Chapter 33: Order Cards (8)
As expected, Moi and Qiyi could ignore the game’s restrictions and communicate freely through the twins’ telepathic connection.
Thinking about his and Su Qiong’s intimacy level of 0.02 percent, ERROR felt deeply resentful.
You could pick up a stray dog from the roadside, force it into a romance with a stray cat, and their intimacy still wouldn’t be this low.
Zero point zero two percent.
They were worse than strangers.
So whose fault was it?
Fortunately, the twins possessed a special understanding that allowed them to complete the second closed loop and piece together the answer from fragmented clues.
Just as everyone assumed the upcoming closed-loop games would become slightly easier, the bastard system began causing trouble again.
The system did not restrict Moi and Qiyi’s mental communication. After all, it was not an ability granted by the system, but an innate talent belonging to the twins.
Instead, it either separated Qiyi and Moi in the sequence so the sisters could not pass information to each other, or created terrifying games designed to frighten the young girls until they trembled.
By the sixth round of the closed-loop game, the Orphan Alliance had failed seven times in total, adding another two hundred ten degrees to the Ferris wheel’s revolution.
“Again! I refuse to believe we can’t do it!” Shi Yuntian confidently rolled up his sleeves.
[System: The warm-up games have ended. The official stage will now begin. Players, please proceed to your new cabins.]
Before the players inside the Ferris wheel could express an opinion, the scene changed.
No matter which cabin they had entered before, it had always been a small, square room.
This time, Su Qiong felt himself falling for a very long time before finally landing on solid ground again.
A bombed-out ruin surrounded him.
Above the wreckage hung an enormous clock counting down from twenty minutes—the exact duration of one game round.
[System: Rescue your companion, or he may die.]
Su Qiong hurriedly looked around and discovered that ERROR had disappeared.
There were only countless ruined walls and collapsed structures. Not a single figure could be seen.
“ERROR,” Su Qiong called.
No one answered.
Of course.
If ERROR were that easy to find, IF would not be cursed as a bastard system.
Su Qiong was an NPC and did not possess a player bracelet, so he could not communicate with the rest of his teammates through one.
He was the only marshmallow in the entire ruin, and the surroundings were deathly silent.
It seemed he could rely only on himself to explore and discover a method of clearing the game.
Rather than rushing into the ruined buildings, Su Qiong turned around and walked some distance behind him until an invisible barrier stopped him.
If his judgment was correct, this should be the edge of the cabin.
They had not left the Ferris wheel. They were still inside the cabin.
Either the cabin had expanded, or they had shrunk, creating the illusion of endless space.
Since there was a boundary, the situation became much easier. At least he did not need to consider the possibility that his companion was outside the cabin.
Su Qiong returned to the ruins and scanned them briefly but saw no one.
His companion had to be hidden somewhere that could not be seen at a glance and could only be found through some particular method.
“This place…” Su Qiong reached out and touched the air. “Why aren’t there any Order Cards?”
The voice-activated card immediately appeared.
[During the game, the cabin may not be damaged.]
“So these abandoned buildings are part of the cabin.” Su Qiong poked one of the ruined structures but triggered no prompt.
The solid wall shook—
Then the entire structure collapsed with a tremendous rumble, nearly crushing Su Qiong beneath it.
“That was dangerous!” Su Qiong patted his chest in lingering fear.
Even if these ruins were inside a cabin, shouldn’t they still follow reality and have proper foundations?
Wait.
Foundations!
Su Qiong returned to the place where the building had collapsed and looked downward.
He suddenly discovered—
The building had not lacked a foundation.
Its foundation was far too complicated, forming an enormous underground maze.
Without further hesitation, Su Qiong lifted the concrete slab covering the surface, opened an entrance for himself, and successfully climbed into the underground labyrinth.
The maze was dimly lit, and a strange odor drifted through the air.
It was not unpleasant, but it made Su Qiong deeply uncomfortable. Even his ability to think seemed to slow.
“ERROR? ERROR, are you here?” Su Qiong called for his teammate again.
