"Nice! All pure white stockings! As expected, cute lolis should always be paired with white stockings! Black stockings are heresy! Heresy! Heresy! White stockings forever!"
"You don't know what you're talking about! Black stockings are clearly the most seductive! BlackNeko-chan hasn't realized this truth yet—but once she does, she'll understand that black stockings are eternal!"
"I really don't get why you people argue about black or white stockings. As a devout leg-fetish believer, as long as the legs are beautiful, even bare ones are fine."
"As a pure foot-fetishist, I won't argue either. I'll just silently admire the photo—the perfect arch, delicate and small enough to hold in one hand. Truly the most beautiful curve and shape I've ever seen."
"So many kindred spirits! Truly, good legs deserve praise! And—long live lolis! Long live lolis! Long live lolis! Important things must be said three times."
"A true gen—(per)—tle—(vert)—man indeed. Come here, BlackNeko-chan, come to big sister's arms. Big sister will be your pillow. Sleep well, okay?"
"Please, I beg you—upload all of the Sora-chan cosplay photos! As a purebred little-sister lover, I desperately need a Sora-chan to heal me! If one has a sister but she's not like Sora, it's tragic; if one has no sister, it's even worse! Little-sister lovers are the world's supreme faith!"
"Little-sister lovers (stare) truly are a species capable of destroying the world. Such terrifying combat power. And honestly, I think what you need isn't a Sora-chan to heal you—but a visit to the German Orthopedic Clinic. German Orthopedics is the best in the world!"
"Watching you all argue, I'll just quietly request all the school swimsuit photos instead. As a pure school-romance enthusiast, school swimsuits are simply irresistible!"
"Philistines! Clearly, catgirls are the greatest! You people focus only on the 'benefits' and fail to see true beauty! Especially the tails—they're too adorable!"
"Hey, the one talking about catgirls—move your eyes away from the tail sticking out from under the skirt. I know what you're thinking, you pervert. Sorry, but cat tails can be belt-tied. Just look at BlackNeko-chan's—her design makes it obvious."
"I'll take the literary girl in the sailor uniform and leave. You all carry on."
"Then I'll take the maid. Seems you don't need such a well-behaved, cute loli maid."
"Stop right there! The literary girl and the maid are both mine! Don't even think about it!"
"Comrades, I love lolis! Comrades, I love lolis so much I'll go to war for them! Comrades, if you want to steal a loli from me, then prepare for battle! As long as war continues, lolis will never cease!"
"Sitting back to watch the two upstairs start a manly battle♂, I can already smell the stench of shady deals. There will definitely be flowers blooming and wilting in this."
"To think I'd meet a fellow philosopher here. Young man, you have potential. Want to discuss philosophy with me?"
[Reply: Sorry, I'm a woman.]
[Original Poster: Tch, so you're female. Females are fragile—too delicate to play with.]
[Reply: So you're gay then?]
[Original Poster: Foolish mortal! How could you possibly comprehend the greatness of our philosophy? When we 'philosophers' do it with men, it's not called being gay—it's philosophy! You, woman, are being rude!]
[Reply: Ugh, impossible to communicate. Straight-man syndrome is terrifying.]
[Original Poster: I'm not some straight-man chauvinist! I'm simply a male who dislikes weak females!]
[Reply: Then do you prefer being the active one or the passive one? Are you the top or the bottom?]
[Original Poster: Of course, I like being the passive one! Being inserted is way more fun than doing the inserting!]
[Reply: (stare~) You win. I concede defeat. You philosophers really know how to play.]
[Original Poster: Tsk, a mere female dares challenge me? Flee while you still can!]
"I'm emotionally scarred now. I strongly request that BlackNeko-chan delete the thread above. This derailment has gone too far! Just reading those replies gave me goosebumps all over. It's too much..."
"Seriously though, after being with girls for so long, playing with guys every now and then doesn't feel bad."
"If this conversation continues any further, it's going to get terrifying. And, uh, upstairs—you might've just revealed a bit too much."
"When it comes to guys, I actually like crossdressers. They have male features but a woman's softness—it's like tasting two flavors at once..."
Closing the page, Chu Lian decided she couldn't keep watching. The topic had grown far too terrifying.
