When Jaheun ignored him and kept walking, Limousine, flustered, swung the broom he was holding at his indifferent back. He would’ve usually let it go, but the scene just now had been too strange. Seriously weird!
“Listen to me!”
They both knew that being in a Bond meant there was no damage from attacks. But accepting the hit willingly was a whole other matter. Limousine dodged the broom with an annoying little duck of his torso. Thanks to that, poor Dòu Qī next to them got smacked and lost a bit of HP.
“……”
Jaheun and Limousine froze. Just now……
You couldn’t kill NPCs. Even if you hit them, their HP wouldn’t drop. Only monsters were affected by player attacks.
Both of them looked at Dòu Qī. His HP remained exactly where Jaheun had knocked it down. It hadn’t reset.
[Huh? Why’d you hit me?]
They instinctively drew their weapons. Brooms clattered to the floor.
“So we can kill them?”
“Turns out there was an easier way to get first place.”
Dead characters couldn’t earn points. If they dropped insignias upon death, even better. With a sociopathic calculation, they immediately lunged at Dòu Qī.
[They said to clean the yard, not clean me up!]
His screams didn’t even register. Efficiency maniacs like them had no room for mercy toward NPCs. To make it even better, they gained cleaning points after taking down Dòu Qī.
This was it. Limousine and Jaheun’s heads turned toward Dòu Liù, who was sweeping nearby. It felt more like a thriller now.
It didn’t take long to wipe out everyone from Dòu Yī to Dòu Bā. The competitors scattered around the yard weren’t weak enough to go down in one hit, but they weren’t strong enough to put up real resistance either. A few minutes later, even though they respawned, they could just be killed again. After doing it a few times, they became skilled enough to pull all eight at once and wipe them out efficiently. All they had to do now was keep killing until the timer ran out. It was easier than falling off a log.
The cleaning contest ended. Unfortunately, no insignia had dropped, but the scores for second place and below had long since been locked in. The sanitation chief handed over the doll while grumbling in dissatisfaction.
[You really worked hard. And to think you said you didn’t need it……]
“……Now that I see it again, it’s quite something.”
[Isn’t it?]
Jaheun showed peak learned behavior, putting on his best empty flattery. The sanitation chief brightened at once and eagerly began to explain.
[Young Master Lìng Hóu normally doesn’t approve of things like this. But just this once, he allowed it to be made to boost morale. After this, you won’t be able to get it even if you want to!]
“Right……”
[It was such a rare opportunity, the artisans gave it their all…… Look at this delicate facial structure, this soft, plush texture! Even the outfit was carefully designed to replicate what the Young Master usually wears.]
“Yeaaah……”
[And this part is the crowning glory. Here, we have……]
As the sanitation chief’s endless bragging continued, Jaheun’s expression began to crumple. He hadn’t even handed over the doll yet, so the quest couldn’t be marked complete, forcing Jaheun to endure the whole rant. It was only thanks to Limousine patting his back and whispering to keep his expression in check that he relaxed a little.
The sanitation chief finally handed the doll over to Jaheun after going on for quite a while.
< You have completed ‘Hidden Story: The Greatest Courtyard Cleaning Under Heaven’. >
< You have obtained ‘Lìng Hóu Doll’. >
< You have obtained the title ‘Cleaning King’. >
The quest rewards were modest. Given what the quest was about, he hadn’t expected much anyway. Honestly, he’d only done it because of the goddamn penalty……
Now it was time to help Limousine with his hidden quest. Just as Jaheun turned to leave, the sanitation chief called out.
[Ah, and don’t forget the certificate of authenticity.]
< You have obtained the ‘Lìng Hóu Doll Certificate of Authenticity’. >
< ‘Major Cleanup at the Merchant Guild’ Rén Hé Sect Insignia Acquired [1/3] >
At the sudden quest progression, Jaheun and Limousine looked at each other. The certificate was a Rén Hé Sect insignia? Jaheun pulled out the certificate he had just received again.
< Lìng Hóu Doll Certificate of Authenticity >
Rare | Miscellaneous | Untradeable
A certificate for a doll modeled after the Merchant Guild’s idol, ‘Lìng Hóu’.
It bears the guild’s crest prominently. An old and prestigious insignia that has been passed down for generations, used only on a select few top-tier goods from the guild.
The insignia on the certificate was identical to the one stamped on the main gate of the guild—a red crest with a person wrapped in a lotus flower.
So this was the Rén Hé Sect insignia.
It had been so blatantly out in the open, they hadn’t even thought to suspect it. But now that they knew, it was easy. Since Lìng Huá and Lìng Hóu even shared similar names, it was highly likely that if Lìng Hóu had one, Lìng Huá would definitely have an insignia too. With the unexpected gain, both of their steps grew lighter.
