With Bailu and the Cloud Knights chattering away and surrounding him, no one was maintaining the buff anymore. And in that moment, Jingliu immediately felt the discomfort returning.
Though she had long since grown used to the pain of Mara, for someone who had finally experienced even a brief reprieve, falling back into that torment was unbearable—even someone with willpower like hers couldn't help but show a pained expression.
Pei Guang noticed her expression and walked over, asking, "What's wrong?"
Jingliu replied, "It's nothing. Just… an old condition flaring up."
After taking a few deep breaths, Jingliu forced her body back under control. But the moment Pei Guang heard the words "old condition," his eyes lit up.
In any classic RPG, whenever an NPC or passerby mentioned an "old condition," it was practically guaranteed to be the start of a side quest or hidden mission. This was genre tradition. So when Pei Guang heard it, he got visibly excited.
"Old condition? No problem! Leave it to me—I'll take care of it. Wait, what exactly is this condition?"
Nearby, Dan Heng spoke up as he watched Pei Guang get all worked up. "It's Mara. I just don't know what method she's using to suppress it."
Pei Guang: "Huh?"
He looked at Dan Heng, then pointed at Jingliu. "You're telling me she's Mara-struck? She was dancing her heart out just a minute ago!"
Jingliu had been expressionless up until that point, but even she couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment upon hearing that. Who would've thought the buff would be that addictive—it had drawn her in completely!
For someone who had been suffering under the pain of Mara for a thousand years, that kind of serenity was a miracle. So much so that she truly wanted to experience it just a little longer, even one more second.
But the price had arrived. That extra second of peace meant even more pain now. And yet, did she regret it?
Not at all.
A sword drawn knows no regret. Even if the feeling was fleeting, like that of a normal person's simple happiness—she was willing.
Dan Heng added, "She's been deep in Mara affliction for nearly a thousand years…"
Pei Guang: "No big deal! According to classic game logic, when an NPC needs help, odds are another NPC has the key item. Or the thing they need is lying nearby. Or—small chance—we already have it in our inventory and just haven't tried it yet. It's just Mara affliction. Since I've triggered her hidden quest, I figure there's definitely a way to get her back to normal."
Hearing this, Jingliu chuckled. "Normal? What a luxurious word… You can't do it. It's the curse of the Master of Immortality and Plagues Author—you can't fix it…"
Pei Guang turned to Dan Heng. "I finally got to experience a classic player-NPC moment with this one! It's so textbook! Other than that villain back in the starter village, she's the second person who flat-out doesn't believe players can solve problems.
So? If I do fix it, what's the quest reward?"
Jingliu let out a cold laugh. "If you truly let me resist the Mara and free me from its control… then in the future, when you need me, I will become your sword and slay any enemy I can on your behalf."
Pei Guang glanced at Dan Heng. "There we go! She already gave me the quest reward ahead of time—now I have to do it. But Dan Heng… she's not a villain, right?"
Dan Heng thought for a moment. "Probably not. What she did on the Luofu back then… wasn't really something she could control."
Pei Guang: "So basically, like you? Then that's fine~ not a villain, not a problem! I don't want to power up a boss and make my game harder."
As he spoke, Pei Guang started pulling out little trinkets: a headgear that looked like the Albinauric's head, some equipment crafted from the Abundant Ebon Deer— some of the few items that boosted stats.
He directly melded the goofy silver headpiece with a hat made from the Ebon Deer and handed it to the pained Jingliu. "Take this. Put it on after you step out of the buff zone. Try it out: if it helps, I'll know which direction to go."
Jingliu: "Just this?"
Pei Guang: "Just this. It's just a test run."
Jingliu hesitated, but took the hat and stepped away from the buff radius. Once she passed the ten-meter mark, she once again felt the gnawing presence of Mara. It was as if voices whispered destruction into her ears, coaxing her toward ruin.
She was used to it, but the sudden drop in clarity after losing the buff still made her uncomfortable. As she braced herself, she put on the hat Pei Guang had given her—and the instant she did, her head transformed into a silly, bug-eyed version of the Albinauric.
And yet… in that moment, Jingliu felt a faint clarity return to her mind. Her thoughts became ever so slightly sharper. It wasn't much—but to her, even a sliver of relief was incredibly valuable.
Wearing it, her headache lessened. She spoke with the seriousness of a patient reporting symptoms: "It… feels a little better."
Pei Guang turned to Dan Heng. "See? Like I said—either it's something we've already picked up, something lying nearby, or some other NPC has it. Doesn't matter what the lore says—if the NPC gives us the quest, we will finish it.
Looks like mental and max HP boosts work for her. Good. That gives me a direction. Hold on a second."
Pei Guang pulled out his synthesis pot. Following the pot's unique properties, he took out half of the basic firework effects he'd been collecting lately.
From that half, he used a portion to synthesize a batch of Albinauric-style headgear. Including what he had stockpiled earlier, he now had over sixty Albinauric headgear effects, and he threw them all into the pot.
As for the remaining half, he followed his intuition and started tossing in various basic weapon effects at random for synthesis.
With a series of crackling sounds from the synthesis pot, two new effects were produced.
The first, synthesized from the Albinauric headgear, was a higher-grade item with attribute effects. Its appearance resembled the emoticon (≥▽≤) and came with the following stats:
[Bound Item: Moe Effect]
Effect: Increases mental strength moderately. While wearing, the user will involuntarily show a cute expression. When showing a cute expression, enemies are less likely to target the wearer as their primary attack.
If the user makes a cute gesture or expression, they can partially recover mental stamina and enhance their willpower. The greater the contrast between the user's base personality and the cuteness of their expression, the stronger the effect.
When the user is mentally unstable and out of combat, they may involuntarily perform cute gestures or expressions.
Note: Users should monitor their mental state carefully to avoid "death by cringe."
The second effect resembled a fish-shaped item:
[Item: Weapon Effect]
Effect: Alters the weapon's appearance to various forms of salted fish based on its original shape.
Note: Anyone hit by it will understand why it's called a salted fish after giving it a lick.
Seeing these two effects come out from a single synthesis, Pei Guang's expression turned serious. The second one was fine—standard weapon effect—but the first one...
Pei Guang looked at Jingliu, her expression stern and full of murderous intent. Then he glanced at the Moe Effect in his hand.
A smile crept across his face.
And when Dan Heng saw that mischievous little smile on Pei Guang's face, his own expression grew grim. "Ah Guang... what is that?"
Pei Guang replied, "Something great. Really great. Jingliu, right? Come on, give this a try. If it works, you won't have to suffer from Mara anymore."
For some reason, Jingliu's expression became stiff when she saw Pei Guang smiling like that, and then she looked at the (≥▽≤) and the salted fish item in his hands.
Something felt very wrong.
But Pei Guang, righteously and full of conviction, said, "Come on, give it a try. With these two equipped, I think you'll be able to resist your Mara."
Resist? If the Moe Effect really worked the way Pei Guang thought, it wouldn't just resist the Mara—it might turn Jingliu's Mara into "Moe-ra."
Of course, Pei Guang wasn't too concerned about whether it was Mara or Moe-ra. He just wanted to complete the quest. After all, what kind of spectacle hadn't he seen as a player?
But the ones who hadn't seen what was coming… were Blade, Dan Heng, and anyone else about to meet this newly "upgraded" Jingliu.