As Yi Yan withdrew her foot, she paused to think.
"I can stay inside this room, but neither of you is allowed to move. Stand properly right where you are," Yi Yan said to the two dark figures.
The two dark figures lowered their heads in silence, seemingly submitting to her will.
Unconvinced, Yi Yan wanted to test out what she had in mind next.
Without attempting to use any magic, she went empty-handed and rushed toward one of the dark figures.
As it turned out, the dark figure was indeed very obedient, standing firmly in place without fighting back—as if it meant to let her vent her anger. However, they had no physical bodies; they were practically like smoke. Untouchable, and leaving no sting of impact.
[Host, just to let you vent a little bit, I didn't tell you right away: as long as they don't leave the Dark Forest, they will never easily perish.]
"Just as I guessed," Yi Yan smiled faintly. This Dark Magic was quite interesting.
[Huh?! Host, you aren't thinking of... learning Dark Magic, are you? That won't do at all! Host is a Light Mage, you can't go against the heavens like th—]
"You are my system, Ni Tian System, which means that moving forward, we might take a... defiance-of-the-heavens approach in many matters and aspects."
"Isn't that a bit of a slap in the face, Ni Tian System? But who told you to be named Ni Tian System in the first place? Since that's the case, what harm is there in defying the heavens a bit more? Will this realm really collapse just because we defy the heavens and the Dao too much? If it does, I'll stop."
Speechless, Ni Tian System fell silent on the sidelines... So this Host was completely the opposite of what it had expected. It had thought the Host would follow the standard tropes and do whatever was expected, but instead... she really wanted to play the rebellious style...
Seeing that Yi Yan's emotions had settled down considerably, the two dark figures prepared to withdraw.
"Hold on, I'm hungry. Is there any food?" Yi Yan asked.
"Reporting to the mistress, without the master's orders, dinner cannot be served ahead of time."
"Fine! If you can't do that, I won't make things difficult for you. Let's try something else. I like treasures—bring me every single treasure in your palace!"
"Very well, mistress. Please wait a moment," said one dark figure. Less than five minutes later, the other dark figure brought over a dozen chests and thoughtfully opened every single one of them!
All sorts of dazzling jewels gleamed, emitting a brilliant golden light.
Yi Yan looked left and right, finally picking out a few items that looked like they would easily shatter.
She dangled two antique jade-and-jewel-inlaid bottles in her hands.
"Are these your master's favorite treasures?" Yi Yan asked.
"No."
"I see. Then bring me your master's absolute favorite treasure to admire!"
"My apologies, mistress. You do not yet possess the qualifications for that."
Casually, Yi Yan began throwing the items from the jewelry chests that looked like they would break upon hitting the floor.
At this action from Yi Yan, the two figures made no move to stop her.
Could it be that these items would also slowly restore themselves? Just how vast and terrifying was the Dark Magic in this palace?
[Host, your guess was correct.]
"Ni Tian System, I remember the ending of Yi Yu, the major villain of this world: in the end, his soul was extracted by the Light Mage Faction using a mysterious, ancient magical taboo... and his physical body was destroyed at that exact moment."
And that period of time happened right after the Original Host's life came to an end.
[Yes, Host! Most major villains meet a tragic end. Are you going to change his tragedy?]
"He wasn't good to me, but he wasn't bad either! I'll consider the rest later. Before he does anything to harm me, I'm still willing to give him a hand."
[Host is truly kind-hearted. You're a benevolent angel,] Ni Tian System giggled.
"Ni Tian System, I am somewhat kind, but my kindness doesn't mean that a kind person is a pushover rather than a ruthless one," Yi Yan said, a complex look flashing in her amber eyes.
[Hugs for the Host,] Ni Tian System replied affectionately.
"You don't have a physical body, but I'm quite lucky myself. My system is so warm!" Yi Yan murmured.
[Host, your words make me so touched! Let me send you a heart?]
Seeing Yi Yan muttering softly to herself again, the two dark figures thought their mistress was unhappy once more, so they spoke up: "Mistress, do you have any other requests or commands? Whatever we can do for you, we will fulfill to the best of our duties."
"Is there a library here? A place with lots of books," Yi Yan asked.
"There is, mistress. We will go bring some to you."
"No, I want you to take me there."
"But the master said you are not allowed to go out."
"Now, do you really think that I, a Light Mage, could run away? Could I escape out of this Dark Magic palace? Besides, with the two of you watching me, what hope do I have?"
"This..."
"Did Yi Yu mean to have you guard me so I couldn't take a single step out of here? Are you certain you didn't misunderstand his meaning? Did you get it wrong?"
"Mistress... we..."
"Look at the things on the floor—they've already restored themselves to their original state, haven't they? This shows just how saturated this palace is with Dark Magic, doesn't it? I am a Light Mage, and a trivial little mage at that. If I ran around blindly, wouldn't I just be cutting my life even shorter?"
"Mistress..."
"Yi Yu's intention was indeed to keep me from going out, but he told you to listen to my commands. This isn't imprisonment; it's meant to have you protect me. This also proves that I am allowed to step outside this room, isn't that right?"
Yi Yan was simply too persuasive, leaving the two dark figures utterly unable to find a retort.
"Let her out, grant her wish!" An order echoed directly into their bodies.
"Understood! Mistress, please follow us!" the two dark figures said sincerely, their faces expressionless.
At this, Yi Yan stared at the two dark minions with a trace of doubt.
She had a feeling that agreeing so suddenly meant something unusual was going on.
Given the loyalty of these two, her persuasive arguments shouldn't have worked so easily... Could it be...
The corners of Yi Yan's lips curled upward. Really, she had thought she could pull a fast one on Yi Yu, but he had clearly been aware of everything she just did, only issuing the order to those two at the very end. She found herself a bit amused by this.
[Host, Yi Yu is currently staring at a crystal ball, watching your every move.]
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Were you that afraid of Yi Yu?"
[Host, his Dark Magic is simply too strong! I was almost interfered with and affected by it... that's why...]
"Alright, I understand the situation! Thank you for your hard work, Ni Tian System!"