Illusion Report

In early December, the cold in Blackmoor City grew thick and dark, creeping like a shadow through the corners of its streets and alleys.

The daylight grew feeble, the streetlights were shrouded in mist, and the night unfolded into an even deeper shade of black.

A cold wind scraped off the pitch-black surface of the sea, pricking the skin with a painful, stinging itch, as if something from a Nest had just caressed your face.

The temperature had dropped too quickly and suddenly. Mai Mingle tightened her jacket, regretting that she’d forgotten her scarf.

Forgetting her scarf wasn’t the problem, and neither was the seasickness from the rocking waves. The real headache was figuring out how to handle the current situation.

"Who is this person?"

Emily’s hands were shoved deep into her shirt sleeves and her lips were tinged blue from the cold, but her feisty demeanor hadn’t diminished in the slightest. "He looks like a total softie. Is he reliable?"

"I’m sitting right here,"

Hai Luwei, bundled in a thick down jacket, a scarf, and a wool hat, was so warm his face was flushed. "I’m right here," he said. "Across from you. And I can hear you."

’Why were these two on the boat with me, again?’

’Oh, right. It all started because Emily insisted on repaying a debt of gratitude.’

And she wouldn’t let Mai Mingle refuse; the debt had to be repaid, period.

Apparently, Suo Beihua had given Emily her phone number—the Kai Family had kept everyone’s contact information to arrange interviews with the Hunters.

After the three of them had escaped from the Nest’s stairwell, Mai Mingle had gone straight to the Kai Family estate upon returning to Blackmoor City. She’d acted as a "guidepost" for Chaisi, leading him out of the Black Abyss Belt with Kai Luonan. That was the last time she had seen Emily, right before they had all parted ways to open their own Paths.

So when she suddenly received a call from an unknown number, Mai Mingle was delighted.

Back when she was still bedridden in her apartment, her days had been a hazy, chaotic blur, drowned out by the drone of the television. Only the occasional ring of a phone call from a caregiver could pierce through that gray monotony, like a hand reaching out to her from the world.

Even a wrong number was something she would cherish and savor for a while. ’So there’s still a line,’ she’d think, ’connecting me to some young stranger out there in the vast Human World, doing who knows what.’

Even now that she had regained her youth, her joy at an incoming call was just as pure. Before Hai Luwei could finish saying, "It’s probably a spam call," she had already answered. "Hello? Good morning! Who are you trying to reach?"

The person on the other end of the line paused.

"Isn’t this your phone?" a vaguely familiar young woman’s voice asked. "I’m calling you... who else would I be looking for?"

"Emily," Mai Mingle recognized her at once. "You made it back safely? Is everything all right?"

Emily was quiet for a few more seconds.

Even over the phone, Mai Mingle could sense her struggling—picking up one answer, tossing it aside, grabbing another. It was as if she’d fallen into a silent, flustered helplessness, unable to figure out how to respond to the simplest of greetings.

"I... I’m fine."

She finally spoke, her answer hardly justifying the tense pause that preceded it. "Um... this time, you really did help me."

Across the dining table, Hai Luwei was trying to pry information out of her with his eyes.

"It was nothing—"

"It was important," Emily cut her off. "I’m not some weakling. I’ve never needed anyone to drag me out of danger. But I accepted your help, and I own up to that. What do you need?"

Her words made Mai Mingle stammer. "Wh-what do I need?"

"Money? An Illusion? Need a hand next time you enter a Nest?" Emily seemed to be speaking through gritted teeth. "If we do go into a Nest, I swear I won’t hold you back or need you to drag me out again. I can prove my worth to you."

But Mai Mingle didn’t need anyone to prove their worth to her—a person shouldn’t be judged by their usefulness.

She didn’t know how to say this and started to stammer, especially since Emily was bombarding her with questions like cannon fire. Seeing Mai Mingle hedge and demur, Emily finally lost patience. "What are you doing today?"

"I’m going out to sea," Mai Mingle said, compelled by her intensity to answer honestly.

"To do what?"

By now, Hai Luwei had leaned his head far across the center of the table, having apparently overheard their conversation—to be fair, her old phone’s speaker bled a lot of sound. He immediately started waving his hands frantically, as if to tell Mai Mingle to stop talking.

Unfortunately, Mai Mingle’s answer was only two words, and by the time he started to wave his hands, the answer had already slipped out. "Save someone."

"Again? Is this what you do for a living?" Emily asked, genuinely confused. "In a Nest?"

"No, right here in Blackmoor City." Mai Mingle glanced at Hai Luwei, whose facial features were working overtime, and said into the phone, "Hold on."

She pressed the phone to her chest. "What’s wrong?"

"She’s a Hunter, isn’t she?" Hai Luwei replied instantly. "A Hunter trying so hard to get close to you is highly suspicious. You don’t get it. People these days are treacherous... and didn’t you say this had something to do with the Domination Game? That’s all the more reason you can’t tell anyone!"

He suddenly stopped and studied Mai Mingle for a few seconds.

