Chapter 959: Gaming Equipment and the Forbidden Trump Card
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 959: Gaming Equipment and the Forbidden Trump Card
"Sigh... I promised to accompany you to the Expansion Realm to relax, Sister Bai, but here I am, back at it again."
"Isn't this all part of your plan, Xiao Han?" Sister Bai didn't seem to mind at all.
After all, Xiao Han had already spent several days by her side. She had long since accepted that Xiao Han was the type of person who simply couldn't stay idle.
"Being here with you feels the same to me as being at any scenic resort. Why are you feeling guilty, Xiao Han?"
"Ugh..."
"Does Xiao Han think her Sister Bai is a burden? A girlfriend who requires a fixed amount of time just to maintain the relationship?"
"Eh? No! I never said that! It’s not like that at all!"
"Emotions are mutual. They shouldn't require extra time to 'maintain,' nor are they so fragile. Feelings are the seasoning of life; a peaceful existence and love that matures into kinship—that is the final destination for us both."
"Uh..." I fell into a brief silence. Even the clones I had on temporary autopilot lagged for a split second.
Sister Bai... was absolutely right!
Wasn't so-called "passionate love" often just one party's selfish desire for expression?
Who would actually want their relationship to be constantly subjected to "tests"?
"...Did you think of all that because of your Ordinary Subject, Sister Bai?"
"Perhaps... maybe it had a slight influence. But what I want to tell you, Xiao Han, is that our feelings don't need to be explained. Skip the pointless apologies; you have more important things to do."
As soon as Sister Bai finished, she pulled me into her arms before I could say another word.
Feeling her softness, her warmth, and her pure, sincere heartbeat—the resonance of our Heart Sense... perhaps it really was as she said. Some feelings didn't need words.
Ordinariness is the tranquility of daily life; passion is the resonance between hearts.
"Mmh... okay... I've felt your heart, Sister Bai," I said, lifting my face from her chest to look at her. "Though you say words aren't needed, your body is being quite honest~"
As I spoke, I reached behind me. The hand that had been around my waist had now slid down to my buttocks. I grabbed that hand as it was taking liberties, but even then, Sister Bai didn't let up.
"Ah... it's just that Xiao Han's figure is too good. I'm sorry—mmph..."
Seeing that her hand wasn't moving, I let go and pressed a finger against her lips.
"Shh~ Didn't you just say there's no need for apologies?"
"Oh... I suppose I did."
"So... tonight, I want you..."
"Is that so? Then it seems I have no choice but to satisfy you, Xiao Han~" Sister Bai looked down at my somewhat unsatisfied expression and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.
* * *
The Game World.
I looked at the large game pod Tang En had delivered to me. It was big enough for a person to lie down comfortably inside.
"Lord Calamity Witch, this is the game pod I prepared for you. Previously, due to various reasons regarding account registration and information verification, things were delayed. Now that those issues are essentially resolved, if you are interested, perhaps you could give it a try...!"
Tang En explained the device to me with a very humble posture.
Before he brought this to me, I hadn't actually thought about personally experiencing this world's "local specialty."
According to Tang En, I could use this to kill some time.
After all, ever since that time the flames had enveloped the entirety of Igesuo Surface City to protect it—effectively changing the world overnight—few people dared to cause trouble here.
To be safe, and perhaps to keep me from wandering around too much, he had brought me this.
Tang En was now the official President of the local branch of the Real Protection Association.
As for the other branches and the Association headquarters... according to Tang En, because of the regional fragmentation, the branches were largely independent of the headquarters' orders.
After all, every branch of the Real Protection Association in every city had been built up by the locals themselves.
They mostly just used the name. The President, a man named Monroe, didn't seem to mind. He said that what he spread was an ideology; he hoped people would recognize the truth and fight against the lies woven by the Terminal of Myriad Worlds headquarters for everyone—even if they had to give their lives for it!
If one Monroe fell, another would rise to take his place as a spiritual leader.
Anyone who resisted with that spirit could call themselves a member of the Real Protection Association.
Whether they resisted in reality or within the game, the goal was the same.
Consequently, players from the Real Protection Association were quite annoying in the game. By causing trouble there, they were causing real damage to the interests of the elite.
However, the Association often targeted "whales" and high-end players to "rob the rich and help the poor," so their reputation fluctuated wildly.
"If Lord Calamity Witch finds the game pod inconvenient, I also have a more portable head-mounted device. I can set up the game interface for you immediately."
"Mm, go ahead. I'll take a look first," I nodded, letting Tang En start the setup.
The gaming equipment in this world also required an energy connection.
However, it wasn't the power cords or network cables I was used to; it was a direct link to special interfaces built into the architecture.
As expected, the buildings in the Game World were part of the supporting infrastructure for the Terminal of Myriad Worlds.
It was somewhat similar to the root network of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, though the root network used actual roots as a medium, making its autonomy and interference resistance much stronger.
Everything in the Game World was built upon Transcendent Pixels.
Whether it was the infinitely divisible Transcendent Pixels or the Material Pixels that used physical matter as a carrier, they were all manifestations of the Terminal of Myriad Worlds's power and order.
Even I had to admire it.
If the Terminal of Myriad Worlds was compared to a spellbook, then using a spellbook to birth a spell domain and reorganize spell order was something only those at the Saint Realm—above the Transcendent level—could master.
Had the power of this Game World reached the Transcendent Saint Realm?
Or was there a genius here whose talent rivaled my own?
I didn't feel much frustration at the thought. After all, I was facing the geniuses of an entire world, the power of a whole society, and the heritage of a civilization.
What truly made me wary was the Transcendent level.
Could the twelve councilors of the High Council be twelve Transcendents?