There was no response.
He took another step forward and felt something soft beneath his foot.
Looking down, he saw half a piece of fur from some unidentifiable animal, still stained with flesh and blood.
“Ah!” Su Qiong cried out in fright and hurriedly pulled his leg back.
“ERROR, where are you?”
At that moment, the lonely piece of code missed his teammate more than ever.
Meanwhile, deep underground, ERROR was trapped at the center of the winding labyrinth.
Forking paths surrounded him, and only one route led to the exit.
Without someone guiding him from above, escaping the maze would be extremely difficult.
The labyrinth rose so high that no daylight could be seen. By a rough estimate, it had at least a dozen levels.
Even if ERROR successfully escaped the maze, climbing out within twenty minutes would still be nearly impossible.
As expected, the system feared him and assigned him hell difficulty every time.
ERROR himself remained perfectly calm.
He did not even rush to find the exit. Instead, he leisurely communicated with the system.
“You brought me here for no reason. That proves something must be hidden in this place. It can’t be as simple as completing a maze, can it?”
Silence surrounded him.
No one answered.
“If you refuse to tell me, I can only guess.” ERROR leaned backward and rested comfortably against the wall, casually throwing out wild possibilities. “An instance NPC? A Circle Lord? Or perhaps a maze without stairs is connected to the final Order Staircase?”
Only after he said that did a voice answer from the depths of the maze.
“You don’t need to know.”
“If you truly didn’t want me to know, you wouldn’t have dragged me inside.” ERROR spoke calmly. “I created IF. Even after the system lost control, I can still restrain it. Isn’t that precisely why you came looking for me?”
“…”
After ERROR exposed its intention, the labyrinth finally stopped concealing itself.
“You guessed correctly. I imprisoned you here because I indeed had such a purpose.”
“Imprisoned?”
ERROR repeated the word and found it genuinely amusing.
“Even the main system can’t imprison me. What gave you such confidence?”
The voice within the maze reminded him, “You have only twenty minutes. Without my help, you cannot even escape this labyrinth.”
ERROR said nothing.
He casually raised a hand.
Every wall in the maze collapsed with a thunderous crash, leaving the surroundings completely flat.
“If I can’t find the exit, I’ll simply destroy it.” ERROR’s lips curved into a smile. “Tell me again—who exactly is imprisoning whom?”
“You?!” The labyrinth was utterly shocked.
Wasn’t he supposed to be restricted by the system and only Level 1?
Wasn’t he supposed to be incapable of using abilities and items?
The labyrinth had believed ERROR was currently weak and could be easily controlled.
Only now did it realize that all his supposed vulnerability was merely a disguise used to deceive the world.
“Are you ready to speak properly now?” ERROR lowered his eyes, his voice carrying open mockery. “When asking for help, you should behave like someone asking for help. Understand?”
The NPC hidden within the labyrinth recognized the difference between them and softened its attitude considerably.
“My apologies, Mr. ERROR. I should not have offended you. In truth, I wish to beg something of you.”
ERROR lifted his chin, signaling for it to continue.
“I know that you deeply despise the cards of the World of Order, as well as the NPCs who control them. But we all have our reasons.” The labyrinth’s voice became sorrowful as it began its story. “I was originally an attendant of the Queen of Scepters. Together, we maintained the peace of the world. One day, Her Majesty told me she had received guidance from something and wished to create a world filled with order.”
“The Queen entered the World of Order and became the Guardian of Supreme True Order, gaining the power to create Order Cards. She believed she could use that power to create a beautiful world without violence or disaster, a world that would remain peaceful forever. Instead, she delivered herself into the hands of a demon!”
By this point, ERROR understood the general cause.
“She was controlled?”
“Yes. In the World of Order, players are not the only ones who must obey order. NPCs must obey it too. Even against her will, the Queen must protect those malicious True Orders and helplessly watch as the cards harm players.”
