolutely need it. He’d only intended to use it in the [Everlasting Moon] stronghold, and the idea had been a passing whim.

“Sigh, as expected, convenience from background often brings trouble. Where there’s fame and fortune, there are schemes. I won’t take the bait—let’s see what move the people behind this have next.”

The next move came quickly.

The following day, Chen Miemie was summoned again to the top floor of the city library.

Once was unfamiliar, twice was routine. This time, Chen Miemie didn’t even need a guide; he pushed the door open and walked in himself.

The room was still spacious and empty, with sound somehow disappearing within it, eerily quiet.

This time, there was an extra single-seat sofa in the room.

“Please, take a seat,” [Silence] said, pointing at the sofa.

“Did you prepare this just for me?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Chen Miemie sat down. He didn’t ask why [Silence] wasn’t sitting himself. He sensed it was clearly related to [Mystery] and thought better of prying.

“I heard you were after the [Gravity Moss] yesterday as well?” [Silence] got straight to the point.

“Right, your news travels fast.”

“Now that the [Gravity Moss] has fallen into the hands of the Geometry Jailer, what do you plan to do?”

“Me? I’ll do nothing. The buyer and seller made a free and voluntary deal—why would I barge in and play the villain?” Chen Miemie shifted in his seat, adjusting to a more comfortable position.

“I’m glad you see it that way. Here,” [Silence] said with a wave of his hand.

A small flowerpot floated out from the shadows, filled with soil, its surface covered in a patch of vibrant green moss.

Chen Miemie looked at the floating moss, then at [Silence]: “Did you go rob and kill for this?”

“Not this time. It’s from our own witch stock. Take good care of it—you can grow it until it covers a whole room.”

Chen Miemie didn’t reach out.

This [Gravity Moss] wasn’t cheap; it was a rare treasure with no market price.

He had never even met Chen Miaomiao face to face, and he wasn’t short on resources now. He didn’t want to take something so valuable under Chen Miaomiao’s name.

To his surprise, his refusal angered [Silence], who looked as if Chen Miemie didn’t consider the witches as his own people.

Chen Miemie’s eyes darted, and he casually made something up:

“I’m not staying long at the Sealed Library. I don’t need decoration plants. The only reason I registered was that I suspected something off about the [Gravity Moss] appearing at the selection meeting. I wanted to see what conspiracy lay behind it.”

It was a total lie.

Unexpectedly, [Silence]’s smile vanished: “You noticed too? As expected of Young Master Miemie.”

Chen Miemie: ...

Wait—what am I supposed to have noticed? I make this stuff up on the fly.

Of course, he couldn’t backtrack now, so he gritted his teeth and kept spinning the story:

“Indeed. The [Gravity Moss] is almost exclusive to high-level witches. Every time it appears, witches fight over it frantically. For it to show up right under this [Human Capital City] can’t be a coincidence.”

“Clap, clap, clap.” [Silence] applauded.

“You’ve only been at the Sealed Library a few days, with no intelligence network, and yet you’re so sharp. Impressive.”

The impressive Chen Miemie kept a poker face and said nothing—he had run out of lies to tell.

In [Silence]’s eyes, this came across as unflappable calm.

Fortunately, [Silence] began to share his own analysis:

“Indeed. This was likely aimed at me, or rather at the witches.

If you hadn’t appeared, my people would have registered to buy it. Once I step forward, few dare to compete.

In that case, I would have been the one going up against the Geometry Jailer. If the conflict escalated, it could even have turned into a dispute between the Guild Alliance, the Academy, and the witches.”

Chen Miemie sat up straight: “Someone’s deliberately trying to stir conflict between the witches and the Academy.”

[Silence] nodded:

“This isn’t the first time.

The three strongest forces at the Sealed Library are the Academy, the witches, and the Guild Alliance.

The Geometry Jailer is both a great scholar and the head of the Guild Alliance—she represents most of humanity’s interests.

She should be thanking you. You could say you indirectly saved her.”

A question-mark curl formed on the tuft of hair atop Chen Miemie’s head. For a moment, he couldn’t keep up.

[Silence] didn’t let the silence drag and explained directly:

“If we had gone up against the Geometry Jailer over a mere pot of moss, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But if, at that moment, the Geometry Jailer had been assassinated, and there was proof linking the witches to it, then...”

Chen Miemie was startled at first, then grew puzzled:

“Isn’t that overthinking it? I know a bit about President Yu. She’s no pushover. Someone who can become head of the Guild Alliance with the ability to seal space is clearly a high-level mystic. She’s not easy to kill.”

“You’re right. But precisely because of that, think about it the other way: in the current Sealed Library, no one can kill her—except us witches.”

Chen Miemie grew more intrigued: “One more question: why would President Yu want the [Gravity Moss]? Why risk offending the witches over a pot of moss? Was it her own idea, or is she being set up?”

“I had that investigated. According to the intel,

the Geometry Jailer’s daughter was a newly awakened witch who died in an accident last year. Her dying wish was to decorate her home with [Gravity Moss].

Next week marks the one-year anniversary of her death. She’s probably trying to fulfill her daughter’s wish.”

“How did her daughter die?”

“On a guild mission.”

“Can you confirm it was an accident?”

“I can’t. At the time, a witch’s death did catch my attention. But her guild cited internal affairs and wasn’t cooperative. The Geometry Jailer didn’t dispute the accident verdict, so it was closed as such. Without a personal investigation, I can’t be sure.”

“Which guild was she in?”

“[Hamburger Workshop]. She was the vice-head.”

The familiar name triggered a guess in Chen Miemie’s mind: “Who’s the vice-head now?”

“As far as I know, the position is still vacant.”

[Hamburger Workshop] and [Molting Clinic], the Geometry Jailer and the witches—provocations layered on provocations. The scope was far broader than just killing a few mystics.

Chen Miemie slowly realized that the Sealed Library was far from peaceful. There was a brewing storm in the air.

He leaned back into the sofa.

Soft. Very comfortable.

It was clear that [Silence] had put thought into the sofa prepared just for him.

He let out a slow sigh and came up with his own justification internally.

‘The [Molting Clinic], the witches—none of it was my business to begin with. But since you dragged me into the trap and made me a pawn, I guess I’ll have to play along and trade blows with you.’

Chen Miemie was about to leave the [Silence] office.

[Silence] said abruptly, “By the way, we found out who issued the kill order for you in the underworld.”

Chen Miemie paused mid-step. “Who?”

“One of the Great Scholar [Cicada]’s people.”

“So it’s [Cicada] who wants me dead?”

[Silence] hesitated for a moment. “Seems unlikely. But if there’s even a chance, I’d rather kill the wrong person than let him go. I’ll take care of him.”

Chen Miemie stopped at the doorway, one hand already on the doorknob. “ ‘Unlikely’—what do you mean by that?”

“[Cicada] is [Chenpi]’s man. He has no motive to go after you.”

Chen Miemie pulled the door open and walked out, leaving behind one final sentence.

“Leave him alive for now. I’ll deal with it myself later.”