“Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

Huan Bao’er was so angry she laughed.

“In the design of the Demon Hall, while the scenes are indispensable, the entire essence lies in its structure and design route. Those routes are just like the currents of fate, guiding different people, bringing them together across different times and spaces, and provoking conflicts and battles until a victor emerges.”

Huan Bao’er turned her head and looked down at the three young people, whose faces were either still immature or still had a hint of innocence.

“Do you have any idea how much wisdom it takes to create the crossover points, how much experience is needed to control the pace of the battles?”

“I… we…”

“Being just a minute early or a minute late could cause some of them to miss that fleeting opportunity. And if a team gains an undeserved extra rest period, or endures excessive exploitation, a potential talent could end up being stifled. This is a crucial test for a designer.”

Huan Bao’er pointed her finger at those scenes. “Battle scenes with twenty thousand, thirty thousand, even forty or fifty thousand people! How can you three manage something like that? You’re seriously underestimating the Magic Hero Hall!”

The three of them remained silent, frowning bitterly.

Huan Bao’er let out a soft sigh. It was just wishful thinking on the part of those youngsters; there was no need for her to say such things at this point. Seeing the three young people pursing their lips tight and saying nothing, Huan Bao’er instead showed a genuine smile.

“Still, it was a remarkable attempt.”

“I…” Boboli hesitated, as if about to say something.

The woman turned to look at Jiaoma and Yang Zicang.

“The fact that you’ve considered the Starlight Illusion and the people of these two cities is truly admirable in spirit. It’s also a good practice of the Starlight Illusion’s principles.”

She clapped her hands in encouragement.

“Keep it up, refine it well. Maybe someday it could really become an arena city.”

“Yes.” The three of them answered in unison.

After saying these formal words, Huan Bao’er hummed a tune and sat on the ground, watching Yang Zicang continue his awkward busyness.

Yang Zicang had thought she would leave.

“Foster Mother Huanhuan,” Jiaoma said sheepishly, “Aren’t you making fun of us?”

“Do you have to ask? I don’t want to lie.”

“Oh dear.” She came over, took Huan Bao’er’s hand, and swayed it. “You didn’t tell us you were transforming the Crown of Green Lotus earlier. If I’d known, we wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”

Boboli lost all his earlier momentum beside them, now speaking to Yang Zicang very quietly and even stammering.

Jiaoma asked, “Since you, godmother, had a backup plan, why did you still submit Croft’s Hall of Magic Hero along with it?”

“After all, ours is a modification, not an original creation. It’s fine if it passes the review,” Huan Bao’er sighed. “But if it doesn’t, we’ll have to use Croft’s plan.”

“Mm, I guessed as much.”

Jiaoma leaned her head against Huan Bao’er’s shoulder, hugging her arms in a cutesy manner and said:

“So, generally speaking, how long does the review take?”

“If it’s quick, we’ll know tomorrow. If it’s slow, it may take two to three months. But if there’s no result within three days, it’s basically bound to be two to three months before we know. If that’s the case, we’ll have no choice but to use Croft’s Hall of Magic Hero.”

Huan Bao’er’s brow furrowed slightly.

If combat were conducted in Croft’s Magical Hero Hall, which blatantly lacks fairness, the people who have entered this world may never again be able to trust the Holy Ring Council, which “governs” their destinies. If there is no sense of trust in this world, how can one talk about saving it?

“So that’s how it is…”

Jiaoma looked at the busy Yang Zicang, feeling deeply disappointed inside.

Boboli gazed at the goddess-like figure resting on the ground, summoning his courage to approach her.

“L-Lady, would you like to hear my design concept?”

Huan Bao’er turned her head to look at him.

“Does the little stutterer really have a design concept?”

“Godmother~,” Jiaoma shook Huan Bao’er’s arm.

The woman said helplessly, “Before introducing a design concept, you should at least have a framework. Don’t forget, there’s only half a month until the end of the month, and you still need to leave at least five days for review.”

After speaking, the woman stood up and walked toward the edge of the grassy slope.

“Lady Director,” Boboli called after her, “In my design, the framework is very simple and doesn’t require too much shaping.”

Huan Bao’er let out an irritable sigh.

“Then just bring it out.”

With that, the woman’s graceful silhouette completely disappeared from the grass.

Yang Zicang stared in shock at her disappearance—she could use her Psychic Body to become invisible. This was even more potent than the Conceal and Shadow Conceal abilities he had encountered before.

On the second day of real time, Huan Bao’er waited the whole day, but no news arrived.

Croft was also waiting impatiently in his room.

Early on the third day, urgent footsteps echoed in the corridor.

“What to do?”

Gong Huanwu muttered as he ran into Huan Bao’er’s office.

The Red Chief Director was conducting a telepathic conversation with someone; seeing Gong Huanwu’s arrival, she sighed and gently shook her head.

“Croft’s plan has been approved,” Gong Huanwu said worriedly. “Our plan hasn’t heard back yet.”

“I know, and in fact, our plan has been rejected.”

“What!”

Gong Huanwu felt a cry of anguish inside; he hadn’t even known the plan failed when he arrived, only that Croft’s had succeeded. In the brief time of his journey here, the Radiant Order’s plan had already been killed.

“Is it because it was derived from modifications?”

“Modifications are only one aspect; that alone wouldn’t have led to outright rejection, given that this is our year-end evaluation site. Another reason is…”

Huan Bao’er clenched her fist, pressing it against the desk, and said through gritted teeth:

“The modified design itself doesn’t meet the standards!”

