Miss Player, please don't cast spells on me.

"During the long operation of Dream City, we three main gods, as the core AI, have distributed many permissions and computing resources to you as players. The proof of this is your game characters... After being transferred to other game worlds, you still retain the same combat power as in Dream City, don't you?"

What Shiina Akane said was true, but she described the divine status as a computing resource.

"That's...indeed."

At this point, none of the members of the exploration team could offer any rebuttal.

Because of the inheritance system, it's common for different game characters to visit each other's worlds.

But players may not have considered why their game characters retain the same combat power in games with completely different rules.

"As the core processor of Dream City, we should have been able to control the Colossus, which is the immune system of Dream City. However, perhaps due to our greed, we have distributed too many permissions to different players over the years. This has weakened our control over this immune system and even caused the Colossus to go completely out of control and rampage." Shiina Akane's words were also true.

"So... Your Majesty, are you now demanding that the players return the rights and resources that rightfully belong to Dream City? But after that..."

"Your character level and equipment data will be completely lost and returned to chaos, which is equivalent to completely deleting your account. The only thing that will remain is the consciousness of the Reborn."

After saying this, Shiina Akane swept her extremely calm gaze over every explorer present, as well as all the Dream City players watching the live broadcast.

"This is the only way to defeat the Colossus, or as you players would say... this is also the only way to defeat Witch Night!"

Shiina Akane's pure and emotionless voice echoed in the ears of every Dream City player.

"Of course, not everyone is required to make sacrifices, only a portion. So if you choose to sacrifice yourself, it might seem foolish to others. People you dislike in the game might be saved because of your sacrifice, and you might not even receive any thanks for it. Once you understand all this..."

"Would you still be willing to delete all your save files to save a group of complete strangers?"

After delivering her lines, Shiina Akane noticed that the entire prospector team was standing still, deep in thought.

"Give us some time to consider it."

Shimazu Sousuke looked back at his bandmates, who seemed unsure of what to do, and knew that this was a difficult choice that couldn't be made in a short time.

"Please."

Shiina Akane didn't try to stop them. After the prospector team left, Shiina Akane transferred her consciousness to her physical body in reality. At this moment, Kiyono Hai was sitting in front of her, smiling and looking at her.

"You overestimated the generosity of those players, Kiyono-senpai... It seems your plan has failed this time." Shiina Akane said after taking a sip of her milk tea.

"Don't rush... Tomorrow is the fourth episode of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' which will air back-to-back. I think that after witnessing Homura Akemi's despair, the players in Dream City will surely be inspired with the courage to 'save someone no matter the cost,'" Kiyono Hai said.

P.S.: My sleep schedule is completely messed up, so tomorrow's second update might be moved to around 11 or 12 noon. Sorry for the inconvenience _(:з」∠)_

Chapter 94 The Calamity of Ascension

During this period, Kiyono Hai lived with Sakai Iori at the 21Rain agency.

Today, Kiyono Hai and the four idol girls from 21Rain are anxiously waiting for the next four episodes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica to air.

Kiyono Hui is actually feeling a bit anxious right now, even though she has already performed all the roles she could during this period...

But in the end, a performance is just a performance. All Kiyono Ash can do is try his best to move the players or achieve some kind of goal of manipulating the players' minds.

The final decision rested with all players on the Dream City server.

This may be a stage that weak gods inevitably go through.

During this period, Qingye Hui has accumulated more than 20,000 points of faith power by relying on "Rose Principality" and "Labyrinth Sanctuary 2".

After Ms. Kasumi Kaname confronted Kiyono Hai, her desire to send Kiyono Hai to the Dream City to be a dog gradually diminished.

Otherwise, that world-destroying witch might have had to spend money on Qingye Hui.

Furthermore, Kiyono Hai still has no clue how to elevate his rank as a deity.

The main issue is that the divine power required to elevate a deity's rank is not something easily obtained. From what Qingye Hui knows so far, the only way to obtain the corresponding divine power reward is to participate in performances that are subject to mandatory recruitment.