Silence hung over the table for a moment before he finally asked, "Um... you muted the phone, right?"

Mai Mingle stared back at him. "What’s ’mute’?"

As expected, Emily had heard every single word.

Because Mai Mingle, out of old habit from using landline phones, had pressed her hand against the screen. The part where the microphone was hidden, however, was left completely exposed, like the crucial clue in a cracked case.

"When are you going to sea? To do what? What is this Domination Game?" Emily seemed to take a deep breath to rein in her frustration. "It’s fine if you don’t tell me. I’m coming to help."

Her tone was so forceful it sounded as if she’d seek vengeance if she wasn’t allowed to repay the debt.

"How can we let a strange Hunter tag along?"

After Mai Mingle, unable to refuse any longer, had finally agreed and hung up, Hai Luwei shook his head vigorously, his face etched with worry. "Now that this is out in the open, do you think you’ll even make it back?"

He glanced at the Tail Ring he was wearing again.

Like the lipstick, it had been left behind in the Black Cube after everyone had been disassembled by it. Mai Mingle had asked Chaisi to search for it, and sure enough, he’d found it. In fact, the very reason they were meeting for breakfast so early was so she could return the Tail Ring to him.

"Fine. Seeing as you helped me get this back," Hai Luwei sighed, "I’ll go out to sea with you, too. An extra person is an extra pair of hands."

It was only after she got home that Mai Mingle belatedly realized the crucial point of the whole affair: she hadn’t needed anyone to help her in the first place.

But both of the ’kids’ wanted to help, and wasn’t that a wonderful thing?

They weren’t helping because they saw her as a helpless old woman to be pitied, nor were they worried she might fall over or choke on her food. They liked Mai Mingle. She could feel it.

She wanted to find the warmest, brightest things in her soul and press them into the hands of those two kids.

Of course, that was how she felt when she got home that afternoon.

Now, her hands were frozen like curled chicken claws, unable to press anything into anyone’s hands. More importantly, after these two had met and exchanged a few words, they hadn’t built any trust. In fact, their relationship had only grown more strained.

"We’re already at sea," Emily said, her hands tucked in for warmth. She tapped her boot against the boat’s floorboards a couple of times. "So, spill it. What are we doing? Who are we rescuing? What’s the situation?"

Hai Luwei turned his head—he was so warm that sweat was starting to bead on his forehead—and whispered, "Just tell her the basics. Not one word more."

Emily rolled her eyes.

"I received a message saying that someone right here in Blackmoor City Center Bay needs my help—" Mai Mingle began, but couldn’t stop herself from asking Hai Luwei, "Exactly how many layers are you wearing?"

"I’m wearing stick-on heat packs," Hai Luwei grinned at her. "Want one? I can peel one off for you."

"Weak constitution," Emily commented dryly.

Before the situation could get any uglier, Mai Mingle quickly cut in.

"The information I received is very reliable. I don’t know exactly when he fell into the sea, but..."

"Wait, we’re rescuing someone who fell overboard?" Emily was taken aback. "How do you know he’s still alive? And even if he is, what if the waves have already swept him away? Isn’t this literally looking for a needle in a haystack?"

Just as Mai Mingle was about to speak, she couldn’t help but glance at Hai Luwei.

"Don’t say it," Hai Luwei said, his face stern.

"...This has something to do with that Domination Game, doesn’t it?" Emily was no fool.

Mai Mingle nodded.

The message she had received yesterday was not the *Illusion Report* for the next Illusion. She already knew from the previous report that she had to complete three Action Points to receive the *Illusion Report* that would hint at the location of the "Time" Illusion.

Selling the lipstick to the mayor was the first Action Point, and she had completed it.

What had been sent to her phone yesterday was the content for the second Action Point.

Beloved contestant, Mai Mingle,

Your gentleness and boundless love have earned the admiration of the Nest itself.

This second Action Point is perfectly in line with your usual modus operandi. We’re sure you’ll find it enjoyable and that it will be second nature to you.

Within thirty days of completing this second Action Point, you will receive a prompt for the next one.

Action Point 2/3:

A person has recently fallen into the waters of Blackmoor City Center Bay. They have yet to be recovered, and their life hangs in the balance. They are in dire need of a helping hand.

The Nest can assure you: this person is still alive, still in Central Bay, and is desperately awaiting rescue.

Please hire a boat and go to Blackmoor City Center Bay to retrieve him!

There is no time to waste; a life is on the line, after all. That said, one cannot charge in unprepared. Your chances of a successful rescue will be much greater if you prepare a boat, blankets, a first-aid kit, a change of clothes, and some interesting party conversation topics, and then set sail at night.

Go get ’em! Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda.

Rescue Target: Ivan Weston, 29 years old, height 5’11".

Before falling into the water, he appears to have been attacked and tortured by villains. He has injuries on his body, a dislocated shoulder with a gaping wound, and is wearing only a pair of pants. Everything that could prove his identity was stolen by his attackers.

Please pull him from the sea and help him get his life back on track!