Even if their path of advancement didn't match my understanding, there was one universal metric: the Life Level.
If they were talented enough to wield Transcendent power with mortal bodies, that would be equally troublesome.
I didn't believe for a second that those twelve hadn't mastered the power they possessed; otherwise, how could they hold their seats on the High Council?
But after careful consideration, I guessed that the twelve were likely not at the Transcendent Saint Realm.
Because their dungeon domains and pixel orders were only in the embryonic stage—just like mine!
"As expected, this world is still full of geniuses..." I mused. Since they likely weren't Transcendents themselves, there was only one possibility: they had once produced a genius.
Furthermore, I had learned from Tang En that the Game World hadn't changed in a long time. There had been no update prompts for the game—at least, not in Tang En's lifetime.
Therefore... I judged that the genius was likely a figure from history.
The current Terminal of Myriad Worlds headquarters of the Infinite Group were likely just caretakers maintaining a legacy.
Tang En had also mentioned some unsubstantiated rumors that the High Council had even lost the ability to repair the Terminal of Myriad Worlds, relying entirely on the system's self-maintenance.
I didn't quite believe that rumor. If it were true, just how far had the High Council rotted?
Regardless, I would never imagine my enemies to be so pathetic.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, you may leave. Contact me via the Great Knowledge Seed if anything comes up. Igesuo Surface City is just the beginning; don't slack off even if you've become the Association President," I said.
"Yes! Oh... wait... there is one more thing I wanted to mention," Tang En said quickly after nodding.
"What is it?" I asked as I tried to open the game pod's hatch.
"It's like this... with our branch's frequent activities and my takeover as President, I... I received a message!"
"Just say it. What message?" I asked.
"We received another message from the President of the Real Protection Association, Monroe."
"Another?"
"Yes. From what I know, the last one was received when they were preparing to summon you. At that time, I wasn't even the Vice President, so I didn't know much. This is the first time I've received one personally."
"What did the message say?"
"Lord Mon—no, President Monroe... he wants to meet you, Lord Calamity Witch."
"He wants to see me?" I raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Previously, Sheryl, that Rebel Witch, said she had a way to get me into this Game World.
Could this President be that Rebel Witch's... Walker?
Was it possible?
Possible... after all, as long as they were human, anyone could be turned.
But that was just a guess.
"Did he say why? When and where?" I continued.
"That... he didn't say. No time or location. It seemed like a spontaneous thought, or perhaps an expectation. He'll probably appear once the heat dies down. President Monroe's methods are very powerful; the fact that he's survived this long is proof enough."
"Is that so? No wonder you saved this for last. Forget it, just act as if nothing happened and go about your business." I dismissed Tang En casually.
Tang En took the hint and left.
However, far away, my clones were given a new task: while exploring the Game World and locating the Terminal of Myriad Worlds headquarters, they were also to look for traces of Monroe.
After sending Tang En away, I focused all my attention on the game pod.
This was my first time actually playing. The method of using a clone to replace a player was simply too restrictive.
This game pod reminded me of the Primal Dream Pod I had used before. Though the two were fundamentally different, they seemed to achieve a similar effect.
One wouldn't die.
I lay down inside the pod. The interior design was highly ergonomic and adjustable.
After all, people who bought game pods were either rich or noble; the service was naturally top-tier. Only average people had to settle for the head-mounted devices.
Once the hatch closed, the pod detected a player and started up immediately.
However, I didn't just wait to be connected. Instead, I began observing the equipment.
Tang En and the others might not have noticed, but I couldn't afford to be careless. I was a clone, not a true living being.
How did this game connect?
What did it interface with?
The brain? Consciousness? Soul Essence? Or just the senses?
Based on my understanding, players couldn't face any life-threatening danger unless they encountered me, so it was impossible for their Soul Essence to actually descend into the game.
As the game started, I quickly grasped its operating principle.
This game interfaced with the Life Essence!
That is, the so-called Soul Essence, which then synchronized with the Five Senses...
As I delved deeper, my expression darkened.
Because... with this design, a life within the game was completely at the mercy of the equipment!
While it wouldn't normally cause a life-threatening situation, if the device had additional override capabilities, a specific scenario could occur:
Holding the player's Life Essence hostage!
They could even interfere to prevent a player from leaving the game!
Tang En and the others had never mentioned this; it was likely a secret even they didn't know.
This immediately made me think of the Association's "Banned Accounts." If a player with a banned account couldn't log out, wouldn't that be a form of consciousness imprisonment?
After a moment's thought, I realized this was likely a trump card that could never be played!
The moment it was used, it would become a blade the Association could use to strike at the headquarters.
If the game was dangerous, who would still play?
It would shake the very foundations of the Game World's society!
It was simply that the Association hadn't yet reached the point where they could truly threaten the Terminal of Myriad Worlds headquarters.
"What a sinister design..." I remarked, yet I still chose to connect to the game.
Setting aside the fact that I was a clone, even if they had such methods, I could break them. Such tricks were only effective against ordinary people.
Even so, I took precautions. The consciousness I connected and the sensory synchronization were all routed through an additional simulated clone signal.
After all, I was the Little Witch who could reverse-hijack accounts from the player character level!
Even as a clone, dealing with gaming equipment was simple.
I began to feel a sense of anticipation. After all, this was a connection to another truly existing world!
One could say the Game World was a bizarre existence—a classic example of "buy one, get many free!"
It was truly worthy of being a Medium World undergoing metamorphosis into a Large World. If all these worlds were "digested," it might even reach the threshold of a Large World Community.
But there was no point in thinking about that now. These worlds, dominated by the Game World, could not serve as allies to overthrow it.