Chapter 299: Splendor

Chapter 299: Splendor

Zheng Yichen lay in a hammock enjoying the artificial sunlight. She knew nothing about all the behind-the-scenes maneuverings and squabbles. After finishing the trading module, she had given herself a vacation. Of course, this vacation wasn’t about lazing around like a couch potato. It was the rare opportunity where she had been able to invite Irene to help significantly expand an unused space in the underground base. Though Loris knew how, and Annie also knew how, Irene was the undisputed master in this field. As for Dan Marina… well, Zheng Yichen didn’t even consider asking her.

She worried about unreliability. After all, Dan Marina even hesitated touching her own magic… well, not that there was much need. In a fight, even if she couldn’t catch and throw back a spell someone had painstakingly built like Zheng Yichen could, she could achieve a different kind of counter. Like using her Prophecy Art to dramatically increase the chance of a spellcaster’s spell fizzling… yeah, like raising a tiny 0.01% failure rate straight to 99.9%.

One could imagine spellcasters gathering mana for a big spell. It seemed successful, then right at the final step – BOOM! Right in their own face! That feeling… well, actually, there wouldn’t be much feeling left. A spell detonating point-blank? Given how much weaker a spellcaster’s physique was compared to a warrior’s, that meant a one-way trip straight to the River Styx. What about Magical Protection like shields?

Those things were usually large barriers. Who bothered with directly skin-tight protection? That kind of shield seriously interfered with the process of spellcasting.

So, did Dan Marina need to swing a greatsword like a warrior to fight? Or blast people like a spellcaster with flashy, enhanced spells and glowing magic circles?

Nope, not at all. She just chatted, and the enemy basically vanished. As long as they weren’t incredibly powerful, facing Dan Marina meant their health bar was entirely within her killshot range.

So, have her expand space? Zheng Yichen wouldn’t dream of it!

Best leave it to the professional. This was probably an Earthling quirk… No, everyone in this Otherworld had it too: when doing certain things, people liked to get the famous one…

Zheng Yichen had initially planned to turn that unused space into a testing ground. But recalling there were several other unused spots, she decided to repurpose this one. After more than half a day’s work, she’d even pulled two new energy conduits from the underground base’s ‘reactor’ specifically for this project. Look at it now! Blue sky? Check. White clouds? Check. Sun and moon? All present! Even a beach and an ocean!

The blue sky, sun, and moon were products of magic. The sky was more like a backdrop, nothing remarkable. The clouds though? Actual clouds, though not formed naturally. The sun and moon were similar to the sky. Time changes were linked to these visuals, controlled by a low-level Alchemy Core. Zheng Yichen had gotten very proficient at using Alchemy Cores to ‘program’ things.

After all, it was a method she developed uniquely by combining some Earth technological knowledge. Its efficiency far surpassed this world’s conventional methods. Discovering she was this good made Zheng Yichen scratch her nose a little. Be generous? Publish it? Ha! She hadn’t fully researched it herself yet, and it seemed unimportant. Only someone with time to kill would just give away something like that!

Confidence in unique fields? Or worry others would surpass her if she shared? Forget it. Before her transmigration, she was just an ordinary person who loved browsing and gaming online – let’s not mince words, a bit plain. She had no specialized advantage. Everything she held now was nourished by Earth’s vast, haphazardly acquired knowledge, cultivated into this hybrid of East and West approach.

So why deliberately find trouble when she was idle? If one day she really became invincible, she might dole out favors to the likable ones. Right now? Forget it!

“Comfortable~” Zheng Yichen couldn’t help but yawn again. She wondered what Earth’s actual beaches felt like. She did visit a beach before transmigrating, but hadn’t relaxed like this on a sun lounger. The beach she visited wasn’t great either, just a regular lakeshore spot… Seaside? Never!

“…Quit staring. Get changed!” Dan Marina, wrapped in a towel inside the changing room, kept urging Loris, eyeing the few scraps of fabric beside her. This thing was hotter than underwear… though it would probably just look like kid’s wear on Loris.

“Buzz off.” Loris shot a glance at Dan Marina and tossed those fabric scraps into the nearby basket. The basket already held numerous unopened packages containing all kinds of swimsuits – conservative, daring, bikinis… a dazzling array. The scraps Loris had touched were ones Dan Marina specifically picked out!

“Is playing by the water still wearing underwear some kind of rule?” Annie spoke, looking out the changing room window at Zheng Yichen lounging outside. The glass was peculiar. It lacked any visual-blocking magic, yet its special coating made it appear dark from the outside while providing a clear view out. She’d seen many such tricks with Zheng Yichen.

“The main point is, it’s mixed genders!” Dan Marina grabbed another unopened package, glanced at the swimsuit inside, and gave a little shake. “It’s almost like those nobles holding orgies. Playing around like this, won’t it spark something?”

“Only you would think that.” Loris peered at Dan Marina, frowning slightly as she searched the basket again. What troubled her was that all the petite swimsuits lacked her preferred, deeply familiar black. Most were light blue, soft pink, or orange, and the styles weren’t plain either – lots with flounces. The black ones? Not her style, and she found those designs a bit much anyway. Dan Marina, however, seemed quite interested.

“Can’t say for sure. I’m hardly imagining things. Trust me, plenty would think the same!”