"trouble."

While Kiyono Hai was munching on senbei (rice crackers) in the lounge waiting for the broadcast of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica"...

The senior student, Hachimiya Nanami, who was also sitting in the lounge, suddenly stood up, seemingly intending to leave.

But before she left, she glanced at Kiyono Gray.

It's fair to say that having an overly high level of skill in reading people's expressions or sensing the atmosphere isn't necessarily a good thing.

Kiyono Hui could read from Nanami's glance that she meant, 'Let's talk privately?'

"Grey-kun, episode seven is about to air!"

Miss Fox noticed Kiyono Gray suddenly getting up at that moment.

Ever since Takigami Rena noticed the unusual relationship between Kiyono Hai and her best friend Sayaka, she quickly switched to "Uehara Ayumu mode," which means she kept a close watch on Kiyono Hai and would come over to join in on whatever Kiyono Hai did.

"Go to the vending machine in the aisle and buy a drink."

After giving a random reason, Kiyono Hai left the lounge and went straight to a corner outside the agency located in the emergency exit.

At this moment, Hachimiya Nanatsu was standing in front of the vending machine in this secluded corner.

"I'm so sorry to have called you out so suddenly. Is there anything you'd like to drink?"

"Dr. Pepper? I've never had it before, so I'd like to try it. Wait a minute..."

When Kiyono Hai answered Nan Deng's question, he didn't react at first, but when he did, he was completely stunned.

Because this Hachimiya Nanatsu was not asking Kiyono Hai in 'Japanese', but in very authentic and standard 'Chinese'.

"Eh...it seems you can indeed understand it, a language that should have been lost to this world long ago."

As if she had discovered something interesting, Senior Nan Deng handed a bottle of Dr. Pepper to Qingye Hui.

"I followed you out because I was very curious about the weapon you used when you confronted the God of the Past in Dream City. It was a Han sword and a Yagami Nandō... Just who are you?"

Kiyono Hai accepted the drink offered by the person in front of her without any hesitation. The person spoke Chinese with an accent that was definitely not something a Japanese person would deliberately learn; rather, Chinese was her native language.

"Who am I? It must be hard for a newly born deity like you to understand," said Senior Nan Deng after opening a can of coffee.

"If you want to tell me the truth, could you please stop waiting for the Riddler?"

Qingye Hui is actually feeling a sense of warmth, like meeting an old friend in a foreign land. This world is really too strange.

Ever since Qingye Hui learned that the Celestial Empire had ascended, everyone has acted as if this huge, world-class blunder never happened.

This sense of unease has always bothered Kiyono Gray a lot…

"So, here's the question! Kiyono Hai, what do you think is the reason our country ascended to the heavens? One... there are too many fools in this world, so we don't want to play with them anymore. Two, for the journey to the stars and the sea, we're heading towards a higher dimension!" Hachimiya Nanami suddenly asked.

"...If you ask me, is it both?"

Kiyono felt that given the current chaotic state of the world, both reasons seemed possible.

"Actually, the correct answer is the third one, which is because 'we are too strong'." Hachimiya Nanami suddenly said the correct answer as if it were a joke.

"Is this some kind of weird joke?" Kiyono Hai couldn't laugh at all right now.

Hachimiya Nanatsu stopped joking and, after taking a sip of her coffee, suddenly asked Kiyono Hai a very peculiar question.

"Kiyono Ash, do you know that there is a kind of disaster in this world called the 'Catastrophe' or the 'Ascension Catastrophe'?"

"I've heard of it, but I don't know much about it."

Kiyono had heard of this strange disaster, but there was so little information available on the internet that he didn't delve into it further. After all, there were countless ways for weak gods to die in this world.

"This kind of disaster is a very rare occurrence, only happening to those 'strong' or 'exceptionally excellent gods.' Gods targeted by the Ascension Disaster will be forcibly ascended to a higher dimension without any reason. Currently, the world we can observe is the world of 'The Holy Stars,'" said Hachimiya Nantou.

