"Is this the Key Curio that can invite any existence, even including Aeons?" Sparkle asked, suspiciously eyeing the cracked, bronze-colored key in her hand.
"That's right," Chen Li nodded, wearing his Golden Homu King costume and crown.
"Why do I feel like the quality of this Curio is on a completely different level from the one you forged for me yesterday?" Sparkle asked, perplexed.
One was a Curio that could even invite an Aeon, while the other could only find nearby sources of fun. Were these two Curios really made by the same Curio Forger?
"Er, you can't really put it that way. It's just that different Curios have different inclinations. I have a friend who can change the entire worldview of a world with just a novice-level Curio," Chen Li said.
"Then what kind of Curio is this key?"
"A novice Curio."
"And my mask?"
"Also a novice Curio."
"Mm, very good, I get it. There are also differences between novice Curios, right!"
"You could say that."
"So you cut corners when you made my mask, right?"
"Absolutely not! You were the one who requested a Curio to find fun. I fulfilled your request perfectly. If you lost out on anything, it's because your ideas weren't bold enough," Chen Li stated.
"For example?"
"For example, a friend of mine wanted me to forge a Curio that could slap someone through the internet."
"You can forge that?"
"Yup. That's how forging Curios works. You tell me what you want, and I'll consider whether it can be forged," Chen Li nodded.
It was just like buying souvenirs on an antique street or at a tourist spot.
Don't be scared off by the exorbitant price tags. Haggle first, just start haggling!
You'll soon discover that if you dare to name a price, they'll dare to sell it!
Rounding off doesn't mean rounding off the decimals; it means rounding off the number of digits.
"...I feel like I got a bit of a raw deal, but whatever. Getting a Curio for finding fun for free is still acceptable," Sparkle sighed.
Although she hadn't paid any price so far, the realization that an opportunity for even greater fun had slipped through her fingers left her feeling a little disgruntled.
It was only human nature.
"You want a better Curio, don't you? Then fight hard to win this tournament! Inside that invitation space, there are plenty of prank props. As long as you can use those props to open your opponent's eyes, I can help you strengthen your Curio," Chen Li said temptingly, seeing through her dissatisfaction.
The invitation space wasn't just a blank void; its scenery could be customized.
For instance, you could set it to be an amusement park, which would generate many interactive NPCs... 12+, of course, not 18+.
Interaction types are limited. Please refrain from harassing actions.
The Key of Fateful Invitation was originally meant for dates; it just had never been used to its full potential.
"I'm getting more and more curious about whose show you're trying to watch," Sparkle asked.
"Just stick this key into any door and turn. As long as you can turn the key and open the door, you'll see your opponent."
"Alright. Look forward to my performance!" Sparkle flashed a confident smile.
She was a Masked Fool, a professional when it came to having fun!
She could already see victory close at hand!
"Oh, right, don't close the door. I want to watch the show with my own eyes!" Chen Li added.
"No problem." Tossing the Key of Fateful Invitation in her hand, Sparkle casually inserted it into the lock of her hotel room door.
"Are you in a hotel?" Chen Li chatted with Sparkle while eagerly awaiting the show to begin.
"Yup. I've arrived in a new world. As soon as I got here, I received a warm welcome from a Knight of Pure Beauty, who kindly and cordially provided me with funds for my activities," Sparkle nodded.
Chen Li nodded knowingly, and any guilt he felt about pranking Sparkle instantly vanished.
My money is not that easy to take!
Sparkle twisted the key, which had been pre-set with the invited target. With a click, the key turned successfully.
"That sound on your end is a bit strange. What are you up to now?" Sparkle asked curiously.
"Me? I'm making shaved ice. Alright, I'm hanging up now. I'll be watching through other means. Remember to leave the door open for me." Chen Li hung up the video call as he spoke.
---o---
After ending the call, Chen Li took off his costume head and continued using the two separated blades of his Myriad Phenomena Severance to scrape crystals off the crystal-encased Elysia.
Myriad Phenomena Severance could cut through anything, so its two blades were naturally indestructible.