“The Queen cannot resist because the Order Staircase exists. To leave the World of Order, one must defeat the Order Staircase. But it possesses countless Order Cards and can create new ones at any moment. It is unbeatable.” The maze’s tone became increasingly pleading as it begged humbly, “I know you can restrain the IF system. Please rescue my master.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t agree to that.”
The labyrinth seemed to release a faint whimper, grieving over its own naïveté.
Players and NPCs were enemies by nature. ERROR had no reason to help its master.
It remained disappointed for a while before hearing ERROR continue.
“I may not be able to do it alone.”
“You can’t do it either?”
“Of course not. A Circle Lord possesses absolute authority over their Circle. That authority cannot be easily overturned, especially while the main system restricts me.”
“Then what can we do?” The labyrinth grew even more disappointed.
“Why are you worrying?” ERROR remained unhurried. “Someone has already thought of a method. If you keep him trapped above any longer, the game timer will run out.”
“Do you mean… that NPC?” The maze was astonished.
How could that be possible?
High-level NPCs possessed absolute suppression over lower-level NPCs. The Order Staircase was a Circle Lord NPC, and the entire World of Order was under its control.
Whether red-named or white-named, any NPC who entered a Circle Lord’s domain would fall under that lord’s authority.
“Mm.” ERROR responded indifferently.
He did not explain that Su Qiong was also a Circle Lord and possessed the ability to control an entire Circle, allowing him to cancel out another Circle Lord’s influence.
Furthermore, as a white-name NPC bound to a player, Su Qiong already belonged to the players’ faction.
The labyrinth had no time to ask more questions and immediately summoned Su Qiong.
Before Su Qiong understood the situation, the maze poured out an enormous explanation. Clear bewilderment filled his eyes.
“You want me to rescue the Queen of Scepters, but she’s clearly a red-name NPC. Are you certain she wants to be rescued?”
“Of course!” the labyrinth answered firmly. “I am the Queen’s closest confidant. No one understands her thoughts better than I do.”
Su Qiong considered it before saying, “If she’s willing to cooperate, I do have an idea. However, it would be extremely dangerous for both of us, and I can’t guarantee success.”
Upon hearing that a method existed, the labyrinth immediately asked excitedly what they needed to do.
The twenty-minute countdown ended, and the game continued.
The players keenly sensed that although the official stage had become more difficult, the instance NPC did not seem to want them dead.
It merely wanted them to remain on the Ferris wheel for longer.
Sometimes, when they became tired, the instance NPC even arranged rest periods.
Throughout the Ferris wheel challenge, the four pairs never encountered one another.
Aside from Moi and Qiyi, who could communicate telepathically, no one knew what had happened inside their teammates’ cabins.
On the third day, everyone successfully left the cabins.
The instant Yu Qimiao saw Su Qiong, he asked worriedly, “Su Qiong, why is your cloak torn to pieces again?”
“I accidentally damaged it.” Su Qiong wiped away the sweat dripping from his face and offered no further explanation.
The others assumed that ERROR’s games had been especially difficult because the system targeted him, forcing Su Qiong to suffer alongside him.
ERROR glanced sideways at Su Qiong but remained silent.
After selecting their cards and leaving the Ferris Wheel of Bliss, they received a system announcement.
[System: A player has passed the trial of a Tier-Four Order. The Order Staircase is now open. Qualified players must accept the Order Staircase’s challenge within twenty-four hours. Otherwise, they will remain within the World of Order forever.]
“There’s a rule like that too?!”
“So once someone clears the highest-tier Order, they’re forced to challenge the staircase. No wonder no one chose the Ferris Wheel of Bliss.”
“Should we go?”
“Why rush? We still have twenty-four hours. Besides, we possess only a limited number of cards. Entering the confrontation recklessly would give us very little chance of winning.”
“True and False Orders exist as objective parallels. There are two Tier-Four Orders, and their card effects should be equivalent. Let’s try obtaining the other Tier-Four card. It may increase our chances.”
“That makes sense.”
Su Qiong did not participate in their discussion.
He merely whispered to ERROR, “I’ll have to trouble you later.”
