Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Master of Puppetry

After thoughtfully glancing at her Puppet Bestowal and Silk Thread Manipulation skills, which could no longer be upgraded using points, Ye Jiujiu didn’t dwell on them too much.

Instead, she focused most of her attention on her now fully upgraded skill, Paint and Powder.

It could be said that upgrading Puppet Bestowal and Silk Thread Manipulation to Lv. 9 had cost her only a certain number of points combined. After deducting the points spent on upgrading her instance, the remaining ten million or so points had all been poured into unlocking the maximum level of Paint and Powder.

Fortunately, the points she’d invested had produced remarkable results.

After carefully reading through the effects of Paint and Powder once again, Ye Jiujiu’s eyes flickered slightly.

First, she used her current doll disguise as the template to create her first puppet clone.

【Current Puppet Clone: Code Name—Doll. Template inspection in progress…】

【Because the current puppet clone’s character profile is complete and detailed, you will receive an initial recognition level of 20%. (The maximum initial recognition level of 20% has been reached.)】

【It has been detected that you are currently inside an active instance… The current puppet clone is a special case. Template creation approved!】 Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

【You have already gained the corresponding recognition through this puppet clone… Determination: This clone is directly established.】

【Puppet Clone: Code Name—Doll has reached a recognition level of 30%. Puppet clone manifestation successful. (Since this puppet clone’s abilities overlap with yours, your corresponding abilities have been appropriately enhanced.)】

Aside from keenly sensing that she could summon her puppet clone at any time and from anywhere, Ye Jiujiu also discovered something else.

Perhaps it was because her Trait had already been upgraded:

Every puppet you create can be your true body, and your true body can also be any one of your puppets. Furthermore, as long as even one puppet bearing your imprint still exists in the world, you will never completely disappear.

She realized that even while dividing her attention, she could still maintain complete control over every puppet she owned, including her puppet clones.

Simply put, every puppet and clone could be her, while she herself was every puppet and clone.

This feeling… Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

It was absolutely wonderful!

Ye Jiujiu happily summoned the successfully manifested Doll clone and switched places with it. At the same time, she began creating her next puppet clone.

As for this next clone, was it possible to create one with a Player identity?

【It has been detected that you are currently inside an active instance. Player identity is temporarily locked and cannot be created!】

【Notice: Because you are currently inside an active instance, any template you create must meet the following requirements:

1. You may create, and may only create, one NPC-template puppet clone. (This will replace your current participation slot in the active instance.)

2. You must provide a reasonable explanation for why this puppet clone would appear in the current active instance.】

In other words, she could create a puppet clone with a Player identity once the instance ended? Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Ye Jiujiu wasn’t disappointed.

She thoughtfully stared at the requirements for creating subsequent puppet clone templates and considered them for a while…

After taking into account the things she’d previously used to fool Tu Jin…

Ye Jiujiu came up with an idea.

She opened the editing panel.

The first thing she needed to determine was the rank of the puppet clone template.

After experimenting a little…

Ye Jiujiu discovered that, given her current strength, if she set the puppet clone’s rank at S- or below, the template could remain active for a full 300 days before manifestation. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

If she set it at S Rank, it could remain active for 60 days.

If she set it at S+ Rank, it would last only a mere three days. Anything above S+ Rank displayed a message stating that she lacked the required permissions.

To summarize, the highest rank she could currently assign to a puppet clone template was S+ Rank. However, its duration was extremely short, making it poor value for money.

Without a doubt, S Rank was the optimal choice.

S Rank…

That made things much simpler.

Remembering how Tu Jin had initially frightened her fragile little heart, Ye Jiujiu silently opened her mental grudge book and slowly revealed a smile.

This time, she would make a template that was just a little tailored to this particular male Bodhisattva. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Of course, considering the tens of millions of points he’d been tricked into… ahem, generously contributed, she certainly wouldn’t go too far.

No, wait!

How could she put it like that?

She was a magnanimous person, someone with a heart broad enough to sail a ship through. Naturally, creating this puppet clone had absolutely nothing to do with personal grudges.

She simply wanted to test her abilities by challenging the current instance’s boss.

What did that have to do with holding a grudge?

Having successfully convinced herself, Ye Jiujiu immediately found herself overflowing with inspiration and began editing the puppet clone’s template.

【Name: Master of Puppetry (Shen Chengye)】 Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Overall Personal Evaluation: S Rank

Current Identity: A powerful independent NPC.

Personal Background:

In the beginning, he was simply a person who loved theater.

He had his own unique insights and perspectives on the art of performance.

Later… through theater, he saw through the nature of life and gained the most important inspiration and understanding of his destiny.

From that day onward…

To him, life was nothing more than a theatrical performance. Everyone was merely following the script of fate, playing their assigned roles step by step. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

He didn’t want to become an actor in someone else’s play, so he sought to take control of his own destiny.

And evidently, he succeeded.

He broke free from the control of the script woven by fate and became the one writing it.

But that wasn’t enough.

Having tasted the sweetness of scripting fate, he had become addicted.

He acted without restraint, completely transcending all boundaries. Eventually, he even abandoned his own name.

He called himself the Master of Puppetry—the one who toyed with fate in the palm of his hand.

He danced within the grasp of destiny, and in the end, he would trample upon it. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Personality:

Unrestrained, courteous yet unhinged, unpredictable in mood, volatile in temperament, and impossible to read.

Hobbies:

Enjoys collecting dolls.

Relationships:

1. Ye Jiujiu: As the only Puppeteer in the game world, the Master of Puppetry, who loves theater, naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to meet her. He is the Puppeteer’s friend, and the only person he acknowledges as a friend.

Ability Settings:

In his eyes, everyone is nothing more than a marionette waiting to be controlled. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

As long as they step into his theater and become characters in his play, he will have complete control over everything.

【It has been detected that you are currently inside an active instance. Any template you create must meet the following requirements:

1. You may create, and may only create, one NPC-template puppet clone. (This will replace your current participation slot in the active instance.) 【Requirement met】

2. You must provide a reasonable explanation for why this puppet clone would appear in the current active instance. 【Requirement met】】

【Puppet clone template successfully established! You have successfully obtained the puppet clone: Master of Puppetry (Shen Chengye)!】

【Because the current puppet clone’s character profile is complete and detailed, you will receive an initial recognition level of 20%. (The maximum initial recognition level of 20% has been reached.)】

【Current puppet clone duration: 60 days!】

Satisfied, Ye Jiujiu switched into the Master of Puppetry’s clone. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

As she sensed her own abilities, the smile on her face gradually grew more unrestrained.

It was time to begin a new chapter.