“How can that be! We, we clearly…”

Gong Huanwu quickly thought over the internal structural designs of the Demon Hero Hall that were etched into his mind, trying to figure out what went wrong where.

A folding line flickered into existence in midair.

{I think it’s because Director Croft didn’t add the hidden content until the very end.}

The voice of the Radiant Order echoed in the minds of Gong Huanwu and Huan Bao’er; staring at its image, its chest rose and fell slowly.

The file Huan Bao’er was gripping was torn by her delicate claws, crushed under her fury.

“So, he played us all,” Gong Huanwu said.

“Yeah, that bastard. The so-called mysterious content he insisted on adding at the end was actually utterly irrelevant! The real core design was already in there from the start. He fooled everyone.”

“And he wasn’t even afraid we’d catch him lying!”

Gong Huanwu clenched his fists in fury, itching to land a punch on that guy.

But he knew he’d lose in a fight.

Not to mention strength—just the coins materialized from Virtual Zero Sequence alone could bury him.

“The Five Elements scenes aren’t the key point. The damn bastard.” The cadre officer rarely cursed.

Huan Bao’er glanced coldly and said,

“So what can we do? He bluffs if he can; if he can’t, he just grins it off. Now… what we need to do is figure out how to modify Green Lotus Crown within these last ten days!”

“But, Chief officer, you know well there’s only ten days left.”

Huan Bao’er clenched her fist and slammed it onto the table, producing a dull thump.

[I negated 0.03R.]

Knock, knock, knock.

Yuwen Haowen, looking dejected, rapped his knuckles on the open door and entered Huan Bao’er’s office.

“Chief officer Huan Bao’er, give it up. The master is unsurpassable.”

“Shut up!”

Yuwen Haowen’s shoulders flinched, and he fell silent.

Radiant Order’s voice appeared in the minds of all three.

{Mr. Yuwen Haowen, my apologies. My sister Huan is a Red Model, influenced by a symbiote Demonic Nightmare. Her mood can sometimes become unstable.}

“N-no, it’s nothing; I’m just feeling too defeated,” he glanced at the two in the room. “Sorry, I’ve been out too long. I think I should head back to Blackfish Dreamscape.”

“Don’t go, Group Leader Yuwen Haowen. Without you, continuing our revisions will be even harder.”

Gong Huanwu quickly stepped over to steady Haowen by grabbing his arm and shoulder, guiding him to sit down.

“It’s pointless. There’s only a ten-day deadline left. Well, sorry—whatever the case, I’ve lost the face to go on. You’d better just forget everything I’ve taught these past few days.”

He paused, then continued:

“Or treat it as an object lesson, if you’d like—at least that way I still have some worth. Just make sure to note that  The Flawed Case Study of Magic Hall Design  was my suggestion.”

Yuwen Haowen rose, his shoulders slumping as he turned to leave.

“You get back here! Take one more step, and I’ll complain to your assigned director!” Huan Bao’er fumed.

Haowen smiled bitterly and turned around. “I’m afraid I can’t really do much.”

{Bao’er, don’t fuss. Haowen is right—ten days can’t change a thing. Today is already December 17th. We… we really can’t pull this off now.}

“Really can’t?!”

A surge of indignation swelled in Huan Bao’er’s chest.

“Bookie, I never expected to hear that from you! Fine, fine! You’re handing me an ‘impossible mission,’ aren’t you!”

{I’m just looking at this rationally.}

“Are those three words something we can afford to say?! Where’s your conviction!”

{Calm down.}

On the other side of the company, Radiant Order ignored Huan Bao’er’s irrational outburst and instead said:

{In fact, Croft’s changes have indeed improved the strength of some people and mobilized everyone’s enthusiasm. After all, those who pass the Magic Hero Hall are originally selected from the elites; those lacking strength are merely background filler. So, let’s leave it at that for now.}

“I don’t agree!”

Bang!

Huan Bao’er slammed her hand on the table, causing the surface to crack and shatter into pieces.

“If you hadn’t said that, it would be one thing—but I am who I am! And you dismiss me with just one word, ‘impossible’?”

Radiant Order ignored the raging Huan Bao’er.

Turning to the stunned Yuwen Haowen and the officer Gong, who was calming him down, Radiant Order said:

{Huanwu, take Haowen around for a few days. You don’t need to worry about what’s going on here; I’ll take care of the follow-up communication from now on.}

That was a clear dismissal. Gong Huanwu glanced at the furious Huan Bao’er, grabbed Yuwen Haowen by the arm, and quickly pulled him out the door.

No sooner had they stepped out than the sound of things being thrown came from the room.

……

In the afternoon, Gong Huanwu re-entered Huan Bao’er’s office.

Only a female assistant was inside, tidying up the mess.

“Where’s the General Director?”

“She’s taken a leave of absence.”

“Leave? Oh, well… okay.”

Gong Huanwu sighed.

Indeed, with only ten days left, there was no way they could revise the Magic Hero Hall to a satisfactory state. It would be better to let the emotionally fragmented General Director Huan Bao’er take some time off.

The beautiful long-haired assistant, whose radiance seemed to illuminate the room, smiled and said:

“Director Radiant Order said that if you came over, I should tell you that she will represent Starlight Illusion and apply to the Council for the descent of Demon Spirit Hall, which bears the main designer’s signatures placed by Director Croft.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“So she requests that you begin preparing the venue for the signing ceremony, tentatively set for five days from now. In addition, the previously suspended temporal expansion should also be concluded today tonight.”

“Alright, I’ll go take care of it right away.”

So now, from the group leader of the special action team for Demon Spirit Hall, he had truly become an errand boy.