Is the person you sculpt as cute as me?

"Eel, let me tell you the story of an unknown poet."

The blackbird changed its tone to a literary one, as if to dispel the last bit of fog in Yu Man's heart.

"There once was a traveling poet, freely browsing through the worlds. His final stop was the terminus commonly known as 'reality'."

"Then, the pen name of this traveling poet is "Time"..." Yu Man tried to puncture her literary atmosphere.

"Traveling poets need to stay grounded in reality, yet they possess a simple heart for creation. They seek no fame or fortune, but simply hope that the wings and words they leave behind during their travels will occasionally be picked up by someone... read a few lines, and occasionally reside in someone's soul. That's all."

“Oh, you write poetry like crazy, but no one reads it?”

The blackbird choked again: "Ahem... ahem - in any case, it's normal for a bird soaring in the distant sky not to be looked up to and seen."

“No one really watches it.”

"--but!"

She suddenly spoke loudly, startling Yu Man and Xiao Bing, who had no idea what the adults were talking about.

"But! The hateful thing is... there was a damn mortal... a mortal! Who became my first reader! But he wasn't moved or happy, not even a little bit of his soul was shaken! He simply translated the work verbatim, submitted it, and had it damn published!"

"……What?"

Blackbird stared at Yu Man: "He even won the title of 'World Poet' and was called a literary giant by people."

"...What what what? Is this true?"

"I'm not a 'lie.'" Her tone was extremely firm.

"What the hell?"

Yu Man felt like he was struck by lightning.

The shock I received today was greater than all the shocks I have received in my entire life so far.

She immediately figured it out—

"No wonder Lao Deng never brags about his achievements. I thought it was some kind of literary character... No wonder Lao Deng has always lived in poverty. It turns out he's too guilty to spend money... But how did Lao Deng see your work?"

"That was a funny story from a long time ago. Anyway, after I realized I'd been plagiarized, I used the divine authority of the Three Secrets to set all my works to be visible only to designated individuals. So, that little poem I sold you and my blog are only visible to those who have passed the level."

“No wonder the number of views is zero… Why don’t you defend your rights?”

"Isn't this about defending your rights?"

Yu Man felt a chill down his spine.

The unknown poet stared at Yu Man. "The first step is to sell my masterpiece at the highest price ever, earning a commensurate amount of royalties. I'm sure after reading it—you're shocked, aren't you?"

“…It’s quite shocking.”

Damn, it turns out that this crappy poem was sold to myself at a sky-high price of over six million gold coins. Is this the reason behind it?

This is a bit like an old cadre writing some nonsense to show off his knowledge, then using his power to force a publisher to publish it, and then using his power to bundle it for sale within his unit and related industries...

It turns out that not only reality is so corrupt - the old world is also so corrupt, alas.

but--

"I thought my old man was some great figure connected to the Old World...waiting for me to truly complete the game, so he could reveal the world's deepest secrets to me...and tell me at the same time—that I was some kind of chosen one, carrying a terrifying bloodline."

"Haha."

Yu Man sighed: "It turns out I was overthinking it..."

Blackie covered his stomach and laughed heartily while lying on the table.

After laughing for a long time, she straightened her appearance and regained her gloomy literary temperament.

"However, your father is indeed very successful, which means that my work has indeed touched the hearts of many people. In fact, this is enough."

"Then...what about other rights protection and retaliation?"

"We're talking about it right now! Anyway, give me a share of the prize money. When I make a perfect movie, you have to watch it ten times in a row, buy two copies of all the merchandise, and force your father to watch it ten times in a row and write me a ten-thousand-word review."

"So harsh?"

"And you can only praise me, never find any faults!"

Okay, okay.

So be it……

Yu Man slumped in the chair like a wet rag.

But when everything is settled, a little bit of regret lingers in my heart.

"That is to say, my love and admiration for those works since I was a child... should actually be for you... 'Time', no, the nameless traveling poet."

"Hehe." The poet hummed proudly and with enjoyment, revealing the long-delayed joy.

It turned out to be the case.

Yu Man thought to himself.

It turns out that I had already entered the "Three Secrets" plot called "Time" from a very, very long time ago.

Yeah……

Yu Man drank the remaining tea in the cup.

The ice had long since melted, diluting the weak tea like water.

But a little aftertaste is faintly visible on the tip of the tongue.

"Sorry, we skipped your storyline last week." Yu Man tried to say.

Time simply smiled back: "So, this time—I came to you."

At this point, she thought of another thing and became a little angry.

She pointed at Yu Man: "Humph, even that unknown poet sent you an invitation a long time ago! But you ignored it..."

