Chapter 20: The Most Desired

The original image in the mirror was like a punctured water balloon.
Colors flowed out from it, gathering and mixing together.
The myriad of colors surged, expanding like a kaleidoscope.

Just as one was lost in this fantastical space of colors, these colors were suddenly shattered and reassembled into something else.

Old Li took a closer look.
The complete picture that reappeared in the mirror was of himself holding a trophy, standing on some kind of podium.

…Hmm?

He felt a little surprised.
He had actually been a skier, had participated in many major competitions, and had a whole cabinet full of trophies.
But later, due to an accident, he suffered irreversible physical damage and had to bid farewell to the snowy tracks for good.

If this scene were to appear in his dreams, it would probably be the most beautiful dream.

Old Li looked at the scene with longing for a few moments.
Before he could fully imprint it in his mind, a wave of dizziness pulled his consciousness back to reality.

The red-haired, red-eyed little sprite was extremely close to him, almost nose to nose.
Old Li quickly reined in his breathing, afraid that one breath would blow the other away.

“Congratulations, you have a talent for enhancement-type magic. I saw the strong obsession in your heart. This is very good.”
Ella’s voice had no fluctuations.
After speaking, she turned and flew back to the side of the mirror.

The circle of red that lit up on the outer layer of the mirror was particularly conspicuous.

“Wait, the scene inside is…” Old Li pressed.

“Every person’s soul has different characteristics. This depends on each of your natures, experiences, and desires. After research, what is most representative is the desire at the bottom of each person’s heart, and this mirror can reflect what you most desire to see.”

“Red is for enhancement-type, yellow is for special-attribute-type, blue is for inspiration-type, and green is for nature-type. The specific characteristics of each magic type can be queried in the relevant panel,” Ella said, acting the part of a qualified, business-like NPC.

This NPC spoke in a very abstruse way, but Old Li still understood its meaning—that is to say, the award ceremony scene he saw was what he desired most?
So based on this, he was assigned to the enhancement type?

“What did you see?” Yan Shuangwen asked.

Old Li: “Ahahaha, it’s nothing, probably just seeing myself standing on a podium holding a trophy. It’s quite in line with my past experiences.”

Yan Shuangwen frowned.
“Anything else? What about the specific details? Were there any spectators below the stage, or relatives and friends you know in real life?”

Old Li recalled for a moment.
“There shouldn’t have been. It was just me and the award podium.”

Only then did Yan Shuangwen’s expression relax.

“What’s wrong? Did you think of something bad?”
Old Li thought back to what he had said at the beginning, and it seemed there was nothing worth being wary of.

“Seeing Hua Yibing’s reaction, plus the explanation given by the NPC, I reasonably suspect that the game company is infringing on players’ privacy and prying into the realm of memories,” Yan Shuangwen’s eyes sharpened.
“Personal traits and such can be linked to individuals through the pre-game questionnaire, but reflecting what’s most desired in a person’s heart… the more precise the picture, the more worthy of vigilance it is.”

“Although there is no technology on the market that can invade memories, with Sea Realm‘s technological means surpassing its peers, we have to consider this possibility.”

Thinking of this, Old Li’s face also turned ugly.
But then, the other changed the subject—

“But based on what you saw, I was probably overthinking it.”

“What do you mean?”

Yan Shuangwen didn’t continue speaking, but instead stood in front of the mirror.

After about ten seconds, he came back to his senses.
The blue gems around the mirror were quietly glowing.

Ella’s voice also rang out in time.
“Congratulations, you have a talent for inspiration-type magic. Knowledge will be the eternal guide for the world.”

Yan Shuangwen closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had already confirmed his deduction.
“As expected.”

Meeting Old Li’s confused gaze, he explained—

“In what you saw, there were only three elements: yourself, the trophy, and the podium. It didn’t specify which competition’s trophy it was. It could be for an exam competition, a sports competition, or an awards ceremony for some industry. As for familiar people, they didn’t appear either.”

“And the scene I saw was me sitting at a desk, deep in thought, and then writing something with surprise. I couldn’t see the content, there was no cause or effect, no iconic desk ornaments. This is indeed a scene I want to see—but a writer who needs inspiration, a student who always encounters difficult problems, a white-collar worker troubled by work reports, all can apply to such a scene.”

Saying this, Yan Shuangwen paused, subconsciously about to push up his glasses again, but once again pushed at empty air.
“According to my analysis, this is probably a bit like divination and horoscopes. Because the elements given are relatively common and ambiguous, anyone would feel it’s accurate.”

“But Huahua’s reaction was not right…” Old Li hesitated.

“Him,” Yan Shuangwen sighed.
“Don’t look at how brainless this guy seems. As far as I know, his background is not simple. It might be that the randomly generated scene just happened to be related to those things.”

The little sprite over there said nothing.
Only after Yan Shuangwen finished speaking did she turn her gaze to the three of them.
“A magician’s growth path in the early stages is rather difficult. Many people die halfway to success. Cultivating physical fitness as well is also a good choice. I hope the players can successfully appreciate the view from the pinnacle of magic.”

Regardless of the players’ reactions, the feedback the merman received from Ella was somewhat surprising—among the four major schools of magic, special-attribute, enhancement, inspiration, and nature, this small team actually accounted for three.
And that player named Hua Yibing was not the nature-type he had guessed, but the more neurotic special-attribute-type.

The merman had seen many special-attribute-type mages, but he had never seen a type like Hua Yibing—since when did being carefree become a type of special attribute?
As expected of the most diverse school.

And that mirror—he breathed a sigh of relief.

That mirror was indeed a genuine magical item, capable of finding the deepest desires in a person’s heart.
But it had been violently smashed into five pieces by Sykes, so it could only reflect a scene that a person desired to see.

He had originally intended to just let the players use it like that, but Ella had proposed a suggestion.

[After analyzing all the comments and replies on the player forum, players value their privacy very highly. If what is displayed is a private memory, there is a 90% chance of causing a huge backlash.]

Sykes felt there was some truth to it, so he smashed the mirror in his hand on the ground again, breaking it into eight pieces.

And the eight-piece broken magic mirror, disguised with gems, had the effect that Yan Shuangwen and the others saw now.