“Why overthink it? There’s only us.” Annie searched through the basket, finally picking out a petite swimsuit with fruit and plant patterns.

“True. He’s not wearing anything either.” Dan Marina nodded, opening her package to reveal an exceptionally sexy black swimsuit. Loris’s eye twitched, feeling the urge to grab the woman and throw her out of Zheng Yichen’s newly built ‘beach zone’.

“What else do you expect a dragon to wear?” Annie lightly shook her head and casually tossed away her towel. Only they were present. Irene had initially refused to join, but after Dan Marina had a whispered discussion with her, that changed. Not only did she agree, she planned to come in person, not via an Alchemical Avatar. How? First, an Alchemical Avatar came to inspect a Necromantic Teleportation Array Zheng Yichen had set up here. After Irene slightly adjusted it…

…she just needed to build a new array at her end. This modified array wasn’t a Necromantic Teleportation Array anymore, but a new kind of Teleportation Array. Considering Loris had no objections, Zheng Yichen suspected Dan Marina had pulled Irene into some underhanded agreement to secure her acceptance!

Just as they finished changing, Irene arrived. She looked silently at the ‘scantily clad’ Loris and the others, her expression slightly complicated. “You… intend to do what?”

“Play!” Dan Marina tugged lightly at her slightly askew swimsuit strap, replying naturally.

“Dressed like this?”

“Isn’t this appropriate for playing in water?” Dan Marina retorted, looking utterly natural. She held up a tiny fabric piece. “Trust me, it’s waterproof and feels comfortable enough for this outdoor setting!”

“…” Annie watched Dan Marina with blank eyes. Was the woman forgetting their earlier talk about swimsuits, or deliberately playing dumb?

“Try it. There are no outsiders anyway.” Irene automatically excluded Zheng Yichen – just a dragon. Even if his core was human, if urges arose, he’d just have to suppress them. Any one of those present could easily handle him. Besides, while the swimsuits looked like underwear, nothing vital was exposed.

“Whew~ comfortable.” After draining a large glass of juice, Zheng Yichen jumped down from her lounger. Defying her former fear of heights, she soared high and splashed into the water. Blowing bubbles underwater, she surfaced and saw four splendid figures. For a second, she felt like whistling, but considering the power gap, she held back.

This Otherworld lacked a beach culture. Luckily, Loris and the others knew her origins well. Unfamiliar ladies might have slapped her on sight. Noticing Zheng Yichen’s gaze, Loris subtly clasped her arms together. Usually, they slept together, but that was private, and she wore pajamas. This outfit was far too flimsy, and outsiders were present!

“Whew~ Feels great!” Hands on her hips, Dan Marina felt the warm breeze. Irene had expanded the space, creating the background environmental magic herself. With her expertise, the setting felt almost real. Zheng Yichen’s solution was key. Irene could weave illusions impressively real with her direct control. Without her touch, though, the spell would run automatically, feeling like a mere backdrop picture. Zheng Yichen fixed this using a low-level Alchemy Core. The Core wasn’t capable of altering Irene’s complex Magical Structure; instead, it controlled how Irene’s magic was ‘played back’ after she stopped guiding it – a random generator. Like the gentle wind they felt now: randomly generated phenomena. While not perfect compared to nature, the random changes made it believably real.

Zheng Yichen didn’t find this too complex. The random changes covered clouds, wind, and waves. Sunshine intensity followed pre-set cycles, simulating day to night. With only three elements varying, complexity was manageable. The beach was nascent. As per Zheng Yichen’s plan, a truly complete setup would take another week – mostly fine-tuning like beach organisms and biological chains. Annie was the expert… but familiarity built slowly. Instead of asking directly, this fun time likely would inspire her to offer help later.

“Planning to spy underwater?” Dan Marina pressed her wide sun hat down lightly. Noticing Zheng Yichen’s continued stare, Dan Marina adjusted her sun hat. The changing room offered plentiful gear, and she’d grabbed this one. No mirror was needed – she felt beautiful!

“…Just feeling nostalgic.” Zheng Yichen blinked before answering. Beach beauties! Before crossing over, such scenes were common sights – plentiful online photos even. Though only four people stood here, and there was none of Earth-like beach paraphernalia, that momentary scene had struck her deeply.

Especially that fleeting moment when they emerged from the changing room together, feeling the warm breeze, the fluttering fabric on their swimsuits… Zheng Yichen later felt like punching herself for not snapping a magical picture in time! That spontaneous grace, the unique aura captured in passing – gone forever!

Unplanned moments possess a unique charm. Deliberation destroys it.

“Huh? Did I do something wrong?” Seeing Zheng Yichen rise from the sea shaking herself off with a troubled frown, Dan Marina checked herself. Swimsuit on correctly. Loris and the others looked fine. So why Zheng Yichen’s ‘dropped-wallet’ expression?

“My own reflex was too slow.” Zheng Yichen sighed slightly, opening her palm. A Magic Rune Array materialized, projecting an image solidified by the Image Retention Spell: a perfectly captured picture of them feeling that breeze earlier. She scratched her head a little self-consciously. She’d done her best to recreate it, but being memory-based, not instantaneous, made her slightly disappointed. It lacked a fraction of that real-time spark.