"Pffft... Big Sis, are those people really okay? Should I delete all of them talking like that? Just reading their posts makes me feel weird..." Chu Chu looked completely bewildered. How had the topic taken such a sudden and horrifying turn?
"No need. Let them keep talking. The ones who get hurt by it will handle them for us. We don't need to get involved." Chu Lian waved her hand lightly, her eyes regaining clarity. She badly needed to look at something pure and beautiful to calm her mind.
"Honestly, the number of perverts in our country is growing. They're actually discussing these things openly? Aren't they worried that their personal info might leak, that people around them might find out?" Chu Chu rubbed her eyes. She needed something beautiful to cleanse them—those people had truly dirtied her sight.
"Forget it. Don't bother with them. Let's just finish what we're doing." Chu Lian also wanted to delete all of it, but she knew she couldn't. If she did, people would definitely complain.
Even though she didn't need to care about others' opinions, this was an urgent time to earn Integrity Points. The more people talked, the higher the popularity—and the more Integrity Points she'd gain.
"Chu Chu, upload one set of photos every hour. Keep posting until all nine sets are done, then you can stop. You know the account and password for our Weibo, right? When I'm not around, please handle it for me."
Chu Lian's words sounded almost like she was leaving instructions before going somewhere far away, leaving Chu Chu a bit confused.
"Big Sis, are you going somewhere?" She put down the photo album in her hands, leaned closer, and asked softly.
"Yeah. I'll be going into seclusion for a while. During that time, none of you are allowed to come in—especially Anna. Don't let her disturb me. Once I'm done, everything will be fine." Chu Lian was merely preparing for the upcoming dungeon.
She knew that once she entered a dungeon, time in the main world wouldn't stop—but it would flow differently, roughly at a 1:10 ratio compared to the dungeon space.
Even so, she still worried that entering the Overlord dungeon might lead to unexpected complications. If she got stuck there for too long, a significant amount of real-world time would pass.
With only a few days left before school started, she needed an excuse to explain her disappearance—and saying she was in seclusion was the most reasonable explanation.
"Big Sis, I think you should tell Anna yourself. If we try, she'll end up acting like she did when we brought you back from Miami. When she's like that, there's nothing I can do to stop her." Chu Chu's expression showed a trace of fear. She remembered that time vividly.
Even after breaking her own seal, Chu Chu's strength still wasn't enough to contend with Earth-level beings—but she could at least hold her own for a while.
But when facing that version of Anna—completely devoid of leaking energy—she had been utterly helpless. Anna in that state was even more terrifying than an Earth-level powerhouse.
Just remembering how Water Lord could only dodge helplessly under Anna's attacks, unable to even get close, was proof enough—Anna was not someone simple.
"You're right. I'll talk to her myself." Chu Lian nodded. Indeed, when Anna was starving or enraged, there was no one here who could stop her except Li Mingxue.
She was certain that if no one restrained Anna, even if Anna subconsciously tried not to harm those close to her, the entire Sucheng would turn into a true 'dead city' overnight.
That power could devour everything. Chu Lian had read about similar abilities in countless novels and shows, but none were as overwhelming as Anna's.
In comparison, the ghouls from the Japanese anime Tokyo Ghoul were nothing. The gap wasn't just in bloodline hierarchy, but in the ability to evolve.
Ghouls had to devour human organs to ease their hunger and maintain strength, slowly becoming stronger over time.
Anna, however, could completely absorb living beings and convert them into pure energy.
It didn't matter whether it was a human, a dragon, or anything else—so long as it wasn't an undead creature like a zombie, something with no nutritional value—it couldn't escape her devouring power.
Chu Lian didn't know whether this ability came from Tírnas' inheritance or from Anna's own innate talent.
But what she did know was that Anna in that state was extremely dangerous. To ensure everyone's safety, Chu Lian decided she needed to talk to Anna herself.
"Alright then, I'll go speak with Inori and Anna." Chu Lian estimated she would need about three days—thirty days in the dungeon's time flow.
It wasn't too long or too short, but if Anna didn't see her for that long, she might go berserk—and that was something Chu Lian absolutely didn't want to happen.
Because if that happened, it wouldn't be good for anyone—neither her nor those around her.
