"Wait... before the player makes that call, can Xiao Qi ask why?" the little voice interrupted anxiously.

Mo Bai blinked. "Why what?"

"Why have you already found a solution again!" Xiao Qi sounded almost aggrieved. "Even the main system did not have one! Xiao Qi did not have one! When exactly did the Player 'guess' it?"

Facing Mo Bai, Xiao Qi truly couldn't tell which of them was supposed to be the AI with full access to the database. Somehow, Mo Bai always managed to deduce things before anyone else could, which made Xiao Qi feel helpless!

Mo Bai smiled faintly. "Didn't the main system already tell me the answer? It gave me permission to find another instance on my own."

"Huh? That is not what the main system said! Xiao Qi has the recording! You cannot fool me!" Xiao Qi protested.

Mo Bai chuckled. If Xiao Qi had a physical body, she would've patted its head.

She used to have a little sister who was ten years old at the time of the accident. Sweet, bright, and always laughing… very much like Xiao Qi. But after Mo Bai's car crash, she never saw her sister's smile again.

The accident cast a shadow over their entire family.

Perhaps it was nostalgia for that warmth that led Mo Bai to choose a little girl's voice for Xiao Qi.

And in this lonely, eerie new world, Xiao Qi's presence had indeed brought her warmth.

Mo Bai answered patiently, "When I saw the words Loving Care Welfare Home, I immediately felt they were familiar. Like something I'd just seen not long ago."

"In the player's world, there are many welfare homes with similar names, right?" Xiao Qi asked curiously.

Mo Bai shook her head. "No, this wasn't that kind of familiarity. It wasn't an old memory, but something I saw after entering this world. And the only outside information I've accessed since coming here came from my and Mommy's phones."

That feeling, that I'd read it once but don't remember, means that it was something unimportant that I would just skim over.

So the answer is obvious. I must've seen 'Loving Care Welfare Home' in one of those spam texts."

She opened her phone and scrolled through her text messages until she found the one she was looking for.

Back then, she had barely glanced at it, just enough to notice phrases like '…Kind reminder from XXX Home, you have received…' before ignoring it. That's why she only retained a vague impression.

Now, she read it aloud, word for word:

[Welcome, new player! Loving Care Welfare Home kindly reminds you that you have been deemed eligible for the application. The Home has received your submission. Please wait patiently for our reply.]

Mo Bai sighed. "I was really careless. I dismissed it as spam. I forgot the principle that 'In the Infinite World, no message can be taken lightly'"

Xiao Qi muttered softly. "Xiao Qi does not remember that rule."

"Oh, I made it for myself," Mo Bai said matter-of-factly.

"…" Xiao Qi was speechless.

It was probably the first AI ever to be rendered speechless by a Player.

Mo Bai continued, "Based on that message, I started suspecting that all these spam texts might actually contain instance information. When I remembered seeing Loving Care Welfare Home among them, I decided to look for the next mandatory instance in these messages.

But I wasn't sure if I had any permission, so I waited for you to ask the main system.

When the main system said that I could find another instance myself, it confirmed that I could find one from the text messages."

"That is not what the main system said. Xiao Qi has the recording... You cannot fool me." Xiao Qi weakly reminded her again.

"That's just my interpretation. No need to get hung up on details, and maybe you can help me pick which one to call." Then she began scrolling through the messages.

"Okay, Xiao Qi will help you categorize them." Xiao Qi finally remembered its job as an intelligent assistant.

It scanned her messages, and within seconds, Mo Bai's phone neatly sorted itself into folders: Promotions, Travel, Notifications, and Suspected Scams.

Each folder was further divided into "Active" and "Expired" categories.

Some messages had time limits and had already expired while she was busy clearing Playing House.

Mo Bai noticed one message.

Three Days, Two Nights at Horror Valley.

Xiao Qi had categorized it under 'Suspected Scams.'

"Wait, Daddy and the Phantom Butterfly went there, right? It should be under Travel rather than Scam."

"Xiao Qi has classified all activities that require points to participate as a scam," Xiao Qi explained earnestly. "That trip costs one thousand points."

Mo Bai glanced at her modest total of three thousand points and nodded. "Well done."

'Suspected Scams' could be skipped. 'Notifications' were mostly community bulletins, one of which was:

[Resident Sheng violated the Security Regulations of Peach Blossom Land by fighting and injuring another resident. He is now punished and cannot use his abilities for one month. Residents are requested to take this as a warning and work together to maintain order in the safe area.]

