After Medeili finished changing in the dressing room, she returned to Wang Yue and reported what she had overheard in the office.
Wang Yue cursed their luck.
They’d had a perfect chance to escape through the procurement passage. Once outside, they could have summoned a Lantern-Bearer and a Taboo Name to level this place to the ground.
Unfortunately, something had gone wrong with the Demon Realm, and the External Passage couldn’t be opened.
Judging by the conversation, the authority for the procurement passage was of the highest level; it likely required the Lesser Lord’s personal approval.
A Lesser Lord had two ways to conduct a “Deduction” of a town. The first was the “Tower Defense Mode” used by the Iron-Flow Giant Stag. In that scenario, the Lighthouse itself was made of Transcendent Materials and possessed the rule of “Rejection.” The Lesser Lord couldn’t destroy or enter the Lighthouse; they could only guard the entrance to prevent humans from lighting it.
The second was the “Abduction Mode,” where the Demon Realm overlapped with a town, allowing the Lord to snatch people one by one and keep them like livestock. Missing persons were a common occurrence in the Evernight Realm; no one noticed if three or five people vanished.
But regardless of the method, attracting a Lantern-Bearer meant instant death for the Lord.
Therefore, for the Master of the Silver Moon Phantasm, allowing retainers to come and go was an extremely dangerous gamble.
Spices had run out long ago, yet procurement authorization had been delayed indefinitely. From this, Wang Yue deduced that the Lesser Lord was experiencing some kind of personal crisis.
To prove her theory, she decided to get the Grand Banquet started and see if the Master would finally show their face.
They couldn’t afford to expose themselves prematurely. It would be beyond awkward if, halfway through their sabotage, the Lesser Lord stepped out of the Spire like Blackbeard emerging from the captain’s cabin of the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
Using Fueuduo’s name as the garden supervisor, she approached the Head Chef to inquire about the banquet.
“We don’t have enough ‘Morning Dew’ or ‘Twilight Dew,’ so the banquet can’t be held,” the Head Chef said, looking miserable. “The production machine is broken. We’ve requested repairs, but we never get a response. We don’t know what else to do.”
Wang Yue nodded thoughtfully. It seemed the rot had started at the very top, causing the entire system to malfunction.
However, repairing machines happened to be one of her specialties.
***
The Brewing Room.
Wang Yue stood before a bizarre machine embedded in the center of the far wall.
Long copper-alloy pipes of varying thicknesses twisted and turned like the convolutions of a brain. When she tapped them with her finger, she realized they were thin, hollow structures.
A quick glance at the pedals and the accordion-like bellows nearby told her everything she needed to know. This was a giant aerophone—a multi-reed instrument similar to a saxophone.
The tightly packed copper pipes were the reeds, and the metal protrusions with keys acted as mouthpieces. It was played through a combination of the bellows and the key system.
This wall served as the end of the long brewing room. On either side, thick pipes descended from the ceiling, connecting to glass vats nearly three meters tall. Inside the vats were transparent and white granules—the tears and nectar sent from the flower room.
It appeared that Morning Dew and Twilight Dew were brewed from these two materials, and the process required the accompaniment of a Transcendent Melody.
Wang Yue realized then that the Grand Banquet wasn’t prepared for the girls; they were offerings intended for the Lesser Lord.
Now, this massive, deformed saxophone had fallen silent, and the production of the two dews had ceased.
“The mechanical structure is simple. Perhaps something is just jammed,” Medeili said at her side.
Wang Yue smiled and pointed at the pedals, snapping her fingers.
Obediently, Medeili removed her shoes and lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing her shapely calves and her new pinkish-white stockings. Her two little feet began to pump the pedals, working the bellows in a rhythmic up-and-down motion.
Wang Yue pressed the keys one by one, diagnosing the faults.
“Mmh, there’s a foreign object here… a bit of rust here… this reed screw is loose; it needs tightening…”
She murmured to herself as she marked the spots with a pen. A toolbox at her feet contained a full set of disassembly tools.
While repairing the saxophone, Wang Yue occasionally stole glances at Medeili.