"what?"

Yu Man was stunned, but immediately understood.

She covered her heart, the resonance of the story echoing endlessly within it.

“Retain…time.” And that little poem that disappeared.

"Then—I'll accept your invitation to stay."

Even though, this is long overdue.

……

The world repeats itself.

as always.

……

"So, I now have a 'Three Secrets' as my teammate?"

"What's so strange about that? Although I don't understand what you are saying."

After paying the bill, they walked towards the library.

Along the crystal-built riverbank, the clear river reflects the blue sky.

And - fell into their similar eyes.

"So, you're a small account in real life, and then you come back here using a small account. Are you considered a small small account now?"

"You could say that. Zero specialization, zero adventurer class, zero equipment, and all I have left is this library card."

Ugh.

When others recruit teammates, they have very strict requirements on specialization, equipment, and even skills.

And the people I keep recruiting all need to be trained from scratch, which is really a headache.

"Why don't you come back to the island with me, meet your teammates, and then work on your specialization?"

"Look, eel, don't be so impatient..." "Let time slow down, let your heart slow down."

"Isn't this the opening line of the game?"

"Huh? With your personality, you didn't jump over it?" Hei Li was surprised that Yu Man actually recognized him.

"How do you know what my personality is like... I actually skipped it and only heard these two lines. It was mainly because it took time to load at the beginning and I couldn't skip."

It is said to be loading, but in fact it should be building a road to the old world so that the soul can follow it.

The blackbird beside him no longer paid attention to the eel, but just put his hand on Xiaobing's shoulder and followed slowly behind: "It's very cool, the Ice Prison Dragon is really good. It really needs a little winter like this under the sun."

Xiao Bing looked at Yu Man for help: "Brother, please take care of Sister Bird."

Yu Man shook her head. To be honest, she didn't dare.

This person is one of the game administrators and also her family's creditor.

I could only persuade him kindly: "Blackbird, why are we going to the library?"

"Of course, I'll borrow some good books to take with me for my travels."

Well, that makes some sense.

The blackbird said, "I envy you guys with your empty heads. There's still a vast mountain of literature and art waiting for you to chew on. You can experience those wonderful feelings again."

"Aren't you responsible for resetting the world? Why don't you reset your own brain too?" Yu Man suggested.

Blackie shook his head and looked at Yu Man sadly.

"It's a shame. My soul is filled with so many memories, but I'm the only one who can remember them... If I erase those memories... there will really be nothing left of those pasts that will never come back."

Yu Man couldn't respond.

In this world that repeats itself over and over again, only those who have reached the final level can retain some memories.

If the second round cannot be completed perfectly, then everyone's fate will be reset to zero, even those who have completed the game.

"To commemorate my memories," said the Blackbird, "I have woven them into poetry. Rather, you see, Eel, this is what poetry is all about."

"Memories... then... aren't you the only one who can understand those poems?"

"Yes, even if I present it to the Forgotten, they won't understand it. Oh—we're here at the library."

She raised her index finger, signaling for silence.

Then, after showing his library card to the security guard, Blackie borrowed three books from the library, wrapped them in book covers and put them in a bag, carefully and with care.

While waiting for her, Yu Man briefly browsed the library catalog. Sadly, even in this vast library, there weren't many books that interested Yu Man. No ancient books revealing mysteries, no magic books explaining magical powers... what a shame.

I did help Xiaobing borrow a few fairy tales and popular science books.

After Xiaobing finishes reading it, it would be nice to show it to Xiaolu.

……

that's it--

With long memories - they returned home.

The team formation problem that troubled Yu Man finally disappeared as all five members were present.

……

However, a new small problem began to bother Yu Man.

"Eel, how come you brought a new teammate with you just by going out? How do you pronounce this...ID?"

"Welcome—but...but you don't seem to have any specializations or equipment...? I'm not doubting Captain Eel's judgment, but...it makes me a little uneasy."

"Haha, how did Uncle Eel get a bird on the team? Doesn't that mean he has deer, birds, fish, and flowers? I feel like my digital ID makes me feel out of place... Koltrast... Blackbird or blackbird? Or are they the same kind? I remember it was the one with the yellow beak..."

70 could read her ID, which surprised everyone - including Blackbird herself.

Blackbird took a step forward, about to introduce himself.

However, Yu Man took the lead: "This is the fifth person to join the team. I call her Blackbird, so we can just call her Bird Old Five - pain."

Unfortunately, she stepped hard on Yu Man.

After this battle, everyone realized one thing -

This newcomer and Yu Man...seemed to have known each other for a long time, and had some kind of mysterious yet close relationship.