Chapter 27: The Sanatorium for Resonators

The primordial remnant soul carried a powerful, corrupting temptation.

Ever since Hedy’s tribe acquired these remnants, they had known no peace. Even after migrating several times, they were constantly harassed by various factions that sniffed out their presence. Consequently, the elders had been tirelessly searching for a way to deal with the remnants.

The Demon King’s soul was immortal and indestructible; the only way to stop it from radiating that accursed temptation was through a fusion ritual. However, the Druids, who considered themselves children of nature, could not accept the bloody sacrifices required by such a ritual, leaving them at a stalemate.

Hedy had heard that the witches of the Iris Coven might possess a method of sealing, but she had never actually encountered these legendary figures. The appearance of Vivian and her cat, however, offered Hedy a new perspective. Yet, as the youngest Druid in the tribe, Hedy lacked the authority to make major decisions, so she could only invite Vivian to visit her tribe.

After settling on a time, Vivian briefly parted ways with Hedy to head toward the town where Farrell was located, intent on seeing what was happening there.

Taking advantage of the time Vivian spent traveling, Luo En began preparing for his upcoming recommendation. Since his new ability offered little help in actual combat, he quietly abandoned the idea of rushing out chapters and instead wrote this experience as a stockpile for emergencies. He wasn't one of those big-name authors who could slack off for days without impacting their book's performance.

Luo En picked up his "Demon Credit Card," intending to head to a bank. The description of this card suggested it could be used in the Spirit Realm. He had once asked the experts in his group chat, and while it was true that some Spirit Realm dungeons allowed for the purchase of items, they generally only accepted the currency native to that realm. However, many supernatural items bought in these dungeons could materialize into cards upon clearing the dungeon. One senior in the group had even worked for three days at a bunny-girl tavern in a Spirit Realm dungeon just to afford a demon-slaying pistol. Luo En had never dared to ask what the work entailed, and the other experts seemed to share an unspoken understanding about it.

He wondered if depositing money into this card would make it usable in a Spirit Realm dungeon... Luo En decided to give it a try.

Yet, when he arrived at the ATM, he faced a problem of epic proportions: he had no money.

Luo En’s parents had passed away long ago, leaving him little inheritance. He had barely managed to finish university through work-study programs, only to be struck by Resonance Syndrome shortly after. Staring at the dismal balance on his card, Luo En silently took out his phone and messaged Bai Lu: "Can my salary be advanced?"

"...No... Why are you all asking for salary advances?" The sound of liquid splashing came from the other end of the line.

Luo En felt a shiver. Would he get beaten up for asking?

"What are you doing? If you're busy, I'll contact you later." Luo En coughed twice to hide his nervousness.

"It's nothing, just having a chat with the censors," Bai Lu said with great composure. But judging by the sounds, she seemed to have added a kick for good measure.

"It's infuriating," Bai Lu grumbled.

"Uh..."

"By the way," she seemed to remember something and warned him, "the same goes for you—don't write about cats doing strange things with their mouths in your books!"

"Huh? No, that's not..."

"But kissing a cat is fine," Bai Lu pondered, then stated firmly, "I've already scouted the censorship limits for you."

"Who would even write that! Hey!" Luo En couldn't help but retort.

"Isn't your avatar in the book a cat?"

"I'm a real cat! A real cat! Do you understand? Haven't you held me before?"

"The problem is that it’s a real cat, damn it!" Bai Lu sounded frustrated, unable to stop herself from swearing. "Can you people stop writing such perverted things?"

"..." Luo En hesitated into silence. Damn. Which senior was out there blazing a trail again?

"So, about the salary advance..."

"It depends on your reason." Bai Lu didn't outright refuse.

Luo En explained the situation with the "Demon Credit Card." After listening, Bai Lu said bluntly, "I'm afraid I can't approve that. But," she paused, as if remembering something, "I can recommend a place where you might be able to earn some money. I've looked at your file; didn't you work as a character artist for visual novels in your university club? That works out well."

"Huh?" How did he end up getting a job offer?

Luo En was muttering to himself when he received a link from Bai Lu.

Pei Qian...

"Why does this name sound so familiar?" Luo En couldn't help but ask.

"Of course it does, you must have read his books," Bai Lu replied.

Luo En then recalled that there was indeed such a book. Because it was an urban startup story, Luo En had wondered at the time what would happen if such a creator accidentally stumbled into a Spirit Realm dungeon.

In truth, creators had different roles. Those like Luo En, whose Spirit Realm avatars possessed supernatural powers, were sent by the world's consciousness to conquer dungeons. Those who wrote urban slice-of-life stories were responsible for healing the mental worlds of ordinary people. For instance, in "cultural entertainment" novels, creators who wrote original songs were actually major stars in reality. Others, who specialized in "copy-writing" entertainment tropes, could imbue their novels' powers into their real-world works. When you copied a song in a novel, many readers who had never heard it would search for it. At that moment, the power imbued in the music would heal the readers' souls.

Luo En hadn't expected that startup-themed works also had Resonance creators. According to Bai Lu, the companies they founded functioned as sanatoriums for patients with Resonance Syndrome. It was said that anyone who entered Pei Qian’s company recovered completely.

Trusting Bai Lu, Luo En contacted the person quickly. To his surprise, despite being a top-tier author, the man was very approachable. After Luo En stated his purpose, Pei Qian responded promptly:

[Pei Qian: Looking to make some extra cash? Sure, sure! I happen to have a game that needs character designs. Why don't you draw them for me?]

[Pei Qian: Come to think of it, you aren't a professional artist, are you?]

[Luo En: Uh... I studied air conditioning repair.]

Seeing Luo En’s reply, Pei Qian was instantly energized. An unexpected gain! He had been agonizing over an artist for his new project. To lose money, he had even resorted to making a visual novel. But his subordinates were acting like they were on stimulants, using his budget to scout industry celebrities. This wouldn't do! If he hired those people to draw, how could his game lose money?

He called his art director, pushed Luo En’s profile to him, and said, "This is the artist I've found for you. He will be responsible for all the character designs for 'Cat and Vanilla'!"

The art director, a veteran employee who knew President Pei's personality, agreed immediately. "And the budget?"

"I'm not too familiar with the industry rates for drawing," Pei Qian muttered, rubbing his chin. "I heard that an original illustration for a mobile game next door sells for 150,000..."

The art director was about to speak when he heard President Pei’s firm tone: "Let's set the contract at 100,000 per original illustration."

The director was stunned. No! President Pei! What are you doing! You really don't want to make money, do you!

"My mind is made up!" Pei Qian said with a resolute expression.

After the director left, Pei Qian leaned back in his chair. Behind his shoulders, a coin pusher machine was rattling frantically—the manifestation of his character card. A faint, confident smile played on his lips.

This time, he would definitely lose money!