Back in her room.
Iris Dalton opened the package and took out a small metal clownfish.
It was the size of her palm, with beautiful, glittering golden scales.
It could be used as a decorative phone charm.
She deftly connected it to the network and activated Clownfish's program. Five seconds later, the little fish began to wiggle vividly in her palm.
[Clownfish]: "Your Highness, the Pond Lord, I love this body! It's way better looking than cuttlefish's and electric eel's. Love it, love it!"
[electric eel]: "Don't you dare step on me!"
[cuttlefish]: "Ugly, I reject it. This young master looks down on such a tiny thing."
[Clownfish]: "Just say you're jealous. Who could possibly resist a cutie like me?"
Clownfish's voice was a clear, boyish tenor. It shook its head and wagged its tail, as lively as a little boy.
When it puckered its fish lips to act cute, Iris's heart nearly melted.
She attached Clownfish to her phone.
'This little thing is surprisingly cute. It can come with me to school.'
After getting Clownfish settled, Iris casually dialed a familiar number. The phone rang twice before the other party picked up.
"Ryan, I'm just reporting in. I'm in a big room now with a bay window and a balcony overlooking a small garden. I had a bowl of warm, nourishing oatmeal today, drank some ginseng Tea, and I received Clownfish. It's super shiny and looks great," Iris recited, running through her situation as if it were a routine task.
But inwardly, she was secretly hoping for more.
The person on the other end listened quietly. A light, serene atmosphere seemed to hang in the air between them, intimate and tender.
When she finished, he replied with a simple "Mm," his low voice captivating.
Then, he spoke slowly. "Kyle Crawford is a good cook, so have him make whatever you want to eat. If you get bored, have Rhys Crawford keep you company. Make sure to eat well every day and be happy."
Iris: "..."
'Can't you say something else?'
'Like how you miss me, you like me, you're thinking of me, or that you'll come keep me company... something like that.'
"I know," Iris replied sullenly, nodding.
The man's voice paused, clear and magnetic. "Are you unhappy?"
"Of course I'm happy! I'm thrilled to death!" Iris forced a laugh and chatted with him enthusiastically for a while longer.
After he hung up, she clutched her phone, lost in thought for a moment.
'I must be really bored to actually expect Ryan to come and see me.'
'I'm insane!'
'But school is starting soon. I'm actually a little excited. I'll get to meet a lot of new classmates.'
'And it seems I have a fiancé waiting for me at school. The Sherwood Family arranged it. I hear he's a young master from some prestigious family in Valerium.'
'I'm quite curious what kind of person he is.'
*
The Sherwood Group.
Inside a spacious and bright office, Tristan Sherwood took a call from his butler. The pressure in the room dropped steadily, making his special assistant standing nearby feel as if he couldn't breathe.
"Just handle it. Keep a close eye on her at home. From now on, don't tell me anything about her unless it's absolutely critical. I can't be bothered to worry about her." His tone was utterly frigid as he hung up.
He didn't want to deal with Iris Dalton.
His special assistant, Isaac Sutton, hesitated for a moment, recalling a call from Vivian Morton. "Young Master, the Young Mistress..."
Before he could finish, Tristan Sherwood cut him off, waving his hand impatiently. "Don't bring up family matters at the office anymore. Every single one of them is a headache!"
There were dark circles under his eyes, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.
He hadn't slept well in two days. His mind was consumed by the UmbraNet administrator's warning and the matter of his demotion from a Two-Star to a One-Star Level.
The blow had been too great.
He felt agitated and depressed, his patience nearly exhausted. He could barely contain his simmering anger.
'What do I have to do to get my Two-Star Level on UmbraNet back!'
'I heard Master Dalton is coming to Stellan. I have to seize this opportunity to make a good impression on him. I'd even willingly apologize to that little rich girl, Wylie!'
"Young Master, the head of programming from Elysian World sent an email inviting you to appear on a variety show called *Idol Brother and Sister*. It's the same show the Second Miss is participating in. They'd like you to be a male guest."
Isaac Sutton opened the email and relayed the show's schedule and specific arrangements.
"Decline it. I'm too busy lately, and an idol variety show isn't suitable for me anyway," Tristan Sherwood said, pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice laced with exhaustion.
