[I'm Asta, the space station director. I've been captured by a very, very bad man and I'm trapped here.]
[Is there anyone kind enough to come and rescue me? I'll transfer 200 million Credits to you immediately after it's done.]
Sparkle looked at the post she had made on the forum, which had pitifully low engagement, with only a few dozen views and a handful of simple replies.
[I'm Herta. Asta, don't come back. I've already replicated an exact copy of you at the space station (picture attached).]
[What! 200 million Credits? That's more than I could spend in a lifetime.]
[Where's the location? I'll lead the Luofu army to attack immediately.]
[People actually read this kind of nonsense post?]
[Even if it's a scam, at least put in some effort and post an address and a picture...]
Sparkle stomped her foot in frustration.
She wanted to take some relevant pictures or post an address!
But anything related to this villa couldn't leave any electronic traces.
No need to think about it.
It must be Lin Yu's doing.
He doesn't want her to escape!
He doesn't want anyone disturbing his peaceful life!
Knowing this, Sparkle really had no way out.
In the end, she simply gave up.
Since she couldn't resist, she might as well enjoy it.
She spent her days online as an ordinary player, looking for fun.
Since the appearance of Honkai: Star Rail, there's been a lot of fun stuff online.
Even more interesting than reality.
It made Sparkle almost forget about returning.
At this moment.
She entered the [Leaks] section of the forum.
There was a relatively popular post titled [Three out of Six Limited Five-Stars Revealed! Who Will the Remaining Three Characters Be...?]
[Based on the information I've gathered, Topaz, Argenti, and Huohuo are confirmed characters that have entered the gacha pool.]
[Among the remaining three characters, Jingliu should secure a spot (she was available for trial in Yanqing's Companion Mission). But who are the last two characters? There's been no news about them at all!]
[Fellow Caelus fans, I'm so anxious!]
[If there's any news, please notify me immediately in the comments below this post!]
There were quite a few comments below.
[It's over. I've almost finished the Xianzhou storyline, and I haven't seen any new characters appear.]
[It's just a joke Yu Ling played on us because Yu Ling is also a troublemaker…]
[I'm currently doing side quests and grinding the new map. Maybe the remaining two characters are hidden within them.]
[Did you guys grow a liver just to grind? I can't even keep up with the newly released Topaz character, and now you're looking for new ones?]
[What if the new characters later are even stronger?]
[I thought it would be Xueyi and Hanya, but… Yu Ling, what's going on? You actually made these two judges into 4-star characters?!]
[Just came back from Hanya's post. Those skill effects… she's practically a 5-star disguised as a 4-star!]
[Guinaifen, Xueyi, Hanya… three new 4-star characters.]
[Great! I like all three of them!]
Seeing the players discuss so passionately.
Sparkle naturally didn't want to be left out.
Her troublemaker spirit kicked in.
She commented.
[The remaining two characters can only be unlocked by spending money!]
[I've already spent 2 million, and suddenly a golden light burst from the gacha pool, revealing a girl named Sparkle. This Lady Sparkle told me she's one of the remaining two limited characters.]
[Because she's too powerful, Yu Ling placed her in this position.]
After a few minutes.
Someone replied: [What?! Is this real?]
[Sparkle? Never heard of her.]
[Who?]
[Obviously fake. I've watched Little Gui's streams and spent over 2 million, but I haven't unlocked any new characters.]
Sparkle sat on the swing, a faint smile on her lips.
Her feet dangled in the air.
She was just thinking about posting another comment.
When a voice sounded behind her.
"That's it?"
"Not even as good as the History Fictionologists."
"Your kind of comment won't catch fire."
Lin Yu took a sip of tea, speaking in a tone of experience.
Sparkle immediately felt indignant.
"Hmph!"
"You think you know everything, huh?"
"Then show me the comments or posts you've made."
Lin Yu smiled mysteriously.
He said, "These are just low-level jokes."
"Someone like me, of course, aims for higher-level fun."
Hearing the word "fun," Sparkle immediately perked up.
"What higher-level fun!?"
Lin Yu leaned close to Sparkle's ear.
Lowering his voice, he said, "Let's… leak some of Yu Ling's secrets."
"My ability… allows me to steal some information and intel from Yu Ling."
"Don't ask about the specifics; you wouldn't understand anyway."
"In short, you can think of me as an insider."
Sparkle looked at Lin Yu in surprise. "You have that kind of skill?"
Sparkle's mind raced.
Trying to figure out if Lin Yu was lying to her.
Was this another one of his schemes?
But based on her recent experiences.
This man clearly possessed some incredible abilities.
Perhaps I could really "steal" something from Yu Ling.
Sparkle licked her lips.
If she could really leak information about Yu Ling's future updates, the fun would be on a whole different level!
This kind of behavior might even catch Yu Ling's attention.
Just thinking about it was thrilling!
Sparkle immediately asked, "So, what kind of intel did you manage to steal?"
"I got two major pieces of news."
"The first one is related to a new character in the game's future updates."
