Hah…. I’m starting to miss Lucia. However, as the Vice-Sect Leader of the Righteous Holy Sect, I can’t show my emotions on my face in public. As a mother of a developing child, I can’t show weakness at home either. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to maintain a peaceful mind when my child’s growth is deliberately being sabotaged by an evil, purple-skinned woman. “Sophia, you’ve been playing with that formation disc for hours now. Why don’t you take a break?”

“I’m not playing, Mommy,” Sophia said without looking up from the disc placed on the small table in front of her. She was sitting on a cushion with her legs folded under her, her knees pointing forward while her butt rested on her ankles and feet. “This is very important. Auntie Ilya says if I don’t beat this game, then I can’t be her disciple.”

Sophia calls it a game, yet she insists it isn’t playing. I’ll be honest; it’s nice to be given time to manage some sect affairs since Sophia’s distracted by her game, but at the same time, when I’m done with my work, I’d like to spend some time with my own child, but I can’t because Sister Ilya’s monopolizing Sophia’s attention with that wicked device of hers. However, if Sister Ilya thinks I’m that bad of a mother, she has another thing coming. “I know. Why don’t I help you beat your game?” That’s right, rather than taking away the formation disc which’ll lead to Sophia being displeased at me, I’ll join her in playing.

Sophia blinked and raised her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Not a good idea? Nonsense. I’ll take a seat right beside her. “Come, teach Mommy how to play.”

Sophia blinked again and shuffled to the side, making space for me. “This is the pocket-realm exploring game,” she said. “You play by reading and writing.”

Reading and writing? If Lucia were here, this would definitely not be a family activity. Luckily, I’m not hampered by an inability to communicate with the written word. Alright, let’s see what kind of poison Sister Ilya’s injecting into my child’s head. “In front of you, between two trees, you see a sunlit glade. A flower with ten petals, each a different color, shines in the sunlight.” Okay…. “I read it, so what happens next?”

“You have to write down what you’re going to do next,” Sophia said. “You can write down anything you want. Um, you want to be the person who gets the most treasures and benefits from the pocket-realm. That’s how you win.”

Oh? This actually seems … educational. I’ll give it a try. “What do you think I should do?”

“You play. I’ll watch.”

That’s a little strange. Maybe this kind of game is too tough for Sophia to beat on her own, and she’s a bit embarrassed to give me instructions because she’s afraid I’ll look down on her. I can’t blame her though. She’s never been to a pocket-realm before. Then again, I haven’t been to many either, but with my knowledge and expertise, it shouldn’t be a problem for me to clear the game. “In that case, I’ll go forward and approach the flower.”

“You have to write it down.”

Alright. I wonder how this formation disc works. Knowing Sister Ilya, there’s probably some unfortunate soul trapped inside making up the scenario as I go. I’ll try writing in a simple manner in case my actions are misunderstood. “I approach the flower.” Now that I wrote it down, how long—? That was quick. A sentence appeared almost immediately after I finished writing mine.

“All natural treasures are guarded by people or beasts waiting to consume them. Have you forgotten this one rule? Or did you really think you were lucky enough to be the first person to discover this flower? Because of your impatience and carelessness, darkness envelops your vision. You hear shouts and screams from your terrified followers, but those are quickly cut off as your life ends, unaware of what even killed you….” What in the world…? This is the kind of game Sister Ilya’s making my daughter play!?

“Mommy, you died.”

I know. “I didn’t understand the difficulty, but now that I know, that won’t happen again.” How do I restart this thing? Oh, there’s a button I can press. “What’s this?” There’s a long list of options. Shadow Devil Sect disciple. Holy Beasts Sect disciple. Righteous Holy Sect disciple. “I’m supposed to pick my background?”

“That’s right, Mommy,” Sophia said and nodded. She pointed at the disc. “I like starting as this one.”

Illusion Fox Sect? Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about the Illusion Fox Sect’s techniques. “Mommy was born in the Shadow Devil Sect, so I’m going to start as a Shadow Devil Sect disciple.” Alright, my background’s decided. “You are a chosen of the Shadow Devil Sect. It is your duty to lead the sect to glory. Attain first place in this competition between sects by gathering the most valuable treasures. You enter the teleportation formation with your nine fellow disciples, and after the formation activates, you find yourself in a wooded region.”

If I’m thrown into a pocket-realm as part of my training, there’s no way the sect elders didn’t provide me with maps or a different form of guidance. But before I take inventory, there’s obviously something else I have to do. Nothing unexpected or strange is going to kill me out of carelessness this time! “I infuse some qi into my eyes and ears and observe my surroundings.”

There is nothing around you.

In that case…. “I take an inventory of the items I have along with the items my fellow disciples are carrying.”

“Mommy, you should do that while moving,” Sophia said. “If you don’t leave the starting area quickly, you’ll die.”

“Is that so?” A long list of items appeared on the formation disc, letting me know everything available for use. Along with that, another line of text popped up. “While you were taking your time checking your group’s items, the disciples of the Righteous Holy Sect teleported into the pocket-realm, arriving amidst your ranks. They immediately launch an attack, taking the initiative. Seven disciples die under the ambush, and the remaining disciple—including yourself—receive grave injuries.” What the…. “Is this game even fair?”

Life’s not fair either. Deal with it.

…Is this formation disc eavesdropping on me? I didn’t even write anything down!