In Stellan, the Sherwood Family and the Grant Family were top-tier, prestigious families of equal standing, and they had always collaborated on business matters.
He and Vincent Thorne ran into each other all the time.
Moreover, Vincent Thorne was pursuing his younger sister, Claire Sherwood.
If it weren't for the recent flood of issues that had left him agitated, Tristan Sherwood would have done Vincent Thorne the favor and appeared as a guest on the show.
"Yes, sir. I'll reply to them now." Isaac Sutton immediately opened his email and began composing a reply.
Everyone in their circle knew that Tristan Sherwood was a married man who, supposedly, had a harmonious relationship with the Young Mistress. It was truly unsuitable for him to be a male guest on an idol show and interact with female guests.
No one could find fault with him for not participating in an idol variety show.
After replying to the email, Isaac Sutton looked up and asked if Tristan Sherwood needed anything else.
"Did you find anything on that matter I asked you to look into?" Tristan Sherwood asked as he logged into UmbraNet on his phone. Seeing Wylie still flaunting her wealth all over the forums gave him a splitting headache.
'Whose brat is this, anyway? She's really screwed me over!'
"I tried to check using my UmbraNet account, but Wylie's back-end information is locked and classified as top secret," Isaac Sutton reported. He was a hacker himself and a One-Star Level member of UmbraNet.
Tristan Sherwood slowly closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "Contact the expert GoldenKoi on UmbraNet. Ask him to help look into the movements of the hundred-man Mercenary Groups. We might find a clue there."
*
In the afternoon, waves of heat rolled through the air.
On a bustling street, a flashy, cool red Maserati waited at a red light, drawing the attention of a crowd of passersby.
The young woman sitting in the red sports car was none other than Iris Dalton.
She was on her way to check on the Sherwood Family's plot of land, but the suburbs were too far. Not wanting to bother with a taxi, she had simply picked a luxury car that caught her eye from the garage and driven it out.
She didn't know, however, that this car was a global limited-edition custom model—the only one of its kind in all of Stellan.
The moment she drove out, she had caused an uproar among pedestrians.
Iris wore headphones, idly chatting with the little fish in the Pike over voice chat to pass the boring time.
[electric eel]: "Your Highness, this car is awesome! It'd be even flashier if you converted it into a flying vehicle!"
[Clownfish]: "Hehe, I'm in the car with Her Highness! I'm bursting with happiness. You guys can all be jealous."
All of the Pike: "..."
[GoldenKoi]: "Interrupting with an announcement, Your Highness, the Pond Lord. The UmbraNet ID 'PledgeMyLife' is offering a high price for your personal information, as well as the whereabouts of the Mercenary Groups."
Iris furrowed her brow. "Who's 'PledgeMyLife,' and why are they asking about me?"
[GoldenKoi]: "Verified. 'PledgeMyLife' is Isaac Sutton, a hacker who is currently the special assistant to Tristan Sherwood, the Vice President of The Sherwood Group. Additionally, the system has found that Tristan Sherwood's ID on UmbraNet is Lochlan."
'Lochlan, huh...'
Iris recalled the person who had been attacking her on UmbraNet, constantly stirring up trouble and acting like a jerk for no reason. Suddenly, it all clicked.
'So that asshole was Tristan Sherwood.'
'Looks like Isaac Sutton was acting on Tristan Sherwood's orders to investigate me.'
"GoldenKoi, scrub all information related to Wylie, encrypt the back-end, and classify it as top-tier secret," she issued a command.
'I hired Mercenary Groups to do some farming. I have to keep this side account under wraps. I can't let my cover be blown before the time is right!'
[GoldenKoi]: "Roger! Information shielding protocol initiating..."
[Slick]: "Your Highness, the Pond Lord, the Mercenary Groups have arrived at the designated location. Your drive will take twenty minutes. Do you wish to activate real-time AI monitoring?"
"Activate it!"
The members of the Mercenary Groups all had Star Levels; they were no ordinary people.
Iris was worried she might not be able to control them, leading to unexpected complications. Activating full-process AI monitoring would provide a higher degree of security.
[Slick]: "Real-time AI monitoring activated. [YellowFish] Sky Eye is connecting to the system."
[[YellowFish]]: "[YellowFish] Sky Eye System activated. Protecting Your Highness, the Pond Lord, for a smooth and safe arrival."