Chapter 59: The Prank War of the Paper Lantern Festival
🌕 Act I: A Festival Begins
The Divine Realm was glowing.
Lanterns bobbed in the sky like sleepy fireflies, casting golden light across the Bureau's courtyards. It was the eve of the Celestial Paper Lantern Festival, a once-a-century celebration where miracles were folded into lanterns and released into the heavens.
Ne Job stood on tiptoe, trying to hang a particularly stubborn lantern from the top of the Miracle Tree. "Almost… there…" he muttered, tongue sticking out in concentration.
"Need a boost?" Ao Bing called, already floating on a cloud shaped like a step-ladder.
"Yes, please!" Ne Job grinned.
With a gentle whoosh, Ao Bing lifted him up. The lantern clicked into place, glowing with a soft hum.
Taiyi Zhenren strolled by, arms full of scrolls. "Don't forget," he said, "each lantern must contain a registered miracle. No prank miracles this year."
Ne Job blinked. "Prank miracles?"
Taiyi sighed. "Last festival, someone slipped in a 'tickle sneeze' miracle. Half the Bureau giggled for a week."
Ao Bing snorted. "Sounds brilliant."
Ne Job smiled. "Sounds like a challenge."
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🎠Act II: The First Strike
That night, as the lanterns floated skyward, something odd happened.
One by one, the lanterns began to pop — not explode, but gently poof into clouds of glitter and confetti. A few even released tiny musical notes that sang "Happy Bureau Day" in off-key harmony.
Lord Xian was not amused.
"Who authorized musical miracles?" he thundered.
Ne Job raised his hands. "Not me, sir!"
But Ao Bing was grinning. "Maybe the lanterns got… festive."
Taiyi Zhenren narrowed his eyes. "This smells like a prank war."
And he was right.
By morning, the Divine Cafeteria had been turned upside down — literally. Tables floated on the ceiling, and the tea urn dispensed fizzy lemonade.
A note was pinned to the urn:
> "Let the games begin. — The League of Light-Hearted Lunacy"
Ne Job blinked. "There's a league?"
Ao Bing looked impressed. "I want in."
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🕵️ Act III: The Investigation
Ne Job, ever the responsible intern (mostly), decided to investigate.
He formed a team: himself, Pippa the scroll-scenting sprite, and a very reluctant Taiyi Zhenren.
They followed the trail of prank miracles — a scroll that made robes sing opera, a quill that only wrote in riddles, and a teacup that refilled itself with soup.
Each prank was clever. Harmless. But undeniably disruptive.
Pippa sniffed a scroll and wrinkled her nose. "This one smells like… marshmallows and mischief."
They traced the scent to the Hall of Unused Miracles — a dusty chamber filled with half-finished scrolls and forgotten ideas.
There, they found a group of junior interns giggling over a glowing blueprint titled Operation: Lantern Laughter.
Ne Job stepped forward. "You're the League?"
A nervous intern nodded. "We just wanted to make the festival fun again. It's always so… serious."
Taiyi Zhenren crossed his arms. "You've disrupted Bureau operations."
"But we didn't hurt anyone!" another intern piped up. "We even tested the tickle sneeze on ourselves first!"
Ne Job looked at the blueprints. They were brilliant — intricate, harmless, and surprisingly well-organized.
He turned to Taiyi. "They're not wrong. Maybe we can channel this."
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🛠️ Act IV: The Great Prank-Off
With Lord Xian's reluctant approval (and a very long list of rules), the Bureau announced the first-ever Official Celestial Prank-Off.
Two teams. One day. All pranks must be harmless, reversible, and miracle-compliant.
Ne Job led Team Harmony. The League of Light-Hearted Lunacy became Team Mayhem.
The courtyard became a battlefield of giggles and glitter.
- Team Harmony enchanted scrolls to sing compliments when opened.
- Team Mayhem turned the Bureau's statues into disco dancers.
- Ne Job's team created a "reverse mess" miracle — any spilled tea would leap back into its cup.
- Team Mayhem countered with a "vanishing biscuit" spell — every cookie disappeared just before the first bite.
Taiyi Zhenren, acting as judge, kept score with a glowing clipboard.
By sunset, the courtyard was a sparkling mess of laughter, floating teacups, and dancing scrolls.
Lord Xian arrived, surveyed the chaos, and sighed. "At least no one's sneezing glitter."
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🌟 Act V: The Lanterns Rise
That evening, the final event began: the Lantern Release.
Each team submitted one miracle to be folded into the Grand Lantern — the largest of them all, shaped like a lotus and glowing with divine light.
Team Mayhem submitted a "Laughter Echo" — a miracle that would echo the sound of joy across the realm.
Team Harmony submitted a "Kindness Ripple" — a miracle that would nudge anyone who saw the lantern to do one small good deed.
Lord Xian nodded. "Both are acceptable. Let them rise."
The Grand Lantern floated upward, trailing golden threads of light. As it rose, a soft chuckle echoed across the sky, followed by a warm breeze that made everyone smile.
Ne Job turned to the League. "That was brilliant."
Tumble grinned. "You're not so bad yourself, intern."
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🍵 Epilogue: A New Tradition
The next morning, a new plaque appeared in the Bureau's Hall of Records:
> The Prank-Off Accord
> In recognition of creativity, cooperation, and controlled chaos, the Bureau hereby establishes the Celestial Prank-Off as a sanctioned event every hundred years.
> All pranks must be miracle-compliant. Snacks must be shared.
Ne Job sipped his tea and smiled. "I love this place."
Twinkle hummed in agreement.