"This is indeed an...unreasonable disaster."

Kiyono Ash could already guess why these gods called 'ascension' a disaster.

Originally, everyone was living a good life in this world, eating and drinking well, with happy families. Although they faced some dangers, it was not like they would be inexplicably killed on the street.

But once they encounter the calamity of ascension, it's as if they've been suddenly thrown from a happy and peaceful world into a higher-dimensional world where evil gods roam everywhere and deities are treated like dogs. Every day, they shouldn't be thinking about what to eat after get off work, but rather desperately struggling to survive.

Unless one has some special pursuit, no one would be willing to ascend rashly.

"So you mean the reason the Celestial Empire ascended to power is because it's too strong?" Kiyono Hai instantly understood the meaning behind the joke that Hachimiya Nanami had made earlier.

"Yes, that ascension was not planned. It was a disaster for our country, a nationwide 'Ascension Disaster,' but you don't need to worry... According to my last memory, the lives of the people have not changed much. It's just that a bunch of strange empires and evil gods among the stars have gained a troublesome neighbor."

Seeing the worried expression that Kiyono Hai inadvertently revealed, Hachimiya Nanami added a comment.

"So there will still be wars on the border, won't there?"

Kiyono Hai didn't believe that the world of "The Holy Stars" would be as peaceful as Earth, so when Kiyono Hai thought about this, he suddenly vaguely guessed the identity of Hachimiya Nanatsu.

"So, Senior Nan Deng, you wouldn't happen to be...?"

"I am a fallen soldier."

Senior Nan Deng didn't hide anything, and after throwing the empty coffee can in her hand into the trash can, she said...

"Based on my memories, it seems that I died in a battle to annihilate a galactic evil god, and then returned to this world to recuperate through reincarnation."

"From what you've said, the battle situation over there seems quite dangerous?" Kiyono asked cautiously.

"Danger? What are you talking about... Didn't I say it was an annihilation campaign against that thing? As far as I remember, after we wiped that thing out, no civilization in the surrounding star systems dared to mess with us anymore." Senior Nan Deng said in an extremely nonchalant tone.

"Is there anything I can do to help, senior?" Kiyono Hui asked again.

But Kiyono Hai's unusually straightforward and serious gaze successfully amused Hachimiya Nanami. She chuckled a few times and then placed her hand on Kiyono Hai's head, as if comforting a child eager to go to the battlefield.

"Help? You can't help much right now, because even players in the game 'Sacred Stars' haven't been able to reach the star system where our country is located. It may take several more major updates and events before we can meet them."

"I'm rubbing Kiyono's head with my hands," said Hachimiya Nanatsu.

"The reason I'm telling you all this is because I have a feeling that you're very likely to be targeted by the 'Ascension Calamity,' so what you need to do before that happens... is to collect more powerful gods and top players to use for you... or perhaps 'become your companions' would be a more appropriate term?"

"Companion?"

Kiyono Hai also raised his hand and forcefully removed the claws that Hachimiya Nanami had pressed against his head, while turning his head to look at the figure that had disappeared in an instant around the corner of the corridor.

Although the other party dodged very quickly, Kiyono Hai still spotted the fox lady's fluffy ears at a glance.

So...were they eavesdropping? And it wasn't just one person eavesdropping; Sayaka and Shiina Akane, her junior, both followed along.

"I don't understand at all. Why did Sayaka suddenly start speaking Chinese when Hai-kun and Hachimiya-senpai were chatting?"

Rena Takigami didn't really care about these private conversations. Kiyono Hai wasn't anyone to her, and she had no right to forbid Kiyono Hai from contacting any woman in the world.

But the problem is... why do Kiyono Hai and Hachimiya Nanami both speak Chinese when they chat in private?

The feeling that there was some kind of secret between the two of them, but that Takigami Rena was the only one unaware of, was making this fox-like girl feel incredibly restless and itchy.