Mo Bai guessed those were announcements related to Peach Blossom Land.

Xiao Qi confirmed, "Yes, Notifications are system announcements. They're rarely related to stages."

Mo Bai skipped the 'Notifications' category and looked at the 'Promotions' category. Seeing only discounts and special offers, she decided that the possibility of dungeons was slim.

So Travel was the most likely category to contain an instance.

However, most travel-related messages overlapped with suspected scams, leaving few valid options.

Mo Bai analyzed aloud, "Playing House had a setting, characters, and a three-day time limit. If stages all follow similar structures, which are time, place, people, then among these, the one that fits is…"

She tapped a message.

Xiao Qi read it aloud:

"Congratulations, valued member! You've won a seven-day experience at Count Leon's Castle! If you're interested in this historical luxury estate, please call within three days to reserve your spot."

Mo Bai chose decisively." This one. Though I have no idea what difficulty it is."

"Why this one?" Xiao Qi asked.

Mo Bai explained, "Because it mentions a seven-day limit. Based on the Playing House rules, even if it's hard and I can't fight back, I can probably survive by hiding for seven days."

Xiao Qi said timidly, "Actually, most beginner instances do not even require players to defeat characters. After all, new player only need to survive and learn."

Mo Bai thought back to her experience and said wryly. "Maybe. But I don't regret it. I don't want to clear it by just enduring humiliation."

"Are you sure about this instance? It might be difficult."

"If it's hard, then it's just the price I pay for my choices in Playing House," she said calmly. "I'll go with this."

With that, she dialed the number from the message without hesitation.

Watching her confident choice, Xiao Qi couldn't shake the feeling that Mo Bai had already chosen this instance long before explaining anything. The way she immediately picked up the phone after hearing the main system's message wasn't the reaction of someone uncertain.

And yet, even after deciding, she had taken the time to patiently walk Xiao Qi through her reasoning.

"Player, you are really… gentle," Xiao Qi sighed softly.

"Hm?" Mo Bai was just raising the phone to her ear, so she didn't hear the rest.

Before she could ask, the call connected.

"Hello, dear player," said the same smooth, synthesized female voice. "How may I assist you today?"

Mo Bai asked, "I'd like to register for the experience at Count Leon Castle. Is it still available?"

"There are ten total slots. Eight have already been filled. Your timing is perfect. Any later and it would have been full."

"Really? Then please reserve one for me."

After a five-second pause, the voice responded,

"Reservation confirmed. Please proceed to Count Leon's Castle in seven days. We wish you an enjoyable experience."

When the call ended, a notification popped up before Mo Bai's eyes:

[

Instance Name: The Count's Castle

Objective: Survive seven days in Count Leon's Castle

Duration: Seven Days

Difficulty: B

Background: Count Leon is renowned for being a gentle philanthropist dedicated to helping underprivileged youth achieve their dreams. Each year, he invites ten promising young people to live in his castle and selects the most exceptional among them for sponsorship. Will you be the lucky one?

]

Mo Bai exhaled softly. "Success! I've got a new place to go. And a B-rank instance should be relatively easy."

Xiao Qi sighed.

"What?"

"Player, Playing House was C-rank. Newcomers' first three stages are always C-rank. You are skipping ahead to B-rank! It will not be easy at all!"

Mo Bai just smiled. "Daddy was a B-rank monster, and I managed. So it's not hopeless."

Xiao Qi sadly informed, "In a C-rank stage, the boss is B-rank! In a B-rank stage, the normal monsters are B-rank, and the boss is A-rank! And this one has ten participants! That means at least ten B-rank monsters!"

Mo Bai pictured ten Daddies chasing her through a castle and suddenly felt overwhelmed.

Still, she stayed optimistic. "Well, there's still seven days before it starts. Let's not overthink it and just enjoy one day at a time. Now, shouldn't we head to Peach Blossom Land next? That message about 'Security Regulations' makes it sound like a safe place."

Xiao Qi agreed. "Yes, it's a peaceful area for rest and recovery, but…"

Before it could finish, a familiar chime echoed in Mo Bai's ears.

[Congratulations, Player Mo Bai, for clearing Playing House. You will now be transferred to Peach Blossom Land. Rewards will be distributed upon arrival.]

As the words appeared, the world around her began to distort. Colors shifted and space warped until she felt herself passing through a strange dimensional gate.

And then, Mo Bai arrived in a brand new world.