"One: we would like to thank XX for sponsoring this competition…
Two: we must firmly implement the Akademiya's directives…
Three: we must strengthen accountability…"
The host's endless speech on stage had everyone below fighting to keep their eyes open.
Honestly, after all that long-winded rambling, it boiled down to a single core idea:
Testing the Wisdom Orb.
They were really good at padding word count.
Elric looked at the organizers on the podium, deep in thought.
He remembered that neither of these two organizers were good people.
One was an academic criminal.
The other was a major Fatui offender.
They sure knew how to play the part of "ordinary citizens," though.
It finally ended—thank the Archons. Elric rubbed his eyes and let out a bored yawn.
He'd spent this entire stretch of time scrolling through the system forum.
It didn't really do anything useful, but it killed time.
Only now did he truly realize that smartphones from his previous life were among the greatest inventions of the twenty-first century.
As for Sumeru's Akasha Terminal, Elric still hadn't used it yet.
His arrival timing had been just right—right after the Traveler teamed up with Lesser Lord Kusanali to deal with the Grand Sage incident, when Sumeru was still in a state of rebuilding.
That was why the Akademiya was desperately short on manpower. But actually getting inside still took some maneuvering.
Of course, Elric never intended to truly embed himself there. He only wanted the identity of an Akademiya scholar so he could move more freely in Sumeru.
By leveraging a few Fontaine back channels and his own papers, he'd successfully slipped in on academic credentials.
And now…
He'd finally found the Traveler.
It was time to start his real business.
Wait—where was Lumine?
Only now did Elric realize that the heavy weight on his shoulder was gone.
He turned his head.
Both Lumine and Paimon were missing.
Did they run off somewhere to play again?
A helpless smile surfaced on his face. They probably slipped away while he was browsing the forum.
Lumine was over five hundred years old already, yet she still acted like a kid…
…A kid who loved rummaging through other people's stuff?!
At the same time, in the real world, a player with the ID "Uncle Here Loves Money the Most" didn't immediately interact with Elric after finishing the speech cutscene. Instead, he started wandering around the courtyard.
Usually, version updates added new chests—but event versions normally didn't, right?
Still, he was bored anyway, so he decided to poke around and see if anything new had been added.
And then…
"Huh? What's this? Let me check… Oh, an event report. Never mind."
"Oh? What's this one? There's a glow! Let me tap it."
Suddenly, a chest appeared in front of him.
"Whoa—there's actually a hidden chest!"
Uncle's eyes lit up. But out of habit—saving the best for last—he decided to click all the other glowing interaction points first.
In the end, all he got was a pile of cabbages and some useless pet food.
"Alright then. Let's see what makes you so special."
He rubbed his hands together excitedly and clicked Open.
At that moment, a brand-new achievement popped up on his screen.
[New Achievement: I Figured Nobody Wanted This Chest Anyway.]
Immediately after, a forced cutscene featuring Elric began playing…
At the same time, he excitedly started screen recording on his computer and began bragging to his group chat on his phone.
Uncle Here: Holy crap, bros—after finishing the speech cutscene, don't rush to talk to Elric! There's a hidden achievement here!
Mongolian General: ? Seriously? I haven't talked to him yet.
Uncle Here: For real. Just follow the video once I upload it.
Once the recording finished, he quickly uploaded his discovery to his favorite video site.
After all, sharing his life was his greatest passion.
Very soon, countless players discovered this novel hidden achievement and began following the tutorial to replicate it.
However, players who had already talked to Elric—even if they returned to the courtyard and found the chest—could no longer unlock the achievement.
Opening it only yielded two sad-looking cabbages.
That made countless players regret their lives. Twenty free Primogems—gone just like that.
For completionists, it was pure agony.
…
Back in the game, Elric watched this unfold and couldn't tell whether to laugh or cry.
Are you serious? You even dare to loot the organizers' chest in their own courtyard?!
The fact that they haven't sent the Mahamatra after you already means they're being generous.
Oh no… Lumine isn't actually a fusion of Fourth Calamity consciousness, is she?
"Huh? What's this—let me investigate… Oh, nobody wants these cabbages and carrots."
"Huh? What's this—wild Mora from the Northland Bank? I'll take it, I'll take it."
No, no. That's impossible. There's no way in-game behavior could manifest in the real world.
I'm just scaring myself.
Elric shook his head hard, forcefully throwing those useless thoughts aside.
Then he turned and called for Layla.
Layla had also noticed Lumine's baffling behavior and blinked in confusion as she looked at Elric.
Elric shrugged helplessly, signaling that he had no idea either.
The two of them walked over together.
"Wow! Wow!"
Paimon ignored the cabbages entirely, eyes sparkling as she stared at the large chest.
"Lumine, look, look! There's another chest nobody wants!"
She nudged Lumine excitedly, barely containing her enthusiasm.
"Ahem, don't rush, little Paimon. It'll be opened soon."
Lumine rubbed her pale little hands together, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
Was there anything more exciting than opening a box?
This was the thrill.
From her experience, chests like this usually gave a decent amount of Mora.
A good hunter needed patience and perseverance.
However—
A large hand suddenly tapped hard on her cute little head.
What followed was Elric's utterly exhausted complaint.
"Are you two getting carried away, or did the Mahamatra stop sharpening their blades? You're seriously rummaging through other people's stuff on their own property?!"
Elric stared at the scattered investigation reports, the cabbages and carrots, and the most eye-catching large chest in the middle.
He was completely speechless. His mouth twitched slightly.
Do you realize this kind of behavior can actually get you arrested by the Mahamatra?!
"I figured nobody wanted it, so I just picked it up."
Lumine glanced at the Paimon playing dead beside her, then flashed Elric an incredibly innocent smile.
"..."
Elric raised an eyebrow, silently lamenting that this child was beyond saving.
They might as well go turn themselves in at the Mahamatra headquarters now—maybe the sentence would be lighter.
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