"The second is about something Yu Ling is planning to do in real life."
Sparkle was shocked.
Stealing information about the game was one thing.
But to even know about Yu Ling's real-life activities?
This is a bit too unbelievable!
"Let me tell you the second piece of news first, but you must promise to help me with this matter."
Sparkle replied without hesitation, "Alright, go ahead."
"Yu Ling is about to make a deal with General Jing Yuan of the Luofu."
"He plans to take something from Jing Yuan."
"If we act before he does, we might be able to intercept that thing!"
"Intercept what Yu Ling wants!?"
Hearing this news, Sparkle's heart was instantly filled with a storm of emotions.
This is just too thrilling, isn't it!?
But...
Hmm, I like it!
However, Sparkle also kept her wits about her and asked, "What is that thing?"
"How should I know? It was already quite difficult to steal this piece of information."
Lin Yu rolled his eyes,
"But you can imagine, what Yu Ling wants—it's definitely not an ordinary item!"
Sparkle felt slightly relieved inside.
If Lin Yu could immediately tell her what the item was, she would have been suspicious.
Now, this seems much more reasonable.
"So, you want me to go and get that thing?"
"Exactly, my identity is a bit inconvenient. Once I step out, I might be targeted by Yu Ling. After all, I've stolen quite a few things from him, and he should have caught some traces of me."
"Whether we can pull off this fun depends on you."
Lin Yu took out the mask he had previously snatched.
Sparkle looked at her own mask.
She was silent for a few seconds.
Suddenly, she and Lin Yu exchanged a smile.
She took the mask and placed it on her forehead.
"Deal sealed~"
"What could be more important than having fun?"
...
After walking out of the villa...
Sparkle's eyes suddenly lit up with a pink glow.
She looked at her hands.
"My abilities... are back."
But along with them came various restless feelings.
For a moment, she actually missed the time when she was just an ordinary person.
"Phew..."
"I must be really sick."
"But this is Sparkle!"
Sparkle chuckled.
Following the coordinates Lin Yu had sent her, she immediately headed to the designated location.
"Alchemy Commission, Alchemy Commission..."
She quickly reached the vicinity of the destination.
Sparkle had already spotted the general from the shadows.
Then, with a transformation,
She turned into Sampo.
Jing Yuan was slightly taken aback when he saw the person approaching.
"It's you...?"
"Yes, it's me."
[Sampo] rubbed his hands together.
Even the mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth was identical.
"I'm here to take the item that Lord Yu Ling wants."
Clearly,
Jing Yuan knew about Sampo from the game's storyline.
He even knew that Sampo was a Masked Fool.
"Yu Ling's servant is actually a Masked Fool..."
"Could he be related to the Everjoy Lord?"
"Well, that's not something I can disclose to you."
[Sampo] looked at the gourd Jing Yuan had taken out.
"This must be the item Lord Yu Ling wants, right? Then I'll take it."
Sparkle knew she didn't have much information, and now, the more she said, the more mistakes she might make.
Getting the item as quickly as possible was the most important thing.
Jing Yuan was about to hand over the gourd sealed with Phantylia.
But then he suddenly thought of something,
He asked, "By the way, was that scene Yu Ling mentioned earlier something that happened in reality or in the Dreamscape?"
Jing Yuan asked this because he remembered that Penacony itself was a magnificent Dreamscape.
That scene.
Although it was a moment from a future storyline, it could also have been a scene from the Dreamscape.
Upon hearing this, Sparkle's heart skipped a beat.
She had no idea what scene or Dreamscape he was talking about!
What kind of deal had Yu Ling made with Jing Yuan? She didn't know a single word about it.
But now, she absolutely couldn't show any weakness!
The worst thing for a performer was to reveal fear.
So, she put on a confident smile.
"General, you're overthinking it."
"What my Lord Yu Ling mentioned is, of course, absolutely real."
"Alright, I have no further questions. Please convey my regards to Lord Yu Ling."
"I will relay the General's sentiments."
She took the gourd.
Sparkle let out a long sigh of relief internally.
She couldn't wait to run away the next second!
But she had to maintain a calm and composed demeanor.
She disappeared from Jing Yuan's sight.
Returning to Aurum Alley.
Sparkle reverted to her true form.
She couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from curling upward!
"I got it!"
"What exactly is sealed inside this gourd?"
She shook it vigorously, then pressed her ear against the curve.
Suddenly, a woman's voice exploded in her ear.
"How dare you!!"
Sparkle was so startled she nearly tumbled over.
"What the hell!"
"This isn't some treasure, it's a disaster!"
And to make matters worse.
A crack began to appear on the surface of the gourd.
It was clear that it could barely contain Phantylia inside!
"Jing Yuan really doesn't know how to handle things!"
"At least add a few more layers of seals!"
As the cracks on the gourd multiplied.
Sparkle's first instinct was to run straight to Lin Yu's residence.
In there, all beings were equal!
He would definitely have a way to subdue this big boss!