Volume 2, Chapter 78 – The Ninth Faction

Eden.

For Tianyin, the reason she named this territory of hers “Eden” ultimately came from a certain longing deep within her heart.

In the real world, to put it bluntly, even though Tianyin had been a boy, at that time he was also an orphan with no one to rely on.

Without parents, “home” had always been a word that felt distant and unreachable to him.

More than once, Tianyin had wondered under what kind of circumstances he might one day have a place to call his own.

But fate truly was a strange thing. Somehow, in a blur, he had turned into an NPC within a game, and not only that, his gender and very identity had changed completely.

Perhaps because she had never known family before, Tianyin had been able to accept her new identity as an NPC quite easily.

And now, at long last, in this game world, as an NPC, she finally had her first place that could truly be called her own.

Eden.

That was what Tianyin hoped this land would become.

A place like paradise itself.

“But… what the hell is this 【Ninth Faction】 supposed to beeeeeee?!”

Though Tianyin had expected that after accepting the territorial rights transferred by Xingyu Muxi, something unexpected might happen.

Like maybe the transfer would fail… or fail… or fail again…

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But she had never, ever imagined that the System would classify this as the birth of the world’s 【Ninth Faction】?!

‘Huh?’

‘The Ninth Faction?’

‘System, are you broken in the head?’

‘Oh right, you don’t even have a head! So what, you Light Orb, did your logic circuits short out or something?!’

‘Do you even realize who’s standing here? Just a few hundred NPCs! Including me, that’s still only a few hundred!’

‘Pulling a stunt like this is going to cause me all sorts of trouble!’

Tianyin found it impossible to accept what was happening before her eyes.

But the problem was, even if she didn’t want to accept it, this had already become an unchangeable fact.

The Ninth Faction.

Ninth…

In the entire game world, there were only eight great factions. Every one of them possessed vast, boundless territories.

Just take the three factions, Nature, Sanctuary, and Graveyard, as examples. All three had opened up their own independent sub-planes outside the Main World, planes that belonged exclusively to them.

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According to the System’s data, the scale of these independent planes was comparable to the Main World itself.

So if what she had created was being recognized as the Ninth Faction… that was just absurd beyond belief.

Even though “Ninth Faction” sounded powerful, Tianyin knew full well that she didn’t have the strength or foundation to rival any of the other factions.

Her actual power was hardly worth mentioning. Outwardly she might have the strength of a Throne-class being, but in reality, Tianyin was perfectly aware of what her combat ability really amounted to.

“What’s wrong, Xiaoyin?”

Seeing the conflicted expression shifting constantly across Tianyin’s face, Xingyu Muxi asked curiously.

“Wuu… Sister Xiaomu… it’s nothing, really…”

Tianyin hesitated, finding it hard to explain.

After all, this entire matter had been something Xingyu Muxi had helped her with. Now that she was regretting it, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about those feelings, especially toward the person who had directly helped her.

“Xiaoyin doesn’t want to say? That’s fine. But if there’s any trouble, you can always tell me, okay? I’ve already decided to see myself as your big sister, after all.”

“Eh? Big sister?”

Tianyin blinked in surprise.

“Of course. I was just thinking, what am I to you, Xiaoyin? And what is Xiaoyin to me?”

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“M-me? I’ve always thought Sister Xiaomu was… the most important person to me…”

Though her face flushed slightly, Tianyin still spoke her heart’s true feelings without hesitation.

“I know, I know. Xiaoyin sees me as someone very important. But I was wondering, if I’m that important, what kind of place do we hold in each other’s lives? And thinking about it, I realized… I should be your big sister, right? And you, Xiaoyin, are my little sister~”

“Wuu, little sister…”

For some reason, even though Tianyin’s soul was still that of a boy, she couldn’t bring herself to reject this new identity, an identity she wouldn’t have even imagined not long ago.

“I’m… Sister Xiaomu’s little sister?”

“Mhm, my little sister. So if my little sister ever feels troubled or confused, she can come to her big sister, okay? After all, Xiaoyin, you’re my favorite, and my only little sister~”

For reasons she couldn’t explain, hearing those words made Tianyin’s heart, which had been heavy with worry over the faction matter, suddenly feel warm and happy.

Even her cheeks were faintly flushed.

Meanwhile, off to the side, Xiaomengyao, who had been watching the entire “live show,” puffed up her cheeks in protest, sulking unhappily.

Though she wanted to interrupt, she forced herself to stay quiet, barely holding it in.

“I see… actually, Sister Xiaomu, just now, after I accepted the territorial rights from you, something bad happened…”

Tianyin didn’t notice Xiaomengyao’s sulky expression. Though she could vaguely feel a strange chill from behind, she didn’t think much of it.

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She went on to explain in full detail how the System had declared the establishment of the 【Ninth Faction】.

“That’s what happened, Sister Xiaomu. About the Ninth Faction… I still find it hard to accept…”

Hard to accept indeed. If the Ninth Faction had truly just been created like that, then obviously she would become a thorn in the side of every other faction.

After all, the world had already been divided among the Eight Great Factions. If a mysterious Ninth Faction suddenly appeared…

Wouldn’t that just make her the first target to be eliminated?

“Well, Xiaoyin, you’re being far too pessimistic. I actually think the founding of the Ninth Faction might be an opportunity.”

“Eh? An opportunity?”

Honestly, Tianyin couldn’t think of any opportunity in this situation at all. Apart from earning the hostility of every other faction, she couldn’t see a single advantage.

“Xiaoyin, you have to understand something, opportunity often comes hand in hand with danger. But if you only see the danger and not the chance, that’s not the kind of perspective a future ruler of the Ninth Faction should have~”

‘Wh-what “ruler of the Ninth Faction”?!’

‘I, Tianyin, just want to live peacefully as a lazy, carefree little mascot, no, as a loli!’