NOVPUB"Amethyst Elder!"
"Though I'm not entirely sure why those three started brawling, I have a strong suspicion it has something to do with those ninety-nine Phantom Moon Orchids!"
Lilith spoke solemnly, her tone full of righteous concern.
"To prevent further conflict and ensure harmony among them—so they can better serve Titan Elder—I propose that we reclaim the ninety-nine Phantom Moon Orchids and return them to the Sanctum. What do you think?"
Amethyst Elder instantly caught on.
"Palace Master, you're absolutely right!"
"We can't let those ninety-nine Phantom Moon Orchids become a source of division!"
"If they're already fighting today, they might draw swords tomorrow. They're still too young to handle this kind of temptation. These ninety-nine Phantom Moon Orchids are simply too much for them!"
Without missing a beat, he echoed her idea with conviction.
"Enough!"
"You three—stop this nonsense right now!"
Lilith's voice boomed across the room, commanding instant silence.
"You're candidate saints of the Sanctum, yet here you are, rolling around on the floor over a handful of Phantom Moon Orchids. Have you no shame?!"
Hearing her scolding, the three immediately stopped wrestling and stood at attention, lining up with stiff expressions and awkward, embarrassed smiles.
"Look at you!"
"Do you see what you've become?"
"Titan Elder was fair—he gave each of you thirty-three Phantom Moon Orchids. Yet you still try to snatch from each other."
"Today it's a scuffle. Tomorrow, will it be blades?"
"You've disappointed me greatly!"
Lilith gave them a sharp glare, then subtly signaled Amethyst Elder with her eyes.
"Palace Master, this can't be allowed to continue unchecked!"
"Fortunately, we arrived in time. If we hadn't, who knows what might've happened next."
"I propose we confiscate the Phantom Moon Orchids so they can reflect on their actions!"
Amethyst Elder chimed in, perfectly on cue.
"…???"
Hearing this seamless duet of moral indignation, the three young men stared in disbelief.
Seriously?
They were just tag-teaming to take their Phantom Moon Orchids!
Once they recovered from the shock, the trio could only smile bitterly.
They knew full well that Lilith and Amethyst Elder were the only two in the entire Sanctum who practiced illusion magic.
And now, the two had come here—together.
Of course they were after the Phantom Moon Orchids!
Even if they tried to explain or justify themselves, these two would just come up with other reasons to take the orchids.
They were trapped.
So they accepted it silently.
But when they saw Lilith and Amethyst Elder's beaming smiles as they eagerly bent down to scoop up the scattered Phantom Moon Orchids from the floor…
They nearly exploded.
Could they at least try to hide their glee?!
Did they really think we wouldn't notice?!
Moments later…
"Alright, you three. Reflect on your actions tonight!"
"If something like this happens again—no matter what the resource is—we'll confiscate everything!"
Lilith issued her final warning as she clutched the hard-earned Phantom Moon Orchids in her arms, satisfied beyond words.
Before leaving, she even laid a trap in passing. She had a feeling these three were bound to get their hands on more valuable things in the future.
"Palace Master!"
"You can't leave now! If you do, we'll just end up fighting again!"
Stiegler suddenly shouted out loud.
Huh?!
Lore panicked.
"Why's that?" Lilith asked suspiciously.
"Because…"
"Lore has a barrel of Star Essence!"
Before Stiegler could respond, Alec shouted it out loud.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"You traitorous bastards!!!"
Lore nearly blew a fuse.
Just because I didn't share with you, you've gone full snitch?!
He was on the verge of tears.
If he had known this would happen, he never would have shown off!
That one moment of arrogance…
Was so not worth it.
"...So much!"
Lilith's eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the small wooden barrel filled to the brim with Star Essence.
"Lore, where did you get so much Star Essence?"
She turned serious again.
"Palace Master!" Lore straightened up and answered quickly, "This was a reward from Titan Elder—he gave it to me as payment after I helped him clean his room!"
Wait a second…
Phantom Moon Orchids for rope ladder duty…
Star Essence for cleaning rooms…
Lilith and Amethyst Elder locked eyes.
They had just discovered a golden road to wealth.
"Ahem."
"This Star Essence is very useful for your training. You should keep it. Work out how to split it among yourselves peacefully."
"Tomorrow, each of you go to the Sanctum's treasure vault. You may each choose a training resource you need."
Having said that, Lilith and Amethyst Elder left the room with satisfied nods.
"See that? They were after our Phantom Moon Orchids all along," Stiegler muttered once they were gone.
"Yeah," Alec agreed. "But honestly, Phantom Moon Orchids aren't useful to us anyway. Getting access to the treasure vault isn't a bad deal."
"GODS ABOVE!"
"Lore, what the hell are you doing?!"
Alec and Stiegler suddenly shouted in shock.
Lore had just jumped into the barrel of Star Essence.
"Hahahaha!"
"Come on, try and take it now!"
"You greedy rats wanna keep fighting me over this?! Be my guest!"
"If you're not afraid to drink my bath water and foot soak—come on! Try me!"
Lore burst out laughing as he sank into the shimmering Star Essence like it was a private pool.
The other two were too stunned to respond.
But what none of them realized… was that this absurd stunt of Lore's—
Would lead to a blessing far greater than they could ever imagine.
Meanwhile – Elder Quarters
"System, you there?"
"I've used up all my special items for the day. Where's my reward?"
"I paid those three with Phantom Moon Orchids for making the rope ladder. No reward."
"Then I gave Lore Star Essence for cleaning my room. Still nothing. What's going on?"
Velen lay on his bed, arms behind his head, speaking lazily into the void.
Ding!
"Host, please remain calm. The system is currently upgrading to match the upper plane universe."
"For the next fifteen days, there may be occasional reward delays. But after that, everything will resume as normal."
"Upgrading?"
"You mean even you need upgrades?" Velen raised an eyebrow.
Ding!
"Reminder: This upgrade is designed to seal off all low plane universe resources."
"This prevents the system from mistakenly distributing inappropriate items from a lower realm."
Velen thought for a moment and asked, "So if the upgrade takes fifteen days, and I want to cancel and return to using low plane resources—can I?"
Ding!
"Host, the upgrade process cannot be interrupted."
"To unseal the low plane resources, it will also require a full fifteen-day cycle."
Velen's eyes gleamed suddenly.
"System, I'm currently Ascended Rank Level 8, right?"
"What if I return to the low plane universe after the upgrade finishes, but bring with me the resources of the upper plane universe… and just flex on everyone like a madman?"
"Wouldn't that be… hilarious?"
"…System?"
"You there?"
He waited.
No answer.
"…Hello?"
After a long pause…
Ding!
"Host, you truly are… the ultimate loophole exploiter."
"System is currently recalibrating for emergency contingencies!"
"…You win."
Velen blinked—
Then burst out laughing.
He hadn't expected that a random question would throw the system completely off its rhythm.