As they entered the Huá Shēng Hall, the same dazzling interior welcomed them. They hadn’t noticed while admiring the decorations at first, but the building seemed to be quite large. It looked like it even had an office, as well as properly equipped storage rooms and bathrooms.
“Hey, want to hit the bathroom first?”
“What bathroom?”
<Celestial Wind> was a virtual reality game, meaning physical functions like digestion or bowel movements didn’t exist. To the puzzled question, a snarky answer came back.
“You need an alibi, duh.”
Jaheun’s face twisted. The excuse Limousine had made up for Lìng Huá before coming to the yard suddenly popped into his head.
“Shut it.”
Limousine snickered and kept walking. Soon, they arrived at Lìng Huá’s room. Limousine began to explain the quest.
“……You told her you were an interior designer?”
“Yeah.”
“With what confidence?”
Limousine smiled peacefully at Jaheun’s incredulous tone. Jaheun could feel the cursing in his eyes.
“Whatever, can you do it? This thing’s hard as hell. Lìng Huá talks like crazy.”
“A bit……”
Jaheun had a bachelor’s degree in a design-related major. He hadn’t touched any housing content in <Celestial Wind>, but…… he had taken an interior design class back in freshman year. That should count for something, right? Jaheun tried to recall the faint memories from his early college days. But Limousine’s warning about how brutal the difficulty was suddenly weighed on him like a sack of bricks.
However, the moment he stepped into Lìng Huá’s room, all that pressure instantly vanished.
“……I think I can guess what you messed with.”
“How do you know?”
Because that’s the only part that looks absolutely hideous. Keeping his mouth shut during his no-swearing period, Jaheun wisely held back the actual answer. Who in their right mind puts blue over a red room? What was that even supposed to be—a flag?
Jaheun started by removing all the eyesores left behind by ‘made by Limousine.’
< ‘Lìng Huá’s Affection has increased by 3. >
< ‘Lìng Huá’s Affection has increased by 2. >
< ‘Lìng Huá’s Affection has increased by 4. >
The NPC must’ve been really offended because simply removing some furniture made her affection go up. Watching Lìng Huá’s affection instantly jump past 20, Limousine looked stunned, completely unaware of the disaster he had caused. This bastard…… might actually be decent at this?
[Party] Jaheun: What’s the concept again?
[Party] Limousine: Elegant, witty, stylish, classy, and unique
[Party] Jaheun: ?
What the hell does that even mean? I don’t know either, damn it. As Limousine shook his head, Jaheun turned to look at Lìng Huá.
“What’s your favorite color?”
[Purple.]
Why couldn’t she just say that to me? Was she discriminating against me or what? But Limousine’s petty resentment had nothing to do with how smoothly the project was now going.
The translucent curtains turned gold, and strings of purple beads hung from the ceiling, threaded onto golden cords. On a dark wooden side table, a coral-shaped amethyst ornament was placed. Jaheun hadn’t gone to college and paid tuition just to use his design major knowledge in a game’s housing content, but hey, at least it was coming in handy. Every time Jaheun adjusted something, Lìng Huá’s affection skyrocketed like magic.
“……Huh?”
While measuring space to place a new bed, Jaheun’s brows drew together in suspicion. He was about to call out to Limousine but, conscious of Lìng Huá watching nearby, opted to send a message instead.
[Party] Jaheun: Hey
[Party] Jaheun: Something’s weird about this room
[Party] Limousine: ?
When they had first seen it, Lìng Huá’s room had been so stuffed with furniture and decorations that it was impossible to take it all in at a glance. So at first, they hadn’t noticed. But after swapping a few things out, a strange sense of dissonance started to creep in.
First of all, Lìng Huá’s room had too many objects.
In the process of tidying up, they had removed quite a few things, but some of those, when deleted, dropped her affection by more than 10 points. Not only deletion—even if he so much as moved them temporarily, Lìng Huá would immediately show her displeasure. There were several like that, and at a glance, there didn’t seem to be any common thread between them. Just in case, Jaheun avoided touching anything that caused a drop of 10 or more.
Second, there was nothing intended for anyone else.
Even if it was a private room, someone of her status in the guild would surely receive visitors, whether subordinates or guests. But in Lìng Huá’s room, everything was single-use. There wasn’t even a reception area in this spacious room. As if she had never entertained a guest in her life. And whenever Jaheun tried to place something that might accommodate a guest, her affection always dropped.
And third, there was no bathroom in Lìng Huá’s room.