"Go ahead, Big Sis. Chu Chu will watch over Weibo for you. From now on, let Chu Chu act in your stead and decide how to manage those fans, hahaha~" Seeing that Chu Lian had made up her mind, Chu Chu didn't stop her. Instead, she reopened the webpage, logging into Weibo with a cheerful grin.
Tapping her forehead lightly, Chu Lian warned her, "Don't go overboard. If I find out you're doing anything weird, you can look forward to a good beating."
"Got it, got it! Big Sis, go already. And don't forget to tell Mother, or she'll get upset again later." Though Chu Chu loved to play around, her sense of boundaries wasn't any weaker than Chu Lian's. She knew exactly what to do.
Her words reminded Chu Lian that she couldn't just tell those nearby—she also needed to inform Cai Ya, Li Xiu'er, Liu Yanran, Kurosaki Satsuki, Lux Lyle, and Ruriko Nana.
"Then, Chu Chu, make sure to get some sleep later. Starting tomorrow morning, I'll begin my seclusion." Watching Chu Chu's back, Chu Lian suddenly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her from behind and pressing her cheek softly against Chu Chu's.
The affectionate gesture made Chu Chu freeze for a moment, then her face turned pink. She was overjoyed—Big Sis was being so gentle and intimate on her own initiative.
"Take care of yourself. Don't tire yourself out because of me. All of this—these things—are secondary. The only ones that truly matter to me are you all. Everything and everyone else... they're just small details." After speaking, she kissed Chu Chu's cheek softly, then released her and walked away.
"Big Sis..." As she heard the door open and close, Chu Chu's previously bright mood dimmed. Lowering her head, tears rolled silently down her cheeks, landing one by one on the keyboard.
"Is Big Sis finally starting to notice me? I thought she still only saw me as her little sister... Even though that hasn't changed completely, at least she's paying attention now. That's enough... that's so good..." Her voice trembled softly, as if whispering to someone unseen.
Gently touching the spot on her cheek where Chu Lian had kissed her, Chu Chu lifted her head and looked into the vanity mirror. Her tear-stained face curved into a faint smile. "Keep it up, Chu Chu. One day, Big Sis will truly see you."
That night, she knew she wouldn't sleep well. She would toss and turn—caught between joy and longing.
Downstairs, Chu Lian spotted Anna sitting on the sofa, swinging her legs, while Inori was quietly reading a digital document on her laptop. Smiling, Chu Lian walked over and sat between them.
"Lian, you're not resting yet?" Inori glanced at the time in the corner of her screen and looked up curiously.
"No, I came to tell you both something," Chu Lian said, hugging the excited Anna who had rushed into her arms. Stroking the girl's golden hair, her voice was soft and calm.
"I thought so. Seeing how busy you've been these past few days, I guessed you wouldn't have time to handle all this much longer. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been working so urgently," Inori said, closing her laptop. Her gaze was warm, gentle as flowing water.
"Mommy, are you leaving again? Are you not going to play with Anna anymore?" Hearing Inori's words, Anna straightened up, eyes welling with tears as she looked at Chu Lian.
She had spent the whole day with Li Mingxue—sharing a bed with her last night, acting as her little pillow. During the day, she had been dragged around everywhere like a pet follower, unable to resist even a little. The experience had scared her terribly.
Now that she finally had time with Chu Lian again, hearing she was about to leave made her feel wronged, and her tears began to fall.
Wiping away the drops clinging to her lashes, Chu Lian bent down and kissed her forehead. Her voice was warm and gentle. "Anna, this is something really important. If Mommy doesn't do it, she'll lose a lot of things. And if that happens, Mommy won't be able to protect you anymore. Then bad people might bully us, you know?"
"If anyone dares bully Mommy, Anna will make them pay the heaviest price!" Anna declared fiercely. In her little heart, Mommy was the most precious person in the world—and she would never let anyone hurt her.
"Silly girl. Some things can't be solved with power alone..." Chu Lian sighed softly. Convincing Anna wouldn't be easy—but she would try.
Inori sat quietly to the side, watching the scene with thoughtful eyes. A faint smile curved her lips. "Lian... so, you're finally ready to walk your own path?"