“Can you still endure it? Perhaps…”
“You can’t do it.” Su Qiong’s face was deathly pale, but his tone remained firm. “An ordinary player doesn’t possess the ability to alter system rules.”
“All right.” Faint concern appeared in ERROR’s eyes. “Be careful.”
“I know.”
Using the method Su Qiong had previously hidden, the players located the attraction governed by Tier-Four False Order:
Haunted House of Terror.
The name alone sounded lethal.
A sinister melody seemed to play beside Lu Shufan’s ears, sending chills through his body.
Despite his fear, he did not show it and forced himself to say, “Let’s go.”
Yu Qimiao looked at him approvingly, feeling as though his grown son had finally matured.
After being transported to the Haunted House of Terror, they instinctively checked their surroundings and prepared for Su Qiong to trigger the system prompts.
Only then did they discover that Su Qiong had vanished.
“Where’s Su Qiong?” A asked.
“He can’t participate in this attraction,” ERROR explained casually.
A gave him a cold glance but said nothing further.
“Maybe the instance NPC is too dangerous and could hurt Little Pastry.”
“He attracts hostility easily. Avoiding this place may be a good thing. Let’s clear the haunted house as quickly as possible and meet him outside.”
“All right.”
Shi Yuntian took the lead and charged directly into the haunted house.
A deliberately slowed down and fell beside ERROR.
“What did you make him do?” A asked quietly.
“You should ask what he made me do.”
A’s gaze locked onto ERROR.
Only after confirming that he was not lying did he leave him with one sentence.
“You’d better hope Su Qiong is unharmed.”
A did not speak the rest, but ERROR could clearly sense the threat in his voice.
Being threatened by the strongest human weapon in the world created an extraordinary pressure.
ERROR watched A’s retreating back and found the man interesting.
He had joined the guild because of Su Qiong and cooperated with every game for Su Qiong’s sake, acting as though Su Qiong mattered more than anything else.
Yet when ERROR and Su Qiong became bound as lovers, A had shown no objection whatsoever.
He had not displayed even the slightest jealousy.
How strange.
ERROR had thought they were romantic rivals.
The interior of the Haunted House of Terror was far more horrifying than its name suggested, filled everywhere with lethal dangers.
Fortunately, the Orphan Alliance had experienced countless deadly crises and cooperated with excellent coordination.
They truly managed to clear the instance within twenty-four hours and successfully obtained a card enhanced by a Tier-Four Guardian.
The moment they left the instance, they saw Su Qiong lying quietly on the ground.
Although he had not participated in the challenge, his condition was miserable. Several wounds even covered his body.
“Su Qiong!” Yu Qimiao ran over.
He was about to ask who had attacked him when he realized the injuries did not look man-made.
They resembled wounds caused by a natural disaster.
Upon seeing them, Su Qiong struggled to stand.
“Let’s go. To the Order Staircase.”
“But you…”
“Hurry.” Su Qiong pressed a hand over his abdomen and said without context, “If we wait any longer, he may notice.”
Notice what?
They had no time to ask.
Following Su Qiong’s wishes, they decided to accept the Order Staircase’s invitation.
When they confirmed it, they expected the system to transport them before the staircase.
Instead, an entrance opened from thin air.
Inside it appeared a brilliant, multicolored staircase.
So within the World of Order, the Order Staircase existed everywhere.
They stepped through the entrance and arrived at its base.
Tilting their heads upward, they saw the staircase extend slowly into the distance.
Each level was labeled beneath it.
There were one hundred one steps in total.
At the very top was the power representing the Order Staircase—countless cards revolving around an empty throne.
The Order Staircase possessed no voice.
It communicated through words appearing across its steps.
[Order Staircase: Welcome to my world. As you can see, the Order Staircase contains one hundred one levels. Before you exhaust your cards, occupying fifty-two steps will count as victory.]
[Order Staircase: The confrontation rules are as follows. Your side and mine will alternate playing Order Cards. The cards must possess a logical relationship. If your card’s tier exceeds mine, your side will advance by a number of spaces corresponding to the difference. If the tiers are equal, victory must be decided through another method, or the round will be treated as a draw.]
