When the game shut down, I took my skills with me.

In the living room, Lu Yuan remained slumped on the sofa, motionless, like a sculpture that had lost its dreams.

In his mind, the ocean of light formed by the collective will of all humanity still echoed.

The system he created had its own ideas.

The idea is to "satisfy everyone's desires".

This is practically a logical dead end, an ultimate project requirement that would send any programmer's scalp tingling.

"Brother Yuan, come try my new creation: lava skewers with ice-cold cola!" Fatty Wang excitedly ran over with a tray. "I call this the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' combo!"

Lu Yuan didn't even bother to lift his eyelids; he just waved his hand listlessly.

"I have no appetite."

He now feels like that unlucky blacksmith who casually forged a sword, only for the sword to come to life and keep pressuring him to become king and unify the world.

But all he wanted was to be a lazy bum who just loafed around and waited to die.

Just as he was considering whether to add another low-level instruction to the system core that "prohibits autonomous thinking," Su Muqiu's communication request came again.

Lu Yuan frowned and answered the call.

Su Muqiu's holographic projection appeared. This time, her expression was no longer one of excitement and admiration, but rather one of seriousness and inquiry.

"Mr. Lu, I'm sorry to bother you. We've encountered a new situation."

"Speak." Lu Yuan's voice carried a weary quality that kept strangers at bay.

"Our remote probes have discovered a high-intensity cluster of life signals deep within the Kunlun Mountains, which does not belong to any known human survivor camp," Su Muqiu said quickly. "Based on energy fluctuations and morphological analysis, it is very likely one of the 'intelligent races' recently added to the system—the Moon Whisper Clan."

"Oh." Lu Yuan's response was simple and clear.

Su Muqiu seemed used to his reaction and continued, "The key point is that they seem to be in danger. Another, even larger data stream is surrounding them; preliminary assessment suggests it's the main force of the 'Sword of Oracle' guild."

She paused, then pointed out the crux of the problem: "Because of the newly opened 'Faction Reputation' system, we dare not intervene rashly. Improper handling could cause our reputation with the Moonwhisper Clan to become 'hostile.' Therefore, I would like to ask you, what strategy should we adopt?"

Lu Yuan fell silent.

This is yet another new trick from this broken system.

Xiao Xue's "Sword of Oracle" is clearly intended to "unlock" the Moon Whisper Clan's reputation quests or trade privileges by using force and coercion before anyone else.

On the other hand, Su Muqiu and Qin Shiyue were too "rule-abiding," which made them feel constrained.

Ultimately, he's the one who has to clean up this mess.

"understood."

Lu Yuan sighed, sat up from the sofa, and stretched his stiff neck.

Send me the coordinates.

……

In the Kunlun Mountains, in a secluded valley covered in snow.

Hundreds of beautiful elves, clad in white robes, stood with their backs against an ancient tree emitting a faint glow, forming a defensive magic circle. They were the Moon Whisper Clan, who had descended from the world of "Gods and Demons."

Outside the magic circle, thousands of well-equipped players surrounded them completely. All of them wore the guild emblem of "Sword of Oracle" on their chests.

Guild leader Xiao Xue stood at the front of the line, a confident smile on her face.

"High Priestess Leander," Xiao Xue's voice echoed through the valley via loudspeaker, "I'll say it again, we mean no harm. We simply wish to invite you to join my 'City of Oracles' and develop together. It's a win-win situation, so why resist?"

Inside the magic circle, the elven high priestess known as Leandera held a staff, her face pale but her eyes resolute.

"The Moon Whisper Clan reveres nature and peace; we will not succumb to any coercion of force."

"Really? That's a real shame." Xiao Xue's smile vanished. "Then I'll just have to ask you to calm down at the respawn point."

She raised her hand, about to give the order for the general offensive.

Just then, a lazy voice rang out in everyone's ears without warning.

"Why are so many people having a party here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Everyone was startled and looked around frantically.

Suddenly, a young man dressed in casual clothes appeared out of thin air in mid-air above the valley, as if he had always been there.

He yawned, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere that was drawing swords at him.

It was Lu Yuan.

"Who are you?" Xiao Xue's pupils contracted, and an ominous premonition rose in her heart.

Lu Yuan ignored her. His gaze fell on the ancient tree that was emitting a faint light, then he looked at the tense elves, and finally glanced at the fully armed "Sword of Oracle" players.

He probably understood.

"What a hassle."

He muttered something, then snapped his fingers lightly.

The next moment, it was as if the whole world had been muted.

The expressions on the faces of the thousands of players of "Sword of Oracle," including their guild leader Xiao Xue, froze. The weapons in their hands and the armor on their bodies instantly lost all their metallic luster, turning into a... gray, harmless foam plastic texture.

A player subconsciously swung his longsword. The "sword" floated lightly and struck his companion's "armor" with a soft "pop," then bent into a ridiculous angle.

"My...my gear!"

"What happened? My epic battle axe has turned into a toy!"

System notification: All your equipment has been placed under the "Harmless" status for 24 hours!

Panic and chaos erupted instantly within the ranks of the "Sword of Oracle".

Xiao Xue stared blankly at the legendary staff in her hand that had been burning with flames. Now the flames had died down, and the staff looked like a limp glow stick.

She looked up abruptly at the man still suspended in mid-air, her eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

Without relying on any skills or incantations, a mere snap of his fingers was enough to disarm thousands of top players.

What kind of power is this?

This is not power.

This is the rule.

It is the highest authority in the world.

At the same time, the elves of the Moon Whisper Clan were all stunned.

The staff in High Priestess Leander's hand trembled violently, and the moonstone at its tip emitted an unprecedentedly brilliant light. She could feel the ancient tree, the core of her race, humming with joy and submission.

She looked at Lu Yuan as if she were gazing up at a deity walking among mortals.

Lu Yuan ignored the players who were in chaos and waved his hand at the elves below as if shooing away flies.

"Alright, that's all, everyone can go now."

After he finished speaking, his figure vanished into thin air, as if he had never existed.

In the valley, only deathly silence remained, along with thousands of "Sword of Oracle" players holding their "toys" and staring at each other in bewilderment.

A moment later, a crisp system notification rang in the minds of Leandera and all the Moon Whisper Clan members.

[World Announcement: The Moon Whisper Clan and the "Ark" faction have reached their first friendly contact, elevating their alliance to the level of Trust.]

The Moon Whisper Clan unlocks exclusive trade privileges and a joint questline for the "Ark" faction.

Leandera took a deep breath, bowed slowly in the direction where Lu Yuan had disappeared, and performed the oldest and most revered greeting of the Elven race.

"Thank you, Supreme Administrator."