After Elysia's projection had returned yesterday, she had been enveloped in crystal and sent back to her room by Vill-V.
And Chen Li was in Elysia's room right now.
Using the scissor blades, he scraped off a small sliver of crystal from Elysia's body and popped it into his mouth. He tasted something like Elysia-flavored ice cream.
After a moment's hesitation, Chen Li took a direct bite out of the crystal.
Bang! The door to Elysia's room was kicked open.
"Which bold scoundrel dares to enter Elysia's room... Chen! Li!" When Vill-V received the alarm, she rushed to Elysia's dorm, and after kicking down the bedroom door, she saw Chen Li gnawing on Elysia. She completely lost her composure.
Can anyone understand this?! I'm about to faint from anger because of this glutton, Chen Li!
"Er, don't look at me like that. I'm just biting the crystal. I can tell the crystal is only protecting Elysia; its disappearance won't affect her." Seeing Vill-V burst in, Chen Li immediately raised his hands in surrender.
"Even so, you can't just... gnaw on Elysia." Vill-V searched her mind for a swear word fitting for the scene, but came up empty.
"Alright, forget about all that. Come and watch the show." After cutting off a piece of crystal from the beautiful and enchanting Elysia, Chen Li ate it like ice cream while summoning a mirror.
It was a mirror that, thanks to the "relationship" formally established after he gifted the Curio to Sparkle, allowed him to watch her current situation from a third-person perspective.
This was an ability Chen Li had gained after eating the gaze of HooH the Equilibrium.
"What show?" Just as Chen Li expected, Vill-V's attention was instantly captured.
---o---
Sparkle turned the Key of Fateful Invitation and, after ending the video call with Chen Li, waited a moment as instructed before pushing the door open.
Beyond the door was a bustling amusement park teeming with people.
Standing at the entrance, Sparkle carefully observed the park for a while before confirming that these were all NPCs. Although their models were exquisite, their eyes were lifeless and dull.
They were the atmosphere crew.
It was like playing Naraka: Bladepoint, getting into a lobby full of pros as a low-ranked player, and your only job was to be farmed like a minion! Just to liven things up!
"So, where exactly is my opponent?" Sparkle looked around.
As she was searching for more information, the sound of neat, rhythmic footsteps came from the side, drawing her attention.
"Lady Herta is unparalleled in the world! Lady Herta is supremely intelligent! Lady Herta's beauty makes fish sink and geese fall!"
Accompanied by the cheers of three Herta puppets, a dazzling figure descended from the sky.
Like a star suddenly blooming in the night, she wore a magnificent purple dress adorned with flowing light and shadows. The hem of her skirt traced an elegant arc as it swayed, while the combination of black stockings and a pointed witch's hat added an air of mystery and cold beauty.
Big Herta descended with a composed gait, stepping on mirrored platforms that appeared out of thin air until she stood before Sparkle. It was as if each step landed on the ripples of the Milky Way, a truly mesmerizing sight.
"You are Sparkle?" Big Herta lowered her head to look at the girl who was curiously sizing her up.
"You must be the esteemed Lady Herta of the Genius Society? I've heard so much about you. You are indeed a very beautiful girl," Sparkle said with a smile.
Although there was a hint of surprise in her tone upon learning her opponent was a member of the Genius Society, her expression remained relaxed.
She had long imagined that her opponent might be a member of the Genius Society.
After all, the Curio Forger was a member, and "Dad" had repeatedly hijacked the accounts of other members. Furthermore, her opponent this time was someone even a Curio Forger like him found troublesome... the probability of it being a Genius Society member was not low.
However, there were differences among the members. As an Emanator of Erudition, Big Herta was among the more difficult ones to deal with.
To be honest, Sparkle wasn't entirely confident.
"Though you may be lacking in height, your honesty is particularly praiseworthy. Now, allow me to introduce the rules of this invitation space. Within this space is an amusement park, and within the park are many competitive and recreational games. The prizes for each game are different and will be adjusted according to the difficulty. There are Star Stones and Curios. Don't misunderstand; these are Curios from this world, not from the Curio Forger."