[Order Staircase: For example, if your side plays a Tier-Four True Order and I play a Tier-Three False Order, True Order counts as four and False Order as negative three. Your side wins and advances seven spaces. Conversely, if your side plays a Tier-Four False Order and I play a Tier-Three True Order, the result is the same.]
[Order Staircase: However, please note that order tier is not the only standard for determining victory. If you understand the rules, please play a card.]
“So that’s what an Order Card confrontation means.”
“That sounds easy. If we keep playing Tier-Four True Orders, we’ll definitely win.”
“Not necessarily.” Yu Qimiao calculated rapidly and warned them, “Don’t be misled by its example. There are eight of us, and each person can use five cards, giving us forty cards in total. Even if we always play Tier-Four True Orders while it plays Tier-Three True Orders, winning every round would move us only forty spaces.”
“The unfair part is that every step belongs to the opponent at the beginning,” A said.
“And the Order Staircase requires us to play first. It can choose its response after seeing our card.”
Shi Yuntian stared blankly. “Then how the fuck are we supposed to play?”
After hearing the rules, Su Qiong made no complaints.
He removed an ordinary-looking card from his slot and placed it on the lowest step.
When his companions saw the card, confusion appeared on every face.
[The Order Staircase controls the World of Order.]
“U-useless statement?”
“Su Qiong, why did you choose that card?”
Not only were his companions confused, but even the Order Staircase did not know how to respond.
Su Qiong did not think he had done anything unusual and calmly explained, “Because if I didn’t play it first, I didn’t know when I would ever have a chance to use it.”
According to the rules, the cards had to possess a logical relationship.
Su Qiong’s card was difficult to connect logically with any other card. If he did not play it at the beginning, it truly would be difficult to find another opportunity.
The others simply could not understand why Su Qiong had placed such a useless card in his limited card slots.
[Order Staircase: What a clever opponent. You knew that I would choose a card logically related to yours, so you used such a method.]
The Order Staircase was the most powerful NPC in the World of Order.
The other NPCs capable of creating cards did not dare create anything concerning the Order Staircase.
The staircase itself could only use cards and could not create them.
Therefore, the card in Su Qiong’s hand was the only card concerning the Order Staircase and had no connection to any other card.
Furthermore, it was a Tier-Four True Order protected by the Queen of Scepters.
The opponent conceded, and the number on the staircase before them instantly became four.
“According to human rules, the loser takes the next turn. It’s your turn to play a card.”
The Order Staircase did not argue and followed Su Qiong’s suggestion.
Its card pool spun rapidly.
A card emerged and landed on Step Five.
[Humanity will eventually die, but order will remain forever.]
“Hey, that’s vicious.”
“You can’t win, so you curse us to die? Are you an elementary-school student?”
“This is bad. I don’t think we have any cards concerning death.”
“It’s fine,” Su Qiong said. “The rules only require a logical relationship. They don’t say it must be the primary logical relationship.”
“Put simply, as long as we can explain the connection, the confrontation is valid.”
After understanding that point, everyone gathered their cards and searched for one that could respond.
After repeatedly looking through them, they ultimately selected:
[The number of Order Cards is finite.]
When the card landed on the staircase, a puzzled question mark appeared.
“The World of Order relies on cards to maintain order. If every finite card is destroyed, will order still exist?” Lu Shufan used his strengths and argued confidently. “Humanity may eventually die, but order may not remain forever.”
After listening to their nonsense, the Order Staircase considered it for a moment and ultimately yielded.
[Order Staircase: I acknowledge your logic. Judgment will now begin.]
The Orphan Alliance’s card flipped first.
Its back was silver with a four, and two stars appeared beneath it.
The Order Staircase’s card also turned over.
It possessed the same silver back and number four but no stars.
The cards themselves were tied.
However, their star enhancement allowed them to move forward one step.
Even after winning the round, the players remained deeply worried.