The orange-haired girl was giggling like a child, her white teeth flashing. Holding her skirt hem, her legs weren’t particularly long, but they had a perfect, supple fullness to them—a blend of innocence and allure as they rose and fell. Her soft soles pressed against the pedals, and a stray thread at the edge of her stockings caught the light, looking strangely endearing.
It really is wonderful, Wang Yue thought, spending time with her. A vague, inexplicable longing to get closer to the girl welled up in her heart.
She disassembled the problematic parts, wiping away dust with a soft cloth, removing rust with oiled fine-grit sandpaper, and tightening screws.
Once finished, an automaton musician with three pairs of multi-jointed long arms approached. Its fingers danced across the instrument, touching it lightly.
A light melody rose through the air. The brewing room returned to life, resuming the production of the two dews.
With no shortage of materials, it wouldn’t take long to produce enough for a single banquet.
Having solved the kitchen’s problem, Wang Yue and Medeili returned to the garden to wait for the festivities to begin.
They sat side by side at a window. Moonlight filtered through the lattice, making the skin of their arms and necks appear exceptionally pale. No one spoke; the only sound in the silence was the faint chirping of insects.
Wang Yue had changed into a small formal dress that looked as if it were woven from shadows. This time, she wasn’t wearing a Neural Plug; she was her normal self.
She looked down at the piping across her chest. The black, reflective silk made her skin look unnaturally white, with a texture as smooth as congealed fat—it almost felt like she possessed a non-human aura.
She stretched her arms. From her rounded shoulders to her slender fingers, she looked perfect.
Wang Yue suddenly turned her head, catching Plum staring at her.
She tilted her head, her synthetic-black hair swaying and shimmering with tiny glints of light. A mischievous smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she asked, “Do I look good?”
Plum’s face instantly turned red and hot. Steam practically rose from her head, making her look like a boiled crab. She lowered her head, her mind turning into a sticky mess. Her lips parted, whispering a single word.
“Yue…”
Wang Yue stifled a laugh.
For some reason, using her charm to capture Medeili’s attention made her feel a spark of joy. In truth, she had noticed the affection in Plum’s eyes long ago; it had been growing bit by bit since the start of school.
By now, it was almost impossible to hide.
Even so, Plum tried desperately to conceal it, as if saying the word “love” aloud would trigger the end of the world.
Wang Yue didn’t quite understand why Plum had distanced herself from everyone else, only to reserve all her affection for her. She felt she had done nothing to deserve such devotion from a girl as wonderful as Plum; it felt like an unexpected blessing.
The mystery surrounding Plum was like a soft, sorrowful melody—deep and tranquil.
Wang Yue lowered her lashes and smiled gently. “Do you want to… come a little closer and look?”
Medeili’s heart felt like it was melting, turning into a scalding liquid that surged through her chest and left her restless.
“Yes… please…”
She moved her body awkwardly, inching closer to study Wang Yue’s face.
Then, her gaze traveled down inch by inch—past the slender white neck, the shallow rise and fall of her chest, the flat, tight stomach, and the long, straight legs, finally reaching the translucent white feet where faint veins were visible beneath the skin.
Suddenly, she reached out and covered her eyes, saying in a panicked voice, “I—I can’t look anymore…”
“Why not?”
“I feel so… depraved…”
A wave of intense shame nearly broke through her defenses. Her lips trembled like leaves in the wind as she said despairingly, “I’m sorry… Do you hate me now? I’m sorry, I’m sorry… You—you’re just so beautiful, I couldn’t help myself…”
Hearing her frantic apologies, Wang Yue suddenly realized—was she really that beautiful? Was she truly “a beauty that could topple kingdoms”? Hey! Don’t give me such weird confidence!
“I’m not actually that good-looking. Maybe it’s just your personal taste,” Wang Yue tried to reassure her.
“No, no… You really are beautiful,” Plum said earnestly.
“Don’t hide your face.” Wang Yue gently pulled Plum’s hands away and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Go ahead and look. I don’t hate it.”
“Mm…”
At the touch of Wang Yue’s hand, Medeili trembled all over, shrinking back like a sensitive plant. Her cheeks were flushed deep red, and her eyes were misty and unfocused.
A thought popped into Wang Yue’s head—She’s so shy. If I kissed her right now, would she just pass out on the spot?