"Besides obtaining Curios by clearing games, you can also save up enough Star Stones to buy them from a mysterious shop. The Curios include both positive and negative ones. Positive Curios can enhance your strength and grant you various positive buffs, while negative Curios can be used on your opponent to weaken their combat effectiveness."
"The final battle will take place at 12 noon, where you will enter a fighting ring to duel. What you need to do now is to collect enough Curios to strengthen yourself and weaken your enemy before the final battle, to ensure the duel is as fair as possible," Big Herta announced the rules of the invitation space with a deadpan expression.
All the Curios in the amusement park this time were kindly provided by Big Herta.
"That doesn't sound too bad. It gives me a chance to defeat you. It seems I misunderstood that Curio Forger. I originally thought he was just trying to watch me make a fool of myself," Sparkle said, her tone as relaxed as possible.
If it was really as Herta said, with various Curios to buff herself and debuff her enemy, then she might not be unable to beat Big Herta!
So what if she was an Emanator of Erudition?
An amusement park was Sparkle's home turf!
It was just... she felt that some of the words Herta used during her introduction weren't quite right.
"Hmm? Why would you need to defeat me?" Herta frowned.
"Aren't you my opponent this time?" Sparkle paused.
"Don't misunderstand. I am the user of the Key of Fateful Invitation Curio. Therefore, I was invited by the Curio Forger to temporarily join this invitation with user privileges."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, I am the referee."
"Then my opponent is..."
"Your opponent is Him." Herta pointed to the side.
Following Herta's very pointed gesture, Sparkle finally noticed a figure she had been subconsciously ignoring all this time.
A shadow hidden beneath countless masks, a figure that all Masked Fools were all too familiar with.
"Oh, by the God of Fun..."
"That's right. Your opponent is the God of Fun, Aha," Herta nodded.
"Oh, by the God of Fun..." Hearing such a cold confirmation from Herta's mouth, Sparkle couldn't help but suck in another sharp breath of cold air.
Looking at this absurd scene, Sparkle was so angry she almost laughed.
You tell me this amusement park is filled with all sorts of Curios that can grant buffs and debuffs. Fine, no problem.
It's like adding a round of rock-paper-scissors to a boxing match to reduce the opponent's protective gear—it adds a bit of entertainment to the competition!
If my opponent was Mike Tyson, with that kind of advantage, I wouldn't be afraid to give it a shot.
But then you, Mike Tyson, open your mouth and say you're not a contestant but the referee, and my opponent is Ultraman Taro???
Is that reasonable?!
Oh, my heavens...
Oh, by the God of Fun...
"Can I give up?" Sparkle raised her hand and asked.
"Are you saying you want to skip the Curio collection phase and go straight to elbowing the Aeon of Elation on stage? That's not impossible. It would even save some Fiction Value," Herta nodded.
Each session in the invitation space could only last for 30 minutes. To extend the time, one had to pay a renewal fee before it ran out.
And that was precisely why Herta had entered this space.
Of course, spending crystals could also directly extend the time, but that was too wasteful.
"No, what I mean is, can I just surrender?"
"No. You two must have a fight today."
"...I have to fight the Aeon of Elation? Are you being serious?"
Seriously, dude, do you hear what you're saying?
Even if you stack the effects of every single negative Curio on him, his health bar would still be longer than my entire life!
How am I supposed to fight that?
A novice magical girl goes into battle, runs into a Demon King-level tentacle monster, and is unable to win despite giving it her all, is that it?
"You are a respectable opponent. I will give it my all," Aha's voice was laced with the static of faint laughter, which made a smile bloom on Sparkle's lips as well.
"..." Sparkle smiled.
She was so angry she laughed again.
Fine, fine, so this is how we're playing, is it?
Sparkle felt that the creator of this invitation space was filled with malice towards her!
"Damn you, Curio Forger!" Sparkle's resentful voice echoed throughout the entire invitation space.
---o---