Victory had moved them only a single step.
Fifty-two remained impossibly far away.
In the third round, according to the loser-goes-first rule, the Order Staircase still initiated the attack.
This time, it changed tactics and chose a playful card.
[The World of Order likes you and hopes you remain here forever.]
“Who wants you to like us?”
“Do I have a card saying I hate the World of Order?”
“Even if we do, it’s probably a low-tier False Order. Ugh.”
They gathered together and searched through every card, but found nothing that could be logically connected.
In the end, they could only grit their teeth and watch the card flip over, revealing a silver four.
The Order Staircase advanced four spaces, instantly eliminating the advantage Su Qiong had created.
Watching their number fall back to one, everyone felt a trace of despair.
“We can’t continue fighting according to the normal rules.”
“At this rate, we have no chance of winning.”
“Then what do we do?”
“Have you forgotten? There are methods of changing Order Cards.”
The players exchanged glances and quickly reached an agreement.
When they returned to the confrontation, their state had subtly changed.
“We play first, right?” Shi Yuntian drew a card and slammed it heavily onto the staircase. “Take this—no one can maintain a smile forever.”
The Order Staircase looked down upon him and immediately played a card without thinking.
[A smile is the most beautiful language.]
Both cards flipped simultaneously.
The Order Staircase’s card remained a Supreme True Order. It possessed an endless card pool and an inexhaustible supply of True Order Cards.
Shi Yuntian’s card, however, revealed a golden back with the number four and three stars beneath it.
The Order Staircase instantly realized that the card concerned smiles.
It was the False Order Card Shi Yuntian had obtained from Mr. Clown.
Even in death, Mr. Clown had maintained his smile, using his life to transform that card into a False Order.
“By my calculations, we should have won.” Shi Yuntian said, “Mine is false, yours is true. How many levels do you have to retreat?”
Silently, the Order Staircase moved its card upward eight steps and yielded every level below it to the Orphan Alliance.
“Yes!” Shi Yuntian raised a fist in celebration. “Your method really works! We gained eight levels at once. A few more rounds like that and we’ll win!”
“This method can be used only once, and only you could use it.”
“Exactly. We guessed the system NPC wouldn’t guard against you because you look completely brainless.”
“Hey! Who are you insulting?”
Even after winning eight steps at once, no one relaxed.
Anyone familiar with the system knew NPCs held grudges.
It would retaliate immediately.
As expected, the Order Staircase’s next card was:
[Scheming players should remain within the World of Order and atone for their sins.]
“Just how badly does it want us to stay?”
“Isn’t the World of Order crowded enough already?”
“Ah! I have one!”
Moi took out a False Order Card obtained from the Haunted House of Terror.
The instance NPC had angrily thrown it at them in humiliation.
Moi had possessed fewer than five cards at the time and casually placed it in one of her slots.
Who could have guessed it would become useful?
[NPCs like you and welcome you to visit again.]
It was a Tier-Three False Order Card, filled with the resentment of its creator.
The Order Staircase became delighted and prepared to flip its card over, intending to deal them a fatal blow.
“Wait!” Su Qiong suddenly shouted.
The Order Staircase froze slightly, missing the optimal moment to reveal the card.
Then it saw the players before it divide into two groups.
One group surrounded their False Order Card and initiated an Order War to transform it into a True Order.
The other group surrounded the card played by the Order Staircase and initiated an Order Revolution, planning to alter both its contents and its property in one stroke.
Realizing their intention, the staircase displayed a long string of delighted 23333 across its steps.
[Order Staircase: You dare tamper with my orders inside my own domain. You possess considerable courage.]
[Order Staircase: However, I am not like those attractive but useless guardians.]
After those words appeared, the entire step beneath them rose upward.
The ground transformed into an enormous balance scale.
Two players stood on each end, while a double-pointed spear occupied the center.
If the scale lost balance, the spear would stab toward the lowered side and kill the players there instantly.
[Order Staircase: Let me personally witness how much courage you possess.]
The players who had initiated the Order War successfully changed their card’s property.
When they turned around, they saw that the remaining companions had been placed on opposite ends of the scale for attempting to alter the Circle Lord’s card and could not escape.
Lu Shufan and A stood on the left side.
Shi Yuntian and Su Qiong stood on the right.
Their weights were not drastically different, and the scale had somehow achieved a delicate balance.
Even the slightest movement would cause the spear to pierce someone’s body.
Yu Qimiao and ERROR rushed over from opposite sides and inspected the situation beneath the balance, both feeling completely helpless.
“Shi Yuntian, don’t move recklessly.” Yu Qimiao stood beneath the scale and thought desperately, trying to find a method of breaking the balance while allowing everyone to escape.
At that moment, the spear in the center began swaying like the pendulum of a clock, moving back and forth as it toyed with the helpless players.
“Help!” Lu Shufan shouted. “At this rate, even if we don’t move, we’ll be stabbed to death!”
“Unless there’s somewhere we can hide, we’re definitely going to die.”
“Hide?” Hearing that word, Su Qiong suddenly understood.
He lowered his head toward his wand.
With a twist of his wrist, an enormous, pitch-black, incomparably solid coffin appeared on the scale’s platform.
The wand in Su Qiong’s hand possessed almost no weight.
He had once deliberately estimated it at approximately twenty-one grams, equal to his own weight when he had lacked a body.
However, once the wand transformed back into a coffin, it became extremely heavy and immediately forced the scale downward.
The spear hanging at the center was pulled toward Su Qiong’s side and stabbed forward, only to be firmly blocked by the coffin lid.
“You two get down first!” Su Qiong shouted toward the teammates on the opposite side.
“All right.” Lu Shufan immediately agreed and prepared to jump down.
The moment he moved, the Order Scale suddenly went berserk.
It began rocking violently from side to side, and the sharp spear repeatedly swept past them.
[Order Staircase: Scheming players, did you truly believe I would be so easy to defeat?]
“This is bad.” Yu Qimiao became extremely anxious.
He had expected a Circle Lord’s item to be difficult to deal with, but he had not expected it to be such a sore loser.
At the critical moment, Su Qiong released the bandages from his wand and tightly restrained the spear, stopping it from swinging.
“Wow! Su Qiong, your item is incredibly useful~” Lu Shufan exclaimed.
The instant he spoke, the scale seemed angered by their actions and began shaking even more violently.
The solid platforms transformed into trampolines, throwing them into the air and slamming them back down.
It felt as though their souls were about to be shaken from their bodies.
“Dangerous…”
Moi and Qiyi hugged each other fearfully, pressing their faces together and murmuring anxiously.
The sisters were too weak, so when the group divided earlier, they had remained beside ERROR and completed the less difficult task.
At this moment, they genuinely felt heartbroken and deeply regretted being unable to help at all.
ERROR remained standing motionlessly, observing the changes without any apparent intention of stepping forward.
Su Qiong’s side was protected by the coffin and had suffered almost no damage.
Lu Shufan’s side was also relatively fine. Although he was timid and easily frightened, he possessed extensive gaming experience and knew how to evade danger.
The true problem was—
Even if they could ensure their safety temporarily, the players’ physical strength would inevitably be exhausted if the situation continued.
Items never became tired.
The scale would continue tormenting them energetically and enthusiastically.
“ERROR, stop standing there and think of something!” Lu Shufan began shouting recklessly. “Yu Qimiao, save me!”
“I’m thinking!” Yu Qimiao shouted back.
Although Yu Qimiao was the guild leader, his combat strength was only that of an ordinary player.
Against a powerful Circle Lord, he was completely useless.
Furthermore, Yu Qimiao’s only ability item could be used solely for transactions and possessed no offensive power.
Wait.
Transactions!
The Equivalent Exchange Bag’s system description stated that any transaction permitted by the system could be unilaterally established without the other party’s consent.
It had never restricted the target of a transaction.
That meant NPCs were valid targets too!
After realizing this, Yu Qimiao took out the Equivalent Exchange Bag.
“Order Staircase, I want to make a trade with you.”
Hearing him, the Order Staircase displayed a row of mocking expressions.
“So the staircase can make expressions too.”
“Maybe it was an internet-addicted teenager in its previous life.”
The Order Staircase ignored their mockery and silently withdrew the symbols it had displayed.
“Are you embarrassed? No way, no way, no way!”
“Lu Shufan, say less.” Yu Qimiao could not resist glaring at him.
Moments earlier, Lu Shufan had been screaming desperately for help.
Now that the wind had stopped and the rain had cleared, he once again believed himself invincible.
Did he truly have no fear of offending the system and dying inside the game?
Recognizing the danger, Lu Shufan obediently closed his mouth.
Yu Qimiao dragged the subject back and continued attempting to trade with the Order Staircase.
The staircase remained unmoved.
It was certain that Yu Qimiao possessed nothing worthy of trading for its property.
What possible use could an ordinary player holding an item from the beginner zone have?
He was merely speaking arrogantly.
Then, in the next instant, the Order Scale vanished from the staircase and fell into Yu Qimiao’s Equivalent Exchange Bag.
[Order Staircase: !!!]
If the staircase possessed a face, it would have been filled with shock and disbelief.
[Order Staircase: Impossible. Why did the system approve your transaction?]
“Because we paid an appropriate price,” Yu Qimiao answered.
[Order Staircase: Even if you used your lives as the price, they would not be equal to my Order Scale.]
The Order Staircase was correct.
After receiving the Order Scale, Yu Qimiao naturally saw the system’s description.
[System: Order Scale—the fairest item in the game. Whenever the “things” placed at opposite ends violate order or behave unfairly, the scale will lose balance. The spear will pierce the party that disrupted the balance.]
[System: The holder may place “things” onto the scale only after fulfilling specific conditions.]
Although its usage conditions were strict, the Order Scale was a powerful offensive item that was extremely difficult to counter.
At Yu Qimiao’s current level, obtaining such an item should have been impossible even in his dreams.
The Order Staircase furiously demanded to know what method he had used.
Su Qiong finally returned to the ground.
He put away his wand and immediately guessed the price Yu Qimiao had offered.
“Order Staircase, it was the thing you care about most.”
[Order Staircase: Lies! I don’t care about anything!]
“How can you call it lying? You’re not even human.” After being tormented by it, Lu Shufan held a deep grudge and spoke without the slightest courtesy.
Su Qiong feared that if this continued, the Order Staircase would abandon the match entirely just to kill Lu Shufan.
He hurriedly said, “It’s obeying order!”
The Order Staircase froze as though unable to process the answer.
“The condition Yu Qimiao offered was that we obey order. That matters far more to you than the Order Scale, so the system judged the exchange valid.”
After hearing Su Qiong’s explanation, the Order Staircase said nothing more.
The Orphan Alliance completed the transformation of both cards simultaneously.
Their card became a Tier-Three True Order.
The Order Staircase’s card had its contents altered and became a Tier-Two False Order, creating a suppressive relationship between them.
They successfully advanced five steps, reaching Step Thirteen.
Three-quarters of the distance to victory still remained.
The Order Staircase acknowledged the result but had no intention of letting the matter end peacefully.
[Order Staircase: Do not assume everything will continue so smoothly.]
“I know.” Shi Yuntian answered carelessly. “That’s why, while things are going smoothly, we need to press forward in one burst!”
Perhaps Shi Yuntian possessed an exceptionally powerful talent for raising death flags.
After he said that, the players failed to win a single one of the next several rounds.
Instead, the opposing side suppressed them completely.
Yu Qimiao’s Equivalent Exchange Bag was useful, but each price could be used only once.
He no longer possessed any trump cards.
Strangely, despite the overwhelmingly unfavorable situation, neither Su Qiong nor ERROR appeared anxious.
Instead, both wore expressions suggesting everything was proceeding exactly as expected.
“It’s going very smoothly.”
