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Caelan looked at the stunningly beautiful woman before him, wearing his most ingratiating expression. "Respected Ms. Caroline, are you satisfied now?"
Caroline saw that the new characters' background information was all related to the Phoenix Empire. And Cammy's introductory image made it impossible not to associate the Female Archmage with... well, herself.
"Mm. Not bad." She nodded, a smile gracing her red lips. "Satisfied. I am very satisfied."
She looked at Caelan, who was cowering to the side, walked over, and hooked his chin with one finger. "Since you've made me so satisfied, tell me, little Illusionist—what reward do you want from me?"
Her gaze shamelessly swept toward his lower regions.
Caelan's entire body tensed, and he couldn't help but recoil. It wasn't that he minded her age of nearly four hundred—this woman, whether in appearance, figure, or temperament, was top-tier and perfectly matched his aesthetic across both his lives. With looks like that, who would care about age?
However, this Female Archmage's reputation for promiscuity was widespread. She had played with at least two thousand eight hundred men, if not three thousand. And Caelan had no desire to become number three thousand and one.
He chuckled awkwardly. "Ms. Caroline, how about giving me some money? I like money the most."
"What? You only like money?"
Seeing Caelan dodge her, Caroline was displeased. She had never tasted an Illusionist before. If Illusionists hadn't declined so much—if their realism hadn't been so greatly reduced—she would have long ago captured a few to decorate her territory and play some... role-playing games.
Now she rarely encountered a young Illusionist who looked decent, and he was indifferent to her beauty?
Accustomed to getting what she wanted, Caroline's hand moved, about to lash out and scare him—
A light cough came from outside.
Caroline paused. Then realized this was someone else's territory. And this territory had no shortage of anything except... well, the number of melee powerhouses here was absolutely the highest among the Human Race. She reluctantly reined in her aura, leaned back in her chair—her chest almost spilling out—making Caelan unable to resist taking a couple of extra glances.
"Alright. How much money do you want?"
Caelan thought for a moment. "A thousand or eight hundred gold crowns would be fine."
Caroline narrowed her eyes and studied him. Then she took out two thousand gold crowns from her spatial ring and tossed them over. After a moment's thought, she threw over an engraved runestone the size of her palm, emitting fiery red patterns.
"This runestone is engraved with my 'Bursting Flame.' I believe you've already heard about its specific usage. The one I gave you can probably be used six to ten times."
Caelan quickly thanked her. Although Bursting Flame was an Intermediate spell, the woman before him—who had taken "Bursting Flame" as her new surname—had a world-leading understanding of this magic. The power of the runestones she created naturally couldn't be measured by ordinary standards.
Caroline stood. "Alright. I should leave now, little Illusionist. Remember to make more games about the Phoenix Empire in the future. Or else I might have to visit you often."
Caelan nodded profusely. "Mm! Mm! Mm! Mm!"
Seeing this, Caroline said nothing more. Her figure flickered, disappearing from Caelan's room.
In the hallway outside, Dean Thaddeus Skypalm—who had been sitting on a stone bench smoking a pipe—stood up and walked back toward the academy.
In the room, Caelan let out a long sigh of relief.
Just a few days ago, Caelan had been in his room engraving the system onto factory consoles when suddenly a flash of fire appeared. A tall, beautiful woman in red robes materialized before him, accompanied by an aura so powerful that Caelan couldn't even contemplate resistance.
"You are that Illusionist?"
After a brief exchange, Caelan understood who she was: one of the three most famous madwomen of the Phoenix Empire, the Forbidden Spell Archmage, Caroline Bursting Flame.
He hadn't expected this madwoman to also be a gaming enthusiast. Not only did she enjoy playing, but her talent and skill were quite good—making her one of the rare individuals currently able to clear Nightmare Difficulty Street Fighter.
Her purpose in coming to Moonwatch Empire was simple: some time ago, Caelan had posted that he'd be adding new characters to Super Street Fighter, which caused a Forum frenzy. Players from various regions hoped for strong characters with their national backgrounds. After Caroline saw these discussion and petition posts, she decided the Phoenix Empire should have a character too.
Blanka's background setting was too vague, and his appearance was ugly and neither here nor there. Caroline felt this green-skinned creature couldn't represent the Phoenix Empire.
Thinking of this, Caroline—who always believed in taking action rather than just posting on Forums—immediately set off for Crimson Port. She quickly found Caelan's home. There was no difficulty; Caelan was somewhat of a celebrity now, and he hadn't hidden his purchase of a new house from anyone. Just asking a few people in Game City would reveal his location.
Following Caroline's "friendly conversation" with Caelan—which involved both threats and inducements—Caelan could only nod and agree.
Of course, Caroline couldn't just stay at his place. As a top-tier combatant of the Human Race, coming to another country naturally meant she couldn't do nothing. Moreover, as soon as she'd approached Crimson Port, her identity was discovered. If she were to just leave, it would certainly cause unnecessary trouble. So she gave Caelan a few instructions and said she'd be back soon before disappearing to who knows where.
After her brief departure, Caelan—being very cautious—added the Phoenix Empire background to Cammy's storyline. He also flattered Caroline by incorporating a Female Archmage, modeled after her, into the background story. Then he replaced Luke, who was originally supposed to appear, with Karin Kanzuki, whose background was entirely set as a person from the Phoenix Empire.
As expected, Caroline was very satisfied with the result today and agreed to the update.
After the game update, aside from the people of the Phoenix Empire who rejoiced, most people accepted the new characters' identity and background settings with a normal mindset.
Of course, there were also a few sensitive individuals who barked impotently:
"The new character actually isn't from the Children of Light nation. Illusionist, did a Cloud Boar step on your brain?"— Posted by: Staff-Fighting Patriot
In this world, after the First Emperor successfully established the Moonwatch Empire by defeating all five opponents, the surrounding small countries all knelt in submission. Stickfall Kingdom was the smoothest one to kneel, and their attitude toward the Moonwatch Empire over four thousand years was exceptionally... "filial."
However, about seven hundred years ago, when Holy Light suddenly descended upon Stickfall Kingdom and five Archangels of Light permanently took residence there, the country suddenly felt empowered. They declared themselves the Kingdom of the Children of Light. All countries—except the Lion Kingdom, which also worshiped the God of Light—became objects of their disdain, including their once-respected "father," the Moonwatch Empire.
Later, due to their excessive arrogance, the Moonwatch Empire—unable to tolerate it any longer—sent troops to teach them a lesson. The battlefield was a complete rout. If not for the Lion Kingdom's intervention and the fear of the five Archangels of Light within Stickfall Kingdom's borders, the country would have been completely erased from history.
Even so, Stickfall Kingdom did not change its foul-mouthed nature. They even escalated it, always feeling they were a divinely